King Crimson: Classic Or Dud

I've heard great things about RED, but I've never heard it. Possibly due to the stigma of John Wetton. Even though RED predated Asia by veritable eons, I cannot erase the crime.

Red is ace, and has been discussed here before. The instrumental tracks are the ones that sound less dated - especially the title track and its 'devils interval' backstory.

But I think Wettons vocals on Starless and Red are lovely and I disagree that the placid quietness of them is just 'static' - there is a line on one of the tracks on Starless... 'My Home... was a place by the sea' which I just adore and I've never known why - but it kept popping up in my head when I had my Steve Erickson reading binge a couple of years ago and it has that same mesmeric Erickson quality of difference and strangeness but not different and not strange (ooh thats a hopeless description: Somebody save me here!).

There are three formulas involved in the Larks/Starless/Red tracks - and I think I like them all.

There are the dream-like songs I've already mentioned - all playful repeating echos of other things, and that strange wailing sound which I always imagine is one of them corrugated tubes you wave around your head - but presumably is just frippertronics (it turns up on evening star too). I always thought they were an influence on Nirvana on Nevermind's quiet moments but haven't seen it confirmed that Cobain knew this stuff.

Then there are the agressive ones - Red, the loud bits in Larks part one - the bit in Fracture where it suddenly changes speed. For a prog band they sure conjure with an magikal energy - that stuff sounds great - its a shame that neither the post rockers like Mogwai / Aeorgramme / etc or the Nu Metallers studied that stuff to avoid making their mistakes. Its not just a feature of that period of Crimson though, 21st C on the first album, the bit nicked from Mars on the second have that feel too.

The bits that are left form a third grouping, mainly instrumental and much more passive - but definately not static. The quiet bits of Larks pt1, Trio, Night Watch. Larks overtly references Vaughn Williams and thats a good suggestion of what's going on, Debussy and Satie too. But there is a lack of optimism in those tracks that doesn't sit well with the grace of those influences. They are bleak and hopeless feeling too.

"Easy Money" has this (on the live versions, not the studio version, alas) great (for prog rock, mind you) bit of lyric:

"So I argued with the judge, But the bastard wouldn't budge, 'cause they caught me licking fudge, and they never told me once, you were a minor..."

Mark- Apparently Red is KC's favourite album ever. He also loved the raincoats, having written some brief notes for the reissue of their excellent debut. Even though nirvana sucked he had good taste (though I think that he only said that to piss off the metal fans that bought his music).

Agnes Moorehead, obviously. :)

Ladies of the Road and Formetera Ladies are the clunkers I refered to above btw. Though I think Sinfields worst lyrics are on Still.

Truly unfathomable, I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes. However, it explains much. There's a site where I help write reviews for prog rock albums, and we once received a snippy letter for dissing the Wake of Poseidon album (or at least, not being fanboy-ish enough towards it), and the person, opening up by claiming we had "less wit and culture than an ant" (yep) used much of the material found in the Wake of Poseidon chapter as their defense of the album and its depth. Maybe it was even The Keeper of the onyx-embolden'd-husking-jewelled-warthogs website himself! :)

Cue your golf swing.

Wow... Mind = blown.

Very cool! thx ned

"that's some really wild stuff"

In The Lounge of the Crimson King

More on Belew's fourth-rate David Byrne impersonation - "I repeat myself under stress, I repeat myself under stress." Geddit? Hilarious, eh? Anybody who finds that remotely amusing in any way should be avoided.

Dave Q really killed it on this thread, huh? I like lots of KC but I hardly ever find myself playing them. When I do, it's either Larks' Tongues or Beat.

I think Belew's a pretty terrible lyricist but that was kinda the point, right? The lyrics weren't supposed to stand out. It was all about the music at that point.

Met this guy tonight who said he'd done tarot card readings with Adrian Belew, back in '83 or so

the story just got weirder from there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILSVAUjd5QI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Fripp speaks

excellent...wish it was longer

2009 Crimson, with Porcupine Tree drummer as second drummer, was awesome live.

so, who is buying the 13 CD, 1 DVD, 1 Blu-Ray of Larks' Tongue In Aspic?

http://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm?entry=3916

Just registered for DJM live site just so I could hear a sparse guide track for "Islands" the song. Boz sounds like he's singing into a cheap condenser mike, but otherwise it's quite lovely.

'Islands' is the worst album ever made by anybody.
― dave q, Friday, February 15, 2002 7:00 PM (10 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

NO.

its kind of weird to imagine that King Crimson only played a fixed amount of concerts when they were active. it feels like they're able to just create more and more live bootleg material at will, even if it was phyiscally impossible for them to have played that many dates.

So many of them are pretty dodgy quality though, aren't they?

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/lk/l/w/dd360157ea8e506661983ea7336800bc/4330188.gif

classic:

'released in three separate editions to satisfy the merely curious and the expectant collector'

so, who is buying the 13 CD, 1 DVD, 1 Blu-Ray of /Larks' Tongue In Aspic/?

http://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm?entry=3916

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWaz8xfFjuE

Guess Fripperlips is done for good?

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/king-crimson-robert-fripp-quits-music-business/

Hope he enjoys retirement!

He's been retired for a while, I believe. Couple of years? Also, for what it's worth, he was semi-retired for pretty much the second half of the '70s, too.

Yeah, this is not new news.

Wait, hold up:

A multi-disc deluxe edition of the 1973 Crimson classic ‘Larks’ Tongues in Aspic’ is set for release in October and will include 13 CD’s, a DVD and a Blu-Ray disc.

13 CDs!?!?!

Disc details at the bottom of this page: http://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm

So basically a bunch of live discs previously sold through the site. That's cool though. Band in the Muir era was neat.

Wasn't aware Kanye had sampled "Schizoid Man," which Fripp seems pissed he didn't get paid for. Wonder if he ever paid any royalties for quoting "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" in "Moonchild?"

I figured Fripp was done, but this is the first time I ever heard him say it (I know he said he wasn't going to tour anymore some 4-5 years ago), maybe I'm just not paying attention

Fripp got paid for Schizoid sample, but iirc only after going straight to Kanye and the two of them presenting a united front to the label. He was very careful never to criticize West, even though he could have for not clearing the sample ahead of time.

fripp did an album with mel collins and jakko jakwhatsit last year, so he hasn't been retired for 4 years. it was a bit disappointing, definitely not the new lease on KC I think they were hoping for.

Well it certainly wasnt the new lease on KC I was hoping for.

If the '72-74 lineup reunited I would buy a ticket in about 5 seconds flat. Anything beyond that, I don't really care.

Pretty sure Cross & Wetton are the only ones game for that.

I'd be up for another outing of any other combination that the last 2 though (the Jakko one or previous I mean).

Fripp has such a narrow comfort range anymore that I wouldn't see him live unless he personally invited me into his living room to hear him play. I don't need the grief while he tries to figure out whether he can midwife any music.

Mentioned it before, but the last King Crimson tour I saw - Levin, Belew, Fripp, Mastelotto and the drummer from Porcupine Tree - really was awesome. There was a Fripp-less Crimson that toured with Dream Theater a couple of months ago. Believe it was basically Belew and his all-kid band, plus Levin and Mastelotto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wpTOxb1nFw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGJ_IC8OZMo&feature=relmfu

Looks like every one in a while on tour the drummer from Tool sat in for a few songs as second (third?) drummer.

Why have Belew, Lake, Levin, Gunn, Wetton & Mastelotto never toured together? All of them seem quite happy to tour Crim material sans Fripp.

Straightforward q: what do you guys reckon the best live version of 'Fracture'? I remembered the Asbury Park one killing it, but I just listened to it and was kinda not feeling it so much. Haven't dug out the live box in a while.

The Central Park show the from the folloeing day is to my mind the best, followed by the one of the 2 versions on the Great Deceiver, can't remember which one.

Thx

Central Park = one of the KCCC releases?

i would totally go see any lineup, even without fripp, again. missed the belew/levin retrospective lineup thing last time it went though. I would have loved to have seen 21st century schizoid band also (who jakko was in). I think jakko was the wrong person for fripp to bring in for that last release, he's too much of a follower; he's fine, but not distinctive in any way.

I dunno, any approximation of KC without Fripp seems kind of missing the point. I did see 21st Century Schizoid Band and I thought it was fairly pedestrian

I have a hard time believing Fripp is truly retired.

Retired and working harder than ever. He reminds me of a border collie patiently working the livestock (UMG, Sanctuary, etc) into a corral to be taken to slaughter.

