Album
Lizard
Lizard is King Crimson's third studio album, released on 11 December 1970. It followed In the Wake of Poseidon, and like that record it was made by a line-up that never played a single live show. Robert Fripp on guitar and lyricist Peter Sinfield were the only original members left, and the two of them wrote and produced the album together.
It is a record of changing faces. Mel Collins returned on saxophone and flute for his second album with the band, while Gordon Haskell, who had sung one song on the previous record, took on vocals and bass. Drummer Andy McCulloch joined him, and neither stayed beyond this album. The music draws on progressive rock, symphonic prog and avant-garde jazz, with touches of jazz fusion, which makes it one of the band's more adventurous early moves.
Lizard: tracklist, credits and charts
5 tracks · 42:41Tracklist
- 1Cirkus (including Entry of the Chameleons)Robert Fripp and Peter Sinfield6:29
- 2Indoor GamesRobert Fripp and Peter Sinfield5:40
- 3Happy FamilyRobert Fripp and Peter Sinfield4:24
- 4Lady of the Dancing WaterRobert Fripp and Peter Sinfield2:45
- 5Lizard: a) Prince Rupert Awakes - b) Bolero: The Peacock's Tale - c) The Battle of Glass Tears (including I. Dawn Song - II. Last Skirmish - III. Prince Rupert's Lament) - d) Big TopPeter Sinfield and Robert Fripp23:22
- Produced by
- Robert Fripp, Peter Sinfield
- Recorded at
- Wessex Sound Studios (London)
- Recorded
- September 1970
- Engineered by
- Robin Thompson
- Labels
- Stateside, Island, Atlantic
- Length
- 42:41
Line-up
- Marc Charig · cornet · guest
- Mel Collins · alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute
- Robert Fripp · mellotron, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Hammond organ, analog synthesizer
- Gordon Haskell · electric bass guitar, lead vocals, vocals
- Andy McCulloch · drums (drum set)
- Keith Tippett · electric piano, piano · guest
- Peter Sinfield · analog synthesizer
- [unknown] · maracas, marimba, timpani
- Nick Evans · trombone · guest
- Robin Miller · cor anglais, oboe · guest
- Jon Anderson · lead vocals, vocals · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1970–71 | 26 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1970–71 | 113 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1970–71 | 19 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1970–71 | 60 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
66.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.6k
ListenBrainz listeners
118k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
6.4k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 11 December
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More from King Crimson
Full discography →
In the Court of the Crimson King
1969
In the Wake of Poseidon
1970
Islands
1971
Earthbound
1972
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
1973
Starless and Bible Black
1974
Red
1974
A Young Person’s Guide to King Crimson
1975
USA
1975
Discipline
1981
Beat
1982
Three of a Perfect Pair
1984
The Compact King Crimson
1986
The Abbreviated King Crimson: Heartbeat
1991
Frame by Frame: The Essential King Crimson
1991
King Crimson The Great Deceiver 1992
The Great Deceiver
1992
Sleepless: The Concise King Crimson
1993
VROOOM
1994
THRAK
1995
B’BOOM: Official Bootleg – Live in Argentina
1995
THRaKaTTaK
1996
Epitaph, Volumes One & Two
1997
The Nightwatch: Live at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw November 23rd 1973
1997
Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal 1984
1998
Live at the Marquee 1969
1998
Live at Jacksonville 1972
1998
The Beat Club, Bremen 1972
1999
Live at Cap d’Agde 1982
1999
Cirkus: The Young Person’s Guide to King Crimson Live
1999
On Broadway 1995
1999
The Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners’ Guide to ProjeKcts
1999
The ProjeKcts
1999
A Beginner’s Guide to the King Crimson Collectors’ Club
2000
Live at Plymouth Guildhall May 11, 1971
2000
Live in Hyde Park July 5, 1969
2000
Live at Summit Studios, Denver March 12, 1972
2000
Live in Central Park, NYC 1974
