King Crimson: Red

Continuing my list of the Top 20 albums of 1974, coming in at #19 is Red by King Crimson. At the time of its release, the band had just broken up and it was a huge commercial failure. It is now regarded as one of the group’s best works and one of the most important progressive rock albums of all time. It’s influence can be heard in many styles, including math rock, noise rock, avant-garde rock, and progressive metal. Except for a smattering of strings and horns, the incredible depth of sonic force on this record is created by the trio of founding band member Robert Fripp (guitar), future Asia founder John Wetton (bass), and prog-rock drummer supreme Bill Bruford (drums). This is the heaviest rock album of the ’70s, but there is so much going on here that it is impossible to label the songs as one style. The importance of the album is that it foretells so much of the music to come for the next 50 years.

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