“It was an awful mistake to overlook his album. But you could be excused for not sticking with it”: Fired by King Crimson, this prog poet assembled a group of A-list colleagues and took them on a trip into the unknown. They got lost – or so it seemed

Pete Sinfield was best known as lyricist during King Crimson’s early stages, and went on to write words for ELP and others. In 1973 he released his first and only solo album, Still, which was generally misunderstood and overlooked. In 2009 Prog argued for its re-evaluation.

The name Pete Sinfield may not mean much to the casual prog observer; but to aficionados his identity will always be linked to King Crimson. As the band’s lyricist and, to a degree, Robert Fripp’s artistic muse, Sinfield wrote the words for the first four Crimson albums – in a time where progressive rock bands could employ outside verbiage vendors without embarrassment.

For reasons unknown, the firm of Fripp and Sinfield ceased trading circa 1971. But, rather cunningly, former Crimson bassist Greg Lake – perhaps sensing a lack of lyrical gravitas – created a similar role for him in the world-conquering ELP.

The move would, in a short space of time, provide Sinfield with the opportunity to maximise his talents with not only ELP but also within their custom label Manticore; a sort of progressive rock think-tank – somewhat equivalent to the Beatles’ Apple Corps, sans boutique.

Manticore agreed to bankroll him as a solo artist, and so he ran rife with a contacts book full of fellow proggers, a small but useful recording budget and a head full of dreams.

The Night People - YouTube

Watch On

Still, his only solo album, arrived in May 1973 – and was quickly sidestepped by all but a very few discerning members of the progressive rock-buying public.

With the passage of time we can now see what an awful mistake it was to overlook the work, which was produced by Lake. It may not be perfect – on first listen you could be excused for thinking that Manticore’s belief in him had been somewhat misguided. Stick with it, however, and the true value of Still is revealed.

It’s a complex and intimidating work for sure, with a nod to virtually every musical genre from free-jazz to complex prog rock, baroque folk to psych and all points in between. Think Genesis, Greenslade and Soft Machine with an additional experimental edge.

Sinfield’s vocals are particularly hard work at times – much of his delivery is barely more than a spoken-word trot. The songs are, for the most part, eclectic to the point of chaotic. But that’s the real beauty: this is a record that could never be made in today.

He wrote the lyrics along with most of the music, then, working his connections hard, coaxed a horde of prog A-listers to join him on his journey into the unknown: BJ Cole (Cochise), Snuffy ‘Stray Dog’ Walden, Tim Hinkley (Jody Grind), plus former Crimson colleagues Ian Wallace, John Wetton, Keith Tippett, Boz Burrell and Mel Collins.

The best track is surely eight-minute piece The Night People, a seething cauldron of vicious prog with a particularly insane sax solo and madcap metaphorical words.

The album was issued with two different covers, in pink or the rarer blue. Look out for the 1993 CD re-issue Stillusion, with new tracks developed by Sinfield to complement the original work.