In The Wake Of Poseidon

King Crimson imploded after their US tour in late 1969. Ian McDonald and Michael Giles had too much, too soon and would depart to record an eponymous record. Similarly, Greg Lake had met up with Keith Emerson while on tour, and agreed to form a band upon their return to the UK. Thus, Robert Fripp and Pete Sinfield were left with the reins of the band, and faced the task of recording the follow-up-though both Lake and Giles did make contributions to the album, with the latter's brother Peter Giles adding bass. With all the upheaval, little new material was written. The crazy "Cat Food" b/w "Groon" single came out in March, previewing where their next album would go; much of the material for this album then was culled from their current live set. The rocking "Pictures of a City" was first heard as "A Man, A City." The song covers the same territory as "21st Century Schizoid Man;" Mel Collins's horns and Giles's fabulous drumming are both sublime on the record. Another Crim archetype, the title track sees those stately melodies refined even further. It's those two tracks and the fierce Mellotron orgy "The Devil's Triangle," based on Gustav Holst's "Mars" (from the composer's orchestral suite, The Planets), that make up the bulk of the album. "Cadence and Cascade" also is reprised, here with Bournemouth native Gordon Haskell singing. Perhaps overlooked in Crim history, In The Wake Of Poseidon closely followed the model of its predecessor; however, it's a carefully constructed album, with excellent production being one of its many strengths. The cover featured The 12 Archetypes or The 12 Faces of Humankind by Tammo De Jongh. Like the band's previous work, the album was well-received, reaching No. 4 in the UK and No. 31 in the US. Collins, Haskell and pianist Keith Tippett would remain in Crim service for another album, barely.