KING CRIMSON – STARLESS AND BIBLE BLACK 12" Vinyl LP Album

- ILPS 9275 Pink Rim Gatefold (1974, UK)

Album Front Cover Photo of KING CRIMSON – Starless and Bible Black Visit: https://vinyl-records.nl/

Released in 1974, King Crimson’s “Starless and Bible Black” blurs the line between studio craft and live improvisation. Recorded partly at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and AIR Studios in London, it captures the band at their most daring. With tracks like The Great Deceiver, The Night Watch, and Fracture, the album mixes biting satire, emotional depth, and complex musicianship — a defining moment in progressive rock history.

Table of Contents

Album Description:

In the vast ocean of progressive rock music, there exists an album that stands out as a testament to the genre's complexity and creativity. Released in 1974, "Starless and Bible Black" by King Crimson remains a masterpiece that continues to enthrall and inspire music enthusiasts around the world. With its thought-provoking lyrics, virtuosic musicianship, and distinctive album design, it is no wonder that this LP has become a cherished gem for collectors and fans alike.

A Satirical Exploration of Society:

King Crimson, known for their musical prowess and inventive approach to songwriting, delivered something truly exceptional with "Starless and Bible Black". The album's vocal pieces serve as satirical commentaries on the materialism and sleaziness that pervade society. It was a reflection of the times, where disillusionment with the prevailing societal norms found an outlet through artistic expression.

However, amidst the predominantly critical lyrical themes, "The Night Watch" stands out as an exception. Departing from the album's usual satirical tone, it offers a poignant and emotive piece, showcasing the band's ability to evoke deep emotions through their music.

The Creative Minds Behind the Music:

The genius behind the creation of "Starless and Bible Black" lies in the collaboration of immensely talented musicians. The lineup for this album consisted of:

- Robert Fripp: The mastermind and visionary behind King Crimson. Fripp's guitar work on the album is nothing short of extraordinary, as he blends intricate melodies with avant-garde techniques that have become his signature style.

- John Wetton: With his powerful and emotive vocals, as well as his skillful bass playing, Wetton's presence adds a unique dimension to the album's sound.

- Bill Bruford: Known for his work with Yes and Genesis, Bruford's drumming elevates the album to new heights. His intricate rhythms and impeccable timing are on full display, earning him praise as one of the finest drummers in the progressive rock genre.

- David Cross: A multi-instrumentalist, Cross's mastery of the violin, viola, mellotron, and electric piano brings a symphonic quality to the band's music. His contributions add an ethereal and otherworldly element to the album.

Behind the Scenes: Recording and Production:

"Starless and Bible Black" was recorded at the renowned AIR Studios in London during January 1974. The studio's state-of-the-art equipment and acoustics allowed the band to fully explore their creative ideas and achieve the desired sonic landscape for the album.

The production was handled by King Crimson themselves for E.G. Records. This level of creative control allowed the band to maintain their artistic integrity and deliver a cohesive album that remains true to their vision.

The Art of Visual Expression:

As with any iconic album, the artwork plays a significant role in shaping the overall experience. For "Starless and Bible Black", the band enlisted the services of Tom Phillips, an acclaimed British artist known for his innovative collage work. Phillips's gatefold design for the album cover is a mesmerizing collage that captures the album's essence and complements the music in an extraordinary way.

Legacy and Influence:

Over the years, "Starless and Bible Black" has earned its place in the pantheon of progressive rock's greatest achievements. Its profound impact on subsequent generations of musicians is evident, with countless artists citing King Crimson as a significant influence on their work.

As the album celebrates its place in history, its timeless appeal continues to attract new listeners who are eager to delve into the intricate and fascinating world of progressive rock music.

Production & Recording Information:

Music Genre:

Prog Rock, Psych Acid

"Starless and Bible Black" sits at the crossroads of progressive rock and avant-garde experimentation. Its shifting time signatures, dark improvisations, and philosophical undertones reflect King Crimson’s 1970s evolution toward a heavier, more cerebral sound.

Label & Catalognr:

Island Records – Cat#: ILPS 9275 (Pink Rim Label)

Album Packaging

Luxury Gatefold Album Cover designed by Tom Phillips, featuring collage-style artwork and subtle texture. Includes a custom inner sleeve with printed lyrics and credits.

Media Format:

12" LP Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Album (Cover+Record) Weight: 280g

Year & Country:

1974 – England

Recorded during the band’s mid-70s transformation, this UK pressing represents one of the definitive British progressive rock statements of the era.

