Our Top 10 King Crimson Album Covers list will look at a legendary rock band who have been together since the late 60s. They get their inspiration from a variety of music. They are inspired by classical, jazz, folk and heavy metal. King Crimson is one of the most important bands in music. They have made history with their music. They have influenced bands such as Yes, Genesis and Nirvana. The band has sold over one million records worldwide. The band has a loyal fanbase. They are best known for their first album In the Court of the Crimson King. This album helped establish progressive rock. They know how to build anticipation with their music. Their timing is impeccable. The band likes to include improvisation in their recording and performances.
King Crimson is not only creative musically, but it shows through their artwork. Their album covers tell stories. The pictures on the album covers aren’t just headshots. Some of the album covers are symbols that reflect their style. Unique is a good word to describe their album covers. None of the album covers look alike. There is always something different for you to admire. The photographers make you think. They also make sure King Crimson’s album covers stand out. You will never confuse their album covers with any other album covers. Our Top 10 King Crimson Album Covers list will focus on their amazing artwork and give you a chance to see how their album covers evolved over the years.
# 10 – Thrak
The first pick on our Top 10 King Crimson Album Cover list is Thrak. Thrak is King Crimson’s 11th studio album. The theme of the album is about a war between the two trios in the band. This is the band’s experimental album. It is a powerful album for the band. The album cover features a piece of metal that is decayed or corroded. The metal is on the left side of the album cover. There are two images that look like blurry maps. One is on the top while the other is on the bottom. The background is silver. The band’s name and album title are written in white letters. The cover is reminiscent of a war zone which coincides with the theme of the album.
Designer Steve Ball created a mysterious album cover for the band. He wanted the album cover to match the vibe of the album. He did a great job creating the look. It stands out. It will make you wonder what is going on in the picture. The band isn’t featured on the album. It doesn’t look like a typical album cover. It looks like it could be a painting. He used a great blend of silver and black for the album cover. The band’s name and album title add brightness to the picture. Steve Ball is a graphic designer who is best known for working with King Crimson. Thrak was released in April 1995. The album peaked at 83 on Billboard 200. Thrak features the singles “Dinosaur,” “Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream” and “Vrooom.”
# 9 – Beat
The next pick on our Top 10 King Crimson Album Covers list is Beat. Beat is King Crimson’s ninth studio album. This album was inspired by Beat Literature. The album cover features a musical note in the top center of the cover. The background is blue. The band’s name and album title are on the sides of the musical note. In the 80s, the band had a minimalist illustration for their album covers. They wanted to use limited color palettes and similar type faces for their album covers. King Crimson didn’t want too many graphics on the album covers. They felt the album cover looked more attractive with limited illustrations.
Photographer Rob O’Conner gave the band want they wanted. He didn’t use imagery or special graphics for the album cover. He kept it simple and used a musical note. It fits the album title. He used a beautiful color blue for the background. The colors of the background and musical note don’t clash with each other. It will grab your attention. It will also encourage conversation. It will have you wondering what is going on in the picture. This album cover doesn’t feature the band’s picture. The musical note was all the cover needed. Simplicity says it best.
Rob O’Conner is an art director and photographer. He has worked with King Crimson, The Human League, John Otway, Elvin Bishop, Duane Allman, The Chords, The Passions, Purple Hearts, The Allman Brothers Band, The Wonderers, Level 42, Robert Fripp, The Wall, Grace Jones, Toni Basil, Tom Waits, Paul Young, Tom Robinson, Howard Jones, Jon Astley, Joe Jackson, Donny Osmond, Maxie Priest, Simple Minds, Belinda Carlisle, as well as others. Beat was released in June 1982. The album peaked at number 82 on Billboard 200. Beat features the singles “Heartbeat,” “Waiting Man,” “Neal and Jack and Me,” “Neurotica” and “Two Hands.”
# 8 – In the Wake of Poseidon
The eighth pick on our Top 10 King Crimson Album Covers list is In the Wake of Poseidon. In the Wake of Poseidon is King Crimson’s second studio album. This album stuck to the same musical style as their first album. The band was going through turmoil because they were changing their lineup. The album cover is a painting with six faces on it. The painting is called The 12 Archetypes by Tammo de Jongh. The people represent the elements of the earth. There is a picture of a child on the top left. She represents water and air. She has a sweet smile on her face. She is wearing butterfly bows. She is wearing a gold chain around her neck.
