Thrak

"...with THRAK, Fripp and King Crimson have created their most compelling synthesis of art and noise, a thrashing suite made up of contrasting, inter-connected motifs. This groaning beast of an album is fabricated from the roiling roar of dissonance and classic power riffs...and animated by a complex series of rhythm changes, opulent lyric contrasts, heady contrapuntal interplay and stunning solo flights..." Amazon.co.uk blurb

King Crimson: Thrak

King Crimson: Thrak

After ten years apart, the 80s King Crimson reconvened in 1995 with two extra members:

Trey Gunn...bass, warr guitar, stick &
Pat Mastoletto...drums & percussion

...to create what Fripp promoted as the double-trio. What was apparent straight away was that with the 80s version at their core, Crimson were prepared to oscillate between their 70s cosmic incarnation and a 90s harder rocking one, creating an interesting, powerful hybrid.

Secondly, the double trio wasn't really distinctive in the studio. At times I found myself wondering who was doing what rather than being transported by the music. There's no doubt that much of Thrak could have been created just by the 4-piece...though LIVE, that may have been a different thing altogether and, to be fair, Fripp has always considered Crimson, essentially, a LIVE experience.

Thirdly, Thrak didn't gel, (perhaps because of too many cooks spoling the broth) though it does contain highly impressive components, in particular:

Belew's strong and varied songwriting, be it hard rock, ballad or white funk
impeccable playing by all

Fourthly, at just under an hour, it was just too long. If the band had superb chemistry e.g. as on Discipline, it might work...but since they don't, Thrak can seem wearying. In fact, edit ten or fifteen minutes of your least favorite chunk from Thrak and it starts to emerge as a much better album, at times, superb.

Essentially the album opens and closes with a heavy Fripp instrumental (Vroom & Vroom Vroom) and swirls around six Adrian Belew songs:

Dinosaur

LIVE on Conan O'Brien

Dinosaur..."...Ignorance has always been something I excel in, followed by naievete and pride. Does't take a scientist to see that...any predator could have a piece of me...standing in the sun, idiot savant, something like a dinosaur..."

Walking On Air...perhaps the best love song you'll ever hear...and I stress, "hear" it would be a disservice to print the words as they might appear trite instead of heartfelt.

One Time...an ominous, elegant ballad

People white funk that brings a certain bonhomie to the proceedings

Inner Garden...another ominous, elegant ballad that could easily have been on Lark's Tongue In Aspic

Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream a funny Crimson ballad/thrash

Interspersing these are:

the percussive track, B'boom
the Red-like Thrak
and some quiet instrumental music that isn't quite ambient

...and, for me it's all a bit too much. Too much quantity. Really, just a bit of editing and the tracks would jump out at you, they're all really good, that's not the problem. There's just too many of them.

That being said, when played at considerable volume...and given complete attention, Thrak sounds fabulous...but it's just that I can't always listen to it under optimum conditions and unfortunately that works agains its success. Don't get me wrong, Thrak is still a very good album, it's just the double-trio Crimson needed a bit of pruning.

King Crimson: Thrak

"...King Crimson began the 21st Century in 1995, when they put out this outstanding record..." Amazon.com reviewer Ornitorrinco

"...At times frighteningly powerful, there is an edge of menace running through the album, with gentler interludes..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer Steve Spanner

"...Thrak sees a band of old-timers, of rock grand-dads, pushing their sound to incredible and unexpected new places. At times harsh and chaotic, sometimes downright heavy and brutal, "Thrak" is the band's most adventurous album. Of course, they always come back to their classic rock roots, and this really sets off "Thrak" as a wonderfully eclectic yet balanced album. Highly recommended...." Amazon.com reviewer Tom Chase

B'boom: LIVE In Argentina

O.K. Here's the scenario:

Taking Thrak on tour, Crimson were immediately aware that bootlegs were immediately circulating and they were "forced" to release B'boom to counter the illegal industry...before they were really ready to do so.

So, what you get is a King Crimson that's playing the new material pretty straight...and has yet to hammer the new songs into a different shape.

If you'd like to see how that turned out, you should check out the LIVE DVD, but if you're happy with a CD, B'boom is for you. What you get is:

Talking Drum from Larks Tongue In Aspic
Red from Red
Elephant Talk, Frame By Frame, & Matte Kudasai from Discipline
Heartbeat from Beat
Sleepless from Three Of A Perfect Pair &
a big chunk of Thrak

I gotta tell you, the double trio makes for a hell of a concert...and I'm genuinely sorry that it only stayed together for Thrak. Damn, but with the band just finding its feet, B'boom's highlights are those when they gives glimpses of the 6-piece's potential to make music that the 4-piece couldn't.

In particular, these include:

B'boom &
Talking Drum

I'm not generally big on LIVE albums...but B'boom is one of the few that I've bothered paying for and still play. If you like the Belew-era Crimson, I recommend it, as it's really quite good...and when I can get the house to my own and crank up the volume...B'boom's great.

