LONDON, 1969
Peter Sinfield (left) pays close attention as Robert Fripp plays guitar in the studio during the recording of King Crimson’s debut album, In The Court Of The Crimson King. The album’s initial sessions took place at Morgan Studios in London with Tony Clarke producing. Unhappy with the results, the band relocated to Wessex Sound Studios, soon after dispensing with Clarke’s services and deciding to take matters into their own hands. “The general sense we had was that his main motivation was to make us another Moody Blues, and we didn’t want that,” said drummer Michael Giles. Work was swift, with the album’s sprawling opener 21st Century Schizoid Man recorded in a single live take. In between the two studio sessions, the band tackled the small matter of a support slot at The Rolling Stones’ huge Hyde Park show, playing to a staggering 650,000 people just six months after forming.