In the Wake of Poseidon is the second album by the progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 group King Crimson

King Crimson

King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...

. By the time this album was released, the band had already undergone their first change in line-up, however they still maintained much of the style of their first album, In the Court of the Crimson King

In the Court of the Crimson King

In the Court of the Crimson King is the 1969 debut album by the British progressive rock group King Crimson. The album reached No. 5 on the British charts, and is certified gold in the United States....

.

Greg Lake

Greg Lake

Gregory Stuart "Greg" Lake is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as a vocalist and bassist of King Crimson, and the bassist, guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.-1960s: King Crimson:...

 was the next member to leave, departing in early 1970 after being approached by Keith Emerson

Keith Emerson

Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...

 to join what would become Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...

. This left Fripp as the only remaining musician in the band, taking on part of the keyboard-playing role in addition to guitar. To compensate, Sinfield increased his own creative role and began developing his interest in synthesisers for use on subsequent records.

Lake agreed to sing on the recordings for the band's developing second album In the Wake of Poseidon (negotiating to receive King Crimson's PA equipment as payment). Eventually, he ended up singing on the band's early 1970 single "Cat Food/Groon" and on all but one of the album’s vocal tracks. The exception was "Cadence And Cascade", which was sung by Fripp's old schoolfriend and teenage bandmate Gordon Haskell

Gordon Haskell

Gordon Haskell is a Pop, Rock & Blues music vocalist, songwriter, and bassist. He first gained recognition as a member of the British band Les Fleur de Lys. He sang on one of the songs of King Crimson's second album, then played bass and sang on their third album...

. There does exist however, an early mix of the song with Lake singing a guide vocal which was unearthed and featured on the DGM site as a download. At one point, the band considered hiring the then-unknown Elton John

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

 to be the album's singer, but decided against it. Other former members and associates returned - as session players only - for the Poseidon recordings, with all bass parts being handled by Peter Giles and Michael Giles

Michael Giles

Michael Giles is an English drummer, best known as a co-founder of King Crimson in 1969...

 performing the drumming. Mel Collins (formerly of the band Cirkus) contributed saxophones and flute. Another key performer was jazz pianist Keith Tippett, who became an integral part of King Crimson's sound for the next few records (although Fripp offered him full band membership, Tippett preferred to remain as a studio collaborator and only performed live with the band once).

On 25 March 1970, the line up of Fripp, Lake, Tippett, Mike and Peter Giles taped a mimed performance of the single version of "Cat Food" for the following night's broadcast of BBCTV's Top Of The Pops

Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...

. It was to be King Crimson's sole British TV appearance until 1981. Sadly, this footage has long since been wiped, though several photographs taken backstage and of the dress rehearsal do exist.

In the Wake of Poseidon was well received on release, but was criticised as sounding very similar in both style and content to the band's debut album, to the point where it seemed like an imitation. With the album on sale, Fripp and Sinfield remained in the awkward position of having King Crimson material and releases available, but not having a band to play it. In considerable desperation, Fripp persuaded Gordon Haskell to join permanently as singer and bass player, and recruited drummer Andy McCulloch, another Dorset musician moving in the West London progressive rock circle, who'd previously been a member of Shy Limbs and Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a British progressive rock group formed in 1971 by Manfred Mann.-Formation:Having started in the 1960s with a British band that had such hits as "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn", then moving on to Jazz Fusion with Manfred Mann's Chapter Three, Manfred's third...

. Mel Collins

Mel Collins

Mel Collins is a British saxophonist and flautist and session musician.He has worked in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz, but is perhaps known for his work in progressive rock, as with King Crimson, Camel and the Alan Parsons Project.-Career:Collins has worked...

 was also retained as a full band member.

Also like their first album, the mood of this album often changes from serene to chaotic. The album opens with a poetic vocal piece called "Peace – A Beginning", which is reprised instrumentally in the middle of the album and vocally again at the end. "Pictures of a City" was originally performed live, often extended to over ten minutes and was called "A Man. A City". An example of such a performance can be found on the live album Epitaph.

The longest track on the album is a chaotic instrumental piece called "The Devil’s Triangle", which was built around quotations from Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst

Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....

's "Mars: Bringer of War" from his The Planets

The Planets

The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...

Suite. King Crimson would have called the piece Mars, as they had performed it on tour in the 1969 line-up, but were forbidden by the composer's legal estate. In 1971, a brief excerpt from "The Devil’s Triangle" was featured on the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 television series Doctor Who

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...

. Also, the track samples the chorus from "The Court of the Crimson King

The Court of the Crimson King

"The Court of the Crimson King" is the fifth and final track from the British progressive rock band King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King. It was also released as a single. It reached #80 on the US charts, and is the band's only charting single in the United...

