Editing King Crimson (section)

== History ==
=== 1967–1968: Giles, Giles and Fripp ===
{{main|Giles, Giles and Fripp}}
In August 1967, brothers [[Michael Giles|Michael]] and [[Peter Giles (musician)|Peter Giles]], drummer and singer/bassist respectively and pro musicians in working bands since their mid-teens in [[Dorset]], England, advertised for a "singing organist" to join a group they were forming.<ref name="allmusic ggfb">{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000657298/biography | title=Giles, Giles and Fripp | access-date=8 August 2007 | last=Eder | first=Bruce | website=AllMusic | archive-date=3 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203185854/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000657298/biography | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Voyage-PT">{{cite web|url=https://www.elephant-talk.com/wiki/Interview_with_Robert_Fripp_in_Musician|title=Interview with Robert Fripp|access-date=15 Mar 2021|work=Musician magazine (archived page from elephant-talk.com)|date=Aug 1984|archive-date=13 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613032438/https://www.elephant-talk.com/wiki/Interview_with_Robert_Fripp_in_Musician|url-status=live}}</ref> Fellow Dorset musician [[Robert Fripp]]&nbsp;– a guitarist who neither played organ nor sang&nbsp;– responded, and [[Giles, Giles and Fripp]] was born. The trio recorded several quirky singles and one eclectic album, ''[[The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp]]''. They hovered on the edge of success, and even made a television appearance, but were never able to make a commercial breakthrough.<ref name="allmusic ggfb" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-cheerful-insanity-of-giles-giles-fripp-mw0000100997 |title=The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp |last=Planer |first=Lindsay |website=allmusic.com |access-date=25 January 2021 |archive-date=4 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104064811/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-cheerful-insanity-of-giles-giles-fripp-mw0000100997 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://dgmlive.com/news/digging-giles-giles-fripp |title=Digging Giles, Giles & Fripp |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=30 Nov 2005 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=17 Mar 2021 |archive-date=16 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316220457/https://dgmlive.com/news/digging-giles-giles-fripp |url-status=live }}</ref>

Attempting to expand their sound, the three recruited [[Ian McDonald (musician)|Ian McDonald]] on keyboards, [[reeds (instrument)|reeds]] and woodwinds. McDonald brought along two new participants: his then-girlfriend, former [[Fairport Convention]] singer [[Judy Dyble]], whose brief tenure with the group ended when the two split,<ref name="AMGBIO">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000076057/biography|title=King Crimson Biography|access-date=19 August 2007|website=AllMusic|last=Eder|first=Bruce|archive-date=14 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514010113/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000076057/biography|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="InTheCourtOfKingCrimson">{{cite book|title=In The Court of King Crimson|last=Smith| first=Sid|year=2002 |publisher=Helter Skelter Publishing}} Retrieved on 12 June 2009.</ref> and lyricist, roadie, and art strategist [[Peter Sinfield]], with whom he had been writing songs&nbsp;– a partnership initiated when McDonald had said to Sinfield (regarding his band Creation), "Peter, I have to tell you that your band is hopeless, but you write some great words. Would you like to get together on a couple of songs?"<ref name="TOGETHER">{{cite web|url=https://www.elephant-talk.com/wiki/Interview_with_Peter_Sinfield_in_Modern_Dance|title=Interview with Peter Sinfield|access-date=15 Mar 2021|publisher=Modern Dance (archived page from elephant-talk.com)|archive-date=16 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216224330/http://www.elephant-talk.com/wiki/Interview_with_Peter_Sinfield_in_Modern_Dance|url-status=live}}</ref> Fripp, meanwhile, saw [[Clouds (60s rock band)|Clouds]] at the [[Marquee Club]] in London which spurred him to incorporate classically inspired melodies into his writing, and utilise improvisation to find new ideas.<ref name="CLOUDS">{{cite book | title=The Illustrated History of Rock Music| last=Pascall| first=Jeremy| year=1984| publisher=Golden Books Publishing}} Retrieved on 4 September 2007.</ref>

No longer interested in Peter Giles' more whimsical pop songs, Fripp recommended that his old friend, fellow guitarist and singer [[Greg Lake]] could join to replace either Peter or Fripp himself. Peter Giles later called it one of Fripp's "cute political moves".<ref name="InTheCourtOfKingCrimson" /> According to Michael Giles, his brother had become disillusioned with the band's lack of success and departed before Fripp suggested Lake to fill Peter Giles' position as bassist and singer.<ref>{{cite interview |interviewer=Martin Ruddock |first=Michael |last=Giles |title=King Crimson: "The spirit of KC '69 was an open collaboration of ideas, energy, freedom of expression, spontaneity and taking risks by going into the unknown" |url=https://www.shindig-magazine.com/?p=4343 |date=November 2020 |work=[[Shindig! (magazine)|Shindig!]] |access-date=2022-04-29 |archive-date=1 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701113533/https://www.shindig-magazine.com/?p=4343 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=AMGBIO />

=== 1968–1970: Original lineup and ''In the Court of the Crimson King'' ===
The first incarnation of King Crimson—Fripp, Michael Giles, Lake, McDonald and Sinfield—was formed on 30 November 1968 with rehearsals beginning on 13 January 1969.<ref name=AMGBIO /><ref name=epitaph>{{cite AV media notes |title=Epitaph |title-link=Epitaph (King Crimson album) |others=King Crimson |year=1997|type=CD |publisher=Discipline Global Mobile }}</ref> Sinfield coined the band's name in "a moment of pressured panic". Sinfield had already used the term "crimson king" in a set of lyrics before his involvement with Giles, Giles and Fripp. Sinfield insisted that the name wasn't [[Beelzebub]], prince of demons, and that a "crimson king" was any ruler during whose reign there were "societal rumblings" and "sort of the dark forces of the world".<ref name="uncut kc6974">{{cite magazine |author=Rob Young |date=2014-09-05 |title=King Crimson: "Without friction you don't get heat!" |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/king-crimson-without-friction-you-don-t-get-heat-4513/ |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |access-date=2022-04-29 |archive-date=1 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701130655/https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/king-crimson-without-friction-you-don-t-get-heat-4513/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Sinfield q&a1">{{cite interview |date=2001 |url=https://www.songsouponsea.com/q%26a1.html |title=King Crimson - Enclosures of the word kind |first=Peter |last=Sinfield |interviewer1=Jon Green |interviewer2=Jon Swinghammer |interviewer3=Sid Smith |interviewer4=Andrew Keeling |interviewer5=Agulló Xavier |website=songsouponsea.com |quote=Sinfield: ...any ruler who presided over an intense period of learning, yearning and burning and apparently benificial &#91;sic&#93; progress (HA) towards the elevation of mankind - Since [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Fred2]] is a such a suitable archytype for said societal rumblings (allegoricaly speaking) -It would be churlish of me to quibble!<br />Green: Judging from your response to Jon Swinghammer, you consciously conceived the Crimson King as a composite of several historical figures.<br />Sinfield:"Ok - It was that ... and a game of archetypes, symbols, and purposefully 'vulgar' colours. ([[The Magus (novel)|The Magus]]/[[Gormenghast (series)|Gormenghast]]/[[The Lord of the Rings]]/[[The Prince]]/[[The Hidden Persuaders]], some [[Robert A. Heinlein|Heinlein]]...) It may amuse /confuse you to know that I wrote the whole song words and v. dodgy "Dylanesque" tune many months before I became with involved GG&F who became King Crimson.<br />Keeling: Is the name King Crimson really a synonym for Beelzebub?<br />Sinfield: Despite the possibility that I may have flippantly (an 'r' is optional) have stated it to be so... it is not. Granted that the name was taken from In the Court of the Crimson King in a moment of pressured panic. |access-date=10 Feb 2021 |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130081523/http://songsouponsea.com/q%26a1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Fripp, King Crimson is a [[synonym]] for [[Beelzebub]], which is an [[English language|anglicised]] form of the [[Arabic]] phrase "B'il Sabab", meaning "the man with an aim", to which he related.<ref name="vrvr fripp">{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/the-double-trio-robert-fripp |title=The Double Trio - Robert Fripp |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=2001 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=31 December 2021 |archive-date=31 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231110630/https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/the-double-trio-robert-fripp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="AIM">{{cite web|url=http://www.songsouponsea.com/Promenade/Metaphysical.html|title=Robert Fripp on the King Crimson name|access-date=29 August 2007|publisher=Song Soup on Sea – Peter Sinfield's website (songsouponsea.com)|archive-date=8 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808222328/http://www.songsouponsea.com/Promenade/Metaphysical.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

At this early point, McDonald was the primary composer, with vital contributions from Fripp and Lake, while Sinfield wrote all the lyrics on his own, and also designed and operated the band's unique stage lighting, being credited with "words and illumination" on the album sleeve. Inspired by [[the Moody Blues]], McDonald suggested the group purchase a [[Mellotron]] keyboard, and this became a key component of the early Crimson sound.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN8PXIPmTAY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/vN8PXIPmTAY| archive-date=2021-10-29|title=Ian McDonald Conversation on Mellotrons: Pt. 1 of 8| website=[[YouTube]]| date=24 August 2008|access-date=17 June 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Sinfield described the original Crimson thus: "If it sounded at all popular, it was out. So it had to be complicated, it had to be more expansive chords, it had to have strange influences. If it sounded, like, too simple, we'd make it more complicated, we'd play it in 7/8 or 5/8, just to show off".<ref name="BBC Prog Rock">{{Cite AV media|title="Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements"|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g8tfv|access-date=13 May 2012|publisher=BBC|date=2 January 2009|archive-date=16 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316220816/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g8tfv|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{listen|filename=King Crimson - The Court of the Crimson King.ogg|title="The Court of the Crimson King" (1969)|description=37-second sample from King Crimson's "The Court of the Crimson King", demonstrating the sound of the first incarnation of the band, with its classically influenced style and use of the Mellotron instrument.}}
King Crimson's first live performance was at [[the Speakeasy Club]] in [[London]] on 9 April 1969 (with [[Yes (band)|Yes]] guitarist [[Peter Banks]] among the audience).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/king-crimson-1969-from-the-guitarist|title=King Crimson 1969|date=7 November 2016 }}</ref> Their big breakthrough came on 5 July 1969 by playing as a support act at [[the Rolling Stones]]' [[Stones in the Park|free concert]] in [[Hyde Park, London]] before an estimated 500,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-hyde-park-july-5-1969-mw0001270851 |title=King Crimson - Live in Hyde Park: July 5, 1969 |first=Lindsay |last=Planer |access-date=10 Mar 2021 |website=allmusic.com |archive-date=3 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203000520/https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-hyde-park-july-5-1969-mw0001270851 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=AMGBIO />

The debut album, ''[[In the Court of the Crimson King]]'', was released in October 1969 on [[Island Records]]. Fripp would later describe it as having been "an instant smash" and "New York's [[LSD|acid]] album of 1970" (notwithstanding Fripp and Giles' assertion that the band never used psychedelic drugs).<ref name=epitaph /> [[The Who|Who]] guitarist and composer [[Pete Townshend]] called the album "an uncanny masterpiece."<ref name="sandiegouniontribune kc2017" /> The album contains Sinfield's [[Gothic fiction|gothic lyrics]] and its sound was described as having "dark and doom-laden visions".<ref name="AMGCOURT">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000252242|title=In the Court of the Crimson King|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|last=Eder|first=Bruce|archive-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109175201/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000252242|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/03/20/king-crimson-reign-of-wagnerian-rock/5ed4da72-e5bf-4e50-8ffb-62e50eef0165/ |title=King Crimson: Reign Of Wagnerian Rock |first=Richard |last=Harrington |date=1992-03-20 |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=2022-07-27 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709202312/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/03/20/king-crimson-reign-of-wagnerian-rock/5ed4da72-e5bf-4e50-8ffb-62e50eef0165/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Its opening track "[[21st Century Schizoid Man]]" was described as "[[proto-metal]]" and the song's lyrics criticise [[Vietnam War|the military involvement of the United States in Southeast Asia]].<ref name="rollingstone schizoid">{{cite magazine |first=Hank |last=Shteamer |date=1 October 2019 |title=King Crimson's '21st Century Schizoid Man': Inside Prog's Big Bang |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/king-crimson-interview-writing-21st-century-schizoid-man-891600/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=6 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206232621/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/king-crimson-interview-writing-21st-century-schizoid-man-891600/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Pitchfork itcotck">{{cite web|last=Reed|first=Ryan|date=11 November 2019|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/king-crimson-in-the-court-of-the-crimson-king-50th-anniversary/|title=King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King (50th Anniversary)|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=7 February 2021|archive-date=27 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127003357/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/king-crimson-in-the-court-of-the-crimson-king-50th-anniversary/|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast to the blues-based hard rock of the contemporary British and American scenes, King Crimson presented a more Europeanised approach that blended antiquity and modernity.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.courant.com/ctnow/music/hc-greg-lake-2012-interview-20161208-story.html |title=In Memoriam: An Interview With Greg Lake From 2012 |first=Michael |last=Hamad |date=8 December 2016 |work=Hartford Courant |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=3 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203185610/https://www.courant.com/ctnow/music/hc-greg-lake-2012-interview-20161208-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="fosters kc2017">{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Farber |date=9 November 2017 |title=King Crimson talks ever-changing band, music |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202134535/https://www.fosters.com/news/20171109/king-crimson-talks-ever-changing-band-music |url=https://www.fosters.com/news/20171109/king-crimson-talks-ever-changing-band-music |work=[[Foster's Daily Democrat]] |archivedate=2 Feb 2021 |access-date=7 February 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The band's music drew on a wide range of influences provided by all five group members. These elements included classical music, the psychedelic rock spearheaded by [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[folk music|folk]], [[jazz]], military music (partially inspired by McDonald's stint as an army musician) and [[free improvisation]].<ref name="rollingstone schizoid" /><ref name="Pitchfork itcotck" /><ref name="fosters kc2017" /><ref name="sandiegouniontribune kc2017" />

After playing shows across England, the band toured the US with various pop and rock acts. Their first show was at [[Goddard College]] in [[Plainfield, Vermont]]. While the band found success and critical acclaim,<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s)--> |date=17 April 2019 |title=Greg Lake estate auction coming in May |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/news/greg-lake-estate-auction-coming-in-may |magazine=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]] |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127233147/https://www.goldminemag.com/news/greg-lake-estate-auction-coming-in-may |url-status=live }}</ref> creative tensions were already developing.<ref name=AMGBIO /> Giles and McDonald, still striving to cope with King Crimson's rapid success and the realities of touring life, became uneasy with their musical direction. Although he was neither the dominant composer nor the frontman, Fripp was very much the group's driving force and spokesman, leading them into progressively darker and more intense musical areas. McDonald and Giles, now favouring a lighter and more nuanced romantic style, became increasingly uncomfortable with their position and resigned after the conclusion of the US tour in January 1970.<ref name="InTheCourtOfKingCrimson" /> To keep the band together, Fripp offered to resign himself, but McDonald declared that King Crimson was "more (him) than them" and that he and Giles should therefore be the ones to leave.{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=36}} McDonald later said he "was probably not emotionally mature enough to handle it" and made a "rash decision to leave without consulting anyone".<ref name="rs mcdonald obit"/> The original lineup played their last show at the [[Fillmore West]] in San Francisco on 14 December 1969, a little over one year after forming.<ref name=epitaph /> Live recordings of the band from 1969 were released in 1997 on ''[[Epitaph (King Crimson album)|Epitaph]]'' and in 2010 on the ''[[In the Court of the Crimson King (box set)|In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)]]'' box set.