King Crimson: B'boom

"...I've been gradually building up my collection of LIVE King Crimson over the last 6 months and so I can definitely compare this performance to other...performances that all have been heard recently...I'd rate this performance very favorably. 5 stars..." Amazon reviewer Joseph P. Helton "Exploring Prog Rock"

"...Even a decade after its release as I write this review, I can't help but marvel at the sound of this recording - crisp and clean and well balanced, loud and up front, all six instrumentalists can be distinctly and clearly heard. B'boom really set the standard for the LIVE album.

Remarkable as this record is, I actually think it pales compared to where the band would be in a year or two, as illustrated by "VROOOM VROOOM", but there's a lot to love here. Highly recommended..." Amazon reviewer Michael Stack

Incidentally, Vroooom Vroooom is the official LIVE album from the tour...but I haven't heard it because I bought the official bootleg. Fans say it's great...

King Crimson: Vroom Vroom

"...Do not listen to this if you are trying to quit smoking. Whenever I listen to VROOOM VROOOM, I need (a) precious smoke to calm down afterwards..." Amazon reviewer Lord Chimp

"...Lock the doors and keep away the children. Warn any non-KC fans before they get too close. B'Boom was the only live release by this Crimson lineup previously available to the public, but listening to it now is like watching a tiger cub play before it's finished growing fangs and claws. Vrooom Vrooom, on the other hand, is more a snapshot of a barely caged monster ready to rip your head off if you get too close..." Amazon reviewer spiral_mind

"...I saw them during this tour in Seattle in '95...One might think two stick players and two drummers might be a bit dense...(and)...I was particularly impressed by the way Mastelotto and Bruford, the two drummers, worked together, not entirely unlike the master/apprentice relationship in Indian Raga Music. With the exception of Discipline, I think this one is their best..." Amazon reviewer soundsmith

There is also a concert DVD available from the tour...

"...about a year ago I saw King Crimson LIVE in Milwaukee. I was only maybe 10 feet from the band, it was my first concert ever and I'm glad it was! They played quite a few songs that were on the Deja Vroom and they sounded exactly the same, awesome. I'm a 22 year old guy, who was amazed by a bunch of old musicians that not many people I know have even heard of..." Amazon reviewer ryan

DVD: LIVE Deja Vroom 1998

"...I saw the band on this tour, and this is possibly even better than seeing them in the venue I saw them in. It is as intimate as a recording can be, and a great representation of what this incarnation of the band was doing at the time. Incidentally, the "multiple angle" function that allows you to choose which King Crimsoner you want to watch and listen to on certain tracks...I wish all music DVD's had the forethought to include this function..." Amazon reviewer Jeff Hodges

"...After watching the concert you can switch over and watch Tony Levin's road movies from this tour including clips of travel, hassles, rehearsals, and even some very honest warts 'n' all arguments between band members...There are also some surprise items...(and)...many extra DVD-rom features...Well done Mr. Fripp and cohorts, leading the field in innovation..." Amazon reviewer Jeff Hodges

"...Great DVD!! I've had a copy for two years and am still finding new aspects. Sound is fine - I've tried all formats: Stereo; Dolby Surrround; Dolby Digital 5/1 and DTS 5.1 - the audio is great!..." Amazon reviewer Space Captain

Thrakattak

Have you ever had a girlfriend who loses the plot and carries on like a maniac every once in a while? You can try to fight it...but you won't win. She needs to let off steam and unless you leave her, you'd better accept that that's how it's going to be. You can't wish she was nicer, you just have to understand that her occasional madness is part of her character...and live with it.

Now imagine you could tape every one of her banshee performances...and for your own masochism, string them together. Sound like fun? Well, that's what Thrakattack is, the LIVE discordant, free-form improvisations from the Thrak tour, all brought together for your delectation. Melody? What's that?

Understand this # 1: Without this cacophony, the wonderful beast that is King Crimson would implode.

Understand this # 2: Listen at your peril...

King Crimson: Thrakattack

"...If, while listening to the song Thrak on the album of the same name, you found yourself thinking, "You know, this is great but I wish it were an hour long and didn't have those annoying structured parts," this is the album for you..." Amazon reviewer Patrick Alexander

"...I really like this type of album. A 60 minute CD made up of free form jams from the Thrak tour. This is not going to be an album for the faint-hearted and some of it gets really intense..." Amazon reviewer Dark Star-The Other One

"...My impressions of this work; only simple words first, one by one, as I listened to it more and more: interesting, unusual, strange, weird, annoying, disturbing, irritating, expressly painful, nerve-racking, maddening. Then I stopped listening to it. That was the best choice..." Amazon reviewer Hugh Tarpaulin

"...for the more adventurous listener, Thrakattack is a dream come true. Documenting the results of six insanely talented musicians sharing the stage in a complex mesh of LIVE improv, this album is the spaced out, experimental side of the 90s King Crimson that its studio counterpart Thrak never even came close to capturing..." Amazon reviewer drumb

An intro to King Crimson