When you say stoner tunes, one of the albums that instantly come to mind is In the Court of the Crimson King, An Observation, by King Crimson. When the average listener dropped the needle on the album in October of 1969, they’d likely never received an onslaught quite like 21st Century Schizoid Man. Some say that was the moment heavy metal was born. It only lasted a few minutes, before they veered into experimental jazz, then invented the genre that became progressive, and finally tossed you back into heavy metal like a petulant tornado.
And that’s just the first song. The next one, I Talk To The Wind might make you more comfortable in a mellow indica buzz. Before Epitaph rolls in and shatters the tranquility.
It’s not a long album, less than 45 minutes. But it went places no other band had gone to before. King Crimson was never going to hit the popularity of the Rolling Stones. But there were enough people out there eager for sonic onslaught and incredibly musical virtuosity to keep them going iteration after iteration, with only short breaks, through the last year.
The vocals for In The Court of the Crimson King are by Greg Lake, who went on to even greater success with Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The founder and only constant member, Robert Fripp helped usher in ambient music with Brian Eno, and what became New Wave with David Bowie. Along with a myriad of other innovative musical projects.
It was the cover that got me. High in the record store and whether it wasn’t in stock before, or I never scanned the K’s, but I’d never seen that cover. It’s horrifying and beautiful all at once. And the back cover sealed the deal. I bought it on the spot and went home to play it. I almost upset the tray and spilled the bong on the first notes of the album.
Some say that was the moment heavy metal was born. It only lasted a few minutes, before they veered into experimental jazz, then invented the genre that became progressive, then threw you back into heavy metal like a petulant tornado.
It’s hard to top this initial blast from King Crimson, which has always provided a spontaneous outlet for Fripp’s often disciplined approach to music. The lyrics married modern themes like the Vietnam war with almost medieval imagery in others. The result is as timeless, and poignant today as it was the day it was released.
Take a look at the news and you still see that horrifying expression on countless faces. It’s the twenty-first century after all. And fifty years ago, King Crimson saw it coming.
Weed recommendations for In the Court of the Crimson King, An Observation, by King Crimson: I go straight for the dab rig. Schizoid Man is a great song for dabbing. By the end you’ll be reeling. The whole album isn’t that intense, but definitely spacey, something like Bedford Grow Super Silver Haze which sparks the creative cells in your brain works well.
Weed shirts hoodies, mugs and gifts inspired by dope songs of the seventies
