King Crimson (Official Thread)

[Aktivator]

Re: The "King Crimson" Thread

Honestly, I get the humor in what you are saying and I'm smiling while typing this but on a serious note this is a criticism I've had with a lot of older music. I don't like the long jams, ambient noises that avoid melody or the probability of gaps just for a doobie that came out during the early eras! I like music as is and if a substance was required for enjoyment of any band that usually steers me away! Having said that I was able to enjoy the highlights of King Crimson fine and will listen further but it does spotlight some issues I've had with music. I listen to melodies in pop rock that build and build for 10 to 15 minutes but they are more often than not structured to flow concretely within the realm of the song and usually build on a flowing harmonious gorgeous melody (more often than not, piano) and I love them. Trippy and weird is cool if I can tell it didn't come from "Whoooooaaaa! I didn't know where I was but I just went with it and this is where I ended up! Cool man! That's a song!" Hope you all take that as a tongue in cheek humor regarding my musical preferences!

While I understand where your thinking is coming from. King Crimson didn't use ambient noise or long improv jams. KC was a very structure band. Fripp's ambient sounds were there on purpose just like a composer uses them in a quite section of a symphony. It led to later works using Fripptronics, ambient albums with Eno. It was part of the beginning of new age music.


Yes this is why KC lost the mass audience of rock fans because rock fans want melodies and rocking music. KC wanted more and I'm glad they did. I love that certain bands dropped that rockability formula and look for other ways to make rock music. I use the mellow frip and Eno ambient albums to sleep and great to listen to in the morning. I don't know how all of you listen to rockability 24/7. Too much for me and no it has nothing to do with drugs, heck tons of people take pills to sleep, not me I got my music.

In regards to what else to listen to under KC, I agree with LG.
Red and Thrak are good albums to see changes along with Discipline.

 

[Aktivator]

Re: The "King Crimson" Thread

Interesting views on this one. I fully understand your reasoning Soot about lengthy jams etc. The Grateful Dead are famous for that,but even they seem to lose themselves at times,until returning to the main structure of the song. Their classic 'Live/Dead' album shows them at their lengthy jam best. But I also have concerts were they are clearly just looking for a structure. Perhaps they had indulged a little too much on that evening.Early Deep Purple concerts have a long jams aswell,but with Richie in command they were always on the straight & narrow. I look forward to listening to the follow up to INTCOTCK.

And it's so good to have a laugh and enjoy good humour in these discussions .

Bryter.

the dead were another animal they have nothing in common with KC. They weren't creating soundscapes they were just jamming improv style.

 

[Soot and Stars]

Re: The "King Crimson" Thread

As promised I checked out

Red

I liked this a little better. It sounds like their is a little going on. The beginning intro/instrumental "Red" is not a bad way to start out though I'd think an instrumental would make more sense starting out subtle and building so as to bring someone into the album. The way it starts the album doesn't neccessarily make sense to me but I like the instrumental in itself and I'm picky on instrumentals so that's a compliment. I especially like the dramatic section at 2:52! Felt like I was in a dark alley being stalked by a serial killer. It was an epic song overall but for an instrumental it stayed true to it's core song and didn't wander.

Fallen Angel was what grabbed me though like I say these mellow tracks following all that activity in the prior song don't make sense to me. It doesn't matter much because I was instantly soothed by his voice and it felt like an epic pop songs. I felt like it could be played in a fantasy movie like Labyrinth. For some reason I feel like this has a David Bowie vibe. I loved when the horns came in. That jazzy feel really added to it. The farther the song went the better the horns as they became more frenzied.

One More Frenzied Red Nightmare is my favorite track. I love the introto it. Feels familiar but I can't place it. Anyway, the vocals sound like Sting. Am I the only one who hears this? I love the hand claps at 1:45 and how the track gradually picks up and becomes a funk track. Then the bluesiest of horns comes in. From 5:25 on is so cool!

I would have taken "Providence" right off the album if it were me. If I were watching Psycho it'd make sense but their was no need for this here IMO. I welcome anyone tell me why this fits into the album. What scene am I supposed to have IMO. There is nothing aesthetically pleasing for me so what scene should I have in my head to appreciate this.

"Starless" seemed like it was a cool track to close on. The first half was like once again an ending to a fantasy movie. It was a soothing epic and then the music started getting jarring but I could at least tell it was going somewhere. The build was cool and here some nice little touches along the way like the tribal drums. The jazzy ending was pretty appropriate as this is a jazzier album the ITKOTCK. Have to say my favorite part is at 8:45 and it wraps up pretty good coming full circle.

I like this a little more than the debut and I'd say the difference is sound quality, more vocal prominence and a heavier Jazz influence. Will have to see how Thrak goes!

 

[joe]

Re: The "King Crimson" Thread

Soot, if I may, I'd suggest listening to Discipline first. The album is from 1981 as Thrak is from 1995. My suggestion keeps the different versions of the band in order of a timeline. Discipline is right up there with KC recordings from the 70's with Thrak not being to far behind Discipline.

 

[LG]

Re: The "King Crimson" Thread

Sooty are these "First Impressions" you are sharing or have you listened to the albums more than once? For prog bands especially it is impossible to take everything in in one play, I am just curious a cursory evaluation is fine as well, but more albums than I can name have grown on me after multiple plays over a period of time.(Of course some others I don't even make it through the album before I've decided it's not my thing.)

 

[Soot and Stars]

Re: The "King Crimson" Thread

Thanks Joe! I'll do that!

LG, I listened to the album twice in full and a cursory run while I was writing my thoughts!

 

[mattquarterstein]

Re: Any King Crimson Fans in the House?

I love all eras of King Crimson. Favorites are Court, Red(favorite), Larks Tongue, Discipline and three of a perfect pair. However, they are all good except a live album or two. I also love Fripps other projects -Fripp & Eno,The League of Gentlemen and league of crafty guitarists,Giles, Giles and Fripp, soundscapes,

I'm just beginning to get into the Giles, Giles and Fripp album. Made me laugh a lot.

 

[Breadfan]

Re: Any King Crimson Fans in the House?

Discipline, and ConstruKction Of Light.

Not Crimso.

Discipline onwards is the band Discipline.

They were called Discipline for six months and then Fripp realised that perhaps that was a mistake and reverted back to King Crimson.

Post Red is just nonsense and not worthy of the Crimso nomenclature

My thoughts go back to Hyde Park '69

Robust stuff?

Not 'arf!




.

 

[joe]

Re: Any King Crimson Fans in the House?

Not 'arf!.

^^^What does this mean?

 

[LG]

Re: The "King Crimson" Thread

^^Could be an English colloquialism meaning "Not half bad" Joe, but I am guessing.

I know what Robust means though...

I found this explanation on a word definition forum.

It's a contraction of "Not half!, itself an abbreviation of "And that's not the half of it!", meaning "You bet!", "Absolutely!", or "You've got that right!".