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Retro Review: King Crimson ‘In the Court Of The Crimson King’

Published

15 years ago

on

Join me Bloody-Disgusting reader as we travel back to the year 1969. I am willing to guarantee that this was before the majority of you were born (it was WELL before I was even a thought), so let’s take a look at some of the major events of that year: Ohio State won the Rose Bowl. Nixon succeeded as President of the United States of America. The Beatles performed their last public concert. The Boeing 747 makes its first flight. Monty Python’s Flying Circus airs its first episode on BBC. And King Crimson releases their first album, ‘In The Court Of The Crimson King’, beginning a musical career that is still going on today.

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The album opens up with what might very well be King Crimson’s most famous track, ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’. Mixing rock, jazz, fusion, folk and insanity, this track got a solid boost in popularity when it was featured on Guitar Hero 5 (where the drums kick my ass, even on medium). It’s a track that has both driving and catchy riffs, incredibly proficient drum work and powerful vocals.
The rest of the album features gorgeous instrumentation with astounding production. It’s an album that oozes that warm analog sound we audiophiles love while still sounding great compared to today’s music. The one thing that this album demands is patience, as King Crimson love to stray into long, noodling jams that have sporadic, almost Tourette’s like phrasing. The beginning of ‘Moonchild’ has some of the most beautiful music on the album: Haunting synth guitars hover in the background, sounding as though they are yearning, begging for something that cannot be delivered. 
Something that should be paid close attention to when listening to this album is how brilliantly each member plays off of each other. Their mastery of the call-and-response technique makes it as if you’re listening to a conversation between instruments.
The Final Word: The impact of this album, and of King Crimson’s work, can probably never be fully appreciated. Maynard James Keenan says that Tool probably wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for King Crimson. Kanye West sampled ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’ in his song ‘Power’. Stephen King referenced the album in his Dark Tower series. There are countless more examples of the impact of this album, but to fully understand and appreciate it, you have to hear it. ‘In The Court Of The Crimson King’ is the definition of a perfect album, one that has withstood the test of time and will continue to inspire musicians for generations to come.
Remember to leave a comment with a suggestion for next month’s Retro Review OR shoot me your idea via Twitter at SimplyJonnyBD.
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Music

Marco Beltrami’s ‘Scream’ Score Gets Deluxe Reissue For 30th Anniversary

Published

4 days ago

on

July 9, 2026

By

Seminal slasher Scream rewrote the rules in 1996, and for its 30th anniversary,  Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings are celebrating with a new anniversary reissue of Marco Beltrami’s landmark score.

The original 14-track album returns to vinyl in a collectible “blood-soaked” sleeve on August 28.

If blood red isn’t your color, there’s good news: the reissue will also be available in many different limited-edition exclusive pressings.

In addition to the wide “Woodsboro Bloodbath” red vinyl pictured below, look for the following exclusives:

An Extended Cut Edition of the Scream (Original Motion Picture Score), featuring all 40 of the film’s cues from the 2022 Scream boxset, will also be available on CD. All formats are available to pre-order or pre-save today.

Top L-R: “Knife’s Edge” silver vinyl with poster (Target), “Surprise, Sidney” metallic blend vinyl (Barnes & Noble), “Don’t Hang Up” clear vinyl (Books-A-Million),
Bottom L-R: “I’ll Be Right Back” blue vinyl (Urban Outfitters), “Final Girl” splatter vinyl (Hot Topic), “Wrong Answer” Blood Red Splatter vinyl (Varèse Sarabande/Craft Recordings), and “Final Phone Call” blue vinyl (Indie Retail)

Marco Beltrami composed the iconic score as a then young, up-and-coming composer—one who, ironically, had never scored or even seen a horror film.

Yet just three years after he completed the University of Southern California’s rigorous scoring program, Beltrami submitted 13 minutes of music for Scream’s opening sequence and his future was forever changed. “We knew in half a minute that we had found our composer,” Craven told Variety in 2012. “The music was haunting, beautiful and totally original. Marco turned out to be shy and soft-spoken, but a fountain of ideas and innovation. I never looked back.”

Scream (Original Motion Picture Score) (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

CD Tracklist

1. Dimension Logo (0:19)

2. The Cue from Hell (10:33)

3. Trouble in Woodsboro (1:52)

4. Sid’s House (1:12)

5. Red Herring (2:13)

6. Killer Calls Sydney (2:52)

7. Chasing Sidney (1:29)

8. Cell Phone (1:00)

9. Backdoor Gale (0:49)

10. Schoolyard 2 (1:17)

11. Sid’s Doubt (1:23)

12. Bathroom (2:58)

13. Mr. Himbry Gets It (2:11)

14. Sherriff and Dewey (1:21)

15. Tatum’s Torture (2:46)

16. Sidney Wants It (3:09)

17. Dewey and Gale (1:57)

18. Off to See Himbry (0:41)

19. Killer Stabs Billy (2:50)

20. Randy Almost Gets It (2:33)

21. Gale Crashes the Van (1:33)

22. They’re Crazy (9:42)

23. Sid Stabs Billy (4:24)

24. Billy’s Back (0:52)

25. End Credits (1:40)

26. Sid’s Window (0:26)

27. Gut Someone (0:13)

28. Sid Looks (0:16)

29. Billy Looks (0:24)

30. Billy to Cell (0:34)

31. Killer Calls Again (0:35)

32. Bang Into Billy (0:12)

33. Girl Talk (0:54)

34. Video Store (0:45)

35. Why She’s Here (0:16)

36. Billy Sting (0:13)

37. Prescott’s Car (0:29)

38. Hairbrush (0:38)

39. The Cue from Hell (Orchestra Only) (6:28)

40. I Don’t Care (Vocals Performed by Dillon Dixon) (3:01)

Scream – Original Motion Picture Score

Vinyl Tracklist

Side A:

1. Dimension Logo (0:19)

2. The Cue from Hell (10:33)

3. Trouble in Woodsboro (1:52)

4. Red Herring (2:13)

5. Chasing Sidney (1:29)

6. Backdoor Gale (0:49)

7. Schoolyard 2 (1:17)

8. Bathroom (2:58)

Side B:

1. Sherriff and Dewey (1:21)

2. Tatum’s Torture (2:46)

3. Sidney Wants It (3:09)

4. Killer Stabs Billy (2:50)

5. They’re Crazy (9:42)

6. End Credits (1:40)

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