21st Century Schizoid Man
King Crimson, 1969. Solo by Robert Fripp.
Proto-metal prog, with Fripp's frenetic lines.
Fripp's solo erupts out of the song's instrumental middle section with a fuzzed, snarling tone and almost none of the blues vocabulary most rock guitarists of 1969 leaned on. It runs instead on strict alternate picking, angular intervals and lines that dart sideways just where you expect them to resolve. Then guitar, saxophone, bass and drums lock into brutally precise unison stop-start figures, which may be the most influential moment on the whole record. Fripp has called it the first heavy metal song, and you can hear progressive metal's blueprint all over it. Listen for how the solo's jagged, restless phrasing sets up that unison passage, so the precision lands like a release of pent-up chaos.
21st Century Schizoid Man by King Crimson is ranked #99 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Robert Fripp and the song was released in 1969. It appears on 7 lists, placing as high as #5 (Music in Minnesota).
The story of 21st Century Schizoid Man
The song grew out of group jamming. According to Louder, Robert Fripp supplied the intricate technical passages, Ian McDonald added flashy counter-lines, Greg Lake built the pounding bass figure and Michael Giles suggested transitions including the accelerating move into the fast riff. Peter Sinfield gathered phrases the band shouted out and shaped them into lyrics, wanting words that sounded as violent as the music. The title came to him in a sudden flash.
Sinfield's lyric is an attack on the Vietnam War and modern brutality, with references to napalm and to 'death seed', which he tied to the use of Agent Orange. The 'cat's foot, iron claw' line alludes to a French fable. Structurally, the song frames a hard-hitting riff played in unison by saxophone and guitar around a long instrumental middle section, 'Mirrors', which includes a passage McDonald had written during his army band days.
King Crimson recorded the track in August 1969 at Wessex Studios in London, acting as their own producers. McDonald created the eerie noise at the start by pressing his forearm on the keys of a bellows-driven reed organ until it malfunctioned, and he recorded his sax solo crouching down to add tension. Lake's vocal was heavily distorted, adding to the menace.
Opening their debut album, released on October 10, 1969, the song defined King Crimson's arrival. The band had already played it to a huge crowd supporting the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park on July 5, 1969. Fripp sarcastically dedicated one December 1969 performance to US Vice President Spiro Agnew. The track was issued on a single only years later, charting at No. 89 in the UK in 1996.
The solo
Fripp overdubbed his guitar solo on August 4, 1969. His main instrument in this period was a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom bought in 1968 on London's Shaftesbury Avenue, which he used across King Crimson's first seven albums, according to Guitar Player; the amplifier is not documented in the sources consulted. The solo is jagged and angular rather than blues-based, driven by fast alternate picking and dissonant intervals, and it erupts out of the 'Mirrors' section with a fuzzy, aggressive tone. Wikipedia notes he used a strict down-up picking approach and different amplification effects. After the solo, guitar, saxophone, bass and drums lock into brutally precise unison stop-start figures. Fripp later dismissed an earlier instrumental guide take of the song from June 1969 as dismal.
Legacy
Rolling Stone summarized it as a statement of purpose uniting rock power, jazz spontaneity and classical precision; Melody Maker in 1969 called it brutally exciting. Fripp has described it as the first heavy metal song, and it is cited as an influence on progressive metal and industrial music. Guitar World ranked his solo No. 82 among the greatest ever in 2008. Pitchfork put the track at No. 104 among the best songs of the 1960s. Kanye West sampled it on the 2010 hit 'Power', and it has been covered by Ozzy Osbourne, Entombed and Voivod.
Top 10 facts about 21st Century Schizoid Man
Ian McDonald produced the opening noise by pressing his forearm on a bellows-driven reed organ until it malfunctioned.
WikipediaMcDonald played his sax solo in a crouch, believing it would make the playing sound more anguished.
WikipediaFripp recorded his guitar solo overdub on August 4, 1969.
WikipediaFripp's 1959 Les Paul Custom, bought in 1968, was used on King Crimson's first seven albums.
Guitar PlayerPeter Sinfield linked the lyric 'death seed' to the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
WikipediaRobert Fripp has called it the first heavy metal song.
LouderKing Crimson played it opening for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park before a crowd estimated at 500,000.
LouderFripp's solo placed No. 82 in Guitar World's 2008 list of the 100 greatest guitar solos.
WikipediaKanye West's 'Power' sampled the track and debuted at No. 22 on the Hot 100 in 2010.
WikipediaOzzy Osbourne's 2005 cover on Under Cover features a guest guitar solo by Robert Randolph.
Wikipedia
Live versions
- Live in Hyde Park (1969) July 5, 1969 set supporting the Rolling Stones; released via the collectors' club in 2000.
- Epitaph (1996) Archival set including a December 14, 1969 performance from the original lineup.
- Earthbound (1972) Nearly 12-minute version from Wilmington, Delaware; first official live release of the song.
Notable covers
- Ozzy Osbourne (2005) On Under Cover, with a guest solo from Robert Randolph.
- Entombed Swedish death metal band's cover, noted by Louder.
- Voivod Canadian progressive thrash band's version, noted by Louder.
- Kanye West (sample in 'Power') (2010) Built his hit single around a sample of the track.
In our lists
- One and Only — #13
- The 25 Greatest Prog Guitar Solos — #11
- The Pioneers: 1950s & 60s — #15
Sources
- Music in Minnesota: 38 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time — #5
- Classic Rock (Louder): The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock — #56
- Radio Beat: 88 kytarových sól na Beatu — #80
- Bombay Lives (Substack): 100 Greatest Guitar Solos — #82
- Topito (now 10h26.com): Top 100 des plus grands solos de guitare de l'histoire (Benoit Floyd) — #82
- Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #94
- Guitar Tricks: 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time — #111
- Far Out Magazine: The 10 greatest guitar solos from the 1960s
- Wikipedia: 21st Century Schizoid Man
- Louder: The story behind 21st Century Schizoid Man
- Guitar Player: Robert Fripp on the guitar behind King Crimson's breakthrough
- Wikipedia: Live in Hyde Park (King Crimson album)
- Wikipedia: Earthbound (King Crimson album)
- Wikipedia: Under Cover (Ozzy Osbourne album)
- Wikipedia: Power (Kanye West song)
Who played the guitar solo on 21st Century Schizoid Man?
Robert Fripp played the solo on King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man (1969).
What guitar was used on the 21st Century Schizoid Man solo?
A gibson les paul, with fuzz, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does 21st Century Schizoid Man rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#99 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 7 of them.
Who wrote 21st Century Schizoid Man?
Fripp, McDonald, Lake and Giles wrote the music, with lyrics by Peter Sinfield.
What is 21st Century Schizoid Man about?
It is an attack on the Vietnam War and modern violence, referencing napalm and Agent Orange.
What guitar did Robert Fripp use on In the Court of the Crimson King?
A 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom he bought in London in 1968.
What Kanye West song samples 21st Century Schizoid Man?
'Power', released in 2010.
Is 21st Century Schizoid Man heavy metal?
It is progressive rock, but Fripp has called it the first heavy metal song and it influenced metal.