Considering Fripp often lead guitar schools and workshops over the past few decades whose main point appeared to have been indoctrinating students in his precise methods and reshaping them in his (musical) image, it's actually really easy to imagine Crimson without him. Send in the clones!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_in_Central_Park,_NYC
xpost to Jon Lewis

yes but according to him they are all hopeless!

xp

League of Hopeless Guitarists

Anyway, Belew has really been the dominent component over the past three decades. Fripp is awesome, but other dudes are more than capable of doing what he's been doing.

Anyone ever see any of the ProjeKCts? I saw one configuration that was Fripp on guitar (sounding like a marimba), Trey Gunn on bass, and Belew on drums (the entire night!). It kind of sucked, but it was neat to see something different.

Never saw them, but I have the 4CD ProjeKcts box set and I have to say it's given me more listening pleasure than any KC album post-Red.

I'll be on the lookout for that - the whole ConstruKction of Light era is my personal KC nadir so I try to avoid that, though I admit the live recordings of this period are surprisingly good. The improv on Heavy ConstruKction (the three disc set that ends with Fripp snatching and eating some dude's camera) is the best since the Great Deceiver (or better), I'd say

He does that on one of the live albums in this ProjeKcts box as well, can't remember which one. The set is worth hunting down just for the liner notes, which as ever are a total hoot.

Are the liner notes in third person? Fripp is really into that. "At this point our stalwart hero Fripp set down his instrument of choice, took a sip of tea, then flung the remains of the boiling water at the hirsute man in the front with the camera pointed at his face."

I had the box for a while, but it reminded me of the Zappa quote: "why would a first rate guitarist want to sound like a third rate saxophonist?" Except Fripp sounded like a marimba.

holy shit, someone on discogs has uploaded scans of the entire box set, liner notes and all:

http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=703298

Though I haven't listened to them all, for me the most satisfying Projekct release is P3 Live in Alexandria.

http://www.discogs.com/ProjeKct-Three-Live-In-Alexandria-VA-March-3-2003/release/3886963

Belew can't make the gig so they play a Crim set without him. Fripp overcompensates in a good way--everybody's ferocious, and there's a bit more space in the music than you'd normally hear from that lineup.

It gives me incredible melancholia that Fripp hasn't licensed any of this stuff to Spotify. I would never buy the ProjeKct stuff in a million years but would love to go through a few weeks obsessing over it.

On a giant live 1973-4 binge right now, the Night Watch and Great Deceiver sets are incredible.

Around 94-95 Crimson was playing across the street from the bookstore I worked in at the time. Fripp approached me looking for the Financial Times (evidently the only paper he reads, I didn't know that at the time). I timidly asked if he was indeed Fripp as I handed over the pink paper. He replied 'No.'

Such was my brush with greatness. I never got to see the show, which was a shame since that was a good album and tour. Belew also stopped in and was by all accounts an approachable and all-around nice dude.

Fripp's online diary is really charming, I like his utter commitment to being an English Country Gentleman.

one of those groups who seem to be the best band in the world when you hear them first and who get more and more boring with each subsequent listen. this is especially true for the first two records. some of the others have been noodling from the beginning on. that would actually be an interesting criterion to classify bands. those who get better the more you listen to them and those who don't. some get better until a certin point and then you as a listener "exasperate" their music, eg talk talk which i have started to be a little fed up with.

i wanted to say exhaust not exasperate. the ear gets exhausted by the music.

i can definitely sympathize. The Great Deceiver is an awesome set but I question anyone who claims they can listen to all four discs at once.

Isn't all prog rock exhausting after a while? It is for me, maybe it's the earnestness, the focus on craft, and the busy-ness? Too much seriousness and music to handle.

Noticing how each album with a 'fresh' lineup (Court, Larks, Discipline) is usually the best of that lineup, then the quality falls off with each subsequent record, which leads to a breakup, a hiatus, and eventually a new lineup and a new decent record.

Four discs at once a la Zaireeka? That could be interesting! (xpost)

xp: i quite liked beat but it was only the second with the same line-up. but it was quite different from discipline which i don't reember well, wasn't it?

I think each LP in the 80s sequence got more accessible. Discipline has some of the craziest time-signature workouts

your theory would require Red to be the least of the power trio/qtets lineup which, well...

The second half of "Three of a Perfect Pair" is possibly the least accessible of that era of the band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJCuAN9_qXg

Ugh, that reminds me of Eno's Drop which is awful - damn you for destroying my obviously-very-well-thought-out theory ;)

Have some Fripp on cable access being arch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tYgwk_ngek

That "Industry" track is, iirc, an example of Bill Bruford's theory of lead drums.

Can you talk about that Josh? 'bruford lead drums' is kinda ungoogleable

Drums are the lead instrument.

Either that or he means Bruford's Simmons kit swung about as hard as an anvil.

I think his idea was that drummers are always relegated to the backbeat in rock, even in prog, so with Simmons pads in hand (as it were) he wanted to integrate himself into the group as more than just rhythm keeper. I suppose it's not terribly dif. than some free jazz drummers, like Rashied Ali or something, though Bruford was trying to fit it into Fripp's regimented anal-retentive scheme. So while it wasn't really "free" in that sense, he was trying (on tracks like "Industry," at least) to drum differently.

I guess he pursued the idea more forcefully in Earthworks, with the gist that in most bands the drums are the sole acoustic instrument, but in Earthworks, they were the sole electric instrument.

Found this somewhere:

Industrial rock was becoming a genre unto itself in the early 1980s; the German group Einsturzende Neubauten used power drills, jackhammers, broken glass, elevator springs, and toy keyboards on their 1981 debut album Kollaps. King Crimson IV toyed with the concept: several songs ("Indiscipline," "Neurotica," "Dig Me," "No Warning") contained an imaginative array of metallic clashes, clangs, sirens, factory sounds, and the like. One instrumental, "Industry," was a dedicated study in nuanced noise: over an ominous one-pitch bass ostinato repeating every nine beats unfolds, with rising intensity, a succession of guitar synthesizer layers, spasmodic drum fills, mechanical sound effects, orchestroid outbursts, and sky-saws. "Industry," a brilliantly effective tableau, may sound improvised, but Belew said it was the result of much pre-planning: "Bill had the idea of the orchestral snare drum. Robert and I developed all the guitar ideas very carefully - the harmonies and things. It's supposed to give you a feeling of walking through a factory."

Not necessarily supporting my memory of Bruford's theory, just interesting.

Wow, a wealth of stuff here:http://www.progressiveears.com/frippbook/ch09.htm

The name of the new group was to be Discipline. For a bass player, Bruford suggested Jeff Berlin, with whom he had worked extensively. Eavesdropping on a Bruford/Berlin session, Fripp was impressed but decided their collective style was not what he wanted - it was too, as he put it, "busy." So with Belew on tour with Talking Heads, in February 1981 Fripp and Bruford went to New York in search of a bassist. At the auditions, Bruford would pop in a cassette of a 17/8 riff and the would-be Discipline bassist would be asked to play it back. This in itself was sufficient to sort out as it were the men from the boys, but Fripp was also looking for a certain quality in the very person of the bassist.

As far as the music was concerned, Fripp's main battles were with Bruford, over finding an appropriate drumming style. Fripp described Bruford as a vigorous and expressive drummer with a never-ending flow of ideas; the problem for Fripp was how to get Bruford to calm down, to play less, to trust that the music's structure called not for lots of fancy fills and dramatic, dynamic phrase articulations but rather for restraint, control, and less busy-ness. Fripp was concerned that the rhythmic subtleties of the guitar, bass, and stick parts not be covered up by drum thrashing. In a long list of suggestions for Bruford, which he published for the world to see in his Musician column, Fripp advised, "If you fill space, you deprive the band of space, or other musicians the opportunity for filling space."

Of Fripp's list of suggestions for his drumming, Bruford said, in a 1982 interview, "It starts out as a stream of negatives first off, which cracks many a lesser man. 'Don't do this, don't do that, and I suggest you don't do this. By the way, I also recommend you don't do that.' You're in a prison and you've got to find your way out of things. I quite like that. I must be a masochist or something, but I don't feel right unless I'm imprisoned and told to find a way around it. That's the challenge."

With Belew, Fripp's concern was the reverse: how to coax him out into the open, how to encourage him to contribute genuine aspects of his own musical personality to a group which he initially felt was playing at a level way over his head. It was up to Belew to deliver lyrics and vocal lines for existing instrumentals the group had worked up, and in time he began to find his voice. Fripp was constantly impressed with Levin's musicianship and personal qualities; the bass player, whom Fripp described as the best he'd ever worked with, seemed to have a certain solid, silent strength. Fripp wrote that "Tony is always on: he doesn't seem to have our concerns."

"Bruford said, in a 1982 interview, "It starts out as a stream of negatives first off, which cracks many a lesser man. 'Don't do this, don't do that, and I suggest you don't do this. By the way, I also recommend you don't do that.'"

