King Crimson – Red (Vinyl LP)

40th Anniversary Edition Mixes As Mixed/Produced by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp In 2009-2010 Available On Stand Alone Vinyl for the First Time!

By the time King Crimson entered the studio in July 1974, the band had spent the best part of two years on the road, recorded two albums along the way (Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Starless And Bible Black), and shed two band members en route (percussionist Jamie Muir left for a monastery, violin/mellotron player David Cross had left at the end of the US tour a week earlier). They had also built a reputation as one of the tightest, most powerful bands on the rock circuit. Recording as a trio in Olympic studios in London, with contributions from former members and friends on sax, violin, oboe and clarinet, the group produced the last Crimson studio album of the ’70s and one of the decade’s masterpieces – Red. The 5-song set emerged as a distillation of everything Crimson had been working towards live and in the studio between 72 and 74. In the 45-plus years since its release, Red has built an enviable, enduring reputation among fans and professional musicians alike – with bands from each succeeding decade citing it as an important influence.