History Music / KingCrimson

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. King Crimson originated from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany spoken-word interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock jam band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1974 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having become increasingly disenchanted with both the band and the music industry at large (even suggesting to management that he depart the group and transfer his creative roles to Ian [=McDonald=], then ironically on the brink of rejoining Crimson, and Music/{{Genesis|Band}} guitarist Music/SteveHackett). Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew (who had also played on ''Music/RemainInLight'' and joined Talking Heads on its supporting tour); this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. King Crimson originated from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1974 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having become increasingly disenchanted with both the band and the music industry at large (even suggesting to management that he depart the group and transfer his creative roles to Ian [=McDonald=], then ironically on the brink of rejoining Crimson, and Music/{{Genesis|Band}} guitarist Music/SteveHackett). Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew (who had also played on ''Music/RemainInLight'' and joined Talking Heads on its supporting tour); this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

* RevolvingDoorBand: King Crimson's lineup changes so frequently that only two albums in their discography (''Music/{{Beat}}'' and ''Music/ThreeOfAPerfectPair'') feature the exact same personnel as a previous record. In fact, by their ''second'' album, Music/RobertFripp was the only founding member left. The amount of people who've been in and out of the band is so great that Website/{{Wikipedia}} has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_King_Crimson_members an entire article]] dedicated to the subject.

* [[Music/LiquidTensionExperiment Tony Levin]] (1981–99, 2003–): Chapman Stick, bass

* [[Music/ForeignerBand Ian McDonald]] (1968–69; died 2022): saxophone, flute, Mellotron [[note]]Session musician in 1974[[/note]]
* [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]] (1968–70; died 2016): bass, vocals
* Michael Giles (1968–69): drums

* [[Music/BadCompany Boz Burrell]] (1971–72; died 2006): bass, vocals
* Ian Wallace (1971–72; died 2007): drums
* [[Music/{{Asia}} John Wetton]] (1972–74; died 2017): bass, vocals, piano

* [[Music/FrankZappa Adrian]] [[Music/TalkingHeads Belew]] (1981–2013): guitar, vocals [[note]]The door has been [[https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Belew%20now%209th%20Man left open]] for Belew to rejoin the band if an opportunity arises.[[/note]]
* Trey Gunn (1994–2003): Warr Guitar, Chapman Stick, fretless bass

* Robin Miller (1970–71, 1974): oboe, cor anglais

* Harry Miller (1971): double bass
* Paulina Lucas (1971): vocals

** The ''Islands'' era contains probably the most of this in terms of KC live performances; the live version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" from ''Earthbound'' is nearly 12 minutes long, while "Groon" lasts for 15:30. The 40th Anniversary re-issue of the album also includes a version of "Sailor's Tale" lasting over 14 minutes (with most of the running time being an extended drum solo usually incorporated into "Groon").

* LongestSongGoesLast: A "longest song, then outro" variant occurs with ''In the Wake of Poseidon'', which closes with "The Devil's Triangle" (11:30), followed by "Peace — An End" (1:54).

* SpurnedIntoSuicide: "The Letters" features a woman committing suicide when her husband's lover writes her a letter about their cheating.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. King Crimson originated from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1974 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having become increasingly disenchanted with both the band and the music industry at large (even suggesting to management that he depart the group and transfer his creative roles to Ian [=McDonald=], then ironically on the brink of rejoining Crimson, and Music/{{Genesis}} guitarist Steve Hackett). Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew (who had also played on ''Music/RemainInLight'' and joined Talking Heads on its supporting tour); this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. Originating from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1974 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having become increasingly disenchanted with both the band and the music industry at large (even suggesting to management that he depart the group and transfer his creative roles to Ian [=McDonald=], then ironically on the brink of rejoining Crimson, and Music/{{Genesis}} guitarist Steve Hackett). Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew (who had also played on ''Music/RemainInLight'' and joined Talking Heads on its supporting tour); this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. Originating from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1974 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having become increasingly disenchanted with both the band and the music industry at large (even suggesting to management that he depart the group and transfer his creative roles to Ian [=McDonald=], then ironically on the brink of rejoining Crimson, and Music/{{Genesis}} guitarist Steve Hackett). Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew; this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. Originating from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1974 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having become increasingly disenchanted with both the band and the music industry at large (even suggesting to management that he depart the group and transfer his creative roles to Ian [=McDonald=], then ironically on the brink of rejoining Crimson, and Music/{{Genesis}} guitarist Steve Hackett). Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different neo-prog group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew; this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. Originating from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1974 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having become increasingly disenchanted with both the band and the music industry at large (even suggesting to management that he depart the group and transfer his creative roles to Ian [[McDonald=], then ironically on the brink of rejoining Crimson, and Music/{{Genesis}} guitarist Steve Hackett). Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different neo-prog group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew; this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. Originating from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1975 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having come to view the band as "dinosaurs". Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different neo-prog group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew; this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. Originating from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1975 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having come to view the band as "dinosaurs". Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different neo-prog group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Music/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew; this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. Originating from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian [=McDonald=], enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes ([=McDonald=] departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1975 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having come to view the band as "dinosaurs". Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different neo-prog group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Creator/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew; this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. Originating from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany Monty Python-esque spoken comedy interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist [[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Greg Lake]], lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes (McDonald departed following ''Crimson King'' and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album ''In the Wake of Poseidon''), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Music/{{Yes}}). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1975 (following the release of ''Red'', arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having come to view the band as "dinosaurs". Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band ''yet again'' in 1981, albeit as a radically-different neo-prog group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Music/TalkingHeads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly Creator/DavidByrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew; this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Music/RobertFripp. The band's most commercially successful period in 1968–74 was plagued by constantly shifting lineups. Crimson settled into some stability between 1981 and 1984, where they toured as a four-piece performing music influenced by gamelan and New Wave. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into ProgressiveMetal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Each verse of "Elephant Talk" is a list of words that mean "talk" that share the same first letter. This gets [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the fourth verse with the line "These are words with a D this time."