This list is included in the reissue liners for Discipline. "If you have an idea, don't play it."

Ha, thank you google, here it is:

1. Any existing solution is a problem to a problem is a wrong one; absolutem, obsoletum.
2. If you have an idea, don't play it.
3. When a change in the music needs emphasis, don't play it. The change in the music is emphasis enough.
4. Don't phrase with any other member of the band unless it's in the part.
5. Phrasing in the part should include no more than two people.
6. If the tension in the music needs emphasizing, don't. The tension is there because of what you're playing, not what you're about to play.
7. If you really have to change your part to build tension, don't add - leave out.
8. The maximum tension you can add is by stopping completely.
9. If there is space for a fill which is demanded by the music, don't play it; there are three other people who would like to use the opportunity.
10. If the part you're playing is boring, stop listening with your head.
11. If this still bores you, listen to the interaction between all parts.
12. If this still bores you, stop playing and wait until you are no longer bored.
13. Do not be dramatic.
14. Do not be afraid to repeat yourself.
14. Do not be afraid to take your time.

Boy, what a negative list, Let's be positive about this:
1. Repeat yourself.
2. Take your time.
3. Leave room.
4. Listen to everybody else.
5. Develop a new set of cliches.
6. Develop a new vocabulary of drum sounds.
7. Listen to the sound of what you play.
8. Accept responsibility for what you play; e.g.: if you fill space, you deprive the band of space or other musicians the opportunity of filling space.
9. Abandon fills.
10. Abandon drama.
11. Abandon dynamics.
12. Conceal yourself.

I am no drummer but anytime I've some up with a big list of "don'ts" I think of that little aside at the end. "Boy, what a negative list."

WEIRDLY it's the same advice they give teachers when making class rules!? (To have a few positive rules instead of a big list of don'ts.) I had to attend all these workshops, do assignments, on 'how will you make your class rules' and all I could think of was Fripp bossing Bruford around. Actually half of those positive rules would be ones I would be ok w/for my classroom.

2. Take your time.
3. Leave room.
4. Listen to everybody else.
7. Listen to the sound of what you play.
8. Accept responsibility for what you play

class is in

I have been playing Discipline & Three of a Perfect Pair LIKE CRAZY, NONSTOP lately. And watching youtubes of live performances from that era. I saw a youtube comment where a guy said Discipline got him through his first year of teaching and I wanted to write him with a very heartfelt ME TOO but it just seemed too much.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6TM5i3fdty4/TnJv2LJlHrI/AAAAAAAABLo/de1bJBhp_C8/s1600/heat_bill_buford.jpg

I had a disappointing couple of months a while back – every bookstore I'd go to I'd see dozens of Bill Buford's HEAT on remainder. And I'd misread the author's name and get excited – it *looks* and *has a name* like it's trying to ape the cover of Discipline or Beat. And just one missing R in the name. So deceptive!!!

What's the best live document covering their 80s output (which is also my fave)?

Absent Lovers

Live at the Pier is quite good as well--it's from the 82 tour.

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=26599

I've always loved Fripp's list of rules even though they are extreme. The idea that multiple members of a band shouldn't all play the same part is a really hard thing for many rock musicians to swallow. It's kind of like the anti-Nirvana concept. I would love to play in a band that had ground rules like this.

one of those groups who seem to be the best band in the world when you hear them first and who get more and more boring with each subsequent listen.

I had the opposite experience. KC really grew on me.

it would be hilarious to set bands up with that list cold, and watch them just stand there silently in fear of breaking one of the rules

I remember hearing a great story of Belew trying out for Bowie's band. They had him do "Heroes" and he struggled to do the song justice. It was only at the end that they told him the studio version was several guitars, after Belew had done his best to approximate all parts at once.

http://www.snopes.com/music/media/guitar.asp

Absent Lovers is great. My MP3s of it became corrupt on a decaying DVD-R so I really should get out there and replace it. A live version of 'Red'!

Ahhhh hah ha that Heat book upthread is cracking me up, imagining the Tuscan butcher as Fripp

Will track down Absent Lovers

I had Absent Lovers when it was a bootleg back in the early 90s -- the version of "ToaPP" is particularly awesome. Pretty sure it's their last concert before breaking up.

The '82 tour discs (collectors club releases, all) have fripp ripping into some pretty expansive versions of the Sheltering Sky, as well better-than-the-album takes on the Beat tracks.

That was kinda easy

Daaaaaaaamn this is fierce

Compare and contrast, quartet vs. double trio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdlbkVWYmW4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ_72lms-OM

Shockingly, '90s fashion more '80s than '80s fashion.

This is the lineup, from 2008, I wish stuck around: Fripp, Belew, Levin, Pat and Gavin from Porcupine Tree, who brings so much. And none of that lame Trey Gunn dude.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w0vxQ-ueCI

Like, listen to the drums on this one alone ...

'absent lovers' is so much better than the '80s studio records, i listened to it a ton in college. listening to that youtube it sounds, uh, nerdier than i remember but still amazing.

Level 5 is by far the best of the latter-day Larks Tongues sequels

I thought The Power to Believe as a whole was quite underrated as a record.

I played those two Frame By Frames at the same time. Really gorgeous, but you have to be clever with the pause button.

dectet

Power To Believe, like so much of KC's studio stuff, is surpassed by contemporaneous live material. I think you can even hear the crowd noise on the "studio" version of Level 5.

That Larks' box set:

http://www.dgmlive.com/diary/photos/13oct6v.jpg

The idea of Fripp and Toyah on a celebrity game show, even for charity, is doing my head in. I hope somebody records this and puts it on youtube.

http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep2week19/all-star-mr-mrs

http://www.dgmlive.com/diary/photos/T&R.jpg

I recall being similarly surprised when he turned up on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! to welcome back Toyah (who had just been evicted). He was really relaxed on it, too.

Sort of reminds me of when Faith No More's drummer was a contestent on "Who Wants to be A Millionaire:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_iNK0mBKrQ

His buddy he brought along is "Robert, Rob Trujillo.

I'm kind of not surprised that Fripp would be on a show like this. He's a surprisingly funny and entertaining guy in his own weird way.

maybe he will announce boastfully that he did it for the tail
that seems to be his way

Footage from Koyaanisqatsi set to "The Court of the Crimson King":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2dgtXzNhgo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1tYgwk_ngek

Sorry, been drinkin'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tYgwk_ngek

The Internet provides

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64VGyoIyBgc

The overdubbed Soundscape is pure class.

That's lovely. Who would ever guess Robert Fripp was such a heartwarming ol' softy?

There's something both kind of sad but also completely predictable and, yes, sweet about Fripp and Toyah not having kids. Having worshiped Fripp for so long as a teenager, I can totally see why the thought of him as someone's dad is horrifying. But there's also something kind of sad about someone for whom culture, mum and "what is proper" not having the chance to pass that along as a parent. OTOH, it's abundantly clear that these two not only love each other deeply but have a rip-roaring sex life, so...

I actually had some suspicions that Fripp was a pretty chill guy; I think he just is very particular about his own work and doesn't really care about his own image. In interviews he usually comes off as a bit snobbish but if you read closer he uses a lot of self-depreciating humor.

That game show clip has a serious lack of guitar shredding.

<333333333333333

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPQwbBEr_vQ

Incredible final comment from Fripp (well, Robert Fripp), set-up around the 9-minute mark.

Wow/ugh, I've never seen him in this context before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3FUcSHeJJg

yeah fripp toured with those guys a few years ago. I know he opened with soundscapes to the massive yawns of most of the attendees. I didn't go, kind of which I had.

I understand he was often booed, too. In a recent Mojo interview he was actually apologetic. He said he'd practiced hard to keep up with the shredders during the concluding jam, but figured (incorrectly) that he was free to do something more mediative during his opening set.

why does metalheads never want 2 chill

They're all so hyperactive. There's a dude I know who turns out to be a Berklee educated secret shredder. He seems pretty mellow, but his office walls are adorned with all these stupid 10-string guitars in ugly shades of black and neon green, with silly active pick-ups and spider web decals and crap like that. Outliers in his tastes are the Cure and Zappa, but he's the kind of guy who can listen to Yngwie un-ironically. And I can't even imagine doing it for a laugh. I know, despite being a Cure fan - or maybe specifically because of it - he hates the Smiths, but I wonder if he at least recognizes that Johnny Marr is an awesome guitarist? Or that Robert Fripp is so equally, uniquely awesome? Or that Richard Thompson is a more talented, more creative guitarist than most of his "Flight of the Bumblebee" shredder favea?

