'' is the second
King Crimson Album to be
Recorded by a transitional line-up of the
Group that never had the opportunity to
Perform Live , following ''
In The Wake Of Poseidon ''.
Guitarist /
Composer Robert Fripp and
Bassist /
Vocalist Gordon Haskell have subsequently disparaged ''Lizard'', but a significant proportion of King Crimson
Fans persist in extolling its virtues.
Haskell was previously a classmate of Fripp's at Queen Elizabeth's
Grammar School in Wimborne near
Bournemouth , the pair having subsequently played together in local band the League of Gentlemen. After Haskell contributed vocals to the track "Cadence and Cascade" on ''In the Wake of Poseidon'', Fripp asked him to become an official member of King Crimson for the recording of ''Lizard''. Another supporting musician on ''In the Wake of Poseidon'',
Saxophonist /
Flautist Mel Collins was also asked to become a full-time member of this line-up, as was
Drummer Andy McCulloch . The group was then augmented with supporting players, including another ''In the Wake of Poseidon'' alumnus - the noted
Jazz Pianist Keith Tippett - together with
Yes vocalist
Jon Anderson , and
Brass /
Woodwind Players Robin Miller ,
Mark Charig , and
Nick Evans .
''Lizard'' is arguably King Crimson's most jazz-inflected album, developing further in the direction suggested by the track "Cat Food" on ''In the Wake of Poseidon'' (also released as a
Single ). King Crimson
Lyricist Peter Sinfield 's contributions to ''Lizard'' include some of his most
Imaginative and evocative work.
The powerful opening track, "Cirkus", is perhaps the best-known track on the album, and begins with a hushed
Verse from Haskell before launching into a menacing
Theme played by Fripp on the
Mellotron . The
Song 's verses then alternate with this signature theme, and the track boasts some of Fripp's most
Dextrous Acoustic Guitar playing, not to mention a soaring saxophone
Solo by Collins. With a memorable
Lyric by Sinfield rich in
Circus Imagery , the track builds up into a cacophonous
Climax .
The next two tracks, "Indoor Games" and "Happy Family", are offbeat and full of mischievous
Humour - the former with lyrics evoking various forms of
Hedonism , and the latter with lyrics about the dissolution of the
Beatles . The Beatles are represented in "Happy Family"'s lyrics as 'Judas' (
Paul McCartney ), 'Rufus' (
Ringo Starr ), 'Silas' (
George Harrison ), and 'Jonah' (
John Lennon ). Haskell's vocals are
Distorted on both "Indoor Games" and "Happy Family", and the two tracks are separated by the sound of Haskell
Laughing uncontrollably, as he tries unsuccessfully to
Sing the words 'hey ho'. His laughter, he later explained, was provoked by the fact that he thought these words ridiculous - which seems to be representative of his attitude towards Sinfield's lyrics in general.
"Lady of the Dancing Water" is a more tranquil piece, whose lyrics and
Instrumentation have a
Medieval feel, in the tradition of "Moonchild" on ''In the Court of the Crimson King'' and "Cadence and Cascade" on ''In the Wake of Poseidon''. The track is most notable for Mel Collins' beautiful
Flute playing.
The album concludes with the bombastic title track, "Lizard", the longest
Composed (as distinct from
Improvised ) piece ever recorded by King Crimson. This piece is divided into several sections and even subsections, with a
Narrative running through its entirety, about a
Prince who takes part in an epic
Battle . The track's grandiloquence verges on (self-)
Parody .
"Lizard"'s opening section, "Prince Rupert Awakes", features Jon Anderson in his only ever contribution to a King Crimson recording. This section of the track alternates between sincere and ethereal verses, and an amusingly
Folksy Chorus accompanied by
Handclaps . The two
Styles are then combined in a rousing, worldless
Chorale , that
Segue s into the track's next section, "Bolero".
"Bolero" provides a showcase for the talents of supporting musicians Tippett, Miller, Charig, and Evans. Playing over McCulloch's '', Gordon Haskell's
Bass Guitar was replaced with a part recorded by the later King Crimson bassist
Tony Levin .
