King Crimson Album: “Islands”

I really enjoy this 1971 release by King Crimson in spite of the fact that it is neither as wildly virtuosic nor heavy as the first album and the trio of brilliant albums released during 1973-1974. In contrast, Islands is largely quiet and brooding, with dark, low tones played on reed, brass, and string instruments, woodwinds, along with moody mellotron pads here and there. With respect to the new band members, bassist Boz Burrell's lack of familiarity with the electric bass and his admittedly simplistic approach to the instrument might not have worked in any other setting but works well in this stripped down context. Fortunately, his lack of playing ability is more than compensated for by his great vocal abilities, superior acoustic bassist Harry Miller (his bowed and plucked parts are featured on the first piece), and superb drumming by Ian Wallace. Fripp of course is excellent as both a composer/arranger and guitarist, although his guitar playing is not featured prominently on this album - in fact, with the exception of a single, frenzied guitar solo on Sailor's Tale, the electric guitar is pretty much absent. Keboardist extraordinaire Keith Tippett is another person that I wish there was more of on this album. The pieces including Formentara Lady/Sailor's Tale, The Letters, and Islands are more or less similarly sullen, quiet, and acoustic, while the classically influenced instrumental Song of the Gulls is hauntingly beautiful and features a wonderful string arrangement written by Robert Fripp. In stark contrast to these five pieces is Ladies of the Road, which is a brash and vulgar song (with Beatle-esque undertones) that pays homage to groupies and is not terribly good, although Mel Collins sax solo is perfectly "brash and vulgar". Although this album may not be a fan favorite and the lineup was pretty awful live (listen to Earthbound for proof), I find great pleasure in the overall darkness and gloom of the recording. Although King Crimson would go on to greater things following this album, I consider this an excellent addition to any King Crimson collection.

Not nearly as weird and as jazzy as it's predecessor ' Lizard ' and not as heavy as it's studio successor ' Lark's Tongue ', 'Islands ' is to me an underrated classic by King Crimson. The arrangements are sparse, the mellow moments (which there are a bunch of here) are absolutely beautiful, the band rock out a few times (though maybe not enough), and the production nearly flawless.

As one other reviewer pointed out, Boz Burrell is given relatively simple bass lines, probably due to the fact that he didn't even PLAY bass before joining King Crimson...he was chosen as their bassist after Fripp heard him noodling around on a bass guitar and liked what he heard. Boz does play his bass parts well, however and also does a fine job singing. Saxist/flutist Mel Collins is his usual brilliant self, drummer Ian Wallace gives some underrated performances. As for Fripp himself, this album really was a showcase for his writing and arranging skills. He does get in some terrific guitar playing here and there, particularly on the very nasty and funny ode to groupies ' Ladies Of The Road ', especially during his solo, during which he seems to be fighting the rather awkward blues of the song itself! I also love Sinfield's naughty lyrics, Mel Collins entrance after the line " I smiled and just unzipped her.. ", the way Wallace comes in after the first verse, the refrain (done in 3/4 time), etc...

The only word to desribe the last two songs, ' Prelude: Song Of The Gulls ' and ' Islands ' is gorgeous. Actually, I CAN think of other words, like melodic, peaceful, tranquil, wonderful, sleep inducing, blah blah blah. My youngest brother and youngest sister thought that Boz sang ' eyelids ' instead of ' Islands '!

I like the second half better than the first, though that is certainly not a knock on the first half, which definitely has it's moments, like the opening song and Fripp's evil professor guitar playing during ' The Letters ', which gets my vote as the most depressing King Crimson ever..at least the lyrics.

This is a great album!

1971's _Islands_ is quite the subject of mixed opinions among King Crimson fans. Many probably were not ready for something on the more subdued side (at least for King Crimson.)

'Boz', lead vocalist and bassist for this album only, admitted in an interview from a Bad Company profile (the band he would join after leaving Crimson) that he disliked the material he helped to create on this album. I couldn't disagree more. While I do enjoy this album, I must admit that I do not pull it out very often.

The music found on Islands is not as aggressive as on albums like Red or the debut. Instead, it's more reflective, subtle, ambient, esoteric, celestial, absorbing and meditative. It starts with Formentera Lady, which reminds me of early Moody Blues. It's mostly ambient-driven featuring flute, bass, sax and assorted percussion. Sailor's Tale seems to pick up where the previous track left off (the sax hints at the latter in the last few minutes of Formentera Lady) which is a spellbindingly atmospheric and inventive jazz rock tune. The Letters spews forth dark and ambient soft guitar passages, followed by ominous and fiery jazz rock. Ladies Of The Road sounds _Beatle-esque_, especially the vocal harmonies. However, the subject matter (sexual) is more Rolling Stones (not designated). Song Of The Gulls is an instrumental bridging new age and classical forms. Very heavenly instrumental. Islands (title track) is no different. Ethereal and soothing instrumentation combined with ethereal and soothing vocals makes this a perfect track to unwind to.

