When “In The Wake of Poseidon” was first issued in 1970, Melody Maker ran the unforgettable headline: “If Wagner were alive he’d work with King Crimson”. Stranger still, this was just two months after King Crimson had issued a single “Cat Food” & appeared on Britain’s Top of the Pops miming – as all bands did in those days on the TV show – to a pre-recorded playback of the song. Strangest of all was, how could a single and an album have even been recorded, when the band had split up in December 1969 following their debut US tour and release of their acclaimed “In The Court of the Crimson King” mere weeks before that? The answer, not for the first or last time in the band’s lengthy career, was Robert Fripp’s determination to keep the band going – whatever it took. In the case of “Poseidon” this involved hiring leaving KC members Michael Giles & Greg Lake and former Giles, Giles & Fripp member Peter Giles as session musicians & bringing in players who would all feature on future KC albums: Keith Tippet, Mel Collins and Gordon Haskell. The result was an album that claimed the band’s highest ever UK chart position (No. 4) and consolidated its position as one of the most original and experimental groups to emerge from the Underground Scene.

The new CD presents a near complete new stereo mix by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp. As tape for one track ‘The Devil’s Triangle’ could not be located the original stereo is included to maintain the original running order. The CD also includes a new mix of ‘Groon’ (‘Cat Food’ b-side) a newly mixed alternate take of ‘Peace: An Ending’ and the first CD appearance of Greg Lake’s guide vocal take of the beautiful ballad ‘Cadence and Cascade’. The DVD-A features a 5.1 mix by Steven Wilson, with ‘Devil’s Triangle’ up-mixed to 5.1 by Simon Heyworth, hi-res stereo versions of the 30th anniversary stereo master, the 2010 album mixes and ten hi-res bonus tracks including the original single a & b side ‘Cat Food/Groon’, the bonus tracks from the CD and a number of other session takes, rehearsals and mixes.

For an album that shouldn’t have been recorded by a band that didn’t exist, “In The Wake of Poseidon” continues to intrigue and delight King Crimson fans 40 years after its initial release. This CD/DVD-A is the fourth release in the band’s acclaimed 40th anniversary archive series.