Red (The New Mixes) [UK-Version, Regio 2/ B]
King Crimson

After this album, Robert Fripp dismissed the already settled composition of his group, apparently deciding that after such hard work he could not offer something at the same level. Prog-rock became somewhat boring music for intellectuals, and soon punk should outshine it. Well, the album is magnificent, it perfectly continued the previous two releases, and structurally recalled the group’s debut, as well as “Lizard”, which also had five tracks. The compositions turned out to be sophisticated and quite heavy, sometimes you can hear a straight metal rhythm section. That's where you can look for the roots of a prog metal. By the release of the album, the team had already turned into a trio, as violinist David Cross left them in the recording process. A significant contribution was made by the wind section, which consisted of guests already known from other albums, as well as Ian MacDonald, who was a member of the group at the very beginning. 1) "Red". An excellent instrumental, where the sharp and heavy introduction of the rhythm section already tunes in a certain way. All members of the group show excellent command of instruments - the guitar, bass and drums are just super, giving one hundred points ahead to many modern metal teams. I especially like the part in the middle with a disturbing bass and a throbbing guitar. 2) "Fallen Angel". There is a roaring sound, a violin appears, and then vocals. At first, the music is calm and beautiful, especially when an acoustic guitar sounds, but at a certain moment an alarming rhythm section comes in with a saxophone and a disturbing guitar sound. The lyrics describe the brutal streets of New York full of dangers. 3) "One More Red Nightmare." The beginning is reminiscent of “Red” - the same tough introduction to cool riffing. However, then vocals appear, sounding to an almost pop-rock rhythm with hooks. These same flocks appear in purely instrumental fragments of the composition - in the middle and at the end. The main line in them are drums and bass, but there is also an excellent saxophone solo. They say that the old broken dishes that Bruford uses in this composition were found by him in a garbage bin near the studio. The music ends abruptly, as if someone had turned off the sound. The text is a description of obsessive fears during air travel, in connection with which it resembles "On the Run", an instrumental on the same topic with Pink Floyd. 4) "Providence". Edited improvisation performed live. The instrumental, at first resembling the experimental part of Moonchild from the debut, is the lack of a certain structure, but more interesting. Somewhere far away a violin is heard, to which various ominous sounds such as howling and rattle of a guitar periodically join. From time to time they completely drown out the violin. The perfect soundtrack for a horror movie - perfectly boosts the atmosphere of suspense. At a certain moment, drums appear, and now the rhythm is coming, faster and faster, and jazz jam begins. In general, it turns out pretty creepy music. Even if this track can be considered the worst on the album, however, it is still very good and fits perfectly into the general atmosphere. 5) "Starless". In fact, this vocal version of the song "Starless and Bible Black" from the previous album of the same name. The sadness of the mellotron, saxophone and violin-like guitar perfectly reflect the feelings of the hero of the song, looking at the black starless sky and apparently conscious of its insignificance. The vocal part, performed in jazz style, lasts only a couple of minutes, and the rest of this 12-minute song is played by an alarming instrumental, where a monotonously sounding guitar symbolizes the monotony of our life, and the various eerie sounds created by percussions (cymbals and bells) are wonderful describe a feeling of discomfort. The music gets harder, and then comes the fast enough part with a great saxophone solo. At some point, we return to a slower start, but without vocals, but then the guys rush again at high speeds, and the guitar and drums sound just metallic. At the end, the rhythmic pattern of the initial part is repeated in a heavier version with the involvement of the saxophone. So, if not the best, then at least one of the best albums of “Raspberry King”, which every fan of progressive rock, and metal lovers, is simply obliged to listen to. Doom and prog, especially Tool or Dream Theater, I also strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself.

Wetton, Bruford and Fripp (+ Mel Collins) - brilliant album from 70es - I recommend