My first encounter with King Crimson was at a free concert in Hyde Park, London, in 1969. They were the only band to make enough noise to fill the open arena, and they stole the show, playing In the Court of the Crimson King, 21st Century Schizoid Man and Epitaph. I have been a fan ever since.

There have been several incarnations of the band over the years. Their songs were often complex, sometimes raw, and always likely to be of greater appeal to macho males than diffident damsels. ‘Romantic’ is a term that never would have been applied to King Crimson‘s music. Until Pat and Deborah Mastelotto reinvented some of the more lyrical songs from the KC canon.

“King Crimson plays loud and it’s often intense and raucous. But it can also be haunting and melodic, with some of the most beautiful lyrics ever. We wanted to help uncover that sweetness and introduce the songs to a different type of audience with A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson.”

Deborah Mastelotto, on Bandcamp

A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson was written, rehearsed and recorded during the lockdown days of the Covid 2019 pandemic and released shortly before Valentine’s Day in 2021. It’s a complete re-imagining of KC songs by one of their three drummers, Pat Mastelotto, and his wife. The words and the melodies are the same; the pace is much slower, and the arrangements are completely new.

Discard all your pre-conceptions and listen. If you accept it on its own merits, I’m sure you will enjoy it immensely.