=== 1970–1971: ''In the Wake of Poseidon'' and ''Lizard'' ===
King Crimson spent 1970 in a state of flux with various lineup changes, thwarted tour plans, and difficulties in finding a satisfactory musical direction while Fripp was learning and developing as a songwriter during the writing process of the next three albums.<ref name="RF's diary 2001-03-11">{{cite web |url=https://dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/2001-03-11 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Nashville. |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=2001-03-11 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2022-05-20 |archive-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630134635/https://dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/2001-03-11 |url-status=live }}</ref> As well as guitar, Fripp took on keyboard duties, while Sinfield expanded his creative role to operating synthesizers.

Following McDonald and Giles' departure, Lake, unsure of the band's future without them, began discussions with [[Keith Emerson]] of [[the Nice]] about possibly forming a new band together. With Fripp and Sinfield planning for recording the second King Crimson album, and Lake's position uncertain, the band's management booked [[Elton John]] to sing the material as a session musician, but Fripp decided against this idea after listening to his ''[[Empty Sky]]'' album.<ref>{{cite book |first=Keith |last=Hayward |title=Tin Pan Alley: The Rise of Elton John |year=2013 |publisher=Soundcheck Books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PEgPhgVOPpUC&pg=PT91 |page=180 |isbn=9780957570009 |access-date=25 February 2021 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004144152/https://books.google.com/books?id=PEgPhgVOPpUC&pg=PT91#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Lake agreed to stay with the band until Emerson had completed remaining commitments with the Nice, at which point he left to form [[Emerson, Lake and Palmer]]. On the resulting ''[[In the Wake of Poseidon]]'' album, Lake provided all the lead vocals except on "Cadence and Cascade", as he left before he was able to complete this track. Fripp's old school friend [[Gordon Haskell]] was brought in to provide the vocal on the song.<ref name="poseidon TLV">{{cite web |url=https://dgmlive.com/in-depth/in-the-wake-of-poseidon-the-long-view |title=In The Wake Of Poseidon - The Long View |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=June 2010 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224161618/https://dgmlive.com/in-depth/in-the-wake-of-poseidon-the-long-view |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Greg%20Lake%20singing%20Cadence%20And%20Cascade |title=Cadence And Cascade And Greg |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=2016-12-12 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2022-07-18 |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123084110/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Greg%20Lake%20singing%20Cadence%20And%20Cascade |url-status=live }}</ref> The sessions also included Michael and Peter Giles on drums and bass respectively,<ref name="poseidon TLV"/><ref>New Musical Express 28 February 1970: "Giles played on the session because he and another ex-member, Ian McDonald, have not yet been replaced in the group"</ref> saxophonist [[Mel Collins]] (formerly of the band Circus)<ref>Disc magazine 21 March 1970: "New King Crimson addition...flautist Mel Collins from Circus."</ref> and jazz pianist [[Keith Tippett]].<ref name="allaboutjazz Sailors"/>

Upon its release in May 1970, ''In the Wake of Poseidon'' reached No. 4 in the UK and No. 31 in the US. It received some criticism from those who thought it sounded too similar to their first album.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/in-the-wake-of-poseidon-king-crimson-dgm-live-review-by-john-kelman.php |title=King Crimson: In The Wake Of Poseidon |first=John |last=Kelman |date=23 April 2005 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=8 Mar 2021 |archive-date=10 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410150048/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/in-the-wake-of-poseidon-king-crimson-dgm-live-review-by-john-kelman.php |url-status=live }}</ref> With no set band to perform the new material, Fripp and Sinfield brought Mel Collins and Gordon Haskell on board (with Haskell doubling as lead vocalist and bassist and Collins quadrupling as saxophonist, flautist, occasional keyboard player, and backing vocalist), and [[Andrew McCulloch (drummer)|Andy McCulloch]] joined as drummer.<ref name="ls sid islands">{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/king-crimson-and-the-making-of-islands |title=King Crimson and the making of Islands |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=5 December 2021 |website=loudersound.com |access-date=20 December 2021 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220202305/https://www.loudersound.com/features/king-crimson-and-the-making-of-islands |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="allaboutjazz Sailors" />

Fripp and Sinfield wrote the third album, ''[[Lizard (album)|Lizard]]'', themselves – with Haskell, Collins and McCulloch having no say in the direction of the material. In addition to the core band, several session musicians contributed to the ''Lizard'' recording, including the returning Keith Tippett, who was offered to be a member of the new lineup, but due to other commitments preferred to continue working with the band as an occasional guest musician,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/keith-tippett-mn0000085158/biography |title=Keith Tippett Biography |first=Bruce |last=Eder |access-date=24 February 2021 |website=allmusic.com |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615143931/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/keith-tippett-mn0000085158/biography |url-status=live }}</ref> and two members of Tippett's band, [[Mark Charig]] on [[cornet]], and [[Nick Evans (trombonist)|Nick Evans]] on [[trombone]]. Robin Miller (on [[oboe]] and [[cor anglais]]) also appeared, while [[Jon Anderson]] of [[Yes (band)|Yes]] was brought in to sing a section of the album's title track, "Prince Rupert Awakes", which Fripp and Sinfield considered to be outside Haskell's natural range and style. ''Lizard'' featured stronger jazz and chamber-classical influences than previous albums.<ref name="InTheCourtOfKingCrimson" /><ref name="allaboutjazz Sailors" /> The album contains Sinfield's "[[Phantasmagoria|phantasmagorical]]" lyrics, including "Happy Family" (an allegory of the break-up of [[the Beatles]]),<ref name="allmusic lizard" /> and the title track, a suite which took up the entire second side, describing a medieval/mythological battle and its outcome.{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=47}}

Released in December 1970, ''Lizard'' reached No. 29 in the UK and No. 113 in the US. Described retrospectively as an "outlier",<ref name="allmusic lizard">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lizard-mw0000190503 |title=King Crimson - Lizard |first=Dave |last=Lynch |website=allmusic.com |access-date=2 February 2021 |archive-date=18 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118224450/https://www.allmusic.com/album/lizard-mw0000190503 |url-status=live }}</ref> the album had been made by a group in disagreement over method and taste. The more rhythm-and-blues-oriented Haskell and McCulloch both found the music difficult to relate to, and tedious and confusing to record. Collins disliked how his parts were composed, while both Fripp and Haskell detested Sinfield's lyrics.<ref name="ls sid islands" /> This lineup of the band did not survive much longer than the ''Lizard'' recording sessions. Haskell quit the band acrimoniously during initial tour rehearsals after refusing to sing live with distortion and electronic effects on his voice, and McCulloch departed soon after.<ref name=AMGBIO /><ref name="InTheCourtOfKingCrimson" /> With Sinfield not being a musician and Fripp having seemingly given up on the band, Collins was left to search for new members.<ref name="ls sid islands" />

=== 1971–1972: ''Islands'' ===
After a search for a drummer to replace McCulloch, [[Ian Wallace (drummer)|Ian Wallace]] was secured. Fripp was re-energised by the addition of a new member, and he joined Collins and Wallace to audition singers and bassists. Vocalists who tried out included [[Bryan Ferry]] of [[Roxy Music]] and even one of the band's managers, [[John Gaydon]].<ref name="ls sid islands" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/king-crimson-in-the-wake-of-poseidon/|title=Revisiting King Crimson's Second LP, 'In the Wake of Poseidon'|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=15 May 2015|access-date=19 May 2018|archive-date=4 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504171847/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/king-crimson-in-the-wake-of-poseidon/|url-status=live}}</ref> The position eventually went to [[Boz Burrell|Raymond "Boz" Burrell]].<ref name=AMGBIO /> [[John Wetton]] was invited to join on bass, but declined in order to join [[Family (band)|Family]] instead.<ref name="aspicoflove" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Happy%20Larks%20Day |title=Happy Larks' Day |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=23 Mar 2018 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210222825/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Happy%20Larks%20Day |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Rick Kemp]] (later of [[Steeleye Span]]) rehearsed with the band, but declined the final offer to formally join.<ref name="allaboutjazz Sailors">{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sailors-tales-1970-1972-king-crimson-panegyric-recordings-review-by-john-kelman.php |title=King Crimson: Sailors' Tales 1970-1972 |first=John |last=Kelman |date=11 Nov 2017 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210201153/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sailors-tales-1970-1972-king-crimson-panegyric-recordings-review-by-john-kelman.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Fripp decided to teach Boz to play bass rather than continue the labored auditions. Though he had not played bass before, Burrell had played enough acoustic guitar to assist him in learning the instrument quickly. Wallace was able to further instruct Burrell in functioning on the instrument in a rhythm section.<ref>{{cite interview |first=Ian |last=Wallace |interviewer=Dmitry M. Epstein |title=Interview with IAN WALLACE |url=https://dmme.net/interviews/wallace |date=April 2003 |work=dmme.net |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=12 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312085826/https://dmme.net/interviews/wallace |url-status=live }}</ref>

With a lineup now complete, King Crimson began touring in May 1971, the first time they had played live since the original lineup's last show on 14 December 1969. The concerts were well received, but the musical differences between Fripp and the rest of the group, and the somewhat wilder lifestyles of Collins, Wallace and Burrell, alienated the drug-free Fripp, who began to withdraw socially from his bandmates, creating further tension.<ref name="ls sid islands" />

In 1971, the new King Crimson formation recorded ''[[Islands (King Crimson album)|Islands]]''. Sinfield, who favoured a softer approach, took lyrical inspiration from [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]'', musical inspiration from jazz players like [[Miles Davis]] and [[Ahmad Jamal]], and a sun-drenched trip to [[Ibiza]] and [[Formentera]].<ref name="uncut kc6974" /><ref name="rockerilla2010">{{cite interview |url=http://www.songsouponsea.com/galleries/press/rockerilla2010.html |title=Interview |interviewer=Max Marchini |first=Peter |last=Sinfield |work=Rockerilla |date=May 2010 |access-date=25 Feb 2021 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127181938/http://www.songsouponsea.com/galleries/press/rockerilla2010.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor=Manfred Pfister |editor2=Ralf Hertel |title=Performing National Identity: Anglo-Italian Cultural Transactions |isbn=978-9042023147 |doi=10.1163/9789401205238 |publisher=Brill-Rodopi |date=15 Dec 2007 |page=291 |s2cid=201339702 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SZ38wNdRBIUC&pg=PA291 |access-date=25 February 2021 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004144222/https://books.google.com/books?id=SZ38wNdRBIUC&pg=PA291#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Islands'' featured the instrumental "Sailor's Tale", with a droning Mellotron and Fripp's banjo-inspired guitar solo; the raunchy blues-rocker "Ladies of the Road", a tribute to [[groupies]] which featured Wallace and Collins singing Beatles-esque backing vocals; and "Song of the Gulls", which was developed from an earlier Fripp instrumental ("Suite No. 1" from Giles, Giles & Fripp's [[The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp|1968 album]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/islands-the-long-view |title=Islands - The Long View |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=March 2010 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=26 Apr 2021 |archive-date=26 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426083437/https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/islands-the-long-view |url-status=live }}</ref>), and would be the only time the band would utilize an orchestra.<ref name="allaboutjazz Sailors" />{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=49-50}} Burrell disliked Sinfield's lyrics and one of the band members allegedly called ''Islands'' as "an airy-fairy piece of shit".<ref name="DGM EB"/>{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=69}}

Released in December 1971, ''Islands'' charted at No. 30 in the UK and No. 76 in the US. Following a tour of the United States in December 1971, Fripp informed Sinfield that he could no longer work with him, and asked him to leave the band.<ref name="uncut kc6974" /><ref name="rockerilla2010" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/the-dgm-guestbook-is-vibrating-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=14 September 1999 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=25 February 2021 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225060033/https://dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/the-dgm-guestbook-is-vibrating-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/king-crimson-1969-from-the-guitarist |title=King Crimson 1969 - A Personal Throughview From The Guitarist. |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=15 Apr 1997 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=25 February 2021 |quote=...I had difficulties with some of Peter's words on the subsequent Crimson albums, as he had with the music, on "In The Court" Peter's words are in a category of their own. |archive-date=16 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516092843/https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/king-crimson-1969-from-the-guitarist |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 1972, the remaining band broke up acrimoniously in rehearsals, owing partially to Fripp's refusal to play a composition by Collins.<ref name="ls sid islands" /> He later cited this as "quality control", with the idea that King Crimson would perform the "right" kind of music.<ref name="InTheCourtOfKingCrimson" />

In order to fulfil touring contracts in the United States in 1972, King Crimson reformed with the intention of disbanding immediately after the tour.<ref name="ls sid islands" /> Recordings from various North American dates between January and February 1972 were released as ''[[Earthbound (King Crimson album)|Earthbound]]'' in June of that year. The album was noted for its playing style that occasionally veered towards [[funk]], and Burrell's [[scat singing]] on the improvised pieces, but was criticised for its sub-par sound quality.<ref name="EBOUND">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/earthbound-mw0000224180 |title=King Crimson - Earthbound |first=Lindsay |last=Planer |website=allmusic.com |access-date=2 February 2021 |archive-date=28 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628234914/https://www.allmusic.com/album/earthbound-mw0000224180 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="BBCMUSIC">{{cite web|first=Chris|last=Jones|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/n3qv/|title=Earthbound, USA & Thrak review|access-date=15 Mar 2021|publisher=[[BBC Music]] (bbc.co.uk)|archive-date=9 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109232133/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/n3qv/|url-status=live}}</ref> Further, better-quality, live recordings from this era would be released in 2002 as ''[[Ladies of the Road]]'' and in 2017 on the ''[[Sailors' Tales (1970–1972)]]'' box set.