Then again, guitarists like Satriani and Vai have session/studio backgrounds. They can play anything and are confortable with lots of different music. Which means they play the shit they play on purpose and by preference.

they have bad taste inherently but every once in a while do something great; like that steve vai solo in PIL's "ease" which is one of my favorite guitar solos ever

I like a few Yngwie albums. When he's got a good vocalist on board, he can put out some quality metal.

Gah, the vocalists are often what kills what little these sorts of dudes have to offer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6i6Pbpc0z4

ok, Street Lethal is kind of badass, sort of like Judas Priest with additional hyperactive guitar. The Paul Gilbert solo is the low point of the song really, just an undifferentiated mass of super fast licks with no discernable phrasing or emotion.

Nah, this song sucks for many of the reasons you point out. Is it a boilerplate Priest song ruined by the shredding? Or a shredder outing ruined by the sub-Priest vox?

I'm ok with the sub-Priest vox, but ymmv

I've had a certain admiration for Vai since seeing him with Zappa Plays Zappa. I keep meaning to give Flexable a proper listen. I give Satriani some props for writing a tune with Verdi's 'enigmatic scale'. Wasn't Sonic Youth his favourite band in the 90s? I don't listen to any of this on the regular, though, esp when Pat Metheny keeps cranking out new albums.

yngwie was on NPR the other day and was interesting to listen to (talk, not play). I guess he has an autobiography out.

Hey Steve Vai:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0iq8q92swY

About the only thing that could get me to start cheering for Whitesnake to start playing again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evmb46sjhc4

I interviewed Yngwie a few years ago. I have the magazine it appeared in at home. If I remember/have time, I'll transcribe some of the choicer quotes.

Gents,

Please take the Yngwie talk to another thread.

KTHXBYE.

$3,440.61!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-King-Crimson-In-the-Court-of-the-Crimson-King-Rare-1st-A1-B1-VG-EX-/190836652566?pt=UK_Records&hash=item2c6ec03a16

Let me bring this thread back to realness if I may

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZB9-pBAv4c

Nice! I love Fripp's occasional death-stare into the camera.

I was blown away to read in the aforementioned Mojo interview that Fripp pretty much charts everything out, Zappa-style.

?

that may be the only 73-74 era KC set I've ever heard without "Easy Money"

Truncated for TV I'd imagine. Blazing version of starless and nice sound quality

Man, the Blind Lemon Pledge-style solo kills me every time. Also the ICAVDBP (International Conspiracy Against Visual Depictions of Bass Playing) reaches evil new heights here, offering more close-up screen time to Wetton's ass than his right hand.

the proper scarey 70s Crimson

heh

?

All the KC guitar parts and stuff, they're apparently written out and notated, composed, as opposed to worked out live or in the studio.

BTW, have any of you heard or heard of this guitarist?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1iJfr0DqUk#!

She's awesome.

But he only writes out his guitar parts? Or does/did he write out the whole composition and give parts to everyone? I thought that's what Zappa did but didn't think KC worked that way.

I wonder if he wrote out his solos on Eno and Bowie albums.

(Why does that blow your mind?)

Thanks for Mollestad link btw!

Given how famous 73-4 KC in particular were for their improvs I very much doubt everything was written down.

Josh, your reading comprehension is questionable. In the interview (http://www.moredarkthanshark.org/eno_int_mojo-feb13.html), he's talking about composing material in written form, not handing out written charts for everyone to follow.

man watching a young Bruford is really something else

Yeah that was the highlight of the vid. Watching him dig into the fast section of lament I felt like I was really hearing him think "this is the music I really want to be playing", as corny as that sounds.

My reading comprehension is terrible! But:

So how, as main writer, did Fripp compose? "Manuscript, pencil, guitar and write it down as it flows by," he says. He nips into the next room and comes back with a sheaf of handwritten scores, which he presents. "Can you remember Red, the opening bars? It was originally part of Blue and it's written here. There are bass parts written out for Red, for strings and overdubbing. Here you have The Battle Of Glass Tears and Cirkus from Lizard. The original parts for Schizoid Man are in here, the fast breaks," he says, singing along.

Here he's talking about writing things out for guitar, blues, strings ... what did I miss? What's the difference between composing in written form and handing out charts? Why else would he be notating bass, strings, etc?

I wonder if he wrote out his solos on Eno and Bowie albums.

Famously, these were all pretty much spontaneous, The solos in "St. Elmo's Fire" and "Baby's On Fire" were the product of minimal direction. Much of "Heroes" was pretty one take, iirc, and I believe "Scary Monsters" he cranked out in a couple of quick sessions with very little forethought.

The Belew story I heard re: "Lodger," by the way, was similar to how he said "Remain in Light" was made; he was basically told to just play a bunch of stuff, and those noises and solos were moved around and stuck in weird places during the editing process, well after he was done.

So that quote is the second time I've heard mention of "Blue" which obviously never came to fruition. Does anyone on this thread know more of that story? Did it become something else later?

He's got scores with bits and parts, not full arrangements. He writes down the bits to remember them and show them to the players -- which is normal, and a very different thing from handing out full complete arrangements. He liked to compose with pen and paper, other dudes use tape recorders. He never says he wrote out everybody's parts, and none of those players would have stayed if he had.

Eh, I think you're being as pedantic as I was being generalizing. The fact that he writes out any of his parts is impressive to me, but perfectly in line with his precise nature.

none of those players would have stayed if he had.

Though to be fair, stability and longevity has not been a KC hallmark!

Are the three early '80s records the longest he went with the same line-up?

You can't forget that Fripp comes from a supper club jazz kind of background, and non-specific charts are pretty normal for that world.

I wonder how imposing the King Crimson fake book is.

xp - it definitely was. Beat and Power to Believe are the only two KC albums with the same lineup as the previous one (and Beat is IIRC the only studio album without a title track)

I think the Fripp/Belew/Gunn/Mastelotto lineup might win out timewise, but just barely.

Yeah, if so, just barely. Never liked Gunn in the band ...

I still say the abandoned (final?) lineup with Gavin Harrison from Porcupine Tree was soooooooo awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtTUxPPGp-c

This is more indicative:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w0vxQ-ueCI

xp - it definitely was. Beat and Power to Believe are the only two KC albums with the same lineup as the previous one (and Beat is IIRC the only studio album without a title track)

― frogbs, Thursday, May 23, 2013 2:57 PM (32 minutes ago)

TOAPP has the same lineup as Beat

I was gonna say

Yeah, if so, just barely. Never liked Gunn in the band

I didn't either until I started really digging into the Projekcts. I appreciated him alot more afterward. What I have never cottoned to is Mastelotto.

Again, seeing him with Harrison made all the difference.

You know, I don't think I've ever had more reservations, exceptions, and conditions about music that I've loved so wholeheartedly than with KC. And nearly everyone I've ever encountered who's a diehard fan has expressed something similar. I think it must be inbuilt.

Was that the only show/stand that band ever did?

You know, I don't think I've ever had more reservations, exceptions, and conditions about music that I've loved so wholeheartedly than with KC. And nearly everyone I've ever encountered who's a diehard fan has expressed something similar. I think it must be inbuilt.

― "Turkey In The Straw" coming from someplace in the clouds (Sparkle Motion), Thursday, May 23, 2013 4:45 PM (54 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm. they are the worst best band.

great lyrics tho gotta give em that

xxxp - oh yeah, I knew that. originally I was going to say that the 80's band was the only consistent one but I had forgotten about the 00's band. pretty nuts that it took them that long to get any stability on that front. it's not like Yes where they'd replace one member per album or whatever either, the 1969-1974 KC was really four different bands and then the Discipline era was something else entirely.

hence why talking about this band can be difficult. in general when most people refer to "King Crimson" they think of the 73-74 band. I had a shirt with the back cover of Red and someone told me they loved Crimson back in the day but thought the cover was referring to Discipline...he said "they had a red one, a blue one, and a yellow one", completely unaware of their first run.

ha! I love that era but it really does feel like a different band to me

great lyrics tho gotta give em that

― Pasty, British & Shit (wins), Thursday, May 23, 2013 1:49 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I assumed he was being very dryly sarcastic

You never can tell where KC fans are going to come down

not trolling, no, just assuming that all other fans will know immediately that I'm not in earnest. I was trying to prove your point!

I love it
There are a few lyrics here and there that I like.

that '70s video is great, just watching bruford play starless & bible black. i had forgotten how much i've stolen from him.

Also love that he's playing a four-piece kit. Suck it, other prog drummers.

his kit sounds amazing too.

Clang!