", the title track from the band's first album, a studio technique known as xenochrony

Xenochrony

Xenochrony is a studio-based musical technique developed at an unknown date, but possibly as early as the early 1960s, by Frank Zappa, who used it on several albums. Xenochrony is executed by extracting a guitar solo or other musical part from its original context and placing it into a completely...

.

Album cover

The work is called The 12 Archetypes or The 12 Faces of Humankind. The colour pictures were painted by Tammo De Jongh in 1967.

The twelve faces in the picture are as follows:

1. The Fool (Fire and Water): The laughing man with a wispy beard.
2. The Actress (Water and Fire): The Egyptian girl with long pearl earrings and many pearl necklaces around her neck, she has tears in her eyes.
3. The Observer (Air and Earth): A scientist type person with round spectacles pushed up above his brow, mostly bald head with white hair at the sides; his left hand is held up to his chin, he looks thoughtful.
4. The Old Woman (Earth and Air): A woman with much wrinkled face wrapped up against the cold.
5. The Warrior (Fire and Earth): A dark and powerful warrior's face in blacks and reds. He wears a steel helmet, broad square face, open mouth with square teeth and a full black beard.
6. The Slave (Earth and Fire): A black African with large gold earrings and a ring through her nose; the lips are full and pink, the eyes half-closed, sultry and sensuous; the expression is warm and friendly.
7. The Child (Water and Air): a picture of innocence; a girl with delicate sweet smile and butterfly shaped bows at each side in her long golden hair; her eyes are large and watery and she has a delicate sweet smile on her mouth. She wears a gold chain, on the end of which is a small golden key.
8. The Patriarch (Air and Water): An old philosopher, with a long face and long white hair and long white beard and moustache; white bushy eyebrows; all around are shapes like flowers or snowflakes; the brow is furrowed upwards from the nose in a fan-like fashion.
9. The Logician (Air and Fire): A scientist or wizard type man with long face, dark hair and long dark beard; he appears to hold a long stick or wand with his right hand and his left is held aloft and surrounded by stars.
10. The Joker (Fire and Air): Picture in bright reds and yellows is of a smiling twinkle-eyed Harlequin with his typical gold-stuccoed, triangular hat.
11. The Enchantress (Water and Earth): A sad girl with watery eyes ; her long dark hair is blown sideways across her face and brow from right to left.
12. Mother Nature (Earth and Water): Lying asleep in the long grass; their face in silhouette is viewed from the left side and all around are the flowers and butterflies.

40th Anniversary Edition

The fourth release in King Crimson's 40th Anniversary series.

Featuring new stereo and 5.1 surround mixes (by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp), Sid Smith sleeve notes and extra tracks (including Greg Lake's guide vocal rendition of Cadence And Cascade)
This edition presents a near complete new stereo mix by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp. As tape for one track, The Devil's Triangle, could not be located, the original stereo is included to maintain the original running order. The CD also includes a new mix of Groon (Cat Food's b-side) a newly mixed alternate take of Peace: An Ending and the first CD appearance of Greg Lake's guide vocal take of the beautiful ballad Cadence and Cascade. The DVD-A features a 5.1 mix by Steven Wilson, with Devil's Triangle up-mixed to 5.1 by Simon Heyworth, hi-res stereo versions of the 30th anniversary stereo master, the 2010 album mixes and ten hi-res bonus tracks including the original single a & b side Cat Food/Groon, the bonus tracks from the CD and a number of other session takes, rehearsals and mixes.

Track listing

All songs written by Robert Fripp

Robert Fripp

Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...

 and Peter Sinfield

Peter Sinfield

Peter John Sinfield is an English poet, lyricist and artist, most famously known as the lyricist and co-founding member of early incarnations of King Crimson, whose debut album In the Court of the Crimson King has been regarded as one of the most influential progressive rock albums ever...

, unless otherwise indicated.

Side one

1. "Peace – A Beginning" – 0:49
2. "Pictures of a City" – 8:03

   including "42nd at Treadmill"

3. "Cadence and Cascade" – 4:27
4. "In the Wake of Poseidon" – 7:56

   including "Libra's Theme"

Side two

5. "Peace – A Theme" (Fripp) – 1:15
6. "Cat Food" (Fripp, Sinfield, Ian McDonald
   Ian McDonald (musician)
   Ian McDonald is an English multi-instrumental musician, best known as a founding member of progressive rock group King Crimson, formed in 1969, and of the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976. He is well-known as a rock session musician, predominantly as a saxophonist...
   
