Magazine's Grading Guide:

"MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler."

As well as the above grades, Near Mint is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and - are also often added to the grading.

Track Information

[edit]"Cirkus"

The powerful opening track, "Cirkus" is perhaps the best-known track on the album. It 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 alongside a soaring saxophone solo by Collins. With lyrics by Sinfield rich in circus imagery, the track builds up into a cacophonous climax.

[edit]"Indoor Games"

"Indoor Games" is an offbeat and humorous track with distorted vocals and lyrics evoking various forms of hedonism. It ends with 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.

[edit]"Happy Family"

"Happy Family" is about the dissolution of the Beatles. They are represented in the lyrics as 'Judas' (Paul McCartney), 'Rufus' (Ringo Starr), 'Silas' (George Harrison), and 'Jonah' (John Lennon). As on "Indoor Games", Haskell's vocals are distorted. The very beginning of the song is reminiscent of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", which is preceded by laughing and talking, with the phrase "Hey-yo" leading right into the song. The opening descending bass lines of both songs are also very similar.

[edit]"Lady of the Dancing Water"

"Lady of the Dancing Water" is a more tranquil piece, whose lyrics and instrumentation have a medieval feel, in the tradition of "I Talk To The Wind" on In the Court of the Crimson King and "Cadence and Cascade" on In the Wake of Poseidon. The track features Mel Collins on flute.

[edit]"Lizard"

"Lizard" is the longest composed (as distinct from improvised) piece recorded by King Crimson. It is divided into several sections and even subsections, with a narrative about aprince who takes part in an epic battle.

The opening section, "Prince Rupert Awakes", alternates between sincere and ethereal verses (sung by Jon Anderson of Yes), and a folksy Refrain accompanied by handclaps. The two styles are then combined in a wordless chorale, that segues into the next section, "Bolero".

"Bolero" provides a showcase for the supporting musicians Tippett, Miller, Charig, and Evans. Playing over McCulloch's bolero-like drum part, they are given the space to develop progressively more jazzy solos around a central theme. When this section of "Lizard" was excerpted for inclusion on the compilation Frame by Frame: The Essential King Crimson, Gordon Haskell's bass guitar was replaced with a part recorded by subsequent King Crimson bassist Tony Levin.

"Dawn Song," the first of three subsections that comprise "The Battle of Glass Tears", opens with an ominous theme led by Robin Miller on cor anglais, which is then joined by a subdued vocal sung by Haskell. "Last Skirmish" is a lengthy section intended to simulate an increasingly fraught battle; it culminates in ever more forceful repetitions of an ominous theme similar to the main theme of "Cirkus." "Prince Rupert's Lament" evokes the bloody aftermath of the battle, a funeral rhythm section providing the backdrop to Fripp's plaintive guitar part.

"Big Top" concludes the song. This section consists of distorted fairground music, echoing the carnivalesque opening track "Cirkus", faded in and out and simultaneously sped up (though on the 2009 remix it just fades out)

[edit]Album cover

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 images. 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". Around the "n" on the front cover, there is a depiction of Rupert the Bear piloting a yellow aeroplane.

The inside cover of Lizard consists of a marbled pattern, credited to Koraz Wallpapers.

[edit]Releases

The album had CD releases in 1989 and 2001, each newly remastered by Fripp at the time. The newest version was released in October 2009, containing a 5.1 Surround Sound mix on DVD-Audio, created by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree in collaboration with Fripp, as well as a new stereo transfer based on the surround mix.

[edit]Track listing

All songs written by Robert Fripp and Peter Sinfield.

• a)  "Prince Rupert Awakes"
• b)  "Bolero - The Peacock's Tale"
• c)  "The Battle of Glass Tears"   including:

• d)  "Big Top"  

• 4:36
• 6:39
• 10:58

• 1:13

[edit]Personnel

[edit]King Crimson

• Robert Fripp – guitar, mellotron, synthesiser, organ and devices
• Gordon Haskell – bass guitar, vocals
• Mel Collins – saxophone, flute
• Andy McCulloch – drums
• Peter Sinfield – words, VCS3, pictures

[edit]Additional musicians

• Keith Tippett – piano, electric piano
• Robin Miller – oboe, cor anglais
• Mark Charig – cornet
• Nick Evans – trombone
• Jon Anderson – vocals on "Prince Rupert Awakes"

[edit]Other personnel

• Robin Thompson – engineer
• Geoff Workman – tapes

[edit]