A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson
| A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by King Crimson | ||||
| Released | March 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1969–1974 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Label |
Island (UK) Atlantic Records (Canada) Polydor Records (UK) E.G. Records Virgin Records Discipline Global Mobile | |||
| Producer | King Crimson | |||
| King Crimson chronology | ||||
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A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson is a 2-LP compilation album by the band King Crimson, released in 1976. At the time the band had split. The track selection was by Robert Fripp.
Its name is most likely derived either from the famous orchestral work The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra from composer Benjamin Britten or the 1960s television series Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, created by conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein.
The gatefold-sleeve featured, as the front and back cover, artwork by Scottish artist Fergus Hall. Included as part of the package was a booklet, replete with photographs, and detailing gig history and notable events: this was compiled by Robert Fripp from his own archive.
To date, its sole CD release has been in Japan, in 1990. This 2-CD set, which faithfully duplicated the vinyl running-order, included a reproduction of the booklet, scaled-down. Playing times are approximately 40 minutes long for CD1, and 35 minutes for CD2.
Track listing
LP 1
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Epitaph" (including "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow") | Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald, Peter Sinfield | In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) | 8:52 |
| 2. | "Cadence and Cascade" (Abridged version) | Fripp, Sinfield | In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Ladies of the Road" | Fripp, Sinfield | Islands (1971) | 5:27 |
| 4. | "I Talk to the Wind" | McDonald, Sinfield | Recorded at 93A Brondesbury Road, London, England, UK, July 1968; it differs from the version released on In the Court of the Crimson King. The most notable difference is in the vocals, which are sung by Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention) rather than Greg Lake. This version is also available on The Brondesbury Tapes (1968) under the name of Giles, Giles and Fripp (VP235CD). | 3:15 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Red" | Fripp | Red (1974) | 6:18 |
| 2. | "Starless" | Bill Bruford, David Cross, Fripp, Richard Palmer-James, John Wetton | Red | 12:17 |
LP 2
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Night Watch" | Fripp, Palmer-James, Wetton | Starless and Bible Black (1974) | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Book of Saturday" | Fripp, Palmer-James, Wetton | Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973) | 2:52 |
| 3. | "Peace: A Theme" | Fripp | In the Wake of Poseidon | 1:14 |
| 4. | "Cat Food" (Abridged version) | Fripp, McDonald, Sinfield | "Cat Food/Groon" single (1970); unedited version available on In the Wake of Poseidon | 2:43 |
| 5. | "Groon" | Fripp | "Cat Food/Groon" single | 3:30 |
| 6. | "Coda from Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part I)" (Abridged version) | Bruford, Cross, Fripp, Jamie Muir, Wetton | Larks' Tongues in Aspic | 2:09 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Moonchild" (Abridged version) | Fripp, Giles, Lake, McDonald, Sinfield | In the Court of the Crimson King | 2:24 |
| 2. | "Trio" | Bruford, Cross, Fripp, Wetton | Starless and Bible Black | 5:36 |
| 3. | "The Court of the Crimson King" (including "The Return of the Fire Witch" and "The Dance of the Puppets") | McDonald, Sinfield | In the Court of the Crimson King | 9:21 |
