
Album · 1971
Islands
by King Crimson
Islands is a 1971 progressive rock album by King Crimson. It runs 6 tracks across 39 minutes. Riffiter listeners rate it 4.0/5 from 1 rating.
Your rating
- 4.0 /5
- 1 rating
- 62 /100
- 10 critics
- 6
- Tracks
- 39 min
- Runtime
- 127 bpm
- Tempo
- D minor
- Key
Ratings
1 rating · avg 4.0
Recent activity
- @pixerell4.0★
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Critics
10 publications
- All About Jazz5/5
- Mojo4/5
- Sputnikmusic4/5
- The Great Rock Discography7/10
- DownBeat3.5/5
- Christgaus Record GuideC
- AllMusic2.5/5
- MusicHound2/5
- Encyclopedia of Popular Music2/5
- The Rolling Stone Album Guide1.5/5
Scores collected from the English Wikipedia ratings box (CC BY-SA). Ratings belong to the publications; follow a link to read the review.
Cover art
1 credit

- Photography
- Bob Ellis
Tracklist
6 tracks · 39 min
Ranked head-to-head
1 vs 1
Stars say how much you like Islands. They never settle which song on it you would defend. Pick between two at a time and the order builds itself.
Nobody has finished a run on this record yet. Rank Islands's songs yourself →
More like this
About
Islands is the fourth studio album by King Crimson. The album was released in 1971. The last King Crimson studio album before the group's trilogy of Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red, it is also the last to feature the lyrics of Peter Sinfield and the last to feature the band's 'traditional' progressive and symphonic sound. The album received mixed reviews. There are four tracks with lyrics on this album, and three of them concern women. One of them, "Ladies of the Road", has been criticised for perceived misogyny. The original United Kingdom and European cover depicts the Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius and displays neither the name of the band nor the title. The original United States and Canadian album cover (as released by Atlantic Records) was a Peter Sinfield painting of off-white with coloured "islands". This was used as an internal gatefold sleeve in the UK. When the King Crimson catalogue was re-issued by EG, they standardised on the "Trifid Nebula" cover world-wide.
Read moreRead less
The fifth 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 copious extra tracks and alternate versions. The CD presents a complete stereo remix by Steven Wilson & Robert Fripp alongside a group of additional tracks representing a near complete alternate album of studio takes, run-throughs and mixes. The DVD-A presents a complete 5.1 surround sound mix by Steven Wilson, a hi-res stereo version of the 2010 mix, a hi-res stereo version of the original album mix taken from the 30th anniversary master source and almost 90 minutes of additional material, the vast majority of it previously unreleased, including many studio takes mixed from the original recording sessions specifically for this release. The material covers everything from early rehearsals of Pictures of a City (one of the final new songs performed by the 1969 lineup) to the previously unheard A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls (showcasing early ideas & elements that would appear in fully realised form on later KC albums), a fragment of Fripp playing the tune of Islands on a mellotron, a blistering live Sailor's Tale from the Zoom Club & much more.
In brief
- Is Islands good?
- Riffiter listeners rate Islands 4.0/5 from 1 rating.
- When was Islands released?
- Islands was released in 1971.
- How many tracks are on Islands?
- Islands has 6 tracks, with a runtime of 39 minutes.
- What genre is Islands?
- Islands is catalogued under Progressive Rock.
- What BPM is Islands?
- Islands runs at a median tempo of 127 BPM across its tracks, most often in D minor, measured from audio analysis.
- What albums are similar to Islands?
- Listeners of Islands also rate The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant by Gentle Giant, Brain Salad Surgery by Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
- Who produced Islands?
- Islands was produced by King Crimson, Robert Fripp and Steven Wilson. King Crimson produced all of them.
Credits
- Produced by
- Mixed by
- Engineered by
- Andy Hendriksen
- Played by
+4 moreShow fewer
Mel CollinsHarry MillerWilfred Gibson[unknown]- Vocals by
- Boz BurrellIan WallaceMel CollinsPaulina Lucas
Credits and connections from Genius








