21st Century Schizoid Man (Including Mirrors) (track)
by King Crimson
Year: 1969
From the album In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) (track #1)
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21st Century Schizoid Man (Including Mirrors) appears on the following album(s) by King Crimson:
- In The Court Of The Crimson King (An Observation By King Crimson) (track #1) (this album) (1969)
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21st Century Schizoid Man (Including Mirrors) 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).
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 11/05/2025 18:51 | machiaj | 8,768 | 74/100 |
| ! | 10/07/2025 19:10 | Johnnyo | 41,631 | 80/100 |
| ! | 09/15/2025 17:19 | gmessian | 1,390 | 55/100 |
| ! | 09/10/2025 07:53 |  Rockdrigo | 628 | 82/100 |
| ! | 09/06/2025 02:27 | JoshN125 | 135 | 94/100 |
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 tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 93.1/100, a mean average of 91.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.3/100. The standard deviation for this track is 13.4.
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Great opening song from the album, and for me the most recognisable song as a casual listener of King Crimson, encompassing rock, jazz and classical (as you might expect given the background of the musicians). With references to politicians and criticism of the Vietnam War, specifically Napalm and agent orange.
Loads of woodwind and keyboards here which produces a complex song that feels both chaotic and structured. Don’t ask me how that's just the way to sounds to me.
Fripp’s guitar playing is outstanding (as you would expect) and some great sax playing thrown in.
I read somewhere the track being described as a mix of heavy metal, jazz-rock and progressive rock. It’s also been described as influence on the development of progressive metal and industrial music. I can sort of see all of that to be honest but it wouldn’t necessarily have occurred to me.
What a way to start an album and what an introduction to King Crimson. The whole band shines, but I want to
highlight the brilliant drumming by Michael Giles and the quintessential Fripp solo
This track is a combination of heavy metal, prog rock and jazz rock and all before these genres had really been identified so it is extremely influential in this respect. Distorted vocals, a dissonant guitar solo, a free jazz ending and its political message all culminate together to create one of the best album tracks of the sixties.
Progressive rock has arrived - Big Time.
pjohnsongolf 12/13/2020 18:43 | #262645
This song hits different
LukasAntoine00s 03/27/2020 18:34 | #249150
Laugh off how excessively great this song is
StefanR10 12/25/2019 18:53 | #245946
I like it, know it from Kanye West, but I liked King Crimson before Kanye West. The song is genius the guitar and the effects and the voice great.
StefanR10 12/25/2019 18:51 | #245945
I like it, i know it also form Kanye West. But King Crimsons first song is genius the effects and the voice great.
Grouse 07/29/2018 11:41 | #218909
Everything about this song is just fantastic. Greg Lake's distorted voice, the drums, the riff just everything. This song and this album marks the beginning of an era, the era of progressive rock.
No words.
Saradominsm 07/24/2017 22:16 | #194856
THOSE FUCKING DRUMS JESUS
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