Obituary: Early this morning, the iconic king of progressive rock passed away.
Pete Townshend of the Who hailed King Crimson’s debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, as “an uncanny masterpiece,” and it was met with astonishment and incredulity when it was released in October 1969.
A landmark in the history of progressive rock, it was characterized by an overpowering blend of hallucinogenic, jazz, folk, and classical elements. Its fame was mostly due to Peter Sinfield’s lyrics, which were filled with imagery that alternated from being ferocious, mystical, and melancholic.
In addition to coming up with the band’s moniker, Sinfield, who passed away at the age of 80 after a period of deteriorating health, enlisted his buddy Barry Godber to design the album’s intriguingly macabre sleeve art. Shortly after the album’s release, Godber passed away.
It could have been too wonderful because King Crimson was never able to match it after that, although Sinfield’s contribution to the band grew during their following three albums: Islands, Lizard, and In the Wake of Poseidon. The first two of these were co-produced by him. Despite not playing an instrument with the band, he wrote all of the songs, oversaw the lighting during performances, and added sound effects with a VCS3 synthesizer.
But Sinfield’s disagreements with Robert Fripp, the band’s main figure, over their creative direction became more and more, and he left in early 1972.
“One of us has got to go, and I’m not leaving,” Sinfield recalls Fripp telling him. But his abilities were sought after. King Crimson’s manager, EG Management, assigned him to work with Roxy Music, their new act. Both their eponymous first album and their first song, Virginia Plain, which he produced, were significant hits.
Sinfield performed a 12-string guitar and synthesizer on his solo album, Still. Greg Lake, a former member of King Crimson, helped him with production. As a result, Sinfield was asked to compose lyrics for Lake’s new band, Emerson, Lake & Palmer. He appeared on the albums Love Beach (1978), the band’s final album before breaking up, Works Volume 1 & Volume 2 (1977), and Brain Salad Surgery (1973). They would return in the 1990s, although late.
In addition, I wrote the lyrics for two albums issued on ELP’s Manticore label by the Italian band PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi): Photos of Ghosts (1973) and The World Became the World (1974). He co-wrote a number of the songs for Gary Brooker’s debut solo album, No More Fear of Flying (1979), which was released by Procol Harum. He released a compilation of his poetry and lyrics titled Under the Sky in 1974.
The son of Deirdre and Alan Sinfield, Peter was born in Fulham, south-west London, and lived with his eccentric mother following his parents’ divorce. She owned a burger bar and a hair salon, and their German maid, Maria Wallenda, who was part of the Wallenda family of acrobats and high-wire walkers, frequently took care of Peter.