   ) – 4:54
7. "The Devil's Triangle" – 11:35

   (I) "Merday Morn" (Fripp, McDonald)

   (II) "Hand of Sceiron" (Fripp)

   (III) "Garden of Worm" (Fripp)

8. "Peace – An End" – 1:53

Bonus Tracks on 30th Anniversary Edition

9. "Cat Food (single version)"
10. "Groon (single b-side)"

CD (Original Album 2010 mix)

1. "Peace – A Beginning"
2. "Pictures of a City"
3. "Cadence and Cascade"
4. "In the Wake of Poseidon"
5. "Peace – A Theme"
6. "Cat Food"
7. "The Devil's Triangle (part I)"
8. "The Devil's Triangle (part II)"
9. "The Devil's Triangle (part III)"
10. "Peace – An End"

Bonus Tracks

11. "Groon" (2010 mix)
12. "Peace – An End" (alternate mix)
13. "Cadence and Cascade" (Greg Lake guide vocal)

DVD-A

MLP Lossless 5.1 Surround/DTS 5.1 Digital Surround - 2010 mix:

1. "Peace – A Beginning"
2. "Pictures of a City"
3. "Cadence and Cascade"
4. "In the Wake of Poseidon"
5. "Peace – A Theme"
6. "Cat Food"
7. "The Devil's Triangle (part I)"
8. "The Devil's Triangle (part II)"
9. "The Devil's Triangle (part III)"
10. "Peace – An End"
11. "Groon"

MLP lossless/LPCM - 2010 stereo mix:

1. "Peace – A Beginning"
2. "Pictures of a City"
3. "Cadence and Cascade"
4. "In the Wake of Poseidon"
5. "Peace – A Theme"
6. "Cat Food"
7. "The Devil's Triangle (part I)"
8. "The Devil's Triangle (part II)"
9. "The Devil's Triangle (part III)"
10. "Peace – An End"
11. "Groon"

Original 1970 stereo mix, 30th anniversary remaster:

1. "Peace – A Beginning"
2. "Pictures of a City"
3. "Cadence and Cascade"
4. "In the Wake of Poseidon"
5. "Peace – A Theme"
6. "Cat Food"
7. "The Devil's Triangle (part I)"
8. "The Devil's Triangle (part II)"
9. "The Devil's Triangle (part III)"
10. "Peace – An End"

Bonus Tracks

1. "Cat Food" (single version)
2. "Groon" (single b-side)
3. "Cadence and Cascade" (unedited master)
4. "Cadence and Cascade" (Greg Lake guide vocal)
5. "Cadence and Cascade" (instrumental take from Wessex Studios)
6. "Groon" (take 1)
7. "Groon" (take 5)
8. "Groon" (take 15)
9. "The Devil's Triangle" (rehearsal version from Wessex Studios)
10. "Peace – An End" (alternative mix)

Personnel

• Robert Fripp
  Robert Fripp
  Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
  
   - guitars, mellotron & devices
• Peter Sinfield
  Peter Sinfield
  Peter John Sinfield is an English poet, lyricist and artist, most famously known as the lyricist and co-founding member of early incarnations of King Crimson, whose debut album In the Court of the Crimson King has been regarded as one of the most influential progressive rock albums ever...
  
   - lyrics
• Greg Lake
  Greg Lake
  Gregory Stuart "Greg" Lake is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as a vocalist and bassist of King Crimson, and the bassist, guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.-1960s: King Crimson:...
  
   - vocals
• Mel Collins
  Mel Collins
  Mel Collins is a British saxophonist and flautist and session musician.He has worked in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz, but is perhaps known for his work in progressive rock, as with King Crimson, Camel and the Alan Parsons Project.-Career:Collins has worked...
  
   - flute & saxophones
• Peter Giles - bass
• Michael Giles
  Michael Giles
  Michael Giles is an English drummer, best known as a co-founder of King Crimson in 1969...
  
   - drums
• Keith Tippett
  Keith Tippett
  Keith Tippett is a British jazz pianist and composer.Tippett, the son of a local police officer, went to Greenway Boys Secondary Modern school in Southmead, Bristol. He formed his first jazz band called The KT7 whilst still at school and they performed numbers popular at the time by The Temperance...
  
  - piano

Production

• Produced By Robert Fripp & Peter Sinfield
• Recorded & Engineered By Tony Page & Robin Thompson

40th Anniversary Edition Credits

• Stereo files prepared at Super Audio Mastering, Devon by Simon Heyworth
• 5.1 mastered by Simon Heyworth at Super Audio Mastering, Devon
• DVD Design & Layout by Claire Bidwell at Opus Productions Ltd
• DVD Authoring & Assembly by Neil Wilkes at Opus Productions Ltd
• Tape transfers by Kevin Vanbergen at FX
• DGM tape Archive: Alex Mundy
• Package Art & Design by Hugh O'Donnell
• Compiled & Coordinated by Declan Colgan for DGM
• Published by UMG Music Ltd.