As "Bolero" comes to a halt, it is followed by "Dawn Song", the first of three subsections that comprise "The Battle of Glass Tears". "Dawn Song" opens with an ominous theme led by Robin Miller on
Cor Anglais , which is then joined by a subdued vocal sung by Haskell. The next subsection of "The Battle of Glass Tears", "Last Skirmish", is arguably the instrumental high point of the ''Lizard'' album. A lengthy section intended to simulate an epic and increasingly fraught battle, it culminates in ever more forceful
Repetition s of an ominous theme similar to the main theme of "Cirkus", all reliably underpinned by McCulloch's
Syncopated drumming. If "Last Skirmish" represents a battle, then "Prince Rupert's Lament" evokes the
Bloody Aftermath , a
Funereal Rhythm Section providing the backdrop to Fripp's plaintive guitar part - all the more striking for being played on
Electric Guitar , when up until now on the album Fripp has restricted himself to acoustic.
"Prince Rupert's Lament" having concluded "The Battle of Glass Tears", "Big Top" then concludes both the "Lizard" suite and the ''Lizard'' album as a whole. This section consists of distorted
Fairground Music , echoing the album's
Carnivalesque opening track "Cirkus",
Faded in and out while it is simultaneously speeded up.
By all accounts, Haskell and McCulloch had an unhappy experience recording ''Lizard'', Haskell especially - a devotee of
Soul and
Motown music - finding it difficult to connect with the material. Following the album's completion, Haskell left King Crimson during rehearsals for a prospective tour. During the next 19 years, he sought
Legal redress, because he believed that he had been cheated out of royalties owed to him for the album. Shortly after Haskell left the group, McCulloch did likewise. The press release drafted by Sinfield to promote ''Lizard'' wryly quoted
Max Ehrmann 's poem "
Desiderata ", which contains advice on how to chart a true
Course through confusion.
Collins, on the other hand, remained in King Crimson with Fripp for the recording of the group's next album, ''
Islands ''. Haskell was replaced with
Boz Burrell on bass guitar and vocals, while McCulloch was replaced with his sometime housemate
Ian Wallace . The ''Islands'' line-up of the group would finally give the ''Lizard'' material a live airing, with "Cirkus" and "Lady of the Dancing Water" becoming part of King Crimson's touring repertoire. More recently, "Cirkus" has become part of the touring repertoire of the
21st Century Schizoid Band , whose members include Mel Collins and Ian Wallace.
''Lizard'''s outside cover
Art is by Gini Barris, who was commissioned to produce it by
Peter Sinfield .
The album's outside cover consists of the words 'King Crimson' spelled out in ornate
Medieval lettering, the word 'King' on the back cover and the word 'Crimson' on the front cover, with each
Letter incorporating one or two
Discrete Image s. These images in turn represent Sinfield's lyrics from the album - the images in the word 'King' representing the lyrics of the various sections and subsections of track 5, "Lizard"; while the images in the word 'Crimson' represent the lyrics of tracks 1-4.
Whereas the images representing "Lizard" are medieval in content - depicting Prince Rupert, his environs (including a
Peacock ), and the Battle of Glass Tears - the images representing the other four tracks
Juxtapose medieval and contemporary scenes. The image around the letter 'i' in 'Crimson', for example, depicts the
Beatles , corresponding with their pseudonymous appearance in the lyrics to "Happy Family".
The inside cover of ''Lizard'' consists of a
Marbled Pattern , credited to Koraz Wallpapers.
#"Cirkus" (
Robert Fripp ,
Peter Sinfield ) - 6:27
#:Including:
- "Entry of the Chameleons"
#"Indoor Games" (Fripp, Sinfield) - 5:37
#"Happy Family" (Fripp, Sinfield) - 4:22
#"Lady of the Dancing Water" (Fripp, Sinfield) - 2:47
#"Lizard" (Fripp, Sinfield) - 23:15
##"Prince Rupert Awakes"
##"Bolero: The Peacock's Tale"
##"The Battle of Glass Tears"
###"Dawn Song"
###"Last Skirmish"
###"Prince Rupert's Lament"
##"Big Top"
- Robin Thompson - engineer
- Geoff Workman - tapes
