Larks' Tongues In Aspic

Following six months off to regroup, Robert Fripp's next move was forming a completely new King Crimson, coaxing away drummer Bill Bruford from Yes and bassist John Wetton from Family. Whether Fripp knew it at the time or not, the rhythm section that was the core of the new lineup would go down as one of the finest in rock history. Violinist David Cross and ex-Sunship percussionist Jamie Muir rounded out the lineup. Save for the gentle track "Exiles," the album contains little of the former Crim sound. Fripp's raison d'être for resurrecting the band was something much different: rock improvisation. The album opens with the loose form of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One" as testament. Shifting and complex, the track moves between moments of beauty and fury with equal conviction. "Easy Money" exposes the fierce underbelly of the rhythm section in a more conventional form. Cross's violin seems like an uneasy sounding proposition, but it was meant that way, right? Fortunately, he also plays Mellotron. Wetton is a distinctive vocalist; his stately delivery of Richard Palmer-James's lyrics on "Book of Saturday" is refreshing. Wetton and Palmer-James share the same Bournemouth birthplace—the latter also was a founding member of Supertramp. But rising from the ashes of "The Talking Drum" is the angular guitar riff of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two," which is both a signature song for the lineup and a perfect close to this new chapter in Crimson history. The band made its live debut in October 13th, 1972 in Frankfurt; however, Muir left to join a monastery prior to the album's release. Larks' Tongues In Aspic was well-received critically and commercially, reaching No. 20 in the UK and No. 61 in the US.