Peter Sinfield — Stillusion (Reissue) (1973/1993)

Originally entitled Still, this recording was essentially a sequel to the King Crimson album Islands, and makes an important addition to any serious Crimson collection. Sinfield takes one more bite of an orchestra-and-Mellotron-flavored apple that Crimson itself declined to try, and the results are close to the Islands-era band. Sinfield reveals himself a pleasant if breathy singer, and a capable guitarist, but the real center of this album are the lyrics ("I need to suck the breasts of time and freeze her milk in ink" beats out anything Keith Reid ever wrote for sheer surrealism) and the elegant arrangements. No Crimson album ever had room for an extended English horn solo like the one here. Greg Lake runs rings around Sinfield as a singer on "Wholefood Boogie." In addition to the previously unreleased opening track, "Can You Forgive A Fool," the highlights include the jazzy "Night People," the haunting country-flavored "Will It Be You," and the Vivaldi-derived "Song of the Sea Goat."