In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson | Iconic album covers

The scream that opened prog rock

Some album covers are almost as legendary as the music itself, and in the case of King Crimson 's In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), that is doubly true. This record is considered the starting point of progressive rock, but the cover is also a vision that you will never forget once you have seen it. A screaming face in panic: the face of the 21st century schizoid man.

The iconic cover is the work of the relatively unknown artist Barry Godber , a computer programmer and painter who died tragically young, just months after the album's release. In the Court of the Crimson King was his only album cover, but what a cover!

The outer sleeve shows a huge, expressive head in an angular perspective: a man with his eyes and mouth wide open, caught in a soundless scream. His skin is blood red, his eyes white and fearful, his teeth tense. The image almost seems to move with pure emotion. Open the gatefold sleeve and you see the inside: a second face, calmer but ghostly, with closed eyes and bluish skin: the Crimson King himself.

Who is the Schizoid Man?

The album’s opening track, “21st Century Schizoid Man,” is a dystopian view of modern man. Torn, alienated, lost in technology, war, and control. The face on the cover is this schizophrenic figure: someone who no longer knows who he is or where he stands, overwhelmed by information and fear.

The artwork succeeds in visually capturing this exact state of mind. The cover is not an abstract artwork à la Pink Floyd, but pure expressionist horror, in style somewhere between Francis Bacon and Edvard Munch.

It is noteworthy that the label (Island Records) initially doubted the suitability of the cover: too heavy, too ugly, too strange. But it was precisely this deviation from the norm that made the design so powerful. The album hit like a bomb - both musically and visually - and became a blueprint for what prog rock could be: groundbreaking!

Technology and execution

The cover was painted in oil on canvas by Barry Godber, and then professionally photographed for the record release. Despite its intensity, the drawing is subtle in detail: look at the light reflections in the eyes, the variation in skin texture, and the delicate color transitions.

After Godber's death, Robert Fripp (the guitarist and brains behind King Crimson) donated the original painting to the Island Records label. It now resides in the private collection of the label's founder, and has unfortunately rarely been exhibited. In an era where many album covers were created for commercial reasons, this one feels like something radically different.

In the Court of the Crimson King is not only a milestone in music history, but also one of the most unforgettable album covers ever created. It is an example of how a cover is not just an illustration, but a full-fledged work of art that sets the tone for what awaits you as a listener.

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