By this time, the musical rift between Fripp and the rest of the band had grown very wide. Wallace, Burrell and Collins favoured improvised [[blues]] and funk. Fripp would later describe the 1971–1972 lineup as more of a [[jam band]] than an "improvising" band, an opinion with which Wallace disagreed. Personal relations actually improved during the tour to the point where most of the band decided to continue on, however Fripp opted to part company with the other three, restructuring King Crimson with new musicians, as he felt the other members wouldn't be fully engaged in the musical direction he had in mind.<ref name="DGM EB">{{cite web |url=https://dgmlive.com/news/earthbound-at-50 |title=Earthbound At 50 |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=2022-06-09 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2022-06-10 |archive-date=9 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609204726/https://dgmlive.com/news/earthbound-at-50 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 1972–1975: ''Larks' Tongues in Aspic'', ''Starless and Bible Black'', ''Red'' and hiatus ===
{{Quote box|style=padding:10px;|quote="It was going to be an interesting ride when ... I wasn't given a setlist when I joined the band, more a reading list. [[Ouspensky]], [[J.&nbsp;G. Bennett]], [[George Gurdjieff|Gurdjieff]] and [[Carlos Castaneda|Castaneda]] were all hot. [[Wicca]], personality changes, low-level magic, pyromancy – all this from the magus in the court of the Crimson King. This was going to be more than three chords and a pint of Guinness."| source =—Bill Bruford.<ref name=brufordautobiography />|width=28%|align=left}}
The next incarnation of King Crimson was radically different from the previous configurations. Fripp's four new recruits were [[free improvisation|free-improvising]] percussionist [[Jamie Muir]], drummer [[Bill Bruford]], who left [[Yes (band)|Yes]] at a commercial peak in their career in favour of the "darker" Crimson,<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Rowell |date=28 May 2015 |title=The epic tale of listening to seven live concert recordings by the band Yes in a single day |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2015/05/28/the-epic-tale-of-listening-to-seven-live-concert-recordings-by-the-band-yes-in-a-single-day |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=8 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108135549/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2015/05/28/the-epic-tale-of-listening-to-seven-live-concert-recordings-by-the-band-yes-in-a-single-day/ |url-status=live }}</ref> bassist and vocalist [[John Wetton]] (who left [[Family (band)|Family]]), and violinist, keyboardist and flautist [[David Cross (musician)|David Cross]], whom Fripp had met when he was invited to a rehearsal of Waves, a band Cross was working in.<ref name=AMGBIO /><ref name="LTIA TLV">{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/larks-tongues-in-aspic-the-long-view |title=Larks Tongues In Aspic - The Long View |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=June 2012 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2022-03-25 |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516045021/https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/larks-tongues-in-aspic-the-long-view |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most of the musical compositions were collaborations between Fripp and Wetton, who each composed segments independently and fitted together those which they found compatible.<ref name=BoffomuInt>{{cite web |last1=Curtiss |first1=Ron |last2=Weiner |first2=Aaron |title=John Wetton (King Crimson, U.K., Asia): The Complete Boffomundo Interview |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hcovFGVW44 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915003727/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hcovFGVW44&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2016-09-15|website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=3 March 2019 |date=3 June 2016}} Event occurs at 4:34-13:48.</ref> With Sinfield gone, the band recruited Wetton's friend [[Richard Palmer-James]] (from the original [[Supertramp]]) as their new lyricist.<ref name=AMGBIO /> Unlike Sinfield, Palmer-James was not an official member of King Crimson, playing no part in artistic decisions, visual ideas, or sonic directions; his sole contributions to the group were his lyrics, sent via mail from his home in Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/richard-palmer-james-mn0000354117 |title=Richard Palmer-James Biography |first=Bruce |last=Eder |access-date=10 February 2021 |website=allmusic.com |archive-date=17 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117013111/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/richard-palmer-james-mn0000354117 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Breznikar|first=Klemen|author-link=Klemen Breznikar |date=August 21, 2020|title=Richard Palmer-James Interview {{!}} Supertramp, King Crimson …|url=https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2020/08/richard-palmer-james-interview-supertramp-king-crimson.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020023131/https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2020/08/richard-palmer-james-interview-supertramp-king-crimson.html|archive-date=October 20, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2021|website=[[It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine]]|language=en-US}}</ref> Following a period of rehearsals, King Crimson resumed touring on 13 October 1972 at the Zoom Club in [[Frankfurt]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-zoom-club-1972-mw0000975700 |title=King Crimson Live at the Zoom Club, 1972 |first=Lindsay |last=Planer |access-date=10 February 2021 |website=allmusic.com |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921034047/https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-zoom-club-1972-mw0000975700 |url-status=live }}</ref> with the band's penchant for improvisation (and Muir's startling stage presence) gaining them renewed press attention.<ref name="LTIA TLV" />

{{listen|filename=King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1.ogg|title="Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One" (1973)|description=An excerpt of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One", demonstrating the heavy metal influences, complex structure of the music, improvisation, and the percussion of Jamie Muir.}}
In January and February 1973, King Crimson recorded ''[[Larks' Tongues in Aspic]]'' in London which was released that March.<ref name="LARKS">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000194480|title=Larks' Tongues in Aspic|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|last=Eder|first=Bruce|archive-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109162555/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000194480|url-status=live}}</ref> The band's new sound was exemplified by the album's [[Larks' Tongues in Aspic (instrumental)|two-part title track]] – a significant change from what King Crimson had done before, the piece emphasised the sharp instrumental interplay of the band, and drew influence from modern classical music, noisy free improv, and even heavy metal riffing. The record displayed Muir's unusual approach to percussion, which included a self-modified drum kit, assorted toys, a [[bullroarer]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Basil |last=Francis |date=30 Dec 2012 |title=Issue 2012-054: King Crimson Special Part 2 |url=https://www.dprp.net/reviews/2012-054 |work=Dutch Progressive Rock Page |access-date=5 Mar 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126070042/https://www.dprp.net/reviews/2012-054 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[mbira]], gongs, balloons, [[thunder sheet]] and chains. On stage, Muir also employed unpredictable, manic movements, bizarre clothing, and fake blood capsules (occasionally spit or applied to the head), becoming the sole example of such theatrical stage activity in the band's long history.<ref name="mdm Perfect Pair" /><ref name="aspicoflove">{{cite magazine |first=Neil |last=Hussey |date=14 June 2016 |title=Aspic of Love |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/aspic-love |magazine=Record Collector |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=7 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207092754/https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/aspic-love |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="abj LTIAcomplete">{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/larks-tongues-in-aspic-40th-anniversary-series-box |title=King Crimson: Larks' Tongues In Aspic (40th Anniversary Series Box) |first=John |last=Kelman |date=22 October 2012 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210221040/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/larks-tongues-in-aspic-40th-anniversary-series-box |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite interview |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bill-bruford-yes-band-king-crimson-genesis-earthworks-interview-902501/ |title=Bill Bruford on His Ups and Downs With Yes and King Crimson, Life After Retirement |first=Bill |last=Bruford |interviewer=Hank Shteamer |date=2019-10-29 |work=Rolling Stone |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216173649/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bill-bruford-yes-band-king-crimson-genesis-earthworks-interview-902501/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The album reached No. 20 in the UK and No. 61 in the US.

After a period of further touring, Muir departed in 1973, quitting the music industry altogether. Muir told King Crimson's management that he had decided a musician's life was not for him, and he had chosen to join a Scottish Buddhist monastery. He offered to serve a period of notice which the management declined. Instead of reiterating Muir's decision, the management informed the band and the public that Muir had sustained an onstage injury caused by a gong landing on his foot.<ref name="RollingStone149">{{cite interview|last=Fripp|first=Robert|subject-link=Robert Fripp|interviewer=[[Cameron Crowe]]|title=K. Crimson's Fripp: 'Music's Just a Means for Magic'|url=https://www.theuncool.com/journalism/rs149-robert-fripp/|access-date=7 February 2021|work=[[Rolling Stone]]|issue=149|location=[[Los Angeles]]|date=6 December 1973|archive-date=28 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228212040/http://www.theuncool.com/journalism/rs149-robert-fripp/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="aspicoflove"/><ref name="LTIA TLV"/>

[[File:King crimson 1974 press photo.jpg|thumb|King Crimson in 1974. From left: John Wetton, David Cross, Robert Fripp, and Bill Bruford|left]]
With Muir gone, the remaining members reconvened in January 1974 to produce ''[[Starless and Bible Black]]'', released in March 1974, which earned them a positive ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' review.<ref name="AMGSABB">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000190627|title=Starless and Bible Black|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|last=Eder|first=Bruce|archive-date=29 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229042822/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000190627|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=RSSABB>{{cite magazine |date=6 June 1974 |first=Gordon |last=Fletcher |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kingcrimson/albums/album/174583/review/5946322/starless_and_bible_black|title=Starless and Bible Black|access-date=29 August 2007|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002101228/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kingcrimson/albums/album/174583/review/5946322/starless_and_bible_black|archive-date=2 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> Though most of the album was recorded live during the band's late 1973 tour, the recordings were carefully edited and overdubbed to sound like a studio record, with "The Great Deceiver", "Lament" and the second half of "The Night Watch" the only tracks recorded entirely in the studio.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/starless-bible-black-40th-anniversary-edition |title=Starless & Bible Black 40th Anniversary Edition |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=3 Aug 2011 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=22 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222134535/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/starless-bible-black-40th-anniversary-edition |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-making-of-king-crimsons-starless-and-bible-black |title=The making of King Crimson's Starless And Bible Black |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=29 March 2020 |website=loudersound.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=4 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404160305/https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-making-of-king-crimsons-starless-and-bible-black |url-status=live }}</ref> The album reached No. 28 in the UK and No. 64 in the US.

Following the album's release, the band began to divide once more, this time over performance. Musically, Fripp found himself positioned between Bruford and Wetton, who played with such force and increasing volume that Fripp once compared them to "a flying brick wall", and Cross, whose amplified acoustic violin was consistently being drowned out by the rhythm section, leading him to concentrate more on Mellotron and an overdriven electric piano. An increasingly frustrated Cross began to withdraw both musically and personally, with the result being that he was voted out of the group following the band's 1974 tour of Europe and America.<ref name=InTheCourtOfKingCrimson /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/king-crimson-the-road-to-red |title=King Crimson: The Road To Red |first=Rob |last=Hughes |date=30 Oct 2013 |newspaper=Louder |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923160039/https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/king-crimson-the-road-to-red |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Robert Fripp 2.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Fripp performing at the [[Auditorium Theatre]], [[Chicago]], 25 April 1974]]
In July 1974, Fripp, Bruford, and Wetton began recording ''[[Red (King Crimson album)|Red]]''.<ref name=AMGBIO /> Before recording began, Fripp, now increasingly disillusioned with the music industry, turned his attention to the works of English mystic [[J.G. Bennett]] and had a spiritual experience in which "the top of my head blew off".{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=66-67}} Most of the album had been developed during live improvisations before Fripp retreated into himself and "withdrew his opinion", leaving Bruford and Wetton to direct the recording sessions. The album contains one live track, "Providence", recorded on 30 June 1974 with Cross playing violin. Several guest musicians (including former members Ian McDonald and Mel Collins) contributed to the album.<ref name="RedTLV">{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/red-the-long-view |title=Red - The Long View |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=May 2009 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=11 Mar 2021 |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226094323/https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/red-the-long-view |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-road-to-red-by-john-kelman.php |title=King Crimson: The Road To Red |first=John |last=Kelman |date=20 Oct 2013 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=11 Mar 2021 |archive-date=12 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512013102/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-road-to-red-by-john-kelman.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Released on 6 October 1974,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/on-this-date-41-years-ago-061015 |title=On This Date 41 Years Ago... |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=6 Oct 2015 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=11 Mar 2021 |archive-date=11 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311195018/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/on-this-date-41-years-ago-061015 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Red'' went to No. 45 in the UK and No. 66 in the US. [[AllMusic]] called it "an impressive achievement" for a group about to disband,<ref name="RED">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000650362|title=Red|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|last=Eder|first=Bruce|archive-date=15 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115071905/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000650362|url-status=live}}</ref> with "intensely dynamic" musical chemistry between the band members.<ref name="newrsguide">{{cite book |last=Brackett |first=Nathan |contribution=Christian Hoard |title=The new Rolling Stone album guide |pages=456–457–458 |date=2004 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster#Former imprints|Fireside Books]] |location=[[Palmer, Alaska]] |isbn= 0743201698 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kingcrimson/biography |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119173231/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kingcrimson/biography |archive-date=19 Jan 2010}}</ref>

Two months before the release of ''Red'', King Crimson's future looked bright (with talks regarding founder member Ian McDonald rejoining the group). However, Fripp wished not to tour as he felt increasingly disenchanted by the group and the music industry. He also felt the world was going to drastically change by 1981 and that he had to prepare for it.{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=66-68-92}}<ref name="RedTLV" /> Despite a band meeting while touring the US in which Fripp expressed a desire to end the band,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/tour-dates/362 |title=23 Jun 1974 Aquinas College, Grand Rapids |website=DGM Live |access-date=29 August 2018 |date=8 March 2004 |archive-date=30 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830074444/https://www.dgmlive.com/tour-dates/362 |url-status=live }}</ref> the group did not formally disband until 25 September 1974 and later Fripp announced that King Crimson had "ceased to exist" and was "completely over for ever and ever".<ref name=AMGBIO /><ref>{{cite interview |first=Robert |last=Fripp |interviewer=Ihor Slabicky |title=Robert Fripp Would Like a Word |url=https://trouserpress.com/robert-fripp-would-like-a-word/ |date=18 Oct 1974 |work=[[Trouser Press]] |location=New York |access-date=17 Mar 2021 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422195829/https://trouserpress.com/robert-fripp-would-like-a-word/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was later revealed that Fripp had attempted to replace himself with McDonald and [[Steve Hackett]] of [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], but this idea was rejected by the managers.<ref name="rskc2019" /><ref name="innerviewskc1" />

Following the band's disbanding, the live album ''[[USA (King Crimson album)|USA]]'' was released in May 1975, formed of recordings from their 1974 North American tour. It received some positive reviews,<ref name=BBCMUSIC /> including "a must" for fans of the band and "insanity you're better off having".<ref name=ActonGazette>{{cite news|title=Article|publisher=Acton Gazette|date=17 July 1975}}</ref><ref name=Cashbox>{{cite news|title=Article|work=[[Cash Box magazine|Cashbox]]|date=10 May 1975}}</ref> Issues with the tapes rendered some of Cross' playing inaudible, so [[Eddie Jobson]] of Roxy Music was hired to perform violin and keyboard overdubs in a studio; further edits were also made to allow the music to fit on a single LP.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/the-collectable-king-crimson-competition |title=The Collectable King Crimson Competition |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=23 August 2006 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=4 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204084001/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/the-collectable-king-crimson-competition |url-status=live }}</ref> More live recordings from the 1972–1974 era would be issued as ''[[The Night Watch (album)|The Night Watch]]'' in 1997, and as part of the box sets ''[[The Great Deceiver (King Crimson album)|The Great Deceiver]]'' (1992), ''[[Larks' Tongues in Aspic (box set)|Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1972–1973)]]'' (2012), ''[[The Road to Red|The Road to Red (1974)]]'', and ''[[Starless (box set)|Starless (1973–1974)]]'' (both 2014). Between 1975 and 1981, King Crimson were completely inactive.

