Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock group King Crimson, released on 23 March 1973 through Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, featuring co-founder and guitarist Robert Fripp along with four new members: bass guitarist and vocalist John Wetton, violinist and keyboardist David Cross, percussionist Jamie Muir, and drummer Bill Bruford. It is a key album in the band's evolution, drawing on Eastern European classical music and European free improvisation as central influences.
Larks' Tongues in Aspic
King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London. The band drew inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, blues, industrial, electronic, experimental music and new wave. They exerted a strong influence on the early 1970s progressive rock movement, including on contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis, and continue to inspire subsequent generations of artists across multiple genres. The band earned a large cult following.
King Crimson at the Sapporo Culture Arts Theatre in Japan, on 2 December 2018. From left to right: Pat Mastelotto, Tony Levin, Bill Rieflin, Jeremy Stacey, Jakko Jakszyk, Gavin Harrison and Robert Fripp (Mel Collins not shown)
King Crimson in 1974. From left: John Wetton, David Cross, Robert Fripp, and Bill Bruford
Fripp performing in 1974
The band performing in 2003 Left to right: Trey Gunn, Adrian Belew, and Robert Fripp (Pat Mastelotto is hidden)