Producers:
  • King Crimson – Producers for E.G. Records
    Produced collectively by the band, giving full artistic control over every sonic detail. Their production approach emphasized raw live energy, captured directly to tape without overdubbing excess.
Sound & Recording Engineers:
  • Engineering Staff at AIR Studios
    The AIR engineering team supported King Crimson’s unconventional recording sessions, balancing live improvisations with meticulous studio layering to preserve spontaneity and texture.
Recording Location:
  • AIR Studios – London, England
    Recorded in January 1974 at George Martin’s AIR Studios, known for its exceptional acoustics and pioneering use of multitrack recording techniques that shaped many 1970s classic albums.
Album Cover Design & Artwork:
  • Tom Phillips – Artwork and Design
    Acclaimed British artist Tom Phillips created the album’s gatefold collage, merging fragmented text and abstract imagery. His design mirrors the record’s lyrical themes of decay, irony, and surreal beauty.

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up:
  • Robert Fripp – Guitar, Mellotron, Devices, Electric Piano
    Robert Fripp (born 1946) is an English guitarist, composer, and producer best known as the founding force behind King Crimson (since 1968). His career spans collaborations with Brian Eno, David Bowie, and Peter Gabriel, shaping avant-garde and ambient rock. A master of innovation and discipline. Read more on Wikipedia.
  • John Wetton – Bass, Vocals
    John Wetton (1949–2017) was a British singer, bassist, and songwriter known for his powerful voice and melodic bass lines. He played with King Crimson (1972–1974), Uriah Heep (1975–1976), and the prog supergroup UK (1977–1979), later achieving global fame with Asia (from 1981). Visit John Wetton at Wikipedia
  • Bill Bruford – Drums, Percussion
    Bill Bruford (born 1949) is an English drummer renowned for his precise, inventive style and complex rhythms. He performed with Yes (1968–1972), King Crimson (1972–1974, 1981–1984, 1990s), Genesis (1976 tour), and co-founded the jazz-fusion group UK (1977–1979) before leading Earthworks. Read more on Wikipedia.
  • David Cross – Violin, Viola, Mellotron, Electric Piano
    Cross adds classical texture and haunting atmosphere through strings and Mellotron, enriching the record’s symphonic character.

Complete Track-listing:

Tracklisting Side One:
  1. The Great Deceiver – 4:02
    Satirical opener, commentary on commercialism and greed. Features Fripp's famous 'Cigarettes, ice cream...' line.
  2. Lament – 4:00
    Powerful portrait of the jaded rock star, alternating between a soulful ballad and a metallic funk burst.
  3. We’ll Let You Know – 3:46
    An entirely instrumental improvisation recorded live in Glasgow, a showcase of the band's free form virtuosity.
  4. The Night Watch – 4:37
    Inspired by Rembrandt’s painting, blending melody and melancholy in one of Crimson’s most evocative pieces.
  5. Trio – 5:41
    A meditative instrumental co-written by all four members; Bruford famously chose restraint, playing no percussion.
  6. The Mincer – 4:10
    An improvised piece recorded live in Zürich, with Wetton’s vocals overdubbed in the studio, fading mid-performance.
Tracklisting Side Two:
  1. Starless and Bible Black – 9:11
    An extended instrumental improvisation from the Amsterdam concert, building from quiet reflection to a chaotic climax.
  2. Fracture – 11:14
    The closing tour de force: Fripp’s relentless precision on display in one of his most technically demanding compositions.

Legacy & Cultural Impact:

"Starless and Bible Black" marked a turning point for King Crimson — an album that blurred the line between live improvisation and studio composition. It captured the essence of risk-taking artistry at a time when rock music was rapidly evolving.

Its influence extended beyond progressive rock, inspiring generations of musicians to embrace complexity, texture, and fearless experimentation. Decades later, it remains a cornerstone of avant-garde rock and a collector’s treasure.

Album Front Cover Photo
Front cover of King Crimson’s 1974 album 'Starless and Bible Black' shows a minimalist beige background with the band name and album title faintly appearing in soft gray-green watercolor tones. The text, designed by artist Tom Phillips, appears as if washed into the paper, evoking age, fragility, and the ethereal mystery of the music within.

The album’s front cover is a striking exercise in understatement — a nearly blank beige canvas bearing only the faintly washed lettering King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black. The title and band name emerge in a ghostly blend of grey, green, and blue watercolor hues that seem to bleed into the surrounding paper.

Designed by British artist Tom Phillips, this minimalist artwork rejects typical rock album flamboyance. Instead, it captures the album’s introspective atmosphere — subdued, abstract, and enigmatic — perfectly echoing the record’s complex interplay between studio precision and live improvisation.

The delicate smudging and uneven inking of the typography suggest erosion, impermanence, and the fading of meaning — a visual metaphor for the record’s themes of transience and creative transformation.