=== 1981–1984: ''Discipline'', ''Beat'', ''Three of a Perfect Pair'' and second hiatus ===
[[File:-Possible Productions knotwork- by Steve Ball.svg|left|thumb|upright|Later versions of ''Discipline'' featured this knotwork design by Steve Ball.]]
In the late autumn of 1980, having spent several years on spiritual pursuits and then gradually returning to music (playing guitar for [[David Bowie]], [[Peter Gabriel]] and [[Daryl Hall]], pursuing an experimental solo career, leading instrumental [[New wave music|new wave]] band [[The League of Gentlemen (band)|The League of Gentlemen]]), Fripp decided to form a new "first division" rock group, but had no intentions of it being King Crimson.{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=10-73-110}}

Having recruited Bill Bruford as drummer, Fripp asked singer and guitarist [[Adrian Belew]] to join,<ref name="AMGADRIAN">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000498577/biography|title=Adrian Belew|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|last=Prato|first=Greg|archive-date=7 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307224156/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000498577/biography|url-status=live}}</ref> the first time Fripp would actively seek collaboration with another guitarist in a band and therefore indicative of Fripp's desire to create something unlike any of his previous work.{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=29-111}} After touring with [[Talking Heads]], Belew agreed to join and also become the band's lyricist. Bruford's suggestion of his bassist [[Jeff Berlin]] was rejected as Fripp thought his playing was "too busy",{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=111}} so auditions were held in New York: on the third day, Fripp left after roughly three auditions, only to return several hours later with [[Tony Levin]] (who got the job after playing a single chorus of "Red").<ref name=brufordautobiography>Bruford, Bill "Bill Bruford – the Autobiography", Jawbone Press, 2009</ref> Fripp later confessed that, had he known that Levin (whom Fripp had played with in [[Peter Gabriel]]'s group) was available and interested, he would have selected him without holding auditions. Fripp named the new quartet Discipline, and they went to England to rehearse and write new material. They made their live debut at [[Moles (nightclub)|Moles Club]] in [[Bath, Somerset]] on 30 April 1981, and completed a short tour supported by [[the Lounge Lizards]].<ref name="Discipline Long View" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/dgm-hq-the-degree-to-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: DGM HQ. |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=7 September 2005 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224043931/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/dgm-hq-the-degree-to-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mick |last=Brown |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/robert-fripps-discipline-the-lounge-lizards-her-majestys-theatre-london |title=Robert Fripp's Discipline, the Lounge Lizards: Her Majesty's Theatre, London |work=The Guardian |date=11 May 1981 |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=21 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421043221/https://rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/robert-fripps-discipline-the-lounge-lizards-her-majestys-theatre-london |url-status=live }}</ref> By October 1981, the band had opted to change their name to King Crimson.<ref name=AMGBIO />

{{listen|filename=King Crimson - The Sheltering Sky.ogg|title="The Sheltering Sky" (1981)|description=An excerpt of "The Sheltering Sky" (1981), showing [[gamelan]] influences, Bruford's use of an African [[slit drum]], and Fripp and Belew's use of a guitar synthesiser, a staple of much of their 1980s albums.}}

In 1981, King Crimson recorded ''[[Discipline (King Crimson album)|Discipline]]'' with producer [[Rhett Davies]] who had previously worked with Belew on Talking Heads' ''[[Remain in Light]]'' and with Fripp on Brian Eno's ''[[Another Green World]]'' and ''[[Before and After Science]]''. The album displayed a very different version of the band, with newer influences including [[post-punk]], [[new wave music|new wave]], funk, [[Minimalist music|minimalism]], [[Punctualism|pointillism]], world music and African percussion.{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=116}}<ref name="AMGDISCIPLINE">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000196148|title=Discipline|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|last=Prato|first=Greg|archive-date=4 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204113205/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000196148|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Josef |last=Woodard |date=20 May 1993 |title=ROBERT FRIPP : Pioneering Progressive Rock Guitar Guru Returns |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-20-vl-37632-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205000807/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-20-vl-37632-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=2019-06-10 |title=King Crimson |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/king-crimson |magazine=Record Collector |access-date=2022-06-07 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406195451/https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/king-crimson |url-status=live }}</ref> With a sound described in ''[[Rolling Stone Album Guide#Fourth edition|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' as having a "jaw-dropping technique" of "knottily rhythmic, harmonically demanding workouts".<ref name="newrsguide" /> The title track "Discipline" was described as a [[postminimalist]] rock song.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/discipline-mt0034682436 |title=King Crimson Discipline |first=Rick |last=Anderson |access-date=2022-05-20 |website=allmusic.com |archive-date=20 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520163920/https://www.allmusic.com/song/discipline-mt0034682436 |url-status=live }}</ref> Fripp intended to create the sound of a "rock [[gamelan]]", with an interlocking rhythmic quality to the paired guitars that he found similar to Indonesian gamelan ensembles.{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=117}} Fripp concentrated on playing complex picked arpeggios, while Belew provided an arsenal of guitar sounds that "often mimic animal noises".<ref name="nytimes84">{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Palmer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/20/arts/king-crimson-despite-upheaval-the-band-plays-on.html |title=King Crimson: Despite Upheaval, The Band Plays On |work=The New York Times |date=20 May 1984 |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406193945/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/20/arts/king-crimson-despite-upheaval-the-band-plays-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Banks |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/apr/26/king-crimson-10-of-the-best |title=King Crimson – 10 of the best |work=theguardian.com |date=26 Apr 2017 |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112032846/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/apr/26/king-crimson-10-of-the-best |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to bass guitar, Levin used the [[Chapman Stick]], a ten-string two-handed [[tapping]], hybrid guitar and bass instrument which he played in an "utterly original style".<ref name="nyt doubletrio"/><ref name="kc On (And Off)"/><ref name="nytimes 1981">{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Palmer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/01/arts/why-robert-fripp-resurrected-king-crimson.html |title=Why Robert Fripp Resurrected King Crimson |work=The New York Times |date=1 November 1981 |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714180318/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/01/arts/why-robert-fripp-resurrected-king-crimson.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Bruford experimented with cymbal-less acoustic kits and a [[Simmons SDS-V]] electronic drum kit. The band's songs were shorter in comparison to previous King Crimson albums, and very much shaped by Belew's pop sensibilities and quirky approach to writing lyrics. Though the band's previous taste for improvisation was now tightly reined in, one instrumental ("The Sheltering Sky") emerged from group rehearsals; while the noisy, half-spoken/half-shouted "Indiscipline" was a partially written, part-improvised piece created in order to give Bruford a chance to escape from the strict rhythmic demands of the rest of the album.<ref name="InTheCourtOfKingCrimson" /> Released in September 1981, ''Discipline'' reached No. 41 in the UK and No. 45 in the US.

In June 1982, King Crimson followed ''Discipline'' with ''[[Beat (King Crimson album)|Beat]]'', the first King Crimson album recorded with the same band lineup as the album preceding it.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Jim |last1=Fitzsimons |first2=Douglas |last2=Arthur |date=2014-08-29 |title=Never Found in the '80s: King Crimson |url=https://www.tampabay.com/never-found-in-the-80s-king-crimson/2195254/ |newspaper=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=2022-02-18 |archive-date=18 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218074450/https://www.tampabay.com/never-found-in-the-80s-king-crimson/2195254/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Beat'' is the only album where Fripp had no involvement in the original mixing; Davies and Belew undertook production duties.<ref name="beat1982" /><ref>{{Cite web |first=Robert |last=Fripp |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/bredonborough-rising-at-shopping-for-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Bredonborough. |date=12 June 2013 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924085508/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/bredonborough-rising-at-shopping-for-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref> The album had a linked theme of the [[Beat Generation]] and its writings, reflected in song titles such as "Neal and Jack and Me" (inspired by [[Neal Cassady]] and [[Jack Kerouac]]), "[[Heartbeat (King Crimson song)|Heartbeat]]" (inspired by [[Carolyn Cassady]]'s "Heart Beat: My Life with Jack and Neal"), "The Howler" (inspired by [[Allen Ginsberg]]'s "[[Howl (poem)|Howl]]") and "Waiting Man" (inspired by [[William Burroughs]]). The album contained themes of life on the road, [[existential angst]] and romanticism.<ref>{{cite news |first=Boo |last=Browning |date=29 July 1982 |title=Homage to the Gurus of Beat |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/07/29/homage-to-the-gurus-of-beat/e11eccef-a822-4ebf-94a3-397d7439e6c8/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=22 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222110003/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/07/29/homage-to-the-gurus-of-beat/e11eccef-a822-4ebf-94a3-397d7439e6c8/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Palmer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/14/arts/the-pop-life-013588.html |title=The Pop Life |work=The New York Times |date=14 July 1982 |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=22 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222103116/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/14/arts/the-pop-life-013588.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/heartbeat-mt0033427434 |title=King Crimson Heartbeat |first=Greg |last=Prato |access-date=22 February 2021 |website=allmusic.com |archive-date=22 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222200749/https://www.allmusic.com/song/heartbeat-mt0033427434 |url-status=live }}</ref> While ''Beat'' was more accessible,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/king-crimson-beat-three-of-a-perfect-pair-album-review |title=King Crimson - Beat/Three Of A Perfect Pair album review |first=Mike |last=Barnes |access-date=22 February 2021 |website=loudersound.com |date=26 September 2016 |archive-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923153539/https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/king-crimson-beat-three-of-a-perfect-pair-album-review |url-status=live }}</ref> it had the improvised "Requiem", which featured [[Frippertronics]], a guitar technique invented by [[Brian Eno]] and Robert Fripp using a [[tape loop]] system.{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=9-120}}

Recording ''Beat'' was faced with tension with Belew suffering high stress levels over his duties as front man, lead singer, and principal songwriter. On one occasion, he clashed with Fripp and ordered him out of the studio.<ref>{{cite web |first=Sid |last=Smith |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Beat%2038%20years%20old |title=Happy Birthday Beat |date=18 June 2020 |website=Dgmlive.com |access-date=21 Apr 2021 |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420173934/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Beat%2038%20years%20old |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="beat1982">{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/it-was-on-this-date-in-1982 |title=It Was On This Date In 1982 |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=18 June 2014 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303015726/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/it-was-on-this-date-in-1982 |url-status=live }}</ref> As ''Beat'' reached No. 39 in the UK and No. 52 in the US, King Crimson resumed touring. "Heartbeat" was released as a single which peaked at No. 57 on the ''Billboard'' [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Mainstream Rock]] chart. Around this time the band released the VHS ''The Noise: Live in Frejus'', a document of a show played at the Arena, [[Frejus]], France on 27 August 1982, co-headlining with Roxy Music (whose set from the same show was also released on VHS as ''The High Road''). The VHS was later re-released as part of the ''[[Neal and Jack and Me (album)|Neal and Jack and Me]]'' DVD in 2004.