One of my favorite bits on the Great Deceiver is right before one track somebody screams "EAT YOUR HEART OUT BILLY COBHAM"

Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word ...

http://electricflower.ucoz.com/_bl/0/95868.jpg

Because any excuse is a good excuse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYBTBv_h4CQ

In an interview Cobham once said he practiced his press rolls on a quarter placed against a wall, his sticks keeping it stuck there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYBTBv_h4CQ

So that quote is the second time I've heard mention of "Blue" which obviously never came to fruition. Does anyone on this thread know more of that story? Did it become something else later?

intriguing, could you elaborate?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9c/MilesDavisKindofBlue.jpg/220px-MilesDavisKindofBlue.jpg

huh, not caring much for bowie ('low' mainly and the earlier singles) i never knew fripp played guitar on 'heroes'. i'm not very familiar with it but i would have thought fripp's distinctive sound would have been noticeable.

my mind is still totally blown by him appearing on mr & mrs. introduced as "toyah wilcox's husband, robert" and then just a quick mention about him being a renowned guitarist.

The guitar on "Heroes" sounds pretty Frippy to me? In his more ambient mode anyway. He's all over Scary Monsters too btw.

Tbh, I'm kind of blown away by rock guys who can write, remember, and play all their repertoire WITHOUT writing it down.

Yeah, Fripp's distinctive sound is pretty evident to me on "Heroes", you sure know it is him, but he plays a lot less notes than when he solos full-on (so yeah, closer to him in ambient mode, somewhere in between ...).

i've listened to a fair amount of his soundscape stuff, i guess i just associate his sound with a lot more presence instead of wafting around atmospherically.

that guitar doesn't waft around atmospherically. it's the sound that carries the entire melody

hey, i'm just telling you, it seems wafty to me.

It's not like the guitar synth Soundscapes stuff but that main distorted line could have fit on Evening Star imo.

The "Heroes" line is pretty Frippy to me, though not as jagged as his other stuff, like on the Eno records or Scary Monsters.

It's not an Ebow!: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct04/articles/classictracks.htm

Here is the dreadful video for the dreadful single edit of Sleepless: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0OPmVg7l-s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0OPmVg7l-s

Yeah, Fripp never used the E-Bow for his sound. Just loud, precise swells of guitar.

Incidentally, the humming guitar line on "With Or Without You" is also not an E-Bow.

Well, I knew that was Michael Brook's 'infinite guitar'. I don't know too much about the technical details of that innovation but it's basically designed to do what an Ebow does, to allow notes to sustain indefinitely, right? I find it more striking that Fripp was able to calculate feedback at specific locations to such a precise degree that he was able to do this with a regular guitar and amp.

Because Fripp is a genius and Brook is a problem solver. But yeah, it does what the EBow does, but electronically, vs. physically. It just makes it all the more striking when you hear either Fripp's Frippertronics stuff with Eno, or something like his solo on "St. Elmo's Fire."

Someone should mash up Fripp's 'St Elmo's Fire' solo and John Parr's 'Theme from St. Elmo's Fire'.

Fripp's diary is entertaining for the occasional mysteries and cliffhangers. What is/are the "non-industry dispute(s)"? I gather one of them was a family squabble regarding the settlement of the Willcox estate following the passing of Toyah's parents. And then there was the one about some J.G. Bennett follower making money off of his name in ways that Fripp and others found objectionable.

And then this, after weeks of inactivity:

Oh no! Oh no! Coming down into the Cellar last night, jet-lagged, the external HD with my working files fell off the computer. El crumpo! down the stairs. Oh no! Oh no!

Not much I could do with this in the early hours, dribbling and pitiful, so rising at 10.00 and straight over to Bredonborough Computers. They called shortly afterwards: not. Terror! Horror! Awfulness arising!

........

The call has just come in: the second HD data recovery expert has been unable to recover data from the HD, but he is optimistic. Next step: off to the top-line characters.

Is The Writing Project derailed yet again? Will we never learn the true depth of Sam Alder's evil? Tune in tomorrow, or next week, or next month!

That which passes should upload to the cloud.

Fripp's latest diary entry hints at the possibility of KC on iTunes.

I've owned these albums on vinyl, cassette, CD, remastered CD, boxed sets, fan club CD, re-remastered CD, 5.1 DVD, so it's a relief to learn that I might one day own them on MP3 as well.

http://www.dgmlive.com/diaries.htm?entry=24091

Crimson Mk. VIII is go, apparently, a 3-drummer lineup including Bill Rieflin.

excellent

thats crazy, I thought for sure that Fripp was done for good with this

Huh. So who the hell is in this? He says four Brits and three Americans, so ... Belew, Rieflin, Levin? No more Pat? Who would the other two drummers be, then? Gavin Harrison and ... ? The other drummer would have to be British, too. Which still leaves two Brits, Fripp and ... ?

I guess Rieflin is the only confirmed member besides Fripp, with Tony Levin more than likely. Via Fripp 9/5: "Into the Cellar for an important call to T Lev. According to Tony, the call made his day, week and year."

I dont know what the logistics of such a lineup would be, is the idea to have a King Crimson UK and a King Crimson US? And to what extent will Steven Wilson be involved?

I think the likely UMG settlement after 5+ years of fighting is the bigger news, really.

I don't think Wilson will be involved, I imagine. At least not until they remix the new album in 5.1 in 15 years. But then the question remains, who are the three American and four Brits? Levin is a go, and Rieflin is a go ... I can't imagine Crimson without Belew at this point, though such a thing could be refreshing. Wilson could conceivably be great as guitar number two, and I can't imagine he could say no to being in Crimson.

Fripp talent strike puts him in the running with Fogerty for most dramatic label dispute.

I'm guessing Jakko is in, what has he got to do?

It would be amazing if they could corral one of the original members! Can't imagine that Fripp would do it though.

I don't think he's on bad terms with any of them except Sinfield.

Best news of the day

Well, it's really curious! Assuming Belew and Levin and knowing it's Rieflin, that's Fripp plus three other Brits, two of them drummers! But if it's Jakko that would imply no Belew.

And yet, Belew is already booked to tour his King Crimson ProjeKCt in 2014, which would be weird if he was not in Crimson.

love these tracks based on samples of 'Moon Child':

http://exclaim.ca/News/cock_swan_hit_kickstarter_to_fund_vinyl_release_share_ep_made_of_king_crimson_samples

Though it looks like Belew is busy:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EjRKiWPBAkY/UXWkQMVdpRI/AAAAAAAABLU/h44e-eSOJ0A/s640/blogger-image-701532764.jpg

I was under the impression Fripp had fallen out with Belew. I would be very happy if Belew wasn't in this. Wilson would be fab but he's pretty busy w/his solo career.

I think Belew did a lot for the band in the 80's and on THRAK but I can't imagine he has much to give to King Crimson, especially since his solo albums as of late have used a lot of those ideas

If Belew is out then they need a singer and 2nd guitarist. Wilson would fit the bill perfectly.

Wilson doesn't seem like the right fit, as a singer or guitarist, and he does seem pretty busy. I still put my money of Gavin Harrison being a part of this, so there's your Porcupine Tree quota.

My only thought is that the lack of Belew means pretty much all new material. I know Belew never sang any of the old Crimson stuff, and I assume no singer would do his stuff, either. Which means a couple of decades of stuff off the table. I'm guessing new Crimson will pretty much ignore much of Crimson I through VI or whatever.

If Belew is out then they need a singer and 2nd guitarist. Wilson would fit the bill perfectly.

Again, or Jakko.

I'm not going to take 2 guitarists as a given.

I know Belew never sang any of the old Crimson stuff

He did on occasion, e.g.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhDnxovZNNA

Fripp, Levin, Mastellotto, Rieflin, Harrison seem to be safe-ish bets, leaving 2 Brits to be named. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Wetton is one of them.

New King Crimson Line-Up Confirmed

The 8th incarnation of King Crimson will be Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Mel Collins, Jakko Jakszyk and Robert Fripp.

More at http://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm?entry=4335

I guess I'm cool with that. Belew is such a dominant personality that it's nice to give someone else a chance for once.

Mel Collins

!

No belew is good belew from where I'm standing.

I'd be fine if they played nearly all new material with maybe a couple of newly resurrected tracks. My guess is they'll start by reworking stuff off of Scarcity of Miracles, which doesn't sound especially appealing.

From Fripp's diary in 2010:

Following recent diarizing on possible trajectories & processes in my musical life, one possible way of moving forward after the collapse of the KC Celebratory Crimsonising was for ProjeKct Seven to go live. A main part of P7 as conceived was to have been the players of JFC – JFCL&H. I saw how the business might be arranged to support rehearsals & live, with Gaucho Productions as the business entity and performances in the UK & Spain. This was fully discussed with Don Hernan of Gaucho Productions. Who knows where P7 might have gone?

JFCL&H=Jaksyk, Fripp, Collins, Levin & Harrison. Looks like this was the germ of an idea whose time has finally come.

