Release Date 25th September 2026
King Crimson’s fourth album, 1971’s “Islands” was, for many years, somewhat underappreciated in Crimson history; regarded simply as one of those albums between undisputed classics “In the Court of the Crimson King” and “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic”.
In more recent times, the album has been reassessed, a process that began with the 2010 new stereo and 5.1 mixes undertaken by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp and continued with the inclusions of ‘The Letters’ and ‘Sailor’s Tale’ and the title track in the 2014–2021 line-up’s live sets.
This shift in attitude towards the album from listeners old and new alike, was confirmed when the 27 disc “Sailors’ Tales” boxed set, which featured extensive live recordings by the “Islands” line-up, became one of the fastest selling of the celebrated King Crimson boxed set series a fitting testament to King Crimson’s second, albeit short-lived, live band.