King Crimson's next album, ''[[Three of a Perfect Pair]]'', was recorded in 1983 and released in March 1984. Having encountered difficulty in both writing and determining a direction for the album, the band chose to record and call the album's first half a "left side" – four of the band's poppier songs plus an instrumental – and the second half a "right side" – experimental work, improvisations that drew influence from industrial music,{{sfn|Tamm|1990|p=119-120}}  plus the third part of the "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" series of compositions. The stress during the writing process and the tension between the band members manifested in both lyrical content and music, and the result is a "nerve-racking" album.<ref name="nytimes84" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/three-of-a-perfect-pair-the-long-view |title=Three Of A Perfect Pair - The Long View |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=May 2016 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226095530/https://www.dgmlive.com/in-depth/three-of-a-perfect-pair-the-long-view |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kingcrimson/albums/album/174497/review/5943266/three_of_a_perfect_pair |title=Album Reviews: King Crimson – Three of a Perfect Pair |access-date=11 Mar 2021 |first=Parke |last=Puterbaugh |date=10 May 1984 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502023047/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kingcrimson/albums/album/174497/review/5943266/three_of_a_perfect_pair | archive-date =2 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Geoffrey |last=Himes |date=29 June 1984 |title=King Crimson's 3 Pair |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/06/29/king-crimsons-3-pair/817091b4-a4f8-4377-88ba-2358fd4ebbb7/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828100146/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/06/29/king-crimsons-3-pair/817091b4-a4f8-4377-88ba-2358fd4ebbb7/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2001 remaster of the album included the "other side", a collection of remixes and improvisational out-takes plus Levin's humorous song, "The King Crimson Barbershop".<ref name="toapp 30th">{{cite web |url=https://shop.schizoidshop.com/king-crimson---three-of-a-perfect-pair---30th-anniversary-edition-p824.aspx |title=King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair - 30th Anniversary Edition |website=shop.schizoidshop.com |access-date=4 February 2021 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128062847/https://shop.schizoidshop.com/king-crimson---three-of-a-perfect-pair---30th-anniversary-edition-p824.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Ryan |last=Reed |date=3 Feb 2017 |title=King Crimson: Beat & Three of a Perfect Pair |url=https://relix.com/reviews/detail/king_crimson_beat_three_of_a_perfect_pair/ |work=Relix |access-date=26 February 2021 |archive-date=19 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919102208/https://relix.com/reviews/detail/king_crimson_beat_three_of_a_perfect_pair/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Three of a Perfect Pair'' peaked at No. 30 in the UK and No. 58 in the US, with "[[Three of a Perfect Pair (song)|Three of a Perfect Pair]]" and "[[Sleepless (King Crimson song)|Sleepless]]" being released as singles. A VHS document of the ''Three of a Perfect Pair'' tour, ''Three of a Perfect Pair: Live in Japan'', was released later in 1984 (and later also included on the ''Neal and Jack and Me'' DVD). The last concert of the ''Three of a Perfect Pair'' tour, at the [[Spectrum (Montreal)|Spectrum]] in Montreal, Canada on 11 July 1984, was recorded and released in 1998 as ''[[Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://shop.schizoidshop.com/king-crimson---absent-lovers-p2.aspx |title=King Crimson - Absent Lovers |website=shop.schizoidshop.com |access-date=17 February 2021 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205121027/https://shop.schizoidshop.com/king-crimson---absent-lovers-p2.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Further live recordings of the 1980s band would be released in 2016 as part of the ''[[On (and off) The Road (1981–1984)]]'' box set. Despite their conflict, the musicians remained professional on stage.<ref name="kc On (And Off)">{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/on-and-off-the-road-by-john-kelman.php |title=King Crimson: On (And Off) The Road |first=John |last=Kelman |date=13 Nov 2016 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420191651/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/on-and-off-the-road-by-john-kelman.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Quote box
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| quote = "Robert broke up the group, again, for the umpteenth time, dwelling at length, I suppose, on our lack of imagination, ability, direction and a thousand other things we were doubtless missing. I suppose this only because I remember not listening to this litany of failures. Might as well quit while you're ahead, I thought."
| source = —Bill Bruford on the band's 1984 disbanding.<ref name=brufordautobiography />
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Following the 1984 tour, Fripp dissolved King Crimson for the second time, exactly ten years after dissolving the previous group. Bruford and Belew expressed some frustration over this; Belew recalled the first he had heard of the split was when he read about it in a report in ''Musician'' magazine.<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Weigel |title=The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock |year=2017 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qdZDDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT268 |pages=267–268 |isbn=9780393356021 |access-date=4 February 2021 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004144132/https://books.google.com/books?id=qdZDDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT268#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite interview |first=Bill |last=Bruford |interviewer=Anil Prasad |interviewer-link=Anil Prasad |title=Bill Bruford - Ferocious Intensity |url=https://www.innerviews.org/inner/bruford2.html |date=1998 |work=Innerviews |quote=And it's certainly not me that precipitates these long pauses in King Crimson's career either—it's always Robert Fripp who wants to stop and have 10 years off. We do move along in a rather torturous manner. |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=11 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211002655/https://www.innerviews.org/inner/bruford2.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 1994–1999: The Double Trio, ''Vrooom'', ''THRAK'' and the ProjeKcts ===
In the summer of 1991, Belew met with Fripp in England to express an interest in reviving King Crimson.<ref name="RFD 95 band">{{Cite interview |first=Robert |last=Fripp |interviewer=Michael Black |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/RF_diary_2017_September_07 |title=ROBERT FRIPP: Round Table Interview |work=<!--not mentioned, unknown NJ based music newspaper--> |date=22 March 1995 |access-date=7 February 2021 |location=[[Virgin records]], [[New York City]] |archive-date=4 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204202455/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/RF_diary_2017_September_07 |url-status=live }}</ref> One year later, Fripp established his [[Discipline Global Mobile]] (DGM) record label with producer [[David Singleton]]. Subsequently, DGM would be the primary home for Fripp's work, with larger album releases distributed to bigger record companies (initially [[Virgin records]]), and smaller releases handled by DGM. This afforded Fripp and his associates greater creative freedom and more control over all aspects of their work.<ref name="allmusic fripp">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robert-fripp-mn0000238440/biography |title=Robert Fripp Biography |first=Mark |last=Deming |website=allmusic.com |access-date=4 February 2021 |archive-date=25 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625143812/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robert-fripp-mn0000238440/biography |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Pat Mastelotto in conversation (Copenhagen, Denmark - 27 05 2000).jpg|left|thumb|upright|Percussionist [[Pat Mastelotto]] joined the band as part of the "Double Trio" line-up, alongside [[Trey Gunn]].]]
In late 1991, Fripp asked former [[Japan (band)|Japan]] singer [[David Sylvian]] to join the new King Crimson band, but Sylvian declined the offer, though the two collaborated as Sylvian/Fripp.<ref name="Fripp/sylvian" /> In June 1993, Fripp began to assemble a larger version of the band, joined by Belew and Levin from the 1980s quartet, Chapman Stick player [[Trey Gunn]] (a veteran of Fripp's Guitar Craft courses<ref>{{cite interview |first=Trey |last=Gunn |interviewer=Anil Prasad |title=Trey Gunn Interlocking Contexts |url=https://www.innerviews.org/inner/gunn1.html |date=1994 |work=Innerviews |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=19 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519001319/https://www.innerviews.org/inner/gunn1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>) and drummer [[Jerry Marotta]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.moredarkthanshark.org/eno_int_rs-jun93.html |title=The Return Of The Crimson King |first=David |last=Fricke |date=June 1993 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=27 November 2021 |archive-date=25 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025194356/https://www.moredarkthanshark.org/eno_int_rs-jun93.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="mdm Perfect Pair" /><ref name="innverviews SP" /> with whom Fripp had played with [[Peter Gabriel]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/peter-gabriel-the-story-behind-his-remastered-early-albums |title=Peter Gabriel: The Story Behind His Remastered Early Albums |first=Daryl |last=Easlea |date=7 October 2015 |website=loudersound.com |access-date=22 November 2021 |archive-date=22 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122001644/https://www.loudersound.com/features/peter-gabriel-the-story-behind-his-remastered-early-albums |url-status=live }}</ref> After Sylvian/Fripp's closing concerts at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in December 1993,<ref name="Fripp/sylvian">{{Cite magazine |first=Paul |last=Tingen |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/david-sylvian-recording-tin-drum-first-day |title=David Sylvian: Recording Tin Drum & The First Day |date=June 1994 |magazine=[[Sound on Sound]] |access-date=23 November 2021 |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123072910/https://www.soundonsound.com/people/david-sylvian-recording-tin-drum-first-day |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/damage-mw0000121975 |title=Robert Fripp / David Sylvian - Damage |author=Lindsay Planer |website=AllMusic |access-date=22 November 2021 |archive-date=22 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122145936/https://www.allmusic.com/album/damage-mw0000121975 |url-status=live }}</ref> a tour that Marotta didn't participate in, Fripp decided to ask the tour's drummer [[Pat Mastelotto]], formerly of [[Mr. Mister]], to join instead of Marotta.<ref name="innverviews SP">{{cite interview |first1=Trey |last1=Gunn |first2=Jerry |last2=Marotta |interviewer=Anil Prasad |title=Security Project - Looking for a Spark |url=https://www.innerviews.org/inner/security-project |date=2018 |work=Innerviews |quote=Prasad: In June 1993, both Jerry and Trey were announced as members for what would become King Crimson's THRAK lineup. Why did you not end up in the final lineup, Jerry?<br />Marotta: I did the Sylvian-Fripp record The First Day with Robert in 1993 and then there was a tour for it that I didn't do. Pat Mastelotto was the drummer for that tour. I think Robert felt Pat was more suited for King Crimson than I was. I had never heard a King Crimson record back then. I wasn't a fan. I never lobbied for the position. I didn't know what to think of it. What happened is there was a conversation with Robert afterwards during which he said "Jerry, you're a fantastic drummer. You're just not the right drummer for King Crimson" and that was the end of it. |access-date=22 November 2021 |archive-date=21 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121174204/https://www.innerviews.org/inner/security-project |url-status=live }}</ref> Bruford wound up being the last of the 1980s group to return to the band.<ref name="mdm Perfect Pair">{{cite interview |first1=Bill |last1=Bruford |first2=Pat |last2=Mastelotto |interviewer=William F. Miller |issue=192 |date=Nov 1995 |url=https://www.elephant-talk.com/wiki/Interview_with_Bill_Bruford_and_Pat_Mastelotto_in_Modern_Drummer |title=King Crimson's Bill Bruford & Pat Mastelotto A Perfect Pair |work=Modern Drummer Magazine |access-date=4 February 2021 |archive-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105053447/http://www.elephant-talk.com/wiki/Interview_with_Bill_Bruford_and_Pat_Mastelotto_in_Modern_Drummer |url-status=live }}</ref> Fripp explained that he had a vision of a "Double Trio" with two drummers while driving along the [[Chalke Valley]] one afternoon in 1992.<ref name="nyt doubletrio">{{cite news |first=Neil |last=Strauss |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/22/arts/pop-review-double-a-trio-and-the-music-debates.html |title=POP REVIEW; Double A Trio And the Music Debates |work=The New York Times |date=1995-11-22 |access-date=2022-05-15 |archive-date=14 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514192042/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/22/arts/pop-review-double-a-trio-and-the-music-debates.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="RFD 95 band" /> Bruford later said he lobbied Fripp last minute because he believed that Crimson was very much "his gig", and that Fripp had come up with a philosophical explanation for utilizing both Mastelotto and himself later. One of the conditions Fripp imposed upon Bruford if he were to return was to give up all creative control to Fripp.<ref name=brufordautobiography />

Following rehearsals in [[Woodstock, New York]], the group released the [[extended play|EP]] ''[[Vrooom]]'' in October 1994. This revealed the new King Crimson sound, which featured the interlocking guitars of the 1980s mixed with the layered, heavier feel of the 1970s period.<ref name="THRAK" />{{Failed verification|date=November 2021}} There was also a vague influence from the [[industrial music]] of that time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://music.newcity.com/2021/08/20/brutal-finesse-a-preview-of-king-crimson-at-ravinia |title=Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia|first=Bill |last=Kopp |date=2021-08-20 |magazine=[[Newcity]] |access-date=2022-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821075343/https://music.newcity.com/2021/08/20/brutal-finesse-a-preview-of-king-crimson-at-ravinia/ |archive-date=2021-08-21 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kingcrimson/albums/album/199433/review/6067417/thrak|title=King Crimson - ''THRAK'' (1995) album review|first=Bradley |last=Bambarger |date=2 February 1998|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=19 May 2018|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919084153/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kingcrimson/albums/album/199433/review/6067417/thrak|archive-date=19 September 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Many of the songs were written or finalised by Belew, and displayed stronger elements of 1960s pop than before; in particular, a [[The Beatles|Beatles]] influence.<ref name="allaboutjazz THRAK BOX">{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/thrak-box-live-and-studio-recordings-1994-1997 |title=King Crimson: THRAK BOX - Live And Studio Recordings 1994-1997 |first=John |last=Kelman |date=25 October 2015 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=22 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222074520/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/thrak-box-live-and-studio-recordings-1994-1997 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bruford would refer to the band as sounding like "a dissonant [[The Shadows (band)|Shadows]] on steroids".<ref name=brufordautobiography /> As with previous lineups, new technology was utilised, including [[MIDI]] (extensively used as an effects filter by Belew and Gunn, and which Fripp used to replace Frippertronics with an upgraded digital version of itself called "Soundscapes")<ref name="allmusic fripp" /><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Mike |last=Barnes |issue=294 |page=57 |date=August 2008 |title=Travis And Fripp Thread |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/travis-fripp-thread-competition |magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|Wire]] |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209132456/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/travis-fripp-thread-competition |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/love-cannot-bear-soundscapes-live-in-the-usa-robert-fripp-dgm-live-review-by-john-kelman |title=Robert Fripp: Love Cannot Bear: Soundscapes - Live In The USA |first=John |last=Kelman |date=14 December 2005 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=29 November 2021 |quote=With the advent of guitar synthesizers and more sophisticated digital processing, Frippertronics evolved into Soundscapes |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128235040/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/love-cannot-bear-soundscapes-live-in-the-usa-robert-fripp-dgm-live-review-by-john-kelman |url-status=live }}</ref> and the versatile [[Warr Guitar|Warr tap guitar]] with which Gunn replaced his Stick in 1995.<ref>{{cite interview |first=Trey |last=Gunn |interviewer=Steven Rosen |title=Exclusive Interview With Trey Gunn |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/exclusive_interview_with_trey_gunn.html |date=29 Oct 2016 |work=ultimate-guitar.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=17 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917161009/https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/exclusive_interview_with_trey_gunn.html |url-status=live }}</ref> King Crimson toured the album from 28 September 1994 in [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina; portions of these concerts were released on the double live CD set ''[[B'Boom: Live in Argentina]]'' in 1995.

{{Quote box
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| quote = "The meaning of ''THRAK'' ... the first one is: a sudden and precise impact moving from direction and commitment in service of an aim ... The second definition is: 117 guitars almost hitting the same chord simultaneously. So, the album ''THRAK'', what is it? 56 minutes and 37 seconds of songs and music about love, dying, redemption and mature guys who get erections."
| source = —Robert Fripp's press release for ''THRAK'' and the sleeve notes to [[VROOOM VROOOM]]<ref>[http://www.polarlava.com/thrak/ Definition retrieved from reproduced Fripp press release on Thrak Football Enterprises homepage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809151023/http://www.polarlava.com/thrak/ |date=9 August 2009 }}, retrieved 14 June 2009</ref><ref name="vrvr fripp" />
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In October and December 1994, King Crimson recorded their eleventh studio album, ''[[Thrak|THRAK]]''.<ref name="THRAK">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000125655|title=THRAK|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|first=Daniel|last=Gioffre|archive-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109143732/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000125655|url-status=live}}</ref> Formed mostly of revised versions of the tracks from ''Vrooom'', plus new tracks, the album was described by ''Q'' magazine as having "jazz-scented rock structures, characterised by noisy, angular, exquisite guitar interplay" and an "athletic, ever-inventive rhythm section,"<ref name=ThrakQmag>{{cite magazine|title=Article|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=May 1995}}</ref> while being in tune with the sound of [[alternative rock]] of the mid-1990s.<ref name=vox>{{cite magazine|title=THRAK|magazine=[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]]|date=May 1995}}</ref> Examples of the band's efforts to integrate their multiple elements could be heard on the accessible (but complex) songs "Dinosaur" and "[[Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream]]", the more straightforward ballad "One Time", as well as "Radio I" and "Radio II"- a pair of Fripp's Soundscapes instrumentals.<ref name="allaboutjazz THRAK BOX" />

King Crimson resumed touring in 1995 and into 1996; dates from October and November 1995 were recorded and released on the live album ''[[Thrakattak|THRaKaTTaK]]'' in May 1996, which is an hour of improvised music integrating sections from performances from the "THRAK" tour in the United States and Japan, mixed and arranged by Fripp's DGM partner, engineer David Singleton.<ref name="THRAKATTAK">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000190113|title=Thrakattak|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|first=Lindsay|last=Planer|archive-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109171306/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000190113|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Sid |last=Smith |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/thrakattak-at-25 |title=Thrakattak At 25 |date=2021-05-27 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2022-02-18 |archive-date=18 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218075015/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/thrakattak-at-25 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="vrvr fripp" /> A more conventional live recording from the period was later made available as the double CD release ''[[Vrooom Vrooom]]'' (2001), while a full 1995 concert was released on VHS in 1996 as ''Live in Japan'' and re-released on DVD in 1999 as ''[[Déjà Vrooom]]''. The double trio would be further honored by the ''[[THRAK (box set)|THRAK (1994–1997)]]'' box set in 2015.

