In The Wake Of Poseidon

King Crimson spent 1970 as a studio band recording a single ‘Catfood’ & two albums – ‘In the Wake of Poseido’ & ‘Lizard’. ‘Catfood’ was released in March, earning the band an appearance on British BBC TV flagship music show “Top of the Pops”. “Poseidon” followed in May. While McDonald & Giles had announced their intention to leave in December 1969 & Greg Lake would depart in April 1970, Giles & Lake appeared on the single & album with Peter Giles (formerly of Giles, Giles & Fripp) & incoming members Keith Tippett, Mel Collins & Gordon Haskell – alongside Fripp & Sinfield. As a result, the album shares some similarities in approach & sound to their debut “In the Court of the Crimson King” & has been a firm favourite among fans of the band since its initial release.

Though working with a transitional lineup the album sounds remarkably cohesive. Like the debut album “Poseidon” was self produced & displayed an increased confidence in the use of the recording studio. The breadth of material recorded is even broader than the debut. The short ‘Peace’ appears in 3 different settings bookending the album’s longer tracks. One of the band’s prettiest ballads ‘Cadence & Cascade’ leads into the powerful title track, while the album version of ‘Catfood’ is followed by ‘The DevilÕs Triangle’ an ambitious sound collage that seems to owe more to contemporary classical & free jazz roots than any form of rock music. The short burst of “In the Court of the Crimson King” in the final part of the track eerily anticipates modern sampling techniques.

Upon release, “Poseidon” reached No. 4 in the UK album chart – one position higher than their debut, & the highest chart placing the band enjoyed in Britain.