2000
The ConstruKction of Light
2000
Live at Moles Club, Bath – April 30, 1981
2000
Heavy ConstruKction
2000
Live in Mainz: March 30, 1974
2001
Live in Berkeley, CA – August 13, 1982
2001
Live in Detroit, MI, December 13, 1971
2001
Level Five
2001
VROOOM VROOOM
2001
Live in Nashville, TN: November 9 & 10, 2001
2002
Live at the Zoom Club
2002
Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With
2002
Ladies of the Road
2002
February 27, 1972: Kemp Coliseum, Orlando, FL
2003
Live in Guildford, November 13, 1972
2003
The Power to Believe
2003
EleKtriK
2003
Live at Fillmore East, 1969
2004
Live in Philadelphia, PA: July 30, 1982
2004
The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson, Volume 1: 1969–1974
2004
The Collectable King Crimson, Volume 4 – Live in Warsaw 2000
2005
Live in Heidelberg – March 29, 1974
2005
The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson, Volume 2: 1981–2003
2005
The Condensed 21st Century Guide to King Crimson: 1969–2003
2006
The Elements: 2014 Tour Box
2014
Live at the Orpheum
2015
Live in Toronto
2016
Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind
2016
Live in Chicago
2017
Live in Vienna
2018
Uncertain Times
2018
Meltdown: Live in Mexico
2018
Heaven & Earth
2019
KC50, Vol. 33 – Form #1
2019
KC50, Vol. 48 – I Talk to the Wind
2019
Cat Food: 50th Anniversary Edition – EP
2020
The Complete 1969 Recordings
2020
Music Is Our Friend: Live in Washington and Albany, 2021
2021
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More on Stateside
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 11 December 1970 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 11 December 1970 | |
| Wikidata | 11 December 1970 | |
| UK / Europe release | 11 December 1970 | earliest UK or European date |
38 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Virgin | 077778674528 | other |
| 1970 | DE | Stateside | other | |
| 1970 | NZ | Vertigo | other | |
| 1970 | IL | פונוקול | other | |
| 1970 | FR | Island | other | |
| 11 December 1970 | GB | Island | original | |
| 1971 | IT | Island | other | |
| 3 January 1971 | US | Atlantic | other | |
| 1977 | DE | Polydor | other | |
| 1977 | BR | Atlantic | other | |
| 1977 | AR | Atlantic | other | |
| 1977 | GB | Polydor | other | |
| 1980 | JP | Atlantic | other | |
| 1986 | US | E’G | other | |
| 1986 | ES | Virgin | other | |
| 1987 | US | Editions EG | other | |
| January 1987 | GB | E’G | 5012985300421 | other |
| January 1987 | GB | Virgin | 5012985300421 | other |
| 30 April 1988 | JP | Virgin Japan | 4988037002500 | other |
| 1989 | GB | Virgin | 077778674528 | other |
| 1989 | US | E’G | 017046150422 | other |
| 16 December 1994 | JP | Discipline Global Mobile | 4988013046801 | other |
| 19 March 2000 | GB | Virgin | 724384406820 | other |
| October 2000 | US | Caroline Records | 017046150422 | other |
| 10 August 2001 | JP | Discipline Global Mobile | 4988013241305 | other |
| 2004 | XE | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367050328 | other |
| 2004 | US | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367050328 | other |
| 28 January 2004 | JP | Universal International | 4988005354853 | other |
| 27 September 2004 | GB | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367050328 | deluxe |
| 12 October 2009 | DE | Panegyric | 633367400321 | deluxe |
| 9 December 2009 | US | Discipline Global Mobile | deluxe | |
| 2012 | XE | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367910318 | other |
| 14 April 2015 | XW | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367880628 | other |
| 2020 | XE | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367791818 | other |
| 28 September 2022 | JP | Discipline Global Mobile | 4988031526682 | other |
| 7 June 2023 | JP | Discipline Global Mobile | 4988031567906 | other |
| 24 October 2025 | XW | Discipline Global Mobile | 0633367795427 | deluxe |
| 24 October 2025 | XW | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367887726 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 600×599 | upscaled |