Fripp's obvious respect for Jakszyk notwithstanding, I'm not too excited about this pick. I saw him as part of 21st Century Schizoid Band and wasn't too impressed. This is like that bloke from a Judas Priest tribute band who ended up fronting Judas Priest.

I haven't liked Jakko in anything yet either. Still I'm very curious how this will sound and I really hope it is not anything like Scarcity of Miracles.

^^^this

Too bad Wetton isn't involved, was looking forward to hearing a five minute frippertronics break in the middle of "Heat of the Moment"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxnKhClqJrc

Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Mel Collins, Jakko Jakszyk and Robert Fripp.

jakko being the bum note, but maybe the material will be better than that last record

I've never seen Crimson. I don't care who's in it. I'm so there.

Would have been cool if Fripp reconvened with David Sylvian.

All morning before the lineup became apparent I was doing Fantasy Crimson Draft with a few other folks. My lineup was Rieflin/Giles/Muir/Levin/Lake/Wetton/Fripp

It'll be interesting to see if they tour Europe. Back in 2008 when KC VII briefly toured the US, Fripp said that touring Europe presented insurmountable difficulties.

That's probably Fripp-talk for "they wouldn't pay us enough."

I thought KC VII was soooo awesome live. That's why I'm really excited about Harrison being in the fold; he was an awesome pairing with Pat. I have no idea how Rieflin fits in this, given Harrison alone is like two drummers, but the first Rieflin solo album "Birth of a Giant" (with Fripp and Trey Gunn) was great.

Repercussions of Angelic Behavior was pretty good. I've not heard Birth of A Giant. Hopefully BR will steer whatever they develop in an interesting direction. I tried to give Scarcity of Miracles another go and man it is not good. I've got no beef with smooth but that was too smooth for its own good.

For all the talk on this thread and elsewhere about how crummy Scarcity of Miracles was, the few tracks I've hunted down on YouTube sound pretty good to me. It definitively has the feel of a research project the way League of Gentlemen did – there's nothing earth-shattering. But it's refreshing to hear Fripp ditch the nü-metal thrashing he adopted in the last few decades for his rock projects (as kind of an "updated" Larks Tongue-era sound). Instead, it's kind of a throwback in a lot of ways to the first few marks of KC, when they were more overtly jazzbo, with a touch of Listen Now!-era Manzanera in the songwriting and plaintive singing (Collins was on that as well).

So color me kind of excited about what this could mean for the big group.

I know what you mean but the fact that there are three drummers doesn't augur well. The potential for nu-metal thraashing is quite high, I fear.

I'm not so sure. Seek out audio of Pat and Gavin at work the last go 'round.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtTUxPPGp-c

Then here's Rieflin at perhaps his most sympatico:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM5DOSC0jUo

Or maybe even more so this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zQ9bu0ASZI

I do like the idea that two of the drummers are best known for Mr. Mister/XTC and R.E.M.

tbh mastelotto is best known for crimson these days

And yet, more people can sing "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie" than anything by KC!

Just making fun of Mister Mister. Looks like Paul Fox really liked Pat. Besides XTC he did that one Too Much Joy album and also "Stick Around for Joy" by the Sugarcubes, or at least bits of them.

I still think Rieflin is the awesome x-factor here. He's a great drummer, but he can also play a bit of everything, and he sings pretty much just like David Sylvian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Siba1wuCaS0

Here he is playing piano with Chris Connelly, covering Robert Wyatt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WS0eH7ZGW4

Playing guitar with Robyn Hitchcock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRDATNvtZCo

And just because holy shit, the insanity of Ministry live in 1990:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGj-MgNwLyE

His work as Hitchcock's usual drummer since 2006 has been amazing, ESPECIALLY live.

i used to love reading rieflin's blog in the early '00s.

And yet, more people can sing "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie" than anything by KC!

Just making fun of Mister Mister. Looks like Paul Fox really liked Pat. Besides XTC he did that one Too Much Joy album and also "Stick Around for Joy" by the Sugarcubes, or at least bits of them.

I still think Rieflin is the awesome x-factor here. He's a great drummer, but he can also play a bit of everything, and he sings pretty much just like David Sylvian:



Here he is playing piano with Chris Connelly, covering Robert Wyatt:



Playing guitar with Robyn Hitchcock:



And just because holy shit, the insanity of Ministry live in 1990:



Good stuff.

So, with the Rieflin/Gunn/Fripp record siunding like Soundscapes plus big rolling drum parts, and Scarcity being more lyrical, with flutes and whatnot, I still think this has the chance to be interesting.

Also, because it's awesome:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE1VzGLzYmM&sns=em

Belew on Facebook:

questions and answers.

q: are you in the new King Crimson planned for next september 2014?

a: no. after 32 years I am no longer in King Crimson.

q: were you asked to be in the new King Crimson?

a: no, I was not. robert informed me in an email that he was starting a 7-piece version of the band. he said I would not be right for what the band is doing.

q: so, how do you feel?

a: "happy with what I have to be happy with". which is quite a lot.

I'm busy creating something I've wanted to create all my life, something which has never been done. FLUX: never the same twice. creatively I'm exploding with new ideas, songs, and music. in 60 days I'll be touring south america with my beloved Power Trio and next spring I'll be touring europe with Crimson Project, which is a celebration of the crimson music
tony, pat, and I have help create. life is great.

q: what would you like to say to crimson fans about the new King Crimson?

a: my advice is to check it out and if you like it: support it.
and on that note: thanks to all of you for your continued support of my music.
cheers!

whoa

xtc, REM, mr mister, and jakko was in level 42. it's the alternate pop 80's crim

I gave scarcity of miracles another listen, still kind of boring. jakko's solo album bruised romantic glee club is way more interesting actually.

Jakko was also in the Kinks for a short while, replacing Dave Davies. He's on some of their early 90s BBC recordings, which means for a brief period there was a Kinks with only one original member.

That email must've been awesome.

i wouldn't complain if they did this live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQMPGT1EoHA

Just for fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8NpBWPL93s

All morning before the lineup became apparent I was doing Fantasy Crimson Draft with a few other folks. My lineup was Rieflin/Giles/Muir/Levin/Lake/Wetton/Fripp

― "Turkey In The Straw" coming from someplace in the clouds (Sparkle Motion)

So the cats out of the bag but we should all probably post our respective 7-Man King Crimson Fantasy Draft Picks anyways:

Bruford, Harrison, Collins, Cross, Wetton, Hall, Fripp

fripp, sylvian, levin, harrison.

oh that's no 7. then collins and . . . . dunno. rieflin I guess.

Bill Rieflin is pretty much become one of those six degree of separation kind of musicians. He's played with a ton of different people and really all over the place. The guy has did a whole lot of stuff since he was one of the house drummers at Wax Trax.

I just heard both of the Crimson Jazz Trio albums (which is Ian Wallace and a pianist and bassist) and they are really awesome. Highly, highly, highly recommended.

if you like jazz that is.

both good, 2nd one squeaks by due to the Islands Suite. RIP Ian Wallace, it was really a good setting for him

I like the arrangement of One Time a lot on the 2nd one and Islands is great; the Islands material really shines in these arrangements. I read somewhere that Fripp considers these the only covers that add something new to the originals and I agree.

Yes, he seemed to be quite appreciative of the project. They really chose a good range of material. I'd like to read some Jazz-centric reviews of the records to get that side of things.

Listening to Vol 1 nonstop, cheers for hipping me to these

I didn't even know this existed!

That little "Larks Tongues" boxed set was for chumps:

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/king-crimson-the-road-to-red-24-disc-box-full-track-listing/

man, 10 years ago I'd have been all over this. I hardly have time for the Great Deciever boxset despite how excellent that one is. Doesn't look like there's anything particularly interesting like Cat Food on that set - it really is "Lament", "Easy Money", etc. etc. over and over again

But apparently different lengths, depending on the set, and different solos/improvs. Etc. Still, that's a lot of live Crimson.

has any other short-lived band like the Wetton/Bruford Crimson been mined this hard before? did they ever play a show that wasn't recorded and remastered?

Hmm. Stooges Fun House Sessions?

It'd be worth it if there were somehow a live take of 'Red' itself in there...

did any shows with Jamie Muir get out? that would be something...

There were several released in the Collector's Club series as single CDs. I got two of them. I remember wishing the sound qual were as good as the great deceiver box.

should revisit, its been years

Zoom Club release has Muir. The sound is p bad.

yeah, and the other one is a radio broadcast with better sound than zoom but iirc the performance is not all that

I just picked up the reissue of Red the other day, the one with the 2013 Steven Wilson remaster. Other than the In the Court of... I've had on vinyl for years and those awesome mixes some ilxor made a few years ago, this will be my next big step into King Crimson land.

