King Crimson
Prog rock is a generic term for Progressive Rock, a form that had its heyday in the early 70s. It was a peculiarly European and predominantly English response to psychedelic rock, which dragged in elements of:
...and created a vibrant hybrid of virtuoso players in acts such as:
I have an official King Crimson bootleg, Nightwatch, recorded LIVE in 1973, in which erudite band-leader Robert Fripp announces facetiously: "...Ladies and gentlemen, we shall now tune our mellotrons and attack culture, once again..." And that off-the-cuff remark, believe it or not, just about sums up King Crimson, a If you could imagine LSD-guzzling, interstellar trooper and super-spade Jimi Hendrix being born as a tea-drinking Englishman, more grounded in classical music than R'n'B...then you might be getting close. Fripp ain't sexy, he certainly ain't flamboyant...he's intense and er...serious. King Crimson are a band who're deeply loved by fans with a now-forty year pedigree as the standard bearers of Prog. rock. However, they're not just disliked...they're frequently hated by many others, including numerous critics. While everyone seems to agree that the standard of musicianship is often virtuoso, the complexity of Crimson's music:
...is often considered to be far too abstract to be considered rock'n'roll. In fact, some people even consider it evil! Me, I like it, especially since American Adrian Belew joined in 1981.
The Different King Crimson Incarnations & Their Albums:
King Crimson 1 (1969-1970) essentially consisted of:
and released:
King Crimson 2 (1971-1972) essentially consisted of:
and released:
King Crimson 3 (1973-1974) essentially consisted of:
...with other musicians occasionally and released:
King Crimson: Larks Tongue In Aspic
It was this incarnation of the band that first got my interest and I hope to post reviews for all their albums, soon. However, to be honest, I'm stumped in trying to find words to describe Red, a superb majestic album that I still can't find the words to describe. All I can presently say is buy it
King Crimson: Red "...Describing why one likes certain music is a lot like describing color to a man blind from birth. Words fail, largely because music affects us each in a different way...(and)...what appeals to me may be trash to you. That said, I have to tell you that Red is the standard by which all King Crimson is measured in my book. It's heavy, melodic, melancholy and bears up to repeated listenings, which is the gauge I use for all music I consider priceless and timeless..." Amazon reviewer Just Bill "...a King Crimson album that flirts with metal as much as jazz...what's not to love? Truly, this is a marvelous album. Buy it now!..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer Gentle Giant Prog "...To call Red a dark album is like saying The Beatles were kind of popular. Even on the hundredth listen, this album is still a very dark, ominous, powerful recording. 35 years after its release, this album still sounds fresh and timeless. The raw, dry guitar sound and the overwhelming power of the rhythm section still sounds utterly modern. To put it simply: sonically, this recording hasn't aged much at all..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer Timothy Read
King Crimson 4 (1981-1984) consisted of:
and this quartet released: I think you'll see from my reviews that i loved this incarnation of the band! N.B. Bass player Tony Levin has released a book of photographs from that Crimson era, Crimson Chronicles, Volume 1, now only available exclusively from his own record label, Papa Bear Records
King Crimson 5 (1996-1997) consisted of:
They released:
and once more, I was very impressed with the ensemble's work.
Splintering King Crimson into four sub-groups called The ProjeKcts. The Crimson sub-tribes each contained Robert Fripp & Trey Gunn: ProjeKct 1 + Tony Levin & Bill Bruford "...Project 1 benefits from the presence of Bill Bruford, who's still every bit as brilliant and spot-on a drummer as some of us remember him as being during the 81-84 King Crimson...." Amazon reviewer Scott McFarland ProjeKct 2 + Adrian Belew (drums) "...Of all the sub-groups, Projekct 2 toured most extensively. The interplay of Fripp's soundscapes and Gunn's touch guitar of LIVE Groove demand much of Adrian Belew's relative inexperience on V-drums. For the most part, Adrian delivers..." Amazon reviewer Bill ProjeKct 3 + Pat Mastelotto "...Can you figure what it would feel like to wake up in a world filled with Salvador Dali's landscapes ? That's what it does to me..." Amazon reviewer Von ProjeKct 4 + Tony Levin & Pat Mastelotto "...is somewhere between ProjeKct 1 and ProjeKct 3 in a way; part spacey and ambient, part house-shaking electronica. To those already used to techno-dance music this ProjeKct should be the most accessible one, although calling it accessible is like calling Radiohead mainstream. Some adjustment is necessary..." Amazon reviewer spiral_mind The ProjeKcts created mostly improvised music to reinvigorate the King. This is what resulted...
The ProjeKcts "...This is probably the ultimate King Crimson document in my opinion. After monstrous releases like THRAK and THRAKATTAK, the double-trio broke up into smaller fractals for research and development into King Crimson's next manifestation. In the boxed set here you get a disc of each of the four fractals in abstract improvisation mode..." Amazon reviewer Lord Chimp
After those experiments, Bill Bruford left and Levin had commitments with Peter Gabriel, so King Crimson 6 (2000-2004) consisted of:
They released:
I've yet to even hear the albums (Life got in the way) but hope to review them in late 2008. There is a LIVE DVD of the 4-piece in action with two concerts from 2000 & 2004, promoting The ConstrucKtion Of Light & The Power To Believe.
DVD: LIVE Eyes Wide Open "...Just from the very first moments of the Introductory Soundscape I had chills running down my spine! Then I was struck by the extraordinary beauty and power of this performance. This is the very best King Crimson concert ever put on video - hands down! Nobody else plays like these guys, they are absolutely brilliant..." Amazon reviewer Russ Bellinger "...I've always felt that the experience of viewing chamber music truly enhances appreciation and King Crimson is chamber music, according to the definition of Chamber Music America - very loud, aggressive, quirky, virtuosic rock chamber music..." Amazon reviewer Winston Barclay "...This DVD is as close as you can get to a LIVE Crim concert without being there. The video is a little grainy; however, there is usually smoke in the air at their concerts, so what you see is quite acceptable. The sound is OK in stereo; however, turn on the Digital 5.1 and prepare to be blown away!..." Amazon Robert K. Sischka
In 2008, King Crimson 7 (2008-?) has undertaken a short tour of the USA with a line-up of:
Robert Fripp's collaborations with Brian Eno, helped Eno create Ambient Music, his collaborations with Andy Summers (from The Police) received considerable praise & his SOLO albums have covered a wide range, from prog-pop to near, but not quite, ambient music. & Adrian Belew was plucked from obscurity by Frank Zappa in the late 1970s and within a few years, was known as one of the most innovative rock guitarist in the world. In his SOLO career he has experimented wildly with:
Highly erratic...but fascinating.
see also:
N.B.: There are also many more relevant interviews spread through the individual album reviews. | |
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