* * * * * (5 out of 5 stars)

One Of The Most Idiosyncratic Albums Ever

Lizard is a musical anomaly: It’s not rock, it’s not jazz, and it’s not 20th-century. Where the heck do you shelve this? Every other Crimson album is recognizable as rock with jazz and classical influences. But this not only doesn’t sound like rock, it doesn’t even sound like prog rock.

And that’s part of what makes this a great album. This is a seriously dark album. It’s also so dense that it takes many repeated listenings to get what’s happening.

The first time I heard it I thought it was the worst album ever. About one year later I gave it another try and suddenly there were things that made more sense. If they could make Lizard HCl to help it absorb into your system a bit faster, maybe this album would be easier to appreciate.

A lot of folks have already broken the album down into respective songs, but I’ll just say listen to it, put it on the shelf, take a year off, and come back to it. The more you listen the more this makes sense. In fact:

Yesterday I fast-forwarded through the whole album on my CD player. Hearing brief snippets every 2-3 seconds (or however the FFWD works) gave me a new perspective on how the music arcs. If you’re familiar with the album, try it, it’s fascinating.