In the Wake of Poseidon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
In the Wake of Poseidon
In the Wake of Poseidon cover
Studio album by King Crimson
Released May 15, 1970
Recorded March-May 1970, Wessex Sound Studios, London
Genre Progressive rock
Length 42:02 / 48:20 (with bonus tracks)
Label E.G. Records
Atlantic Records (USA)
Island Records (Europe)
Polydor Records (1977)
Discipline Global Mobile
Producer Robert Fripp, Peter Sinfield
Professional reviews
King Crimson chronology
In the Court of the Crimson King
(1969)		 In the Wake of Poseidon
(1970)		 Lizard
(1970)

In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) is the second album by the progressive rock group King Crimson. By the time this album was released, the band had already undergone their first change in lineup, however they still maintained much of the style of their first album, In the Court of the Crimson King.

Also like their first album, the mood of this album often changes from serene to chaotic. The album opens with a poetic vocal piece called "Peace – A Beginning", which is reprised instrumentally in the middle of the album and vocally again at the end. "Pictures of a City" was originally performed live, often extended to over ten minutes and was called "A Man. A City." An example of such a performance can be found on the live album Epitaph.

The longest track on the album is a chaotic instrumental piece called "The Devil’s Triangle", which was built around quotations from Gustav Holst's "Mars: Bringer of War" from his The Planets Suite. King Crimson would have called the piece Mars, as they had performed it on tour in the 1969 lineup, but were forbidden by the composer's legal estate. In 1971, a brief excerpt from "The Devil’s Triangle" was featured on the BBC television series Doctor Who. Also, the track samples the chorus from "The Court of the Crimson King", the title track from the band's first album.

Contents

[edit] Album Cover

The work is called "The 12 Archetypes" or "The 12 Faces Of Humankind". The colour pictures were painted by Tammo De Jongh in 1967.[1]

The twelve faces in the picture are as follows:

  1. The Fool (Fire and Water): The laughing man with a wispy beard.
  2. The Actress (Water and Fire): The Egyptian girl with long pearl earrings and many pearl necklaces around her neck, she has tears in her eyes.
  3. The Observer (Air and Earth): A scientist type person with round spectacles pushed up above his brow,mostly bald head with white hair at the sides; his left hand is held up to his chin, he looks thoughtful.
  4. The Old Woman (Earth and Air): A woman with much wrinkled face wrapped up against the cold.
  5. The Warrior (Fire and Earth): A dark and powerful warrior's face in blacks and reds. He wears a steel helmet, broad square face, open mouth with square teeth and a full black beard.
  6. The Slave (Earth and Fire): A black African with large gold earrings and a ring through his/her nose; the lips are full and pink, the eyes half-closed, sultry and sensuous; the expression is warm and friendly.
  7. The Child (Water and Air): a picture of innocence; a girl with delicate sweet smile and butterfly shaped bows at each side in her long golden hair; her eyes are large and watery and she has a delicate sweet smile on her mouth. She wears a gold chain, on the end of which is a small golden key.
  8. The Patriarch (Air and Water): An old philosopher, with a long face and long white hair and long white beard and moustache; white bushy eyebrows; all around are shapes like flowers or snowflakes; the brow is furrowed upwards from the nose in a fan-like fashion.
  9. The Logician (Air and Fire): A scientist or wizard type man with long face, dark hair and long dark beard; he appears to hold a long stick or wand with his right hand and his left is held aloft and surrounded by stars.
  10. The Joker (Fire and Air): Picture in bright reds and yellows is of a smiling twinkle-eyed 'court jester' with gold-stuccoed, triangular hat reminiscent of a matador.
  11. The Enchantress (Water and Earth): A sad girl with watery eyes gazing at the observer; her long dark hair is blown sideways across her face and brow from right to left.
  12. Mother Nature (Earth and Water): Lying asleep in the long grass; their face in silhouette is viewed from the left side and all around are the flowers and butterflies.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Robert Fripp and Peter Sinfield, unless otherwise indicated.

[edit] Side one

  1. "Peace – A Beginning" - 0:49
  2. "Pictures of a City" - 8:03, including:
    • 42nd at Treadmill
  3. "Cadence and Cascade" - 4:27
  4. "In the Wake of Poseidon" - 7:56, including:
    • Libra's Theme

[edit] Side two

  1. "Peace – A Theme" - (Fripp) 1:15
  2. "Cat Food" - (Fripp/Sinfield/Ian McDonald) - 4:54
  3. "The Devil's Triangle" (Fripp/McDonald) - 11:39, including:
    • "Merday Morn"
    • "Hand of Sceiron"
    • "Garden of Worm"
  4. "Peace – An End" - 1:53

Bonus Tracks on 30th Anniversary Edition

  1. "Cat Food (Single Version)"
  2. "Groon (Single B-side)"

[edit] Personnel

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Twelve Faces of Humankind. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
v • d • e
King Crimson
Current members
Former members
Guest musicians
Studio albums
Singles and EPs
Live albums
Compilations
ProjeKcts
Related bands
See also