* Trey Gunn (1994–2003): touchstyle guitar, Chapman Stick, fretless bass

* Marc Charig (1970–71, 1974): cornet

* [[Music/RoxyMusic Eddie Jobson]] (1975): violin, piano; recruited to add violin to the live album ''USA'' whenever Cross' contributions were lost to technical issues.

** The ''Islands'' era contains probably the most of this in terms of KC live performances; the live version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" from ''Earthbound'' is nearly 12 minutes long, while "Groon" lasts for 15:30. The 40th Anniversary re-issue of the album also includes a version of "Sailor's Tale" lasting over 14 minutes.
** Probably the single longest composition by any lineup is the improv "Zoom Zoom" from the KCCC release ''Live at the Zoom Club''. Its running time? '''Almost 45 minutes'''. And there's ''another'' improv from the same show lasting 22 minutes, which is almost as long as the Lizard suite. Other improvs from the Wetton-era lineups can get quite long, with a handful over 20 minutes.

* ForeignLanguageTitle: "Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds)" ("Nuages" is French for "clouds"), and several tracks with Japanese names, of which the best known are "Matte Kudasai" and "Shoganai" (a longer list is below under Gratuitous Japanese).

** Of similar note is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AjbSC8nkuk "Groon"]], a studio jam recorded by the Giles, Giles and Fripp trio during the ''Poseidon'' sessions as the B-side of the 1970 "Cat Food" single. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brEfTSEimro Fifteen takes]] were recorded, and while they vary quite a bit their structure is nonetheless the same. The ''Islands'' band of 1971–72, however, never played it live the same way twice. While the recognizable intro is the same, everything after that is drastically different every time (usually culminating in a VCS3-enhanced drum solo by Ian Wallace). Just compare [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zCa0i0lZgA these]] [[https://open.spotify.com/track/1nE169UPMSoVysGXCO1Kqi three]] [[https://open.spotify.com/track/3NHw6z4GeWJV2E8vn9TbWo versions]].

** They followed this up with ''Ladies of the Road'', an album of live performances from the 1972 ''Earthbound''-era band, that included an entire side of "21st Century Schizoid Man" with the improvisations from various performances stitched together into one massive montage.

* StudioChatter: Right at the end of the ''Islands'' album, there's a recording of the string and woodwind musicians rehearsing "Prelude: Song of the Gulls". It also doubles as a HiddenTrack. This has been used as King Crimson's walk-on music for TheNewTens' incarnation of the band.

* ShoutOutToShakespeare: One section of "Epitaph" is called "[[Theatre/{{Macbeth}} Tomorrow and Tomorrow]]", which is fitting since the song is about death and despair.

* LongTitle: "The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum", "Mother Hold the Candle Steady While I Shave the Chicken's Lip".

* ''The [=ConstruKction=] of Light'' (LP, 2000) - "[=FraKctured=]", "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part IV"[[note]]This album was re-released in 2019 with a new percussion track and [[TheNotRemix other production changes]], under the title ''The [=ReConstruKction=] of Light''.[[/note]]

In a begrudging nod to current media consumption tastes, Fripp announced in 2019 that King Crimson's studio records would finally be available on streaming services. The 2021 tour was announced as the last King Crimson tour, but as Robert Fripp has [[TenMinuteRetirement "retired"]] several times in the past, fans aren't quite ready to declare the band done. Most recently the band released a 50th anniversary documentary, ''In The Court of the Crimson King,'' directed by Toby Amies.