In the Court of the Crimson King
| In the Court of the Crimson King | ||||
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| Studio album by King Crimson | ||||
| Released | 10 October 1969 | |||
| Recorded | June–August 1969 | |||
| Studio | Wessex Sound Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 43:53 | |||
| Label |
Atlantic Records Island |
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| Producer | King Crimson | |||
| King Crimson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from In the Court of the Crimson King | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  |
| Robert Christgau | D+ |
| Mojo | |
| Rolling Stone | favourable |
In the Court of the Crimson King (subtitled An Observation by King Crimson) is the debut studio album from the English rock band King Crimson, released on 10 October 1969 on Atlantic Records. The album is considered to be one of the first and most influential of the progressive rock genre, where the band largely departed from the blues influences that rock music was founded upon and combined elements of jazz, classical, and symphonic music.
The album reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 28 on the US Billboard 200, where it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album was reissued several times in the 1980s and 1990s made with inferior copies of the master tapes. After the masters were located in 2003, a 40th Anniversary edition of the album was released in 2009 with new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes by Steven Wilson.
King Crimson made their live debut on 9 April 1969, and made a breakthrough by playing the Rolling Stones free concert at Hyde Park, London, in July 1969 before an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 people.
Initial sessions for the album were held in early 1969 with producer Tony Clarke, most famous for his work with The Moody Blues. After these sessions failed to work out, the group were given permission to produce the album themselves. The album was recorded on a 1" 8-channel recorder at Wessex Sound Studios in London, engineered by Robin Thompson and assisted by Tony Page. In order to achieve the characteristic lush, orchestral sounds on the album, Ian McDonald spent many hours overdubbing layers of Mellotron and various woodwind and reed instruments.
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