Writing rehearsals began in May 1997 in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]. Fripp was dissatisfied with the quality of the new music being developed by the band; Longstanding friction and disagreements between himself and Bruford led to the latter deciding to leave King Crimson for good. The resulting bad atmosphere and the lack of workable material almost broke the band up altogether. Instead, the six members opted to work in four smaller groups (or "fraKctalisations", as Fripp called them) known as [[ProjeKcts]]. This enabled the group to continue developing ideas and searching for a new direction without the practical difficulty (and expense) of convening all six musicians at once. From 1997 to 1999, the first four ProjeKcts played live in the United States and the United Kingdom, and released recordings that showed a high degree of free improvisation, with influences ranging from jazz, industrial, [[techno]] and [[drum'n'bass]].<ref name="allmusic projekcts">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-beginners-guide-to-projekcts-mw0001890864 |title=King Crimson A Beginner's Guide to Projekcts |first=Lindsay |last=Planer |website=allmusic.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=22 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222165841/https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-beginners-guide-to-projekcts-mw0001890864 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="kche9708">{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/heaven-and-earth-live-and-in-the-studio-1997-2008 |title=King Crimson: Heaven & Earth: Live And In The Studio 1997-2008 |first=John |last=Kelman |date=8 June 2019 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=5 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305204518/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/heaven-and-earth-live-and-in-the-studio-1997-2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> These have been collectively described by music critic [[J. D. Considine]] as "frequently astonishing" but lacking in melody.<ref name="newrsguide" /> After Bruford had played four dates with Projekct One in December 1997, he left King Crimson to resume working with his own jazz group [[Earthworks (band)|Earthworks]].<ref name="kche9708" />

=== 1999–2003: The Double Duo, ''The Construkction of Light'' and ''The Power to Believe'' ===
In October 1999, King Crimson reconvened.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/toyah-set-off-at-for-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Saturday 16 October 1999 |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=1999-10-16 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2022-04-21 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628091856/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/toyah-set-off-at-for-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref> Tony Levin was busy working as a session musician and decided to take a hiatus from the group, so the remaining members (Fripp, Belew, Gunn and Mastelotto) formed the "Double Duo" to write and record ''[[The Construkction of Light]]'' in Belew's basement studio and garage near [[Nashville]].<ref name="kche9708" /><ref name="TPTB Portugal sid">{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/happy-birthday-tptb-19-years-old |title=Happy Birthday TPTB |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=March 2019 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2022-03-06 |archive-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306062842/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/happy-birthday-tptb-19-years-old |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/the-team-are-in-and-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=8 December 1999 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924095428/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/the-team-are-in-and-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref> Fripp was inspired by Tool's album ''[[Undertow (Tool album)|Undertow]]'' during the writing process of ''The Construkction of Light''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/yesterdaytoday-was-a-turning-point-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Yesterday-today was a turning point |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=1999-11-18 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref> Released in May 2000, the album reached No. 129 in the UK. Most of the pieces were metallic, harsh and [[Industrial music|industrial]] in sound.<ref name="stereogum2060790" /> They featured a distinct electronic texture, a heavily processed electric drum sound from Mastelotto, Gunn taking over the bass role on Warr Guitar, and a different take on the interlocking guitar sound that the band had pioneered in the 1980s.<ref name="kche9708" /> With the exception of an industrial blues (sung by Belew through a voice changer under the pseudonym of "Hooter J. Johnson"), the songs were dense and complex.<ref>{{cite news |first=Andy |last=Gill |date=5 May 2000 |title=This week's album releases |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/this-week-s-album-releases-5371287.html |work=The Independent |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=6 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206092612/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/this-week-s-album-releases-5371287.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="fanatics">{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Niester |date=27 Nov 2000 |title=In the court of the Crimson fanatics |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/in-the-court-of-the-crimson-fanatics/article4169249/ |work=The Globe and Mail |access-date=14 Mar 2021 |archive-date=14 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314015236/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/in-the-court-of-the-crimson-fanatics/article4169249/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/albums/orange-peel |title=Orange Peel |date=2003 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=4 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204114629/https://www.dgmlive.com/albums/orange-peel |url-status=live }}</ref> The album contains the [[Larks' Tongues in Aspic (instrumental)#Part IV|fourth installment]] of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic". It received a negative reception for lacking new ideas.<ref name="TCOL">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000066513|title=The ConstruKction of Light|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|first=Jason|last=Nickey|archive-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109173544/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000066513|url-status=live}}</ref> The band recorded an album of improvised instrumentals at the same time, and released them under the name [[ProjeKct X]], on the CD ''[[Heaven and Earth (ProjeKct X album)|Heaven and Earth]]''.<ref name="HE">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0001158736|title=Heaven and Earth|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|first=Kelvin|last=Hayes|archive-date=2 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202164151/https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0001158736|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:King Crimson - Dour Festival 2003 (01).jpg|thumb|The band performing in 2003. Left to right: [[Trey Gunn]], [[Adrian Belew]], and [[Robert Fripp]] ([[Pat Mastelotto]] is hidden)]]King Crimson toured to support both albums, including double bill shows with [[Tool (band)|Tool]].<ref name=TOOL>{{cite web | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1446389/tool-stretch-out-and-slow-down-in-show-with-king-crimson/ | title=Tool Stretch Out And Slow Down in Show With King Crimson | work=MTV.com | access-date=14 Mar 2021 | date=6 Aug 2001 | last=Bond | first=Laura | archive-date=24 September 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924210033/http://www.mtv.com/news/1446389/tool-stretch-out-and-slow-down-in-show-with-king-crimson/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> The tour was documented on the live album ''[[Heavy ConstruKction]]'' in 2000 and the ''[[Heaven & Earth (box set)|Heaven & Earth (1997–2008)]]'' box set in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://shop.schizoidshop.com/king-crimson---heaven-and-earth-boxed-set-p1792.aspx |title=King Crimson - Heaven And Earth Boxed Set |website=shop.schizoidshop.com |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307050814/https://shop.schizoidshop.com/king-crimson---heaven-and-earth-boxed-set-p1792.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Led Zeppelin]] bassist [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] and his band supported Crimson on some live shows.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/76580/zeppelins-john-paul-jones-brings-the-thunder/ |title=Zeppelin's John Paul Jones Brings The 'Thunder' |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=5 March 2002 |website=billboard.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125051650/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/76580/zeppelins-john-paul-jones-brings-the-thunder |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 9 November 2001, King Crimson released a limited edition live EP called ''Level Five'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/level-five-mw0000376123|title=Level Five|website=AllMusic|access-date=2018-01-13|first=Lindsay|last=Planer|archive-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030062542/http://www.allmusic.com/album/level-five-mw0000376123|url-status=live}}</ref> featuring three new pieces: "Dangerous Curves", "Level Five" and "Virtuous Circle", plus versions of "The Construkction of Light" and ProjeKct's "The Deception of the Thrush", followed by an unlisted track called "ProjeKct 12th and X" after one minute of silence.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.burningshed.com/store/kingcrimson/product/313/1975/|title=King Crimson - Level Five |website=Burningshed.com |access-date=19 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007092548/https://www.burningshed.com/store/kingcrimson/product/313/1975/ |archive-date = 7 October 2016}}</ref> A second EP followed in October 2002, ''[[Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With]]''. This featured eleven tracks (including a live version of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part IV"). Half of the tracks were processed vocal snippets by Belew, and the songs themselves varied between Soundscapes, gamelan, heavy metal and blues.<ref name="kche9708" /><ref name="HAPPY">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000225401|title=Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|first=Lindsay|last=Planer|archive-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109120005/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000225401|url-status=live}}</ref>

The double duo lineup released King Crimson's thirteenth album, ''[[The Power to Believe]]'', in March 2003.<ref name="TPTB">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000018851|title=The Power to Believe|access-date=29 August 2007|website=AllMusic|first=Lindsay|last=Planer|archive-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109132546/http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000018851|url-status=live}}</ref> Fripp described it as "the culmination of three years of Crimsonising".<ref>{{Cite web |first=Robert |last=Fripp |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/2002-11-01-rf-diary |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Bredonborough. |date=1 Nov 2002 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=2023-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402150322/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/2002-11-01-rf-diary |archive-date=2023-04-02 |url-status=live }}</ref> The album incorporated, reworked and retitled versions of "Deception of the Thrush" ("The Power to Believe III"); tracks from their previous two EPs; and an extract from a Fripp Soundscape with added instrumentation and vocals.<ref name="kche9708" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://shop.schizoidshop.com/king-crimson---the-power-to-believe-40th-anniversary-series-p1793.aspx |title=King Crimson - The Power To Believe (40th Anniversary Series) |website=shop.schizoidshop.com |access-date=22 February 2021 |archive-date=20 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120155345/https://shop.schizoidshop.com/king-crimson---the-power-to-believe-40th-anniversary-series-p1793.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Power to Believe'' reached No. 162 in the UK and No. 150 in the US. King Crimson toured in 2003 to support the album; recordings from it were used for the live album ''[[EleKtrik: Live in Japan]]''. 2003 also saw the release of the DVD ''[[Eyes Wide Open (King Crimson album)|Eyes Wide Open]]'', a compilation of the band's shows Live at the Shepherds Bush Empire (London, 3 July 2000) and Live in Japan (Tokyo, 16 April 2003).

In November 2003, Gunn left the group to pursue solo projects and was replaced by the returning Tony Levin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/hotel-quite-acceptable-mexico-city-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Hotel Quite Acceptable, Mexico City. |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=20 November 2003 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=10 February 2021 |archive-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210124016/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/hotel-quite-acceptable-mexico-city-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/dgm-hq-begin-with-the-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: DGM HQ. |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=11 January 2006 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=10 February 2021 |archive-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210124050/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/dgm-hq-begin-with-the-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref> The band reconvened in early 2004 for rehearsals, but nothing developed from these sessions. They went on another hiatus.<ref name="TPTB Portugal sid" /><ref name="AMGBIO" /> At this point, Fripp was publicly reassessing his desire to work within the music industry, often citing the unsympathetic aspects of the life of a touring musician, such as "[[Parasocial interaction|the illusion of intimacy with celebrities]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/hotel-continuing-to-be-acceptable-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Hotel Continuing to Be Acceptable |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=26 October 2003 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125160338/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/hotel-continuing-to-be-acceptable-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/crimbus-outside-hotel-adequate-the-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Crimbus Outside Hotel Adequate The Charm Of Which Is Fading |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=14 November 2003 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130141412/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/crimbus-outside-hotel-adequate-the-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/hotel-quite-acceptable-paris-from-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Hotel Quite Acceptable, Paris |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=27 February 2004 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125075224/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/hotel-quite-acceptable-paris-from-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 21 September 2006, former King Crimson member [[Boz Burrell]] died of a heart attack,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boz-burrell-mn0000099073/biography |title=Boz Burrell Biography |first=Bruce |last=Eder |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |website=allmusic.com |archive-date=18 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218062728/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boz-burrell-mn0000099073/biography |url-status=live }}</ref> followed by another former member, [[Ian Wallace (drummer)|Ian Wallace]], who died of esophageal cancer on 22 February 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ian-wallace-mn0000679485/biography |title=Ian Wallace Biography |first=Bruce |last=Eder |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |website=allmusic.com |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307192502/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ian-wallace-mn0000679485/biography |url-status=live }}</ref>

===2008: 40th Anniversary tour and third hiatus ===
[[File:Adrian Belew (2006).jpg|thumb|upright|Belew performing in 2006]]

A new King Crimson formation was announced in 2007: Fripp, Belew, Levin, Mastelotto, and a new second drummer, [[Gavin Harrison]].<ref name="AMGBIO" /> In August 2008, after a period of rehearsals, the five completed the band's 40th Anniversary Tour. The setlists featured no new material, drawing instead from the existing mid '70s era/''Discipline''-era/Double Trio/Double Duo repertoire.<ref name="kche9708" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/park-west-chicago-illinois-august-7-2008 |title=King Crimson: Park West, Chicago, Illinois August 7, 2008 |first=John |last=Kelman |date=4 Sep 2008 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304194531/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/park-west-chicago-illinois-august-7-2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Additional shows were planned for 2009, but were cancelled due to scheduling clashes with Belew.<ref name="2014 sid kc" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/bredonborough-the-street-i-ii-1-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Bredonborough |first=Robert |last=Fripp |date=29 October 2008 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125094106/https://dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/bredonborough-the-street-i-ii-1-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref>

