Lizard

Lizard is a standout in the King Cimson catalog and by standout I mean there isn't anything else quite like it. Sometimes an artist is his/her most ferocious critic and perhaps that applies to Robert Fripp and his inability to listen to this work. From the day I rode my bicycle to downtown Colorado Springs back in 1972 to pick this up at Budget Tapes and Records on North Tejon I have loved this music. Now I already had started to develop a love of jazz music thanks to the band Spirit and the two earlier Crimson releases and by the time I heard Lizard I was already listening to Miles Davis and Zappa's jazz infused music. I suppose one could say the lyrics on Prince Rupert, especially the chorus MIGHT be a tad cringe worthy today BUT DAMMIT! The rest of this album is absolutely amazing. It is rather like three ropes have been braided together with each thread in turn standing out momentarily, the ropes being jazz, psychedelic rock and classical. This is especially true with the Erik Satie flavored Bolero and the Mingus flavored jazz on side two along with those suuden stop/starts one hears in prog rock maybe a little too often. I have to note here that in my humble opinion, if we MUST label LIZARD with a genre (which I think foolish because if ever a record defied labelling it is this one) it is really more like jazz wrapped around some rock song structures.LIZARD also has the distinction of being the one King Crimson release that features a trombone soloist and that's interesting given that another musical genius in California by the name of Frank Zappa started featuring the trombone of Bruce Fowler right around this same time. Unless you are something of a jazz fan it might not be noticeable that trombone is a wickedly superb instrument for improvisational expression, all of those brass blasts and glissandos, Nick Evans playing is just marvelous and the instrument is perfectly suited to this music.I don't know what else to write here other than to note that if you appreciate horn playing and the use of jazz tonality you are going to love this recording. If I could select only one King Crimson album to take into exile it would be a toss up between LIZARD and LARKS TONGUES IN ASPIC. The two releases are not even remotely like one another and yet I love them both because each is so unique in sound compared to any other work.

it sound goof!!!!’ /so good!!!

King Crimson's third album Lizard is not quite as consistant as the first two but it's better than the next one. This is a very jazzy sounding album with some celtic and baroque thrown in. The first part of this release is made up of four songs all sung by Gordon Haskell. In fact, this started up with the lineup that finished Poseidon for the most part anyway. While all these songs are great for me it's the second half of the cd that is like nothing else. Back in the days of records this was one of my most played sides. The Lizard side as we all used to call it back then. It starts off very quitely with a guest vocal appearace by Jon Anderson and then moves in to some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. Several related pieces that have an absolutely beautiful sound and are quite unlike anything you'll hear anywhere else. A wonderful piece. Big Top is very brief but fits in well with the Lizard Suite.

I don't understand why Fripp dismisses this album. In the right mood, I love it - particularly 'Cirkus', In fact, this was the first Crimson album I heard, more by chance than design. If pressed to name the 'best' Crimson albums, I'll probably say 'Red' and "Larks' Tongues', the relative order of those two being variable, but Lizard is surely up there somewhere. At the time, I wasn't aware of the distinction between jazz and rock (due to ignorance, not profundity) so I wasn't troubled by that matter. And, quite frankly, it's Pete Sinfield, so let's not argue about weird lyrics either. Possibly, like Silas, I appreciate a flask of weird. And Mel Collins' saxing.

I IGNORED THIS ONE F0R YEARS UNTIL A FRIEND BURNED IT FOR ME. WHEN I FIRST HEARD IT I WAS AMAZED. THE COMPOSITION, STYLE, AND INTELLIGENT STRANGENESS OF THIS ALBUM IS DUMBFOUNDING. ROBERT FRIPP IS A GENIUS. THIS ALBUM RANGES AND EVOKES GAMUTS OF EMOTION. EVERYTHING FROM SUBTLE CYNICISM, PARANOIA, TO UNBELIEVABLE REFLECTIVE BEAUTY. THE ARRANGEMENT ARE FABULOUS. THE LYRICS ARE GREAT (Peter Sinfield). THE MUSICIANS OUTSTANDING, ESPECIALLY THE INTERPLAY OF KEYBOARDS, WOODWINDS, AND BRASS. GET IT, YOU WONT BE SORRY IF THIS IS YOUR CUP OF TEA.

After the predictable Poseidon, KC comes up with an almost entirely new lineup plus various important Jazz musicians. The product is bold, unique, inspiring and powerful. This one of my top 3 KC albums (Larks and Starless being the other 2). I heard this album 30 years ago and I am still listening to new hues, dissonances thanks to technological advances of recording. It is casual and playful at times but never boring, never "over your head". This is Andy McCullough's (drummer) only KC project but it is refreshing to hear the freedom, close to melodic chops he displays. The use of mellotron at is best: with power and depth. Highly recommended for serious listeners!!

thanks

...goes Peter Sinfield's lyric in the title cut. When "Lizard" was released it was a stunning departure from King Crimson's previous two albums. Mixing jazz-fusion with a medieval sound, it gave progressive rock a boost in its alumni. When I decided to 'catch up' on KC CD's "Lizard" had to be included in its entirety. Many a night I sat up listening to the intense strains of this album, a complex intertwining of numerous instruments and chaotic notes. This is for the jazz-classical enthusiasts out there. My 2004 release was remastered in 1999 and is a HDCD disc.

Sou suspeito para avaliar esse disco, pois Lizard é o meu preferido do Crimson e essa edição remasterizada e prensada em vinil 200 gramas é simplesmente espetacular!

Dans la première grande période de King Crimson, plus vraiment l'équipe du début, un intermède, décrié à sa sortie, Lizard est une forme d'aboutissement où se mêlent rock, jazz et classique, des oeuvres mises en valeur par des interprètes de qualité, Jon Anderson de Yes, Keith Tippett, pianiste virtuose, le guitariste fuori classe Robert Fripp et les autres. Peut-être un album charnière dans la musique rock.

キング・クリムゾンの3枚目のアルバムです。巷では、全体的にややパワー不足と言われているが…そんな事は、無い！と、思っているイチファンです。

Dentro do chamado Progressivo esse álbum contem a participação do vocalista do Yes, Jon Anderson. Excelente qualidade na prensagem em 200g

最高な作品。