Larks' Tongues in Aspic

Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock group King Crimson, originally released in 1973. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, featuring original member and guitarist Robert Fripp and new members John Wetton (vocals, bass guitar), David Cross (violin, Mellotron), Jamie Muir (percussion), and Bill Bruford (drums). It is also a key album in the band's evolution, drawing on Eastern European classical music and European free improvisation as central influences.

Song info

At the end of the tour to promote King Crimson's previous album, Islands, Fripp had parted company with the three other members of the band (Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace). The previous year had also seen the ousting of the band's lyricist and artistic co-director Peter Sinfield. In all cases, Fripp had cited a developing musical (and sometimes personal) incompatibility, and was now writing a starker music drawing less on familiar American influences and more on influences such as Béla Bartók and free improvisation.

Larks' Tongues in Aspic (instrumental)

"Larks' Tongues in Aspic" is a set of progressive rock songs by King Crimson released over the course of three albums and 27 years, Larks' Tongues in Aspic in 1973, Three of a Perfect Pair in 1984, and The ConstruKction of Light in 2000. Part II has appeared on multiple King Crimson live albums as it is a staple of their live shows, and Part IV is one continuous track on its live releases. The entire work consists of four segments (two in Larks' Tongues in Aspic, one in Three of a Perfect Pair and in The ConstruKction of Light). The first three piece of the series are single tracks, the fourth one is, in turn, a combination of three homonym songs. Overall, the set is made by six tracks.

Live recordings also include in "Coda: I Have a Dream", the tenth song from The ConstruKction of Light, which segues from Part IV.

Early version

The guitar figures that appear on Larks' Tongues in Aspic were first conceived by Robert Fripp c. 1971, and performed live in an embryonic form by the Islands-era lineup. One version, named "A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls" appears as a bonus track on 40th anniversary edition of the Islands album.