King Crimson began another hiatus after the 40th Anniversary Tour.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/the-crimson-projekct-live-in-tokyo |title=The Crimson ProjeKCt: Live In Tokyo |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=11 February 2014 |website=loudersound.com |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204225546/https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/the-crimson-projekct-live-in-tokyo |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite interview |first=Adrian |last=Belew |title=Part II: King Crimson's Adrian Belew |url=http://www.crawdaddy.com/index.php/2009/06/23/part-ii-king-crimsons-adrian-belew/2/ |interviewer=Max Mobley |date=23 June 2009 |magazine=[[Crawdaddy (magazine)|Crawdaddy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212054820/http://www.crawdaddy.com/index.php/2009/06/23/part-ii-king-crimsons-adrian-belew/2 |archive-date=12 February 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Belew continued to lobby for reviving the band, and discussed it with Fripp several times in 2009 and 2010. Among Belew's suggestions was a temporary reunion of the 1980s line-up for a thirtieth anniversary tour: an idea declined by both Fripp and Bruford, the latter commenting "I would be highly unlikely to try to recreate the same thing, a mission I fear destined to failure."<ref>{{cite interview |first=Adrian |last=Belew |title=Interview with Adrian Belew: The Guitar Man |url=https://www.theaquarian.com/2010/06/15/interview-with-adrian-belew-the-guitar-man/4/ |interviewer=Patrick Slevin |date=15 June 2010 |magazine=[[The Aquarian Weekly|The Aquarian]] |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204225548/https://www.theaquarian.com/2010/06/15/interview-with-adrian-belew-the-guitar-man/4/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://elephant-blog.blogspot.com/2010/06/look-out-east-coast-here-i-come.html |title=Adrian Belew blog posting, 15 June 2010 |publisher=Elephant-blog.blogspot.com |date=15 June 2010 |access-date=16 July 2011 |archive-date=23 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723005501/http://elephant-blog.blogspot.com/2010/06/look-out-east-coast-here-i-come.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://billbruford.com/doesnt-matter-take-fromits-take-counts/ |title=It Doesn't Matter Where You Take It From... it's Where You Take It To That Counts |publisher=Billbruford.com |date=2010-07-14 |access-date=2022-06-10 |archive-date=10 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610153821/https://billbruford.com/doesnt-matter-take-fromits-take-counts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2010, Fripp wrote that the King Crimson "switch" had been set to "off" since October 2008, citing several reasons for this decision.<ref name="PSEVEN" />

In August 2012, Fripp announced his retirement from the music industry, leaving the future of King Crimson uncertain.<ref name="cos2013">{{cite web |first=Chris |last=Coplan |url=https://consequence.net/2013/09/king-crimson-announce-reunion-for-2014/ |title=King Crimson announce reunion for 2014 |publisher=Consequence of Sound |date=26 September 2013 |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925115951/https://consequence.net/2013/09/king-crimson-announce-reunion-for-2014/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 2014–2021: The Seven-Headed Beast and Three Over Five lineups ===
Prior to Fripp's retirement announcement, a band called Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins (and subtitled "A King Crimson ProjeKct") had released an album called ''[[A Scarcity of Miracles]]'' in 2011. The band featured guitarist and singer [[Jakko Jakszyk]] (who'd previously performed King Crimson material with 21st Century Schizoid Band), Fripp and former Crimson saxophonist [[Mel Collins]] as the main players/composers, with Tony Levin playing bass and Gavin Harrison playing drums. At one point, Fripp referred to the band as "P7" (ProjeKct Seven).<ref name="PSEVEN">{{cite web |first=Robert |last=Fripp |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/marriot-downtown-west-street-nyc-3-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Marriot Downtown, 85, West Street, NYC. |website=dgmlive.com |date=5 Dec 2010 |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307183948/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/marriot-downtown-west-street-nyc-3-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref> Unusually for a ProjeKct, it was based around "finely crafted" and "mid-paced" original songs derived from improvised sessions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-scarcity-of-miracles-robert-fripp-panegyric-recordings-review-by-john-kelman.php |title=Jakszyk, Fripp & Collins: A Scarcity Of Miracles |first=John |last=Kelman |date=27 May 2011 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210215808/http://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-scarcity-of-miracles-robert-fripp-panegyric-recordings-review-by-john-kelman.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pxhf/ |title=Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins A Scarcity of Miracles Review |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=2011 |website=BBC |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=16 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316155221/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pxhf/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2013, Fripp announced King Crimson's return to activity with a "very different reformation to what has gone before: seven players, four English and three American, with three drummers".<ref name="cos2013" /> He cited several reasons to make a comeback, varying from the practical to the whimsical: "I was becoming too happy. Time for a pointed stick."<ref name="KCreturn">{{cite web|url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/bredonborough-rising-with-devil-bug-210916|title=Bredonborough Rising with Devil Bug|publisher=Discipline Global Mobile|website=Robert Fripp's Diary|date=6 September 2013|access-date=26 July 2017|df=dmy-all|archive-date=15 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315001927/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/bredonborough-rising-with-devil-bug-210916|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=frippdiary24092013>{{Cite web |first=Robert |last=Fripp |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/bredonborough-the-minx-arrived-back-2-210916 |title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Bredonborough |date=24 September 2013 |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307202029/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/bredonborough-the-minx-arrived-back-2-210916 |url-status=live }}</ref> The new line-up drew from both the previous lineup (retaining Fripp, Levin, Harrison and Mastelotto) and the ''Scarcity of Miracles'' project (Jakszyk and Collins), with [[Guitar Craft]] alumnus and former [[R.E.M.]]/[[Ministry (band)|Ministry]] drummer [[Bill Rieflin]] as the seventh member.<ref name=AMGBIO /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2011/09/29/140921003/talking-shop-with-bill-rieflin-journeyman-musician |title=Talking Shop With Bill Rieflin, Journeyman Musician |first=Ann |last=Powers |date=29 Sep 2011 |access-date=22 February 2021 |website=[[NPR]] |archive-date=28 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228195941/https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2011/09/29/140921003/talking-shop-with-bill-rieflin-journeyman-musician |url-status=live }}</ref> Adrian Belew was not asked to take part, thus ending his 32-year tenure in King Crimson: Jakszyk took his place as singer and second guitarist.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web |first=Sid |last=Smith |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/new-king-crimson-line-up-confirmed |title=New King Crimson Line-up Confirmed |publisher=Dgmlive.com |date=24 September 2013 |access-date=15 Mar 2021 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414073945/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/new-king-crimson-line-up-confirmed |url-status=live }}</ref> This version of the group took on the nickname of "the Seven-Headed Beast".<ref name="rskc2019">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/king-crimson-robert-fripp-press-conference-819254/ |title=King Crimson's 50th Anniversary Press Day: 15 Things We Learned |first=Hank |last=Shteamer |date=8 April 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=15 Mar 2021 |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119064638/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/king-crimson-robert-fripp-press-conference-819254/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

This drastically revamped King Crimson had no plans to record in the studio, focussing instead on playing "reconfigured" versions of past material in live concerts.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s)--> |title=King Crimson unveil new-line up and 2014 tour plans |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/news/king-crimson-unveil-new-line-up-and-2014-tour-plans-17728/ |website=Uncut |date=25 September 2013 |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307135952/https://www.uncut.co.uk/news/king-crimson-unveil-new-line-up-and-2014-tour-plans-17728/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Looking back later at this King Crimson phase, Tony Levin would comment "we were instructed/advised by Robert Fripp to look at the older classic King Crimson material as if we had written it. And so we did that with a lot of older material that the band had done before the '80s. We didn't actually cover that much of the '80s material outside of a few songs."<ref>[https://sfsonic.com/interviews/interview-adrian-belew-tony-levin-talk-beat-and-their-legacy-with-king-crimson/ "Interview: Adrian Belew & Tony Levin Talk BEAT And Their Legacy With King Crimson"] - interview by Tyler King in ''SFSonic'', 29 July 2024</ref>

For the most part, this approach would remain consistent for the remainder of the band's lifetime. In early 2014, and for the first time since 1974, the band's repertoire included songs from the run of albums between ''In the Court of the Crimson King'' and ''Larks' Tongues in Aspic'' as well as reviving song material from ''Red''. No Adrian Belew-era songs were included in the setlist, although some instrumentals from the period were played (including items from ''THRAK'' and ''The Power to Believe''). Some material from ''A Scarcity of Miracles'' (the title track, plus "The Light of Day") was also incorporated into the band's repertoire.

After rehearsing in England, King Crimson toured North America from 9 September to 6 October.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Zivitz|first1=Jordan|title=King Crimson's Tony Levin and Gavin Harrison: the complete conversation|url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/king-crimsons-tony-levin-and-gavin-harrison-the-complete-conversation|website=[[Montreal Gazette]]|publisher=[[Postmedia Network]]|access-date=11 December 2015|date=9 November 2015|archive-date=13 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213124918/http://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/king-crimsons-tony-levin-and-gavin-harrison-the-complete-conversation|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=2014Shows>{{cite magazine|last1=Reed|first1=Ryan|title=King Crimson Reunite for 17-Show Run This Fall|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/king-crimson-reunite-for-17-show-run-this-fall-94642/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=7 Mar 2021|date=2 June 2014|archive-date=9 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309032158/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/king-crimson-reunite-for-17-show-run-this-fall-94642/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=David |last=Fricke |title=King Crimson in Albany: The Best New Band in Prog Begins a U.S Tour |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/king-crimson-in-albany-the-best-new-band-in-prog-begins-a-u-s-tour-96382/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=10 September 2014 |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309000919/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/king-crimson-in-albany-the-best-new-band-in-prog-begins-a-u-s-tour-96382/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Recordings from the Los Angeles dates were released as ''[[Live at the Orpheum]]'': this included new King Crimson instrumental music in the shape of "Banshee Legs Bell Hassle" and "Walk On: Monk Morph Chamber Music".

Tours across Europe, Canada, and Japan followed in the later half of 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/king-crimson-in-japan-2015 |title=King Crimson In Japan 2015 |first=Sid |last=Smith |date=1 July 2015 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307152531/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/king-crimson-in-japan-2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Brand-new songs mainly written by Fripp and Jakszyk were debuted at the concerts, as well as drum showcases. A live recording from the Canadian leg of the tour was released at the end of February 2016 as ''[[Live In Toronto (King Crimson album)|Live In Toronto]]'', which included new songs "Radical Action (To Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind)" and "Meltdown". A European tour was planned for 2016. Following Rieflin's decision to take a break from music, drummer [[Jeremy Stacey]] of [[Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds]] was called in place for dates from September.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/king-crimson-call-up-drummer-jeremy-stacey |title=King Crimson call up drummer Jeremy Stacey |first=Scott |last=Munro |date=7 March 2016 |website=loudersound.com |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=21 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621194156/https://www.loudersound.com/news/king-crimson-call-up-drummer-jeremy-stacey |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Uncertain Times Japan Tour 2018 Photo 2 (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|280px|The band with its "Three Over Five" line-up following a show in [[Takamatsu]], Japan on 7 December 2018.

Top L–R: Collins, Levin, Rieflin, Jakszyk, Fripp. Bottom L–R: Mastelotto, Stacey, Harrison.]]
A further live album, ''[[Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind]]'', was released in September 2016, drawing from 2015 concert dates of Japan, Canada and France preceding Rieflin's departure and Stacey's arrival. A 4-disc set aimed at documenting the band's shuffling and evolving live setlist, it included one performance of every song the band presented onstage during the tour, and concert footage mostly recorded in Takamatsu, on 19 December 2015.

On 7 December 2016, founding King Crimson member [[Greg Lake]] died of cancer.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Savage |date=8 December 2016 |title=Greg Lake: King Crimson and ELP star dies aged 69 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38251936 |work=BBC |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=8 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161208134841/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38251936 |url-status=live }}</ref> Another former King Crimson member, [[John Wetton]], died of [[colon cancer]] on 31 January 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Andrew|last=Trendell|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/asia-forntman-ex-king-crimson-bassist-john-wetton-dies-1964154|title=Asia frontman, ex-King Crimson bassist John Wetton dies – NME|date=2017-01-31|newspaper=NME|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-31|archive-date=6 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406151646/https://www.nme.com/news/music/asia-forntman-ex-king-crimson-bassist-john-wetton-dies-1964154|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 3 January 2017, Bill Rieflin returned to King Crimson.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert+Fripp/RF_diary_2017_Jan_03|title=Bredonborough|date=3 January 2017|website=Dgmlive.com|access-date=19 May 2018|archive-date=20 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520054120/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert+Fripp/RF_diary_2017_Jan_03|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the band wished to retain Jeremy Stacey, King Crimson became an octet with four drummers, which Fripp initially referred to as the "Double Quartet Formation".<ref>{{cite web |first=Alex |last=Young |url=https://consequence.net/2017/01/king-crimson-to-tour-the-us-in-2017-and-theyre-bringing-along-four-drummers/ |title=King Crimson to tour the US in 2017, and they're bringing along four drummers |work=Consequence of Sound |date=9 Jan 2017 |access-date=11 Mar 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925113127/https://consequence.net/2017/01/king-crimson-to-tour-the-us-in-2017-and-theyre-bringing-along-four-drummers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Later on, Rieflin shifted his group role and became King Crimson's first full-time keyboard player, with Fripp rechristening the lineup the "Three Over Five" (or "Five Over Three") Formation.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/king-crimsons-bill-rieflin-on-new-tour-david-bowie-cover-w482835 |title=King Crimson's Bill Rieflin on Summer Tour, Bowie Cover, Band's Future |author1-first=Steve |author1-last=Smith |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=22 May 2017 |access-date=11 Mar 2021 |archive-date=16 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616154239/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/king-crimsons-bill-rieflin-on-new-tour-david-bowie-cover-w482835 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Robert|last=Fripp|url=https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/RF_diary_2017_April_21|title=Robert Fripp's Diary: Breakfasting Trough, Hotel Acceptable, Bedford.|date=21 April 2017|website=Dgmlive.com|access-date=25 April 2020|archive-date=12 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812073026/https://www.dgmlive.com/diaries/Robert%20Fripp/RF_diary_2017_April_21|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 2 June 2017, King Crimson released a new live EP named ''Heroes'', featuring a cover of the [[David Bowie]] [["Heroes" (David Bowie song)|song of the same name]]. The EP was intended as a tribute to Bowie, for whom Fripp had provided distinctive guitar work on the albums ''[["Heroes" (David Bowie album)|"Heroes"]]'' (1977) and ''[[Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)]]'' (1980).<ref>{{cite web|first=Sid|last=Smith|url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Crimson%20release%20Heroes%20EP|title=Crimson Release Heroes Ep|website=Dgmlive.com|access-date=19 May 2018|date=27 April 2017|archive-date=16 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916052812/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Crimson%20release%20Heroes%20EP|url-status=live}}</ref> The video to King Crimson's version of "Heroes" won "Video of the Year" at the 2017 [[Prog (magazine)|Progressive Music Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Scott |last=Munro |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/marillion-anathema-steve-hackett-among-progressive-music-award-winners |title=Marillion, Anathema, Steve Hackett among Progressive Music Award winners |work=loudersound.com |date=15 September 2017 |access-date=15 Mar 2021 |archive-date=22 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322173853/http://teamrock.com/news/2017-09-15/marillion-anathema-steve-hackett-among-progressive-music-award-winners |url-status=live }}</ref> Shortly afterwards, King Crimson embarked on the first leg of a North American tour, from 11 June until 19 July.<ref>{{cite web |first=Alex |last=Young |title=King Crimson announce full details of 2017 tour, plus David Bowie tribute EP |url=https://consequence.net/2017/05/king-crimson-announce-full-details-of-2017-tour-plus-david-bowie-tribute-ep/ |website=Consequence of Sound |date=11 May 2017 |access-date=16 Mar 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925133544/https://consequence.net/2017/05/king-crimson-announce-full-details-of-2017-tour-plus-david-bowie-tribute-ep/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)--> |title=King Crimson to release "Official Bootleg" and more |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/news/king-crimson-release-official-bootleg |website=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]] |date=9 Oct 2017 |access-date=16 Mar 2021 |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227124823/https://www.goldminemag.com/news/king-crimson-release-official-bootleg |url-status=live }}</ref> On 3 September, Robert Fripp said that his differences with Adrian Belew had been resolved and that there were "no current plans for (him) to come out with the current formation" but "the doors to the future are open." Belew confirmed this, adding "it means I may be back in the band in the future at some point."<ref name="New Court" /><ref name="Belew9thMan">{{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Sid|title=Peace – a new beginning?|url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Belew%20now%209th%20Man|work=DGM Live|date=4 September 2017|access-date=5 September 2017|archive-date=5 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905182631/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Belew%20now%209th%20Man|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 14 October 2017, King Crimson released another contemporary live album, ''[[Live in Chicago (King Crimson album)|Live in Chicago]]'', recorded on tour in June of the same year. As had been the case with its two predecessors, it included new music in the absence of a new studio album (in this case "Bellscape & Orchestral Werning", "The Errors" and "Interlude"). It also documented the return to the live set of material from the long-neglected 1970 album ''Lizard'' (in the form of "Cirkus", which the band had begun adding to their sets in 2016, and the second half of the title suite), as well as new arrangements of some Belew-era songs.

