Red (King Crimson album)

Red
Red
Studio album by King Crimson
Released	1 October 1974
Recorded	30 June 1974; 8 July – August 1974
Venue	Palace Theater, Providence
Studio	Olympic, London
Genre	Progressive rock; progressive metal; heavy metal;
Length	39:57
Label	Island; Atlantic;
Producer	King Crimson
King Crimson chronology
King Crimson studio chronology

Red is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson. It was released in October 1974^[6] on the Island Records label in the United Kingdom, and Atlantic Records in North America and Japan. The album was recorded at Olympic Studios in London in July and August 1974, and produced by the band themselves. The track "Providence" was a free improvisation recorded at their 30 June 1974 concert at the Palace Theater in Providence, Rhode Island. Parts of some of the pieces were conceived during previous improvisations performed by the band live. "Starless" was originally written for their previous album, Starless and Bible Black (1974), but was considered too primitive to be released at the time. The lengthy version included on Red was refined and performed during concerts throughout 1974.

Red is a progressive rock album with a noticeably heavier sound than their previous albums; it was later called one of the 50 "heaviest albums of all time" by Q. This was achieved with the performances of just three band members: guitarist Robert Fripp, bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford. The dense sound of the album was created by use of significant layering, multiple guitar overdubs, and key guest appearances by musicians including former King Crimson members Ian McDonald (a founding member of the band), Mel Collins, classical oboist Robin Miller and English jazz trumpeter Mark Charig. The live track "Providence" was recorded by the previous lineup of the band, with David Cross in addition to Fripp, Wetton and Bruford. Cross departed by the time the studio recordings for the album began.

Roughly two weeks prior to the release of Red, King Crimson disbanded. The album turned out to be their lowest-charting album at that time, spending only one week in the UK Albums Chart at No. 45 and the US Billboard 200 at No. 66. However, it was well received among fans and critics. It has received further praise retrospectively, being recognised as one of the band's best works, and has been reissued many times.

^ "DGM".
^ Fricke, David (29 March 2010). "Alternate Take: King Crimson's Royal Remix Treatment". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021. Also out now are 1974's Red, one of the fiercest prog-rock albums of all time
^ Kopp, Bill (20 August 2021). "Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia". Newcity. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
^ Fricke, David (3 January 2014). "The Road to Red". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2021. What we now call progressive metal – distended composition, flinty-guitar textures and crushing virtuosity – hit an early, breathtaking apex on this British art-rock institution's 1974 U.S. tour, the prelude to its last Seventies studio LP, Red.
^ Farber, Jim (9 November 2017). "King Crimson talks ever-changing band, music". Foster's Daily Democrat. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021. The last work in the band's most sacred phase, "Red", from 1974, pushed heavy metal into the outer reaches of the avant-garde.
^ King Crimson - Red Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 29 October 2023

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[1] "DGM".

[3] Fricke, David (29 March 2010). "Alternate Take: King Crimson's Royal Remix Treatment". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021. Also out now are 1974's Red, one of the fiercest prog-rock albums of all time

[4] Kopp, Bill (20 August 2021). "Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia". Newcity. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2022.

[5] Fricke, David (3 January 2014). "The Road to Red". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2021. What we now call progressive metal – distended composition, flinty-guitar textures and crushing virtuosity – hit an early, breathtaking apex on this British art-rock institution's 1974 U.S. tour, the prelude to its last Seventies studio LP, Red.

[6] Farber, Jim (9 November 2017). "King Crimson talks ever-changing band, music". Foster's Daily Democrat. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021. The last work in the band's most sacred phase, "Red", from 1974, pushed heavy metal into the outer reaches of the avant-garde.

[7] King Crimson - Red Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 29 October 2023

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