An enjoyable sequel

Review Score:

(8/10)
Poseidon, on its own, would be a fine record, but comparisons with the first Crimson outing are inevitable. The structure of the work is initially similar: a raucous, jazzy introduction, a quiet song, a dirge; Cat Food introduces Beatles-esque work, amusing and tuneful. The rest of second side seems inspired by Holst's The Planets. The album is tied together by quiet interludes that share Peace in the title.

The themes of love and war are explored in Poseidon, as they were in the first album, but the lyrical structure is simply not as effective. Where "I Talk to the Wind" is lonely and moving, "Cadence and Cascade" is lovely but more about a strange sensuousness than love. The anti-war sentiments have less of an impact, probably because the poetry is simply not as good: "Peace is the end, like death of the war." This may be a nice sentiment, but the scope is shallower.

So, I still enjoy hearing this album. The music is really quite fine, and the opening much more palatable then Schizoid, but ultimately this cannot match the perfection of the first.

PS, I read Dr. Wild's essay on this album after I did my reviews. Indeed, I wrote all of my KC reviews before checking out what others said, with the exception of the first. Dr. Wild makes many valuable comments. Devil's Triangle is clearly superior to Moonchild, although I must take issue that Cadence is better than I talk to the Wind. It is more than alright, it is perfect, beautiful. I ended up ranking Poseidon next-to-last, but it still receives four stars, which means it's a great record.

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