Album Back Cover Photo
Back cover of King Crimson’s 1974 album 'Starless and Bible Black' features a clean cream background with the band name and album title in bold serif font at the top. The layout is divided into two columns listing Side One and Side Two track titles with writing credits beneath each song. At the center sits a small, abstract image reading 'this night wounds time', framed in muted tones. Below, musician credits list David Cross, Robert Fripp, John Wetton, and Bill Bruford, along with production details, printed in England by Robor Ltd. The design’s simplicity contrasts the album’s sonic intensity.

The back cover of Starless and Bible Black continues the minimalist aesthetic of the front, using a cream-colored background with crisp black typography. The band’s name and album title dominate the top portion in elegant serif type, projecting both restraint and authority.

The tracklisting is split neatly into two sections for Side One and Side Two, showing six titles on the left and two on the right. Each song includes its composer credits — a nod to the album’s collaborative yet experimental nature.

At the center lies a small rectangular artwork framed in muted hues, bearing the cryptic phrase “this night wounds time”, adding a poetic layer to the visual composition. Below the tracklists, the musician lineup and production credits are meticulously arranged, including notes of recording at AIR Studios in London and design by Tom Phillips.

The Island Records Pink Rim logo and catalog number ILPS 9275 appear discreetly at the bottom, with “Printed in England by Robor Limited” marking this as a first UK issue. Its minimalist layout emphasizes precision and artistic restraint — the visual mirror of the music’s depth.

Photo One of Inside Page Gatefold Cover
Inside gatefold of King Crimson’s 1974 album 'Starless and Bible Black' displays a dense collage of the album title repeated in layered stencil typography. The overlapping words form an abstract mosaic in pastel hues of blue, pink, beige, and green. Designed by Tom Phillips, the visual texture evokes both chaos and structure, mirroring the music’s tension between composition and improvisation. The image covers both gatefold panels, creating a continuous, immersive field of fragmented text and color.

The first inner gatefold of Starless and Bible Black immerses the viewer in a kaleidoscopic field of typography. The album title is repeated endlessly in stencil-cut letters, layered upon itself in soft, translucent shades of blue, pink, ochre, and pale green.

This mesmerizing repetition creates a sense of visual rhythm — echoing the cyclical patterns and structured improvisations found in the album’s music. Each overlapping line seems to vibrate, as if the words themselves are reverberating with sound.

Designed by Tom Phillips, the collage bridges visual art and sonic texture. Its mixture of chaos and order perfectly captures King Crimson’s unique balance of control and spontaneity, offering a visual symphony of dissonance and harmony.

Photo Two of Inside Page Gatefold Cover
The second inside gatefold panel of King Crimson’s 1974 album 'Starless and Bible Black' continues the abstract typography theme. The design repeats the album title in layered stencil text across both pages, rendered in shifting pastel hues of mauve, turquoise, beige, and rose. The repetition forms a hypnotic tapestry of overlapping words, creating a rhythmic and visual echo of the band’s intricate musical style. Designed by Tom Phillips, it merges literary form and abstract art in a seamless, textured continuum.

The second inner gatefold continues Tom Phillips’ mesmerizing interplay of text and color. Layers of stencil-cut lettering spell out Starless and Bible Black repeatedly across both panels, forming a dense typographic lattice.

Subtle color gradients of mauve, turquoise, rose, and ochre ripple through the letters, giving the impression of shifting depth and motion. The overlapping forms dissolve readability, turning language into pattern — mirroring the album’s transformation of melody into texture.

This design blurs the boundary between word and image, encapsulating King Crimson’s experimental spirit. It is both lyrical and abstract, cerebral and emotional — the perfect visual reflection of the band’s 1974 progressive masterpiece.

First Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
The first side of the custom inner sleeve for King Crimson’s 1974 album 'Starless and Bible Black' presents printed lyrics for 'The Night Watch', 'Lament', and 'The Great Deceiver'. The layout features the album title embossed in a shadowed serif font at the top, with black text arranged in three lyric columns within a thin rectangular frame. The cream background and minimalist design echo the main cover’s restrained aesthetic, balancing clarity and elegance. This sleeve combines literary focus with fine graphic precision, reflecting King Crimson’s intellectual approach to rock.

The first side of the custom inner sleeve for Starless and Bible Black showcases the printed lyrics to “The Night Watch”, “Lament”, and “The Great Deceiver”. Each is neatly arranged in three columns bordered by a fine rectangular frame, emphasizing clarity and order.

At the top, the embossed album title King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black appears in stylized serif typography, its soft shadow giving it a subtle, three-dimensional depth. The design maintains a cream-colored background, visually linked to the album’s outer cover.

The layout’s simplicity places full focus on the words of lyricist Richard Palmer-James, whose introspective and satirical writing contrasts the music’s raw intensity. This inner sleeve blends literary precision with understated elegance, perfectly echoing the intellectual artistry of King Crimson’s 1974 masterpiece.

