Starless And Bible Black

by King Crimson

Type: Album
Released: 29 March 1974
Label: Island, Atlantic
Country: United Kingdom
Length: 1:08:03
Community rating: 4.52/5 from 5 ratings

Artists on this release: Ray Staff, Richard Palmer-James, David Cross, John Wetton, Robert Fripp, Sean Davies

Album Notes & Community Reviews

King Crimson's 1974 release, *Starless and Bible Black*, is a formidable testament to the quartet's improvisational prowess. Largely constructed from live concert recordings—with studio overdubs blurring the line between spontaneous creation and deliberate composition—the album possesses a raw, visceral energy. The soundscape veers dramatically from the serene, violin-led ambiance of "Trio" to the jagged, metallic complexity of "Fracture." Robert Fripp’s angular guitar and David Cross's atmospheric violin duel over the thunderous, distorted foundation of John Wetton's bass and Bill Bruford's intricate percussion, capturing a band operating with near-telepathic cohesion on rock's abrasive frontier.

Genres

Descriptors: tense, abrasive, improvisation, uncommon time signatures, technical, avant garde, male vocalist, complex, progressive, instrumental, atonal, dissonant, noisy, polyphonic, improvisational

Tracklist

Credits

King Crimson - primary artist, producer [produced by]
John Wetton - bass, voice, written-by
George Chkiantz - coordinator [acoustic co-ordinator]
Tom Phillips - design [cover design]
Peter Henderson - engineer [assistant engineer]
Chris Kettle - equipment [equipment by]
Tex Read - equipment [equipment by]
Robert Fripp - guitar, mellotron, effects [devices], written-by
Ray Staff - lacquer cut by
Sean Davies - lacquer cut by
D.T. - other [acknowledgement to]
Bill Bruford - percussion [percussives], written-by
David Cross - violin, viola, keyboards, written-by
Richard Palmer-James - written-by