Um album maravilhoso e por vezes pouco valorizado do sempre intrigante catálogo dos King Crimson, em Islands os Crimson deixaram para trás a fórmula dos seus três primeiros albuns, iniciando um percurso expressivo mais arrojado. Se a sua liderança foi por vezes questionada antes, Robert Fripp emerge neste disco como o centro criativo vital do grupo.

• Edição Limitada
• Vinil Super-Heavyweight 200 Gramas
• Novo corte a partir de Masters aprovadas por Robert Fripp
• Corte por John Dent na Loud Mastering
• Apresenta o Stereo Mix original de 1971
• Reprodução da Capa original

Islands is the sixth in a series of audiophile King Crimson vinyl reissues. The album's return to the 12" vinyl format is newly cut from masters approved by Robert Fripp. Manufactured on 200 gram super-heavyweight vinyl and housed in a reprint of the original sleeve.

A frequently beautiful and sometimes unfairly overlooked part of King Crimson's always intriguing back catalog, on Islands Crimson left behind the formula they followed for their first three albums, setting off for more adventurous avenues of expression. If his leadership were ever in question before, Fripp had emerged as the mastermind of the group by this point.

There's a much looser feel here, and even when essaying a delicate ballad like "Formentera Lady" or the gorgeous title track, jazzy bass and piano lines and free-wheeling percussion keep things from getting too settled. The jazz influence always present in Crimson grew far more pronounced on Islands via saxman Mel Collins and pianist Keith Tippett.

Where the KC of old turned to Wagnerian grandeur to fill its classical quota, here they favor a more modern classical flavor, often approaching a third stream feel. Fripp's two instrumentals "Sailor's Tale" and "Prelude: Song of the Gulls" showcase his compositional and instrumental brilliance at its most undiluted. While there's more of a sprawling, spacious feel and little fury on Islands, the dynamic shifts are as drastic as ever, as evidenced by new bassist/vocalist Boz Burrell's barely audible singing on "The Letters."

Músicos:

Robert Fripp - guitarra, mellotron, harmonium, sundry implements
Peter Sinfield - letras, sounds, visions
Mel Collins - saxofones, flauta, vozes
Ian Wallace - bateria, percussão, vozes
Boz Burrell - guitarra baixo, vozes, coreografias

Lista de Faixas:

Lado A
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor's Tale
3. The Letters

Lado B
1. Ladies of the Road
2. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
3. Islands

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