There’s no denying that King Crimson have opened the floodgates when they released their 1969 debut In the Court of the Crimson King on Chris Blackwell’s label, Island Records. It was like an eruptive cannon blast, waiting to happen at the right place, at the right time. Now in 2025 with the band’s second and third studio album, both originally released in the same year in 1970, gives us an insight on what is to come and the kings of futuristic tribal rock have in store by pushing the envelope in the way that rock and roll is supposed to sound.
These two albums were originally reissued back from 2009 to 2010 in honor of the 40th anniversary series in its CD/DVD set which included the 5.1 mix, the original album mix in its 2004 mastered editions, and the 2009 mixes done by Steven Wilson. And now, with Steven coming back to those albums again in 2025, it was like seeing an old friend you haven’t seen for a very long time.
So, here we are, having another go in these new 2025 mixes of the albums that paint this wonderful canvas in its CD/Blu-Ray discs. Not only includes the 2025 mix, but DGM’s co-owner David Singleton and his Elemental mixes, followed by a Dolby Atmos mix, complete sessions, its time to return to those albums and give it, the proper recognition it truly deserves.
The new mixes that Wilson has done, sounds fantastic. Steven has never disappointed me when it comes to the new mixes he’s done; Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, XTC, Roxy Music, Black Sabbath, and Yes. With the essences that comes to the illustrations coming to life, Steven makes sure he stays true to the original mixes as possible and honor Fripp’s vision in a way by tipping his hat to them, each time it gets his stamp of approval.
On Singleton’s Elemental mix with ‘Pictures of a City’ it starts out with a rumbling guitar droning before it surges with blaring saxes, Greg’s picking bass, Robert’s guitars, it has that heavier brass attack before drums and mellotrons in the background, sets up the terror that’s about to unfold. Also, we have the long-awaited alternate mixes in its complete 2025 mix form of ‘The Devil’s Triangle’ which originally appeared on the Sailor’s Tale box set in 2017.
Each of the instruments go back in forth on my earphones listening to the new mix of the 10-minute suite. Its nod to Gustav Holst’s ‘Mars, The Bringer of War’ adds in the intense volume with its militant themes, pounding piano, marching rhythm section, Tippett’s piano going in this high energy level, Fripp making his guitar, turning into this batshit-crazy like monster ready to head into this cannibalistic human flesh-eating momentum, and the Avant-Garde approaches that adds more fuel to the fire.
While the title-track has more of a continuation where ‘Epitaph’ has left off, it’s the jazzy Tippett madness that details the fast-food craze as Greg Lake goes into this megaphone effect when he sings at times on ‘Cat Food’. But once Gordon Haskell comes into the picture, going in this Dalek-like voice in the weirdness on the synths exploring the Beatles characterisations with ‘Happy Family’, all bets are off.
Going back and re-listening to these albums many years ago when I heard them originally back in 2001 (In the Wake of Poseidon) and in 2002 (Lizard) during Spring Break when I was a sophomore in High School, it took me back to a place where I was revisiting part of the soundtrack of my life, and Crimson seems to fit the billing, very well.
Listening to Lizard in its new 2025 mix, it beats out the 2009 mix that Steven done in the 40th anniversary series. He has overseen the visual styles, the free-jazz motif, the nods to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, and the lyrical structures with its eerie surroundings, and preparing for the Battle of Glass Tears that awaits us.
The elemental mix however that Singleton has captured on ‘Cirkus (Including Entry of the Chameleons)’ makes it more shattering. You hear Mellotron brass and flute, intense acoustic guitars improv, Haskell’s double-tracking vocals, siren-like sax section, and what’s this? The Hohner Pianet creates this carousel-like nightmare which I never heard in the original album.
The effects from Fripp’s guitars, Mellotrons, and rising pianet takes up the tents, the master of ceremonies, and preparation for the show to begin. You can hear someone saying “That’s right, mate!” on the elemental mix on ‘Indoor Games’. Now I couldn’t tell if its Haskell, Sinfield, or Fripp making that quote, but its quite a trip to see what’s underneath the multi-tracks Singleton has uncovered.
The 23-minute epic ‘Lizard’ still holds on its own that remains one of the most incredible pieces of music Crimson put on their third album. Jon Anderson filling in the gaps for ‘Prince Rupert Awakes’ with his vocalizations and the prince’s demise that’s about to come. And to be allowed to have Tippett’s piano arrangements to fill in its classical beauty, you get a sense on why Keith was way ahead of his time.
On ‘Bolero’ the elemental mix features these acoustic guitar chords for a brief moment in Singleton’s mixes. Which caught me off-guard, but Tippett flows well into the soaring sky, adding in his own motif throughout his piano playing. Not to mention Mel Collins lending Keith a helping hand to add the melodic structures on his sax.
Why do you think Fripp lend Keith a helping hand between his production realms on Centipede’s Septober Energy and his 1972 album Blueprint? Because I can imagine Robert always knew Keith had the spark and the energy, flowing into other worlds when it came classical music and free-jazz that is out there, waiting to be discovered.
You can just vision the 23-minute title-track being used as an alternate soundtrack to the Netflix animated anthology Love, Death & Robots and its story The Very Pulse of the Machine, written by Michael Swanwick, and featuring the voice of Mackenzie Davis as Martha Kivelson in its hallucinated animated wonders that speaks of Moebius’ designs.
‘Last Skirmish’ sounds like a dooming, yet threatening menace that speaks of early Black Sabbath on the bass which I believe its using the tritone effect as the timpani and mellotron sets up the battle with its gruesome effect. Once the blaring saxes, drums, and grooved-up guitars go into place, you are in the battlefield, watching the horror in all of its mesmerizing glory.
I have to say the Elemental mix of ‘Lizard’ is the one to check out. Its quite an ear-listening, eye-widen, and jaw-dropping experience for he did to see what was buried in the multi-tracks that didn’t make it on the original album in 1970. All in all, it is great to see these two Crimson albums come back with vengeance, and come back with more fury and more vibrant imaginations to see what other adventures will lay ahead in the Crimson catalog in 2026.
