King Crimson - In The Wake Of Poseidon

How to move on without Lake and McDonald, who both had a representative role in the sound of the debut LP? And how to follow up a record like the previous one musically? The answer is thought by many not to be wholly satisfactory, as this here album is often seen as a weak brother of the first. Fripp now plays the characteristic mellotron himself (without any discernable difficulty) and Collins is the new woodwinds miracle, not less enticing than McDonald was. The weak point must be the vocals. Haskell's voice is severely limited and does not always credit to the emotions that he is asked to express. It may be true, that no real new points of view are presented within this album, but they are definitely further developed to at times majestic results. The fragile start of ''Peace - a beginning'' contrasts again heavily with Pictures of a city, where the menace now has become apocalyptic. The middle piece of that track is so transparant, that it is hardly music anymore: ethereal webs of sound that drift along. There are more complicated means necessary to achieve this ever expanding contrast. More asymmetrical time-signatures, more measure-changes, more complicated riffs, often played unisono to reinforce them. The tranquil ''Cadence & cascade'' shows the disadvantages of Haskell's wobbly voice very clearly. The overwhelming title track pulls all stops. Fripps solo on acoustic guitar is immediately recognizable and mellotron waves hurl their depths over your head as if they want to drown you. Maybe the lyrics are a shade too mystical for their own good. Side B starts off with the almost accessible ''Cat food'', a bitter observation of consumer's paradise, adorned with the freakiest grand piano imaginable. Never need to worry/ With a tin of Hurri Curri, no indeed. The strongest track must be the three-part suite that follows, an exalted mixture of heavy rock, free-jazz and 20th century chamber-music with an exceptionally calamitous atmosphere. This track seems quite unsuitable to hear just before falling asleep. Cataclysmic shreds of music, sharp and incisive industrial soundscapes, shrieking dissonants, uncanny instrumental combinations and small morsels of innocent music that perish in the violence, these are hard ingredients to digest, but simultaneously very adventurous and uncommon listening. This is music that suggests the very end of times in a credible way, much like some episodes in the symphonies of Arthur Honegger do. More difficult to get acquainted with than the first album, nevertheless an excellent effort in its own right.