Starless And Bible Black
The second Crimson album to feature the core lineup of guitarist Robert Fripp, bassist-singer John Wetton, and drummer Bill Bruford (plus violinist David Cross), 1974'sStarlesscontinues the complex structures and hard-edged grooves ofLarks' Tongues in Aspic. It's a sound that's firmly departed from the mellotron-assisted psychedelic symphony approach ofLizardandIn the Wake of Poseidon. The precursor to the landmarkRed,Starlessincludes such Crimson classics as "The Great Deceiver," the eccentric ballad "Lament," the menacing 11-minute "Fracture," and the sprawling title track, an avant-rock "Bolero" that builds into a cacophony of abstract noise guitar, chattering percussion, fleshy funk bass lines and, yep, mellotron, this time in the service of dissonant harmonies and spooky sound bursts. A must for Crimson completists, and a great first bite for neophytes.--James Rotondi