King Crimson:Larks//Red remastered (where have I been?)

[3-LockBox]

Bought both of these a few days ago. Man, add these to the list of lost long, never before heard albums (except on comps). They didn't have Starless and Bible Black, or I might have picked it up as well. Both are great rock albums that aren't anything like their '80s output and beyond. Jam/improv oriented rock, that isn't too contrived, isn't over the top fusion, but just good ol' rock-n-roll, albeit it on the experimental side. 'Fallen Angel', 'Red', and 'One More Red Nightmare' where featured on Hy-Fi's exhaustive prog comp, The Many Skins Of Bill Bruford, which was such a history lesson for me and convinced me to give this era of Crimson a chance.

Both Lark's and Red employ use of a violinist and even a sax on a few tracks. Songs range from trippy/spacey music of the period to straight forward rock. However, this music doesn't come across as 'dated'. And now I've heard the actual version of 'Larks Tonges in Asic' that I've heard on a couple of live albums and on 3OAPP (which kinda sucks compared to the original). Both CDs have a very vivid sound quality that belies their original release dates and even includes some intersting trade magazine clippings from the period. Both CDs are also vivid pink...I don't know why, they just are. (they remind me of, well...never mind). Like I said, I have heard some of these tunes on live CDs, but with the band's penchant for improv, a newbie would be better off hearing the original first. Vrooom Vrooom was way too busy(and noisy) an album to introduce me to this band and develope an appreciation for them.

But something bugs me. How come no one else ever talks about these albums or King Crimson? I practically had to discover them on my own! You would think that there would be people on this board who'd appreciate a band like King Crimson;-)

[mad rhetorik]

But something bugs me. How come no one else ever talks about these albums or King Crimson? I practically had to discover them on my own! You would think that there would be people on this board who'd appreciate a band like King Crimson;-)

I freakin' love King Crimson (as you can tell by my signature). Troy and Dusty like 'em too, if memory serves, and there's a few more RR regulars that are Krim fans.

Both Lark's and Red employ use of a violinist and even a sax on a few tracks. Songs range from trippy/spacey music of the period to straight forward rock. However, this music doesn't come across as 'dated'.

That's Mel Collins on sax. I think he was in every KC album from In The Court Of The Crimson King to Red. KC's sound is a blend of jazz, fusion, avante-garde classical, metal, and God knows what else, and Collins IMO is an excellent player for the band.

The violinist is David Cross. He technically left the band after Starless And Bible Black, supposedly because he couldn't keep up with the rest of the band although I always thought that he was a pretty damn good violinist. I guess that speaks to the level of talent found in the '70s lineup. He's on one track in Red, titled "Providence" which was a live improv recorded before he left.

I agree that KC's music from this period sounds way ahead of anything else recorded in the early '70s. When you compare it to what, say, Yes were doing, you can easily see how KC was actually making innovative music, and how Yes (and many other bands labeled "prog") was merely justifying their "progressive" tag through lots of pomp and pretentious displays of virtuosity, and it sounds twee and embarrasingly bloated now. Even '80s Krim sounds a little bit "eighties-ish" sometimes (though I still love my copy of Discipline and think Adrian Belew is the band's best vocalist). A lot of newer bands in the "math-metal" and neo-prog genres cite '70s KC as an influence, ex. Meshuggah and Porcupine Tree. KC's newer albums aren't too shabby either, my favorite of their '90s studio albums being THRAK. I think Fripp will continue to throw the music world a few more new curves well into the future, and he's already planning a new lineup (The Power To Believe is supposedly the last album from the current lineup).

[Dusty Chalk]

But something bugs me. How come no one else ever talks about these albums or King Crimson? I practically had to discover them on my own! You would think that there would be people on this board who'd appreciate a band like King Crimson;-)

I freakin' love King Crimson (as you can tell by my signature). Troy and Dusty like 'em too, if memory serves, and there's a few more RR regulars that are Krim fans.

