In the Wake of Poseidon is often looked at as the inferior sibling to King Crimson's landmark debut In the Court of the Crimson King, and while there's no denying the impact that record had on the rock world, in many ways In the Wake of Poseidon is just as impressive. Recorded at a time when the band was basically combusting from within (Ian MacDonald had left the band, Greg Lake was getting set to run away with ELP) Robert Fripp still managed to keep things together long enough to get this excellent sophomore release created. Lake stayed on to provide lead vocals, with the Giles brother Peter & Michael on bass and drums, plus Mel Collins on sax & flute and Keith Tipppett on piano, together with Fripp's guitar and Mellotron, King Crimson was still together, though seemingly on life support. Some of the jazzier, avant-garde tones the band would start to employ in greater detail on Lizard and Islands are already popping up alongside the soaring, Mellotron drenched symphonic rock that most had come to love from the first album.
"Pictures of a City" is somewhat like "21st Century Schizoid Band" part two, complete with intricate guitar & sax lines and jazz-rock arrangements, and the quirky "Cadence and Cascade" is a mix of folk and jazz, with Gordon Haskell providing the lead vocal (Lake had already left for ELP and was unable to lend his vocal support) and a breezy flute solo from Collins. The title track is this albums answer to "Epitaph", a monumental, dramatic number featuring waves of ominous Mellotron and Lake's poignant vocal. Wonderful stuff that still sends chills up and down the spine. Tippett shows up on the complex jazz piece "Cat Food", which also features a neat vocal from Lake and some tasty guitar work courtesy of Fripp. The massive, three-part epic "The Devil's Triangle" is King Crimson at their most frightening, as this track builds and builds tension over the course of 11 minutes, with effective use of Mellotron, percussion, and woodwinds. Most of the album is separated by the short "Peace" interludes, each doing a nice job of bridging the gap between some of the more epic tunes.
This 40th Anniversary Edition was mixed by Robert Fripp and Steven Wilson, and sounds breathtaking. They've also included on the CD a new mix of the B-side "Groon", which is a charming little jazz-prog instrumental, as well as an early version of "Cadence and Cascade" with a Lake guide vocal. The DVD has a wealth of material, including the entire album in Surround Sound, an original Stereo Mix plus a new high resolution stereo mix, as well as some demo and early takes mixed in high resolution stereo. If you have a home theater system, you'll want to crank that up and really dig into all that the DVD has to offer. You'll be quite impressed.
Throw in a wonderful booklet filled with photos and an essay on this time period in the history of the band, and you have a must own reissue of a classic progressive rock album.
Track Listing
Disc: 1 (CD)
1. Peace A Beginning
2. Pictures Of A City
3. Cadence And Cascade
4. In The Wake Of Poseidon
5. Peace A Theme
6. Cat Food
7. The Devil s Triangle (part I)
8. The Devil s Triangle (part II)
9. The Devil s Triangle (part III)
10. Peace An End
11. Groon (Bonus 2010 mix)
12. Peace: An End (Bonus Alternate Mix)
13. Cadence & Cascade (Bonus Track feat. Greg Lake Vocal)
Disc: 2 (DVD)
1. Poseidon Album DVD-A Lossless Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 Surround Sound
2. Poseidon Album original mix - High Resolution Stereo
3. Poseidon Album new mix High Resolution Stereo
4. 10 Bonus tracks in High Resolution Stereo, including several previously unreleased takes/versions.
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