On 13 October 2017, it was announced that Bill Rieflin would be unable to join the Three Over Five Formation on the 2017 Autumn tour in the U.S. He was temporarily replaced by Seattle-based [[Guitar Craft|Crafty Guitarist]] Chris Gibson.<ref name="GibsonJoins">{{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Sid|title=Chris Gibson joins Crim|url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Chris%20Gibson%20joins%20Crim|website=DGM Live|date=13 October 2017|access-date=13 October 2017|archive-date=13 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013225242/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Chris%20Gibson%20joins%20Crim|url-status=live}}</ref> During 2018, King Crimson performed the extensive 33-date Uncertain Times tour through the UK and Europe between 13 June and 16 November.<ref name="Uncertain Times tour">{{cite web |first=Scott |last=Munro |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/king-crimson-announce-uncertain-times-uk-and-european-tour |title=King Crimson announce Uncertain Times UK and European tour |date=22 Nov 2017 |website=loudersound.com |access-date=15 Mar 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307194358/https://www.loudersound.com/news/king-crimson-announce-uncertain-times-uk-and-european-tour |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although the band continued their "no new studio album" policy, April 2018 saw the full release of another live album, ''[[Live in Vienna (King Crimson album)|Live in Vienna]]'', presenting the complete concert in Vienna on 1 December 2016. The album was originally scheduled for worldwide release in 2017, but was postponed in lieu of ''Live in Chicago''; however, it was only released in Japan in September 2017, with a bonus disc with recordings from the band's tour there in December 2015. The worldwide release added a performance of "Fracture", plus three pieces drawn from the nightly Fripp-composed introductory soundscapes with improvisations by Collins and Levin: these pieces were arranged and realised by David Singleton, reflecting similar work he'd performed for '' THRaKaTTaK'' twenty years earlier.<ref name="DGM1">{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Sid|title=Live in Vienna|newspaper=DGM Live |date=19 February 2018 |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Live%20In%20Vienna|publisher=[[Discipline Global Mobile]]|access-date=19 February 2018}}</ref> On 20 October 2018, a further live album/video was released, ''[[Meltdown: Live in Mexico City]]'', recorded during dates in July 2017.

On 6 April 2019, it was announced at a press conference that Rieflin would take another break from King Crimson to attend to family matters, his place on keyboards for the 2019 50th anniversary tour taken by [[Theo Travis]], better known as a saxophonist, [[Soft Machine]] member and occasional duo collaborator with Robert Fripp.<ref name="rskc2019" /><ref name="innerviewskc1">{{cite interview |first=Robert |last=Fripp |interviewer1=Anil Prasad |interviewer2=Sid Smith |title=King Crimson - Sheer Visceral Power |url=https://www.innerviews.org/inner/king-crimson |date=6 April 2019 |work=Innerviews |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=28 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228152014/https://www.innerviews.org/inner/king-crimson |url-status=live }}</ref> Although Travis joined the band for rehearsals, Fripp said on 2 May that the band had decided that it was no longer possible to have other musicians deputising for Rieflin and for this reason were "proceed(ing) as a Seven-Headed Beast" without Travis.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgmlive.com/news/irreplaceable-billness |title=Irreplaceable Billness |first=Mariana |last=Scaravilli |date=2 May 2019 |website=dgmlive.com |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=3 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503134840/https://www.dgmlive.com/news/irreplaceable-billness |url-status=live }}</ref> Rieflin's parts were divided among other band members, with Fripp, Stacey, Jakszyk and Collins adding keyboards to their on-stage rigs, and Levin once again using the synthesizer he used during the '80s tours.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.westword.com/music/tony-levin-on-fifty-years-of-king-crimson-11471833 |title=Fifty Years of Prog-Rock Wizardry With King Crimson |first=Jon |last=Solomon |date=6 Sep 2019 |website=Westword |access-date=11 Mar 2021 |archive-date=8 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808123955/https://www.westword.com/music/tony-levin-on-fifty-years-of-king-crimson-11471833 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="2019-keyboards">{{cite web |url=https://tonylevin.com/road-diaries/king-crimson-2019-europe-tour/leipzig-warmup |title=Tony Levin's Road Diary: Leipzig Warmup |last=Levin |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Levin |date=9 June 2019 |access-date=15 July 2019 |archive-date=13 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713190539/https://tonylevin.com/road-diaries/king-crimson-2019-europe-tour/leipzig-warmup |url-status=live }}</ref> Soon after on 11 June, King Crimson's entire discography was made available to stream online on all the major streaming platforms, as part of the band's 50th anniversary celebration.<ref>{{cite web |first=Alex |last=Young |url=https://consequence.net/2019/06/king-crimson-spotify/ |title=King Crimson's catalog now available on Spotify |publisher=Consequence of Sound |access-date=9 August 2019 |date=11 June 2019 |archive-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920022112/https://consequence.net/2019/06/king-crimson-spotify/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 24 March 2020, Bill Rieflin died of cancer.<ref name="rsit">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bill-rieflin-king-crimson-r-e-m-ministry-dummer-dead-obituary-972751/ |title=Bill Rieflin, Drummer for King Crimson, R.E.M., Ministry, Dead at 59 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=24 March 2020 |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-date=25 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325041223/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bill-rieflin-king-crimson-r-e-m-ministry-dummer-dead-obituary-972751/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the same year, King Crimson collaborator [[Keith Tippett]] died after several years of illness on 14 June,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/keith-tippett-king-crimson-dies/|title=Keith Tippett, King Crimson Collaborator, Dies at 72|first=Dave|last=Lifton|date=15 June 2020|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|access-date=3 December 2024}}</ref> and former bassist and singer [[Gordon Haskell]] died from lung cancer on 15 October.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9468313/gordon-haskell-dead-king-crimson-bassist-singer-dies/ |author=<!--Staff writer(s)--> |title=Former King Crimson Bassist and Singer Gordon Haskell Dies at 74 |magazine=Billboard |date=18 Oct 2020 |access-date=7 Mar 2021 |archive-date=20 October 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201020111707/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9468313/gordon-haskell-dead-king-crimson-bassist-singer-dies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

King Crimson toured North America and then Japan in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2021/08/26/king-crimson-to-visit-on-latest-final-north-american-tour |title=King Crimson to visit on latest — final? — North American tour |first=Gary |last=Graff |work=[[The Oakland Press]] |date=2021-08-26 |access-date=2022-08-26 |archive-date=26 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826172556/https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2021/08/26/king-crimson-to-visit-on-latest-final-north-american-tour/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Recordings from dates on the American leg of the tour were released as the "official bootleg" live album ''[[Music Is Our Friend: Live in Washington and Albany]]'', featuring music from across the band's lifetime plus two new Tony Levin cadenzas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/king-crimson-announce-new-2021-live-album |title=King Crimson announce new 2021 live album |first=Jerry |last=Ewing |date=2021-10-20 |website=loudersound.com |access-date=2022-08-26 |archive-date=26 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826172555/https://www.loudersound.com/news/king-crimson-announce-new-2021-live-album |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/music-is-our-friend-live-in-washington-dc-albany--mw0003607611|title=Music Is Our Friend [Live in Washington D.C. & Albany]|website=AllMusic|access-date=2022-08-26|archive-date=26 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826172555/https://www.allmusic.com/album/music-is-our-friend-live-in-washington-dc-albany--mw0003607611|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2022: ''In the Court of the Crimson King'' documentary and end of band activity ===
Following the 2021 tour dates, King Crimson ceased activity, although without expressly announcing a breakup. Reasons cited were practical ones involving the old age of several of the members plus the rising cost of services during [[COVID-19 pandemic|the pandemic]], with no band intentions for any more tours.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/robert-fripp-exposures-king-crimson |title=Robert Fripp in-depth: his quest to combine Hendrix and Bartók, what made King Crimson "problematic" and why he has "no interest in gear at all" |first=David |last=Mead |date=2022-08-25 |magazine=[[Guitar World]] |access-date=2022-08-26 |archive-date=25 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825151414/https://www.guitarworld.com/features/robert-fripp-exposures-king-crimson |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Browne |first=David |title=King Crimson's Robert Fripp Sets Fall Release for Band Doc. But Another Tour? 'Only to Prevent World War III' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/king-crimson-movie-robert-fripp-tour-1381527/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=2022-07-14 |access-date=2022-08-29 |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817194905/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/king-crimson-movie-robert-fripp-tour-1381527/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2021, Jakszyk referred to the existence of "about forty to fifty minutes' worth of new (King Crimson) stuff, a number of songs I've co-written with Robert and some instrumental things he's written. During the lockdown Gavin suggested, 'Why don't we record these things so we've at least got studio recordings of this material?' That doesn't mean we're going to make a new album or it's ever gonna come out, but we have started this process."<ref>[https://ultimateclassicrock.com/king-crimson-last-american-tour/ "King Crimson Touring the U.S. for the ‘Last Time’"] - article by Gary Graff in ''Ultimate Classic Rock'',  6 August 2021</ref> Versions of two Fripp/Jakszyk songs originally intended for King Crimson ("Uncertain Times" and "Separation") had already emerged on Jakszyk's 2020 solo album ''Secrets and Lies'', with participation from Fripp, Harrison, Levin and Collins.<ref name=Kelman>{{cite web|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/secrets-and-lies-jakko-m-jakszyk-inside-out-music|work=[[All About Jazz]]|title=Jakko M. Jakszyk: Secrets & Lies|author=John Kelman|date=20 October 2020}}</ref>

On 9 February 2022, founding King Crimson member [[Ian McDonald (musician)|Ian McDonald]] died of cancer.<ref name="rs mcdonald obit">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ian-mcdonald-king-crimson-dead-obit-1298588/ |title=Ian McDonald, King Crimson and Foreigner Co-Founder, Dead at 75 |first=Hank |last=Shteamer |date=10 February 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=11 February 2022 |archive-date=12 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220212051719/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ian-mcdonald-king-crimson-dead-obit-1298588/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2022, the documentary film ''[[In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50|In the Court of the Crimson King]]'' was premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. Directed by [[Toby Amies]] and filmed between 2019 and 2021, it covered live and backstage activity by the then-current band but also featured a historical overview plus contributions from Crimson alumni Ian McDonald, Michael Giles, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew and Trey Gunn (as well as prolonged interview footage with the late Bill Rieflin). Amies described the film's development as follows: "What began as a traditional documentary about the legendary band King Crimson as it turned fifty, mutated into an exploration of time, death, family, and the transcendent power of music to change lives; but with jokes."<ref>[https://www.stereogum.com/2174838/king-crimson-documentary-trailer-sxsw-premiere/news/ "Watch the Trailer for New King Crimson Documentary ''In the Court of the Crimson King''"] - article by James Rettig in ''[[Stereogum]]'', 2 February 2022</ref>

As of 2022, with the exception of archive/curatorial matters, King Crimson have ceased activity altogether, with no plans for the future.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://forward.com/culture/539662/tony-levin-jewish-bass-player-for-peter-gabriel-king-crimson-john-lennon-david-bowie/ |title=Peter Gabriel's not-so-secret Jewish weapon — and his little side project called King Crimson |first=Jim |last=Sullivan |date=2023-03-13 |magazine=[[The Forward|Forward]] |access-date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=15 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315142330/https://forward.com/culture/539662/tony-levin-jewish-bass-player-for-peter-gabriel-king-crimson-john-lennon-david-bowie/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Levin said in a late 2022 interview that, "the sense I got from Robert [Fripp] was that it's over. Maybe King Crimson will speak to him in the future in some way, and will revive its head with who-knows-what line up?"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Steve |date=2022-12-16 |title=Tony Levin |url=https://metrograph.com/tony-levin/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=Metrograph.com |language=en-US |archive-date=18 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218152358/https://metrograph.com/tony-levin/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

At a post-screening Q&A session for ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', Fripp referred to the seven-member 2021 lineup of King Crimson as "the final incarnation" of the band. Asked if there could ever be a lineup that did not include him, he disagreed, stating "I see the whole. I see the music. I see the musicians. I see the audience and I see the music industry [...] and you have to engage with all of that to have the overview. So that's the quick answer".<ref>[https://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-fripp-adrian-belew-king-crimson-documentary-screening/ "Robert Fripp Talks Adrian Belew Rift at King Crimson Doc Showing"] - article by Gary Graff in ''Ultimate Classic Rock'',  25 October 25, 2022</ref>