There is an enchantress on the top right. She represents water and earth. Her hair is long and dark brown. It is sweeping across her face. There is a picture of a man (the fool) laughing in the middle of the cover. He represents fire and water. He has a beard. There is an actress next to the fool. She represents water and fire. She has black hair. She is wearing long earrings and pearl necklaces. There is a picture of a warrior in the bottom left. He represents fire and earth. He is wearing a helmet. He has a black beard. The joker is on the bottom right. He represents water and earth. He is wearing a red triangular hat. The moon is behind the enchantress. There are multiple colors in the background.
The album cover represents the message they want to convey to the audience. The band used Tammo de Jongh painting which was the perfect choice to represent the album cover. It looks like something that would be hanging in an art gallery. It will give you something to look at while you are listening to the music. In the Wake of Poseidon was released in May 1970. The album peaked at number 31. In the Wake of Poseidon features the singles “Cat Food,” “Pictures of a City,” “Cadence and Cascade” and “In the Wake of Poseidon.”
# 7 – Larks’ Tongue in Aspic
The seventh pick on our list is Larks’ Tongue in Aspic. Larks’ Tongue in Aspic is King Crimson’s fifth studio album. The band went through more band member changes. They mastered progressive rock on this album. They wanted to push the envelope with this album. The album cover features the sun and the moon. The sun is inside the moon. The sun’s rays are around the moon. The sun and moon have facial features. The face on the sun is faced forward while the face on the moon is on a profile. The symbol celebrates the union of opposites coming together. This symbol was supposed to symbolize a new beginning for the band. The background is cream colored. The border is purple.
Tantra Designs wanted to create a picture that symbolized unity. It was a different choice because the sun and moon never meet. They made it possible for the two to meet on this cover. The sun and moon merged into one. The picture is appealing because it is bright. Tantra Designs used the right colors for this album cover. The band took a chance not adding their name and album title on the cover. Fans may not have known who they were. Tantra Designs is a design company that is best known for working with King Crimson. Larks’ Tongue in Aspic was released in March 1973. The album peaked at number 61 on Billboard 200. Larks’ Tongue in Aspic features the singles “Larks’ Tongue in Aspic,” “Book of Saturday” and “Easy Money.”
# 6 – Discipline
Discipline is King Crimson’s eighth studio album. The band experimented with new sounds with this album. They did new wave, progressive rock and dance rock music. This change helped the start of progressive rock music. The album cover features a picture of a gray Dara symbol. The symbol represents infinity and power. The Dara symbol is against a red background. The band’s name and album title are on top of the cover. This is another one of the band’s minimalist album covers. This is one of the album covers the band wanted to be simple. They wanted a basic color and symbol on the album cover.
Lead singer Robert Fripp was inspired by Greek philosopher George Gurdijieff. Robert Fripp read his books and came up with the symbol for Discipline. He couldn’t use the symbol he saw because it was copyrighted. Steve Ball came up with his own version of the symbol. It was better for Steve Ball to create a different version because he captured the image without copying it. The image looks more original since he put his own spin on it. It is a relaxing picture. The picture is not too dark or bright. Discipline was released in September 1981. The album peaked at number 45 on Billboard 200. Discipline features the singles “Elephant Talk,” “Matte Kudasai,” “Thela Hun Ginjeet” and “Frame by Frame.”
# 5 – Starless and Bible Black
The next pick on our Top 10 King Crimson Album Covers list is Starless and Bible Black. Starless and Bible Black is King Crimson’s sixth studio album. They wanted this album to be more energetic, so they used versions of their concerts for the songs on the album. The album cover features the band’s name and album title in the middle of the cover. The lettering has a shadow behind them. It looks like a sketch drawing of letters. The lettering is done in stencil. The letters are written in all caps. The background is soft pink. This is a text only cover because the band isn’t featured on the album cover.
Visual artist Tom Phillips took a chance coming up with a text only album cover. Most acts during this time were doing covers with imagery and designs. Other acts did fantasy art during this time. The other albums may be more creative, but Tom Phillips kept things more casual. Tom Phillips didn’t go the flashy route. He chose to create an understated picture. There is no picture that could describe the album title, so it made sense to do lettering. Robert Fripp wanted Tom Phillips to do this album cover. Tom Phillips was a visual artist who created portraits and murals. He was best known for working with King Crimson. Starless and Bible Black was released in March 1974. The album peaked at number 64 on Billboard. Starless and Bible Black features the singles “The Great Deceiver,” “The Night Watch,” “Lament” and “The Mincer.”
# 4 – Red
Red is King Crimson’s seventh studio album. This album has a heavier sound than the other albums they released at the time. It was considered one of the heaviest albums of all time. The album cover features a black and white photo of the band. Bill Bruford is on the left. John Wetton is in the middle of the cover. Robert Fripp is on the right. All three men are facing the camera. They are in front of a black background. There is a white border around the band. The band’s name is written in white letters while the album title is in red letters.