Second Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
The reverse side of King Crimson’s 1974 'Starless and Bible Black' inner sleeve presents printed lyrics for three songs — 'The Night Watch', 'Lament', and 'The Great Deceiver' — in a clear, serif font. The layout mirrors the minimalist elegance of the first side, framed by a thin black border. The album title and band name appear embossed at the top, slightly shadowed for depth. Each lyric block is meticulously spaced, credited to Richard Palmer-James, with publishing years noted. The cream paper and balanced typography embody the restrained yet intellectual design typical of Island Records’ mid-70s aesthetic.

The reverse side of the custom inner sleeve for Starless and Bible Black continues the refined aesthetic of the first panel, featuring neatly typeset lyrics for “The Night Watch”, “Lament”, and “The Great Deceiver.”

Printed in a balanced three-column layout and enclosed by a delicate black frame, the design places focus on the words themselves — a testament to the collaboration between lyricist Richard Palmer-James and the band’s musical intensity. Each song is annotated with copyright and publication details, reflecting meticulous attention to credit.

The embossed album title and subtle shadowing at the top add texture and dimensionality. The cream background, restrained typography, and symmetry together create a timeless visual harmony — a quiet counterpoint to the album’s sonic complexity.

Close up of Side One record’s label
Close-up of the Side One record label for King Crimson’s 'Starless and Bible Black' (1974). The label features Island Records’ iconic 'Pink Rim / Palm Tree' design: a hand-drawn tropical island with a green palm tree, brown trunk, and the bold word ISLAND in textured green letters rising from turquoise-blue sea and yellow sun rays. The text area above lists all six tracks with songwriting credits and publishing details. Printed in England with catalogue number ILPS.9275-A, this pressing is the 1974 UK edition released by Island Records for E.G. Records Ltd.

The Side One label of Starless and Bible Black displays the distinctive Island Records “Pink Rim / Palm Tree” design, used during 1973–1975. The visual depicts a stylized tropical island with a green palm tree and the word ISLAND emerging from turquoise water against radiating yellow sunbeams.

The upper section lists all six tracks with precise songwriting and publishing credits, while the lower half identifies King Crimson as producer for E.G. Records Ltd. and carries the catalogue number ILPS.9275-A. The label’s typography is clean and centrally aligned, typical of early-’70s UK pressings.

Manufactured and distributed in England by Island Records Ltd., this pressing also bears a copyright date of 1974 and the publishing notice for E.G. Music Ltd.. The design combines clarity with warmth — a visual hallmark of Island’s mid-1970s aesthetic.

UK Label
Colours
Light pink outer rim, turquoise sea, yellow sun rays, green palm tree, brown trunk, and green “ISLAND” lettering with black outline.
Design & Layout
Top section: album title and track list; bottom: Island logo with centered text layout; catalogue number and copyright at right.
Record company logo
The Island logo depicts a small tropical island with a single palm tree under the sun rays, symbolizing creative freedom and an “island of music.”
Band/Performer logo
No band logo used; only the band name “King Crimson” printed in uppercase sans-serif type.
Unique features
Distinct “Pink Rim / Palm Tree” variant used only between 1973–75; text alignment centered; “A King Crimson Production” credit line.
Side designation
Printed in bold uppercase as “ILPS.9275-A” to the right of the spindle hole.
Rights society
E.G. Music Ltd / United Artists Music Ltd / Rondor Music-Yessongs Ltd (printed in text body).
Catalogue number
ILPS.9275-A
Rim text language
English
Track list layout
All six Side One titles listed vertically with numbering and composer credits in parentheses, left-aligned with timing in parentheses.
Rights info placement
Publishing and copyright information printed at the bottom center, beneath track list and production credit.
Pressing info
Pressed in England by Island Records Ltd. for E.G. Records, using EMI Hayes facilities during the Pink Rim era.
Background image
Illustration of a palm tree island surrounded by turquoise sea and yellow sun rays extending to the rim, representing Island Records branding.

Index of KING CRIMSON Album Cover Gallery & 12" Vinyl LP Discography Information

King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King album front cover vinyl LP album https://vinyl-records.nl
King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King

King Crimson’s 1969 debut redefined rock with its fusion of symphonic grandeur, jazz freedom, and haunting beauty. Featuring “21st Century Schizoid Man” and “Epitaph,” it became the cornerstone of progressive rock. The striking Barry Godber artwork made this LP both a sonic and visual revolution for its era.

King Crimson Starless and Bible Black album front cover vinyl LP album https://vinyl-records.nl
King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black

Released in 1974, Starless and Bible Black captures King Crimson’s most daring blend of live improvisation and studio craft. Recorded at AIR Studios, its dark satire and raw experimentation showcase Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Bill Bruford, and David Cross at their creative peak — progressive rock both cerebral and savage.