The one hundred sixty-eighth album: #168 King Crimson - In the Court Of the Crimson King
After listening to the title track of this album for the songs list, I have been looking forward to this album - the evocative song made me look forward to a full album of that. The collection of five lengthier prog rock songs, each of which invokes its own mood and creates a small story, complete with named subsections like chapters of a story. Moonchild, for example, starts with Dream, an ethereal song that feels like floating in a dream, then leads into a lengthy improvised section called The Illusion - the first part working better than the improvised second half.
The album is effective in its setting of mood and it kept me interested throughout, bringing in different elements each time. The final track, Court of the Crimson King, stays the most effective. This is both because of its use of the storytelling to its best effect, and because it avoids the vocal distortion some other tracks have that dilute the message. It feels well constructed - like the rest of the album, but even tighter, and it really is the best example of what the album can do.