Friday, January 23, 2026

The Prog Rock Album Pete Townsend Called a 'Masterpiece'

The Who's live sound in the late 1960s may have sounded metallic, but their studio work was definitely more comparable to that of emerging prog-rock artists.

In 1969, many professionals and music fans began to compare The Who to Robert Fripp's formative band, King Crimson.

Like The Who, King Crimson valued complex composition and evocative themes and also had a huge influence on the heavy metal wave, especially with the enduring classic '21st Century Schizoid Man'.

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After just a few months of existence, King Crimson made a major breakthrough when The Rolling Stones invited them to perform at their iconic free concert on July 5th, 1969, at Hyde Park, London.

The iconic concert was guitarist Mick Taylor's first public performance with the Stones following Brian Jones' dismissal and subsequent death.

The occasion exposed Crimson to a congregation of half a million people. Keen to strike while the iron was hot, they entered the studio to record their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King.

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article link is FarOutMag

King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man (Including "Mirrors")
King Crimson channel

www.youtube.com

Blood rack, barbed wire
Politicians' funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire

[Refrain]
Twenty-first century schizoid man

[Instrumental Break: "Mirrors"]

[Verse 3]
Death seed, blind man's greed
Poets' starving children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs

Twenty-first century schizoid man

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King (Album Visualiser)

www.youtube.com

(Could have been written for you know who.)

#1 | Posted by Corky at 2026-01-23 11:12 PM

Thanks for posting, Corky. I was lucky enough to see Asia several times, including front row seats. They played one or two songs from their previous bands, including In The Court Of The Crimson King and it was fantastic hearing it live.

#2 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-01-24 01:18 AM

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