The first iteration of the band produced their remarkable debut, In The Court of The Crimson King 1969, and even if Fripp doesn't like the term, prog rock took a big step forward. Over the next few releases, the band underwent multiple personnel changes, and In the Wake of Poseidon 1970, Lizard 1970, and Islands 1971 increased the use of jazz motifs while still mostly sounding like King Crimson, just not as good as the debut. The heavy songs were mixed with gentle ballads, and the sound was bolstered by the sax and flute of Mel Collins and drummer Ian Wallace. All three records have received mixed reviews, and all three have their fans.
The next edition of King Crimson is often cited as the strongest period for the band. An all new band joins Fripp, with the thunderous bass and mellifluous voice of John Wetton, the exceptional drumming of Bill Bruford, and David Cross on violin replacing Mel Collins' sax and flute as the color on top of Fripp's guitar. This augmented trio produced three outstanding if challenging records in Lark's Tongues In Aspic 1973, Starless and Bible Black 1974, and Red 1974. Influential records that paved the way for metal, thrash, hard punk, and other big loud rock forms, all three are excellent. I discussed the three in some detail here. Then Robert Fripp disbanded King Crimson. A good live record of this band recorded in 1974, USA was released in 1975. Later, when Fripp was releasing live documents from the band's career, other live releases documenting this frighteningly good band, including The Great Deceiver 1992 and The Night Watch 1997 were released.
And so it was, until 1980 when Fripp formed a new band called Discipline, with Bill Bruford, Tony Levin, and singer/guitarist/songwriter Adrian Belew. After playing together for a bit, Fripp decided that it was "King Crimson music", and the band became King Crimson. Or so the story goes. This band made three records, and they rarely "sound like King Crimson" if you ask me. My guess is that Fripp knew they would sell more records as King Crimson no matter what they sounded like. They do sometimes sound like a new version of King Crimson, but not very often. Belew brings with him African and other "world" rhythms, as well as a pop sensibility that was generally welcome in his work with Bowie and Talking Heads, but clearly at odds with a King Crimson sound. Like much eighties work, too many synthesizers don't help, including Bruford's new penchant for electronic drums. Discipline 1981 (the best of the three), Beat 1982 (the worst thing called a King Crimson record), and Three of a Perfect Pair 1984 all hold their good performances (there's no lack of talent), and all of them seem out of place if you've been listening to other King Crimson from before or after this version. Given the plethora of live recordings of the band released over the years, it is no surprise that only one of them, Absent Lovers 1998, is from this band's tenure. Then Robert Fripp disbanded King Crimson, again.
Until 1993/94, when Fripp decided (at Belew's urging) to reform King Crimson. After several others were asked to join, Fripp established the new King Crimson with Belew, Bruford, Levin, plus bassist Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelatto. Often referred to as the "double trio", this phase of King Crimson, while still somewhat more pop oriented than the seventies bands, returned to the heavier, dense sound of their seventies work, and generally sounded more like King Crimson. The album Thrak 1995 was preceded by the EP Vroom 1994, and included rerecorded versions of most of the Vroom material. Belew still brings his quirky pop to the show, but Thrack is a more aggressive work than the eighties records, and restores much of the classic sound of the band, albeit updated with new electronics in the nineties. This unit was also represented on solid live records B'Boom 1995 and Vroom Vroom 2001 as well as a collection of improvisations from the 1995 tour titled Thrakattak 1996, mostly of interest to the obsessed.
Bruford and Levin left the band in 1999, and the remaining four made two more records, The Construkction of Light 2000 and The Power to Believe 2003. The band sounds more in line with the seventies band than the eighties band, and of course that is generally a good thing. Critics were generally mixed in their opinions, but reliable voices made positive reviews of both records, and both have plenty of hard-hitting instrumentals to offset Belew's sometimes lesser lyrical efforts. The band was represented on several live recordings, including Heavy Construkction 2000 and Elektrik 2003. After a period of inactivity from 2003-2007, a 40th anniversary tour (with Fripp, Levin, Belew, Mastelotto and new second drummer Gavin Harrison) was staged in 2008. Then Robert Fripp disbanded King Crimson, again.
Until 2014, when Fripp established a new line-up including new singer/guitarist Jakko Jakszyk, Mel Collins on sax and flute (last seen in the band in 1972), Tony Levin, and drummers Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, and Bill Rieflin (later replaced by Jeremy Stacey in 2016). This seven-piece toured fairly regularly from 2014-2021, and released no less than seven live recordings. The band played material from the band's entire career, including the mostly previously neglected 1970-1971 repertoire. Songs were rearranged for this formidable outfit, and the live recordings document a band clearly capable of anything. I have not heard them all, but Live In Toronto 2016, and the last one, Music is our Friend: Live in Washington and Albany, 2021 are both remarkable.
King Crimson will always be thought of as Robert Fripp's band, but many other outstanding artists contributed, and Bill Bruford, Tony Levin, John Wetton, and Pat Mastelotto deserve special mention. Never a band for the feint of heart, if you can handle the occasional pummeling, there is some powerful and unique music to be had in King Crimson.
