Islands
by King Crimson
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King Crimson bestography
Islands is ranked 8th best out of 101 albums by King Crimson on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by King Crimson is In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) which is ranked number 25 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 26,356.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
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Islands track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Islands rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 3 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |  RockyRaccoon | Progressive Rock | 69/100 | - |
| 2026 |  Fischman | Top 100 Music Albums of 1971 | 55/100 | 2 |
| 2026 |  Kalos | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | 74/100 | 5 |
| 2026 |  nitomano | Top 51 Music Albums of 1971 | 31/51 | 2 |
| 2026 | amirmishali | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s | 57/100 | 9 |
| 2026 |  AAL2014 | Top 100 Music Albums of 1971 | 74/100 | 1 |
| 2026 | davidhuret | Top 44 Music Albums of 1971 | 39/44 | 1 |
| 2026 |  ssteve | Top 32 Music Albums of 1971 | 14/32 | 3 |
| 2026 | cicadelic | Top 90 Music Albums of 1971 | 29/90 | 3 |
| 2026 | Kalos | Top 20 Music Albums of 1971 | 16/20 | 1 |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 176 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 601 | |||
Islands collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 121 members
Islands ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 318 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/25/2026 18:02 | RemainInLight | 3,811 | 36/100 |
| ! | 08/12/2026 15:11 | iannicolson | 1,057 | 75/100 |
| ! | 07/09/2026 12:41 | davidhuret | 2,055 | 76/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 5% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.9/100, a mean average of 75.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.7.
Islands favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 35 members
Islands forum mentions
neilgee 09/05/2025 04:53 in What album are you listening to? (cont.)Islands comments
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One can hardly accuse King Crimson to be coquettish and play on safe keys. Very often the group has given even the most beautiful melodies a twist or edge which contrasts the ugly and the beautiful. This tendency, or intention, is also very evident in this, the group's fourth album.
The group mixes genres in new and challenging ways, and while some passages may be an ordeal for many to give ear to, other pieces of the same track can be melodic beauty and sheer pleasure.
On this album, my two biggest favorites both have these extremes. The opening track "Formentary Lady" has a nice, slightly gloomy intro, played on cello and it builds up very classically inspired. The actual song is melodic, and you easily find yourself humming lines from the delicate and catchy melody. The song gradually develops towards the more discordant, and towards the end the saxophone play notes that may behard to grasp. Although many probably would feel it an assault on the track, I have chosen to make my own edited version - down to about five minutes; then my family wil also be able to be nearby when the track is playing.
The same thing could be done to "Ladies on the Road" which is my absolute favorite. Like "Formentary Lady" the song takes a similar turn towards the end. Still "Ladies on the Road" has everything you could ask for: a bluesy half-acoustic intro, great electric "Come Together" verses, and a beautiful chorus, which reminds me a lot of Pretty Things' "Parachute" album. The saxophone takes over towards the end, and "ruins" some of the song's beauty - some would feel
There are two instrumental, with the "Sailor's Life" as the most exciting, but also the most challenging for the listener. Again experiments on saxophone and later the electric guitar playing notes I have never heard other places.
"Prelude: Song of the Sea" is a very quiet classical number, which could very easily be overlooked. Nice but not really memorable
The title track is another quiet number which is really very nice, but which perhaps lacks a real memorable melody.
"The Letters" has good element but the song does not really hit me.
(Edited)
Really underrated album. While it features one of King Crimson's less memorable lineups, "Islands" is definitely worth the listen.
LedZep TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/08/2017 15:44 | #192236 | TOP COMMENT
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One of the overlooked King Crimson records, it's a perfect background music as well as a great chill album. Beautiful piano in many songs, love it (Edited)
King Crimson always manage to do complex things with emotional power. This is surely one of their best works.
IlMala 01/23/2022 21:50 | #279948 | TOP COMMENT
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Frankly i really fo not understand why that's not considerated as a peak from King Crimson; after "In the Court" and "Red" is definitely my favourite: easier to listen respect others, but so lovely; hundred times prefer this kind of King Crimson respect the Discipline ones, and even respect the "Lark's Tongue" or "Starless" ones (tastes are tastes...)
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