I would be honored to think that you were referring to the mixes I made some while back. I've been thinking of remastering them (using better quality source mp3s) myself.

They've got to be, right? I have those and really enjoyed them as well!!

Cool. That was really fun to do. I've wanted to make more live comps and one for the ProjeKcts as well. Would anybody be up for it?

yes indeed

Massive review here:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45631#.UqjZwWRDv3E

Yeah! It was definitely those mixes and I feel really badly for not remembering it was you!

Bruford's autobio makes mention that his first go round in Crimson was plagued by trouble coming up with new material, and yet "Doctor Diamond" and "Guts on my Side" are A+ jams imo, I wonder who disliked those numbers enough to nip them in the bud...

That all about jazz review'extended analysis' was so lovingly, thoughtfully composed and considered. It was if a superfan had made and resolved every internal argument about the group and ultimately made the case for why such an exhaustive set would be something to look forward to... as if he was justifying the purchase of it to himself as much as anyone else.

as if he was justifying the purchase of it to himself as much as anyone else

Probably had to justify it to his wife—"Hey, honey, I got a review assignment for the thing! Now it's a tax writeoff!"

"Hey, honey, I got a review assignment for the thing! Now we have to listen to 20 hours of King Crimson!"

wife jokes ;_;

You shed rueful tears, but there's no way I'm getting through disc one of this thing around my wife. Let's just say she and I agree to disagree on a few groups and stick to our common musical ground.

Fripp himself "jokes" often in his diary about how Crimson is apparently radioactive to women. I cringe every time he mentions it.

I defiantly know plenty of female prog fans, but Crimson is sort of its own thing.

There are female Crim fans.

There are female fans of everything. It's just sort of rarified. For men, too, I think: Crimson gets pretty geeky, even by geek standards, which is why here they play to 1000 people max rather than to 10,000.

Fripp's relationship with women has made me lol, sob, and cringe in equal measures. Wife jokes are just a window into other people's lives, I guess, but they don't reflect my experience as a wife.

Kinda wish there were more female prog musicians out there, the ones we have totally rule

Wife jokes are just a window into other people's lives, I guess, but they don't reflect my experience as a wife.

If you think that joke was at the expense of the wife, well...OK then.

it all depends on the joke!

xpost If we're talking about it, some of the best and most popular female acts never really get pegged as prog. Think Kate Bush, or St. Vincent, or Bat for Lashes, or Joanna Newsom, etc., who are totally prog but rarely defined as such. Such is the wiggly/useless nature of the term.

FWIW, my wife would actually totally tolerate King Crimson. Just not 18 hours in a row, especially "Red"-era!

Bjork is prog afaic

I was thinking of Newsom. Part of the problem is that I don't really know what 'prog' means anymore. If you open up the floodgates to including groups like Radiohead and Bjork then I think the scene is way more diverse. Which I think is fine, but I know a lot of people think it isn't really prog unless you're imitating Yes or something.

It's kind of a self-reinforcing feedback loop - "girls don't like prog" + "if/when girls start showing up, it's not prog."

xpost Yeah, I think prog-proof is sort of a pseudo tautology: it is prog if it sounds like Yes or Genesis.

"Prog" magazine, which I get for free from my local record store when no one else buys that month's copy, has a column called something like "Prog or Not Prog?"where readers debate the prog bona fides of bands like Talk Talk and XTC.

well I don't think that anyone doubts that say, Rennaissance is prog. but I think 'what is prog in 2013' is a pretty open question

"Prog" magazine, which I get for free from my local record store when no one else buys that month's copy,

love this

haha i've been known to drop the $15 or whatever for an import copy of Prog, but i always feel gross after i do

We talked about women in prog a little while ago (Froggie's Poll?). Kate Bush was on Prog magazine's cover and some of her band and collaborators were from prog (Gabriel, a Procol Harum guy and a few others I'm sure). I watched the Romantic Warriors: Rock In Opposition dvd a few months ago and there was quite a lot of women in it (I highly recommend the dvd).

About the "women dont like it" cliche. People used to use that to dismiss all sorts of things that now have large female fanbases (videogames, metal, pretty much anything that seems geeky). I dont think there really is much left unless it is actively hostile to women.

A lot of people used to make a lot of distinctions about men vs women in the type of porn/erotica they enjoy but these days I dont think there are many safe statements you can make on that either.
I've seen a lot of art and writing that I was surprised that a woman created it but I guess there's no real reason I should be surprised.

Yeah, the whole "women don't like prog" thing is ridiculous; I tackled it when Rob Sheffield reviewed a book on prog for the New York Times. I would never say "women don't like x" for the same reason that I, when wearing my critic hat, never use the word "we."

ugh that sheffield article i forgot that thing

Nice blog post. Mick Mercer wrote similar stuff to Sheffield that annoyed me and made it sound as if he has never listened to any of the stuff he mocks for long enough to make an informed opinion. For example, he didnt understand why Peter Hammill/VDGG got called prog; but anyone with any familiarity of the genre could see it.

a fair number of women at the last steven wilson show I attended.

Holy living fuck the central park '74 show. I am hearing it right now for the first time. The sound is not as good as Asbury but it's not terrible and jesus krogstad the performance...!!!

Also, I revisited the two Muir KCCC releases I own: the Beat Club Bremen one is in half-decent sound but is frustratingly brief; it's the Guildford one that's really really roughly recorded, frustratingly so as you can hear Muir doing mad things you can't quite make out. (Love the waterwhistle on 'Book of Saturday').

ugghhh this Fracture KILLS

Why can't I buy this box set ;_;

Central Park is such a blistering show it makes you long for a better recording. Seconding that version of Fracture--I think it's the best one I have ever heard. I'm pretty sure that's the one I put on my comp.

show just ended. I'm speechless.

This was the new version from the Red box, btw. I found a DL on some message board that was way too huge in file size to grab entire, and figured if I was only gonna hear one disc it should be the central park one. No idea if this is an improvement sound wise on the previous release but I found it listenable (2x better than the Guildford disc w Muir, for example).

Hmmm I would not mind hearing that....

so it's this one? http://www.dgmlive.com/archive.htm?artist=5&show=422
i believe i've only heard some of it on sparkle motion's comps, i should probably check out the whole thing...

Yes that one.

Is the audio on the Road to Red version supposed to be additionally spruced up?

Will have to reread that epic article linked a few days ago up thread -- I'm sure he addresses it.

From AAJ-

Even the final show in Central Park—sourced from an audience recording because, for some reason, a soundboard recording was not made that night—sounds surprisingly good, with clarity between the instruments and the only thing giving it away being the audience noise around the taper.

From DGM-

incomplete recording Disc 20 taken from a bootleg cassette recording. Audio restored at DGM by David Singleton and Alex R Mundy. Previously available via mail order as part of King Crimson Collectors’ Club series 10 (2000)

So it sounds like there's no additional tweaking. Still an amazing document.

And worth the 10 bucks to download from DGM by far.

I think of the 21 or whatever discs on this thing, maybe only ... 4 discs worth have been totally unreleased in any form? DGM has been busy.

Central Park show on headphones is great--you hear one dude yelling for Cirkus inbetween songs, another requesting Cat Food, and part of a conversation that ends with a guy telling somebody "let me put it this way... I'll take their record over the Mahavishnu record." Cerberus is a pretty surprising improv, a lot of different directions there. And the highlights with the rest of the set are well known--the afformentioned Fracture and a totally demonic Talking Drum/LTIA II.

Also, I found this which I had never seen before

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXA-j9az2NI

goddammit I am now in that K(C)-hole where nothing seems to matter but live recordings of this crimson lineup.

DGM's sharity-squashers are rly good btw, that set of links from which I gleaned the ctrl park disc was already killed when I got home from work last night. Good business on their part cuz now I want to pay to DL a bunch of shit from their site.

Finished Central Park this morning--goddamn that version of Starless is just a killer. Bruford's slow-echo cowbell in the middle section is hilarious.

I think I'll seek out the Fort Worth show next-- Tarrant County Convention Center was a hot venue in the 70s.

Just gotta note here that the extended Philly Boy Roy riff on last night's final Best Show regarding "my worst enemy...Robert Fripp" was some kinda genius. Including how Fripp ruined Daryl Hall's Sacred Songs, a reference to an actual early eighties KC show in Philadelphia, the abusive strongarm ways of Tony Levin and an unfortunate Guitar Workshop incident some years later.

"Tom, have you ever been beaten by a spanking machine made of fifty guys with Ovation acoustic guitars?...It's made me a shy lover until this day."