Note winky.

And yes, I love Red, too. Side one is perfect, and "Starless" is my favourite track by them, ever.

[mad rhetorik]

Ditto first side. Ditto "Starless."

Great minds think alike, Dusty. ; P

[DPM]

[But something bugs me. How come no one else ever talks about these albums or King Crimson? I practically had to discover them on my own! You would think that there would be people on this board who'd appreciate a band like King Crimson;-)[/QUOTE]


Talk about Crimson usually escalates when they have a new CD about to be released or are on tour. Right now they've just begun rehearsals for their next recording, so don't expect anything new from them until this fall or winter.

As for me, I've been listening to Crimson since around 1983. My favorite disk is Larks Tongues in Aspic. It's too bad that Jamie Muir (the percussionist) left the band and became a monk. He was quite an asset and a perfect foil for Bruford.

Anyway, if you haven't seen King Crimson live--do so. You won't be sorry.

Dave M

[Troy]

DPM is right, talk about most bands happens when they do something like release a new album or tour.

Personally, I can't abide the sax on Red. Atonal honky blatting. Gives me a headache. The song Red is a monster though, but you should hear the the most recent band play it live.

I don't really like the pre-Belew/Levin version of the band very much at all. Too free-jazzy.

[Dave_G]

I bought almost every Crim album on the 20 bit Fripp remaster format (the mini lp thingies) and sold all of them except Discipline, Beat, and Three...Pair.

The screeching guitar work and wind instruments and general noisy content turned me off of the old stuff. I just can't dig it.

I like the new stuff though.

Still kicking myself for not seeing these dudes live yet.

Dave

[Davey]

But something bugs me. How come no one else ever talks about these albums or King Crimson? I practically had to discover them on my own! You would think that there would be people on this board who'd appreciate a band like King Crimson;-)

Yikes, over 50 posts that mention King Crimson on this new board alone! That's 10 more than for Rave Recs fave Porcupine Tree. Not that there's anything wrong with that.....

[Dusty Chalk]

But something bugs me. How come no one else ever talks about these albums or King Crimson? I practically had to discover them on my own! You would think that there would be people on this board who'd appreciate a band like King Crimson;-)

Yikes, over 50 posts that mention King Crimson on this new board alone! That's 10 more than for Rave Recs fave Porcupine Tree. Not that there's anything wrong with that.....

And again, note winky.

[Davey]

And again, note winky.

OK, so I missed it, what's your point?

Hehehe, yeah, I thought 3-Lock was serious. Not the first time internet humor passed me by.........and probably not the last time either

NP: 2 Sisters Drunk on Each Other - just a ram from the latest Califone album but really digging this song from this week's http://www.splendidezine.com/boombox/default.html

While on the subject of Califone, you'd probably enjoy this little bit of personal goofball trivia - this morning I did a Google search on a Califone phrase and the excerpt under one of the first links that turned up sounded real familiar. It took a few seconds before I realized that the reason was because I was the one who wrote it and the link was to my own Davey's Compilation Warehouse

[Dusty Chalk]

OK, so I missed it, what's your point?

Hehehe, yeah, I thought 3-Lock was serious. Not the first time internet humor passed me by.........and probably not the last time either

I just think it's funny that at least 3 people took that comment seriously. The "again" was not in reference to you, it's just that I had already pointed it out to someone else. I mean, even without the winky, "...I practically had to discover them on my own!..."? I mean, c'mon!

[Dusty Chalk]

While on the subject of Califone, you'd probably enjoy this little bit of personal goofball trivia - this morning I did a Google search on a Califone phrase and the excerpt under one of the first links that turned up sounded real familiar. It took a few seconds before I realized that the reason was because I was the one who wrote it and the link was to my own Davey's Compilation Warehouse

I hate when that happens.

[3-LockBox]

I'm glad at least one of you noticed the winky!

[Dusty Chalk]

I think we've all seen your winky at this point.