Islands is far too subtle and esoteric to be appreciated by everyone, including King Crimson fans. To take it a step further, it's not an album that will reveal it's strengths upon first listening. If subtle, atmospheric-ambient jazz, new age or classical (with rock added) is your cup of tea, this may be a wonderful pick. Give this album time and you may be rewarded with the transcendent and magical breeze of a wonderful _Island_.

What makes King Crimson so good is the fact that they write music in such a way where ANYTHING is possible. This means they can write music anyway they want. With that in mind, Islands continues with the enjoyable "weirdness" that Lizard did so well. The music on this album is only weird because it's unlike anything else I've heard.

I'm sure you'd agree that there's nothing more rewarding than being able to discover new things in music even after hearing the same songs over and over, a hundred times? That's what King Crimson did so well in the early days- they were apparently a band on a mission to toss in as many instruments and songwriting styles as possible, and putting songs together any way they felt like. The results are not only fantastic, but able to be played over and over, as you hear more sounds the more times you listen to the music. What a great band.

Islands doesn't quite remind me of an island, or outer space (well, except for Track 2). It's really a strange album. You'd be crazy if you went in expecting every note to click the first time you hear them. It doesn't happen that way. In fact, only the title track and that classical instrumental will be the only tunes you'll remember the first time you play the album. This is certainly an album that requires repeated listens.

Pick up Lizard first, then Islands. Two great albums.

Released after "Lizard", founder Robert Fripp was said to have been exhausted and unsure whether he could carry on with another album. Indeed, "Islands" is one of the more fragmented, yet diverse albums to that date. The original six songs seem to be contradictory in their inclusion. From the start of "Formentera Lady", a laid back bluesy number to the final, beyond mellow extended title track. "Formentera Lady" seamlessly melds into "Sailor's Tale" through a simple edit of cymbals. On the album, you can hear the cymbal edit from one channel to both, but editor master Steven Wilson has crafted yet another masterpiece with this album. "Sailor's Tale" begins with an amazing guitar piece by Fripp which sounds as if the guitar is completely out of tune, sequencing into one of the fastest and manic instrumentals yet. The beat with the mellotron is urgently blasted forth with a wind down of Fripp's unique frazzled guitar sound.

"The Letters" is an odd song for King Crimson (is that possible?), with evil lyrics by Pete Sinfield and Fripp, which has a wild bridge blast of guitar and jazzy brass ending with a bold vocal. But it is "Ladies Of The Road" that sparks intense lyrics of misogyny. Often hilarious in its blatant rhyme, the song still bounces along with tongue in cheek sarcasm. "All of you that the girls of the road, are like apples we stole in our youth" and "Stone-headed Frisco spacer, ate all the meat I gave her, said would I like to taste hers, and even craved the flavour". The lyrics are just a side track for the bands free-style. The band has fun alternating between the vocals and the sultry, salacious jazz sections. It's actually a series of bridges with various moods and inventive solos.

What follows is one of King Crimson's most perplexing songs I can imagine. "Prelude: Song Of The Gulls" would seem out of place, if it were not King Crimson. This beautifully created instrumental chamber piece is actually a highlight and emphasizes the near schizophrenic collection of songs on the album. But it's the ten-minute title track that brings the album to a beautiful close. Slowly building from a calm, patient beginning, the song glides along with an amazing cornet solo. Pete Sinfield's lyrics are some of his best on this song. It's a fitting ending to an inventive, if uneven album. In fact, as a 17-years old, my best friend put this song on right away when he realized I was having a bad acid trip. It calmed me down. Not kidding.

Sid Smith's sleeve notes reveal a great deal about the mood of the group at this time. There are also extra tracks and alternate versions. The CD presents a complete stereo remix by Steven Wilson & Robert Fripp alongside a group of additional tracks representing an almost complete alternate album of studio takes, run-throughs and mixes. The DVD-A presents a complete 5.1 surround sound mix by Steven Wilson, in which he sometimes isolates instruments to one channel bringing out the clarity and resonance. Also here is a hi-res stereo version of the 2010 mix, a hi-res stereo version of the original album mix taken from the 30th anniversary master source and almost 90 minutes of additional material. Most of this material has never been previously released, including many studio takes mixed from the original recording sessions specifically for this release. Once again, Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp have reproduced a remarkable series of sessions and brought "Islands" back to life.