My First LP Review Giveaway!

Thats Right, My First LP Review and Giveaway!

Sometimes it just feels good!

...to move stuff on down the line and that's what's going on with me. I'm getting rid of all of my old vinyl... I love my vinyl, really nothing is better in terms of recorded music, in my opinion. I love queing up a great LP and listening all the way through, sitting right in the sweet spot of the stereo field and letting the music transport me on a journey.

Sadly those sessions are exceedingly rare these days. I spend an immense amount of time with music, I'm writing and recording and playing all the time and when I'm done my ears need rest. Yes, beautiful silence is almost nirvana to this old musician! So as much as i love my vinyl, I've had my time with it and it is time to let it go.

Going through my collection brought up a little bit of nostalgia and resignation. These records all played some key part in my musical foundation, each one holds distinct and fond memories of another age. As I browsed through them to prepare them for sale I would play the tunes in my head and remember what was so special about that particular music and how it molded my musical perception. I had to break away because that pursuit could extend to hours, but it hit me that what I should do is grab a few records and review them here and why not just give them away? I need to write more, so what the hell?

So what I'm doing is posting an LP review here every Sunday and the first person to reply will get the LP. I am limiting this to the continental U.S. (sorry). Please give me a contact email in your reply and send me an email at mikeslpreview@gmail - Simple. I Hope!

https://steemit.com/steemit/@mikeinfla/because-of-steemit-i-m-giving-away-my-classic-records

So Here's the Review! :

In the Court of the Crimson King: an observation by King Crimson.

My brother brought this LP home in high school and the cover art made an immediate impression on me. I still love it and it never fails to grab my attention. Sleeve art was one of the best things about vinyl. The art is by Barry Godber, apparently the only album art he ever did!

This is the first record of this enduring and ground breaking band released in 1969. If you think it sounds a little like the Moody Blues, well that would be because it was produced by Tony Clarke of Moody Blues fame. The elaborate production with orchestral interludes, horns and mellotrons is reminiscent of the Moody Blues but Crimson goes down a whole other road here and it is a tad darker.

Listening to the first cut "21st century schizoid man" at full volume and peering into the, quite frankly, horrific (I love it!) cover art, really sets a mood..and it is a dark one. Who can say this track isn't appropriate right now? Greg Lakes vocals are distorted and evil sounding, the horns and guitars crush, this track still sounds menacing and powerful to me after all these years!

The rest of the album is not quite as compelling I must admit, "I talk to the wind" and "epitaph" sound like the soundtrack to a rennaissance festival on angel dust. They have just a little too much medeivel moss growing on them for me from my current perspective. Moonchild fairs a little better and I enjoy the ambience of the production as well as the mood this track casts. The title track is the last on the record and it is a prog rock masterpiece an impressive work which has that all encompassing quality that goes well with mind altering substances. I'd call it trippy...you could say that. The way the mellotrons and chorus and orchestra all come in and envelope you in a wall of sound is something everyone should try out! (with or without chemical alteration)