This is one of the rare covers that the band is on. The manager wanted the band to take a group photo. Their manager thought it would have been easier to promote them to an American audience if there posed in a group picture. Gered Mankowitz took a picture of the band together. He did a great job because he had to photoshop the picture. The band was having trouble getting along with each other. Gered Mankowitz had to take their pictures individually and edit their pictures to make them look as if they were standing together. He used shadow to hide the fact that they weren’t in the picture together.
The shadows drew comparisons to The Beatles’ With the Beatles album cover. Robert Fripp didn’t like the photo session, but the picture came out nice. It was nice to get a chance to see the band’s faces. Gered Mankowitz is a photographer. He has worked with King Crimson, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, Marianne Faithfull, Free, Traffic, Slade, The Small Faces, Elton John, Kate Bush, The Eurythmics, Doctors of Madness, Gary Glitter, Soft Machine, Duran Duran, as well as others. Red was released in October 1974. The album peaked at number 66 on Billboard 200. Red features the singles “Fallen Angel” and “Starless.”
# 3 – Islands
Coming in at number three is Islands. Islands is King Crimson’s fourth studio album. The band wanted to make this album like Lizard. This album was more progressive rock and jazz music. The album cover features a picture of a galaxy. It looks like planets and stars in the sky. It looks as if you are looking at a telescope in an observatory. The background is a mix of black and purple. If you are into astronomy this picture will take your breath away. You will feel as if you are in outer space while you are looking at the picture. The band’s name and album title are not featured on the album cover.
Photographer Robert Ellis took a breathtaking picture for the album cover. He captured the planets magnificently. The picture looks realistic as if he was in outer space shooting it. He used excellent colors for the picture. It looks mysterious. It doesn’t look like a typical album cover. It looks like a picture from an observatory. Robert Ellis has worked on magazines and numerous rock tours. He is best known for working with King Crimson. Islands was released in December 1971. The album peaked at number 76 on Billboard 200. Islands features the singles “The Letters,” “The Sailor’s Tale,” “Lady’s of the Road” and “Islands.”
# 2 – Lizard
Lizard is King Crimson’s third studio album. The band had trouble relating to the songs on the album. The band went through member changes with this album. The album cover has a medieval theme. The word Crimson is on the cover of the album. Each letter has pictures surrounding them. The images are based on songs Peter Sinfield wrote. Some of the images include a bear flying in a yellow airplane, a happy family, a lizard, ballerinas, horse riders, circus acts, musicians, and swimmers, as well as other images. The letters are different colors. They are also broken up. The ‘c’ is to the left of the album cover. The rest of the letters are on the right side of the cover. The album cover has a gray background.
Artist Gini Barris created the pattern based on Peter Sinfield’s lyrics. She did medieval lettering for the album cover. She used a lot of colors for the cover. There is a great mix of light and dark colors. She put every picture she could think of on the cover. She suggested a medieval motif because she was passionate about medieval themes. The band was fine with her creative vision. She didn’t listen to the album until after it was released. She let the lyrics guide her into crafting the album cover. This is Gini Barris’ first job as an album cover designer. Lizard was released in December 1970. The album peaked at number 113 on Billboard. Lizard features the singles “Indoor Games,” “Happy Family,” “Cirkus” and “Lady of the Dancing Water.
# 1 – In the Court of the Crimson King
The number one pick on our Top 10 King Crimson Album Covers list is In the Court of the Crimson King. In the Court of the Crimson King is the band’s debut album. This is the band’s most successful album. This is the band’s most influential album. They combined jazz, classical and symphonic music. The album cover features a cartoon image of a man. He is looking to the right. He looks petrified in the picture. He has his mouth open in the picture. The man’s face is transparent. You can see inside of his mouth as well as up his nose. The man’s face is a mix of red and blue.
Illustrator Barry Godber painted the picture for the album cover. He used his face as the model. He is looking in a shaving mirror to capture the look of horror on his face. He used watercolors for the psychedelic image. He captured a look that is one of the scariest images on an album cover. He showed the band the painting and they loved it. This is one of King Crimson’s most recognizable album covers and it is easy to see why. It is very creative and thought provoking. Barry Godber didn’t get the chance to do other album covers because he passed away at a young age. In the Court of the Crimson King was released in October 1969. The album peaked at number 28 on Billboard 200. In the Court of the Crimson King features the singles “I Talk to the Wind,” “Epithet,” “Moonchild” and “The Court of the Crimson King.” The album sold over 500,000 copies.
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