Can be listened to here, I want to say it starts about halfway through but I haven't checked.

http://wfmu.org/listen.m3u?show=53635&archive=93040
http://wfmu.org/flashplayer.php?version=2&show=53635&archive=93039

xpost Fort Worth and Houston were the others I was gonna try'n summon if them links weren't dead. Based on that lengthy jazz site review.

DGM's sharity-squashers are rly good btw, that set of links from which I gleaned the ctrl park disc was already killed when I got home from work last night.

I like to imagine Fripp doing this personally, or at least taking pleasure in overseeing the interns as they send takedown notices

Haha totally

I wonder if he uses some bizarre self-brewed non-QWERTY layout.

'My keyboard is tuned in straight sixths'

New Standard QWERTY.

lol wow, some of this central park 74 gig is insane. "improv>cerberus" ... holy shit!

right? RIGHT????

how much $$ is that road to red box set anyway haha

DONT SAY THAT TO ME RIGHT NOW o_O

nevermind i'm just going to get this blanket
http://cdn.nexternal.com/dgm/images/14729%209%20Album%20Blanket%20low%20res.jpg
Can't decide which album cover is your favorite? Decorate your home or office, or surprise your bed, with this full color blanket showcasing multiple King Crimson album covers. This 5' x 3.5' blanket features nine KC covers and utilizes the latest in direct to garment printing. This one-of-a-kind blanket is available special order. Please allow 2-3 weeks for this item to be shipped. Rush orders may be possible by contacting us at mailor✧✧✧@dgml✧✧✧.c✧✧.

and this cutting board too
http://cdn.nexternal.com/dgm/images/cutting%20board.jpg
You're sure to enjoy cooking more with your brand new Schizoid face cutting board. The screaming visage looking up at you, encouraging you to cut those veggies, your food is bound to taste better. Your counter will look prettier too.

This 1/8" Thick x 11 1/2" L x 7 3/4" W cutting board is made of tempered glass, and the textured top protects the full color image underneath.

realizing per that blanket that the only KC album cover I hate is Beat.

Apparently the new revised/expanded edition of USA has been pulled from the Road To Red box for separate release; from the Downtown Music Gallery newsletter:

KING CRIMSON [ROBERT FRIPP/JOHN WETTON/BILL BRUFORD/DAVID CROSS] - USA - Complete Live At The Casino Arena, Asbury Park June 28 1874: 40th Anniversary Edition [CD + DVD/DVD-A] (DGM/Inner Knot KCSP 12; EEC) For the VERY FIRST TIME - this release of the USA album IS ACTUALLY the Complete Asbury Park 6/28/74 concert, presented in a mix by Fripp with Tony Arnold (remember Arnie's Shack?) and David Singleton this year (2013). Previous CDs and LPs [less tracks] had edited versions [the improv 'Asbury Park' is 11:30 here instead of 6:50, and Easy Money/Improv is now appx 11:05 instead of 7:12] AND substituted a Schizoid Man taken from the Providence RI show two days later with the violin overdubbed by Eddie Jobson. Finally one gets to hear this concert complete and in the order it was played by the actual quartet onstage that night! (..assuming you didn't buy the $225 Road To Red box earlier this fall, in which case you have everything that is found in this package.)

But fear not, the previous 30th Anniversary iteration is included on the DVD Disc (audio-only) as one of THREE OTHER previous iterations of the USA album, alongside a transfer of the Island pressing of the LP from 1975, AND a mix by Ronan Chris Murphy done in 2005 but not formally released until now, AND a LPCM stereo mix of the new 2013 version!

OCD me hates that the blanket is not chronological, and the 80s covers are kinda perfunctory, but otherwise that's pretty cool.

xpost hmm price?

(LOL the only KCCC discs I own were bought at downtown music gallery due to some adept salesmanship by crimhead dude)

starless and bible black is one of those great album covers that was really diminished by the CD

following up that central park show w/ the new Earthless record, which I think works well.

Another great bit of banter @ the Central Park show--after Fracture, the guy who's been pontificating the whole time says "see, they're really starting to smoke now"

he keeps talking through the show and I'm thinking hey guy, this is the last time you or anyone else is going to get this or anything like it.

haha yeah. i like how into it the crowd sounds!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFAENQ2uVzs

Merry Christmas all

Just bought the CD/DVD 40th Anniversary Edition of USA. Here are the differences between the CD and the previous CD, track by track:

1. Walk On...No Pussyfooting - was 0:35, is now 1:40
2. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part II - unchanged, still 6:24
3. Lament - unchanged, still 4:22
4. Exiles - unchanged, still 7:25
5. Asbury Park - was 6:54, is now 11:44
6. Easy Money - was 7:12, is now broken into two tracks as follows - Easy Money 2:25/Improv 8:41
7. 21st Century Schizoid Man - was 8:11, is now 9:01; also, has been moved to track 10 on the new CD
8. Fracture - was 11:20, is now 11:02
9. Starless - was 14:55, is now 15:51

Original running time: 1:07:11
New running time: 1:18:31

From what I can tell (I've just started listening), the mix is slightly toned down relative to the previous version I have (the 30th Anniversary CD); less harsh, slightly fuller, granting everyone more or less equal space in the mix. The drums in particular are less harsh and cracking than they once were.

If you're a KC nerd, but not enough of one to buy the Road to Red box (which contains all this stuff), worth getting I think.

I had a $100 gift certificate to Newbury Comics and almost sprung for The Road to Red. Almost.

So, Fripp's tweets today then...

Real or hoax?

Fake, per DGM News.

Yeah that was never going to happen.

And they said what exactly?

Ok, this:

April Fool seems to have come a little early this year. A twitter account bearing the name of Robert Fripp has announced KC69 are reforming for a one-off concert. Obviously there NO truth to this tweet and we are taking steps to have the account closed down.

Hmm, this is probably old news, but I had no idea the new line-up is intended to be live only, with no studio work planned and no new material (yet), just performing "reconfigured" versions of existing material. I suppose that's intriguing.

OK, so I recently bought the 40th Anniversary CD/DVD edition of USA, as detailed above; now I want to get the other albums by that lineup. The CD/DVD versions of Larks and Starless are obvious picks, but there seem to be two competing versions of Red - there's the 40th Anniversary edition, which is a CD/DVD like the aforementioned, but there's also a newer 2CD version with an alternate mix by Steven Wilson. WHICH DO I BUY???

I love those albums but I'm in the same boat, I'm just not buying any more of these

Hmm, this is probably old news, but I had no idea the new line-up is intended to be live only, with no studio work planned and no new material (yet), just performing "reconfigured" versions of existing material. I suppose that's intriguing.

Where'd you gather this from?

http://www.uncut.co.uk/king-crimson-unveil-new-line-up-and-2014-tour-plans-news

Agh, I thought that was a new article...

http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/06/king-crimson-set-2014-reunion-tour-dates/

king crimson at the best buy theater is a strange sentence

2000 seats, sounds good.

More dates posted at DGM this morning.

Tue 9 Sep          Albany, NY                The Egg
Wed 10 Sep       Albany, NY                The Egg
Fri 12 Sep         Philadelphia, PA            Verizon Hall
Sat 13 Sep        Philadelphia, PA            Verizon Hall
Mon 15 Sep      Boston, MA                  Colonial Theatre 
Tue 16 Sep       Boston, MA                  Colonial Theatre
Thu 18 Sep       New York, NY               Best Buy
Fri 19 Sep         New York, NY               Best Buy
Sat 20 Sep        New York, NY               Best Buy
Tue 23 Sep       Madison, WI                  Barrymore Theatre
Thu 25 Sep       Chicago, IL                   The Vic Theatre
Fri 26 Sep         Chicago, IL                   The Vic Theatre
Tue 30 Sep       Los Angeles, CA           Orpheum Theatre
Wed 01 Oct       Los Angeles, CA           Orpheum Theatre
Fri 03 Oct          San Francisco, CA        The Warfield
Sat 04 Oct        San Francisco, CA        The Warfield
Mon 06 Oct       Seattle, WA                   Moore Theater

are we getting a studio album?

I don't think so.

I'm not holding my breath for European shows either.

YES, SF!

how random that they're actually playing madison. i guess i should go??

Definitely, I can't see them touring again. Fripp's obviously not afraid of forming a band, playing 3 gigs and calling it quits.

of course the current tour is already more extensive than I would have imagined.

I have never seen KC live. Was a huge fan of the 70s stuff, but got off the bus in the 80s. Wonder how much of their catalog they're going to dig into and "reconfigure." Mel Collins being back is interesting to me.

Good question. 00s redos of classic Crim tracks were hit & miss- Frakctured was a snooze, Dangerous Curves was alright, but anytime they add a new chapter to LTIA I'm in - Level 5 was one of the better entries imo.

I liked Frakctured better than the original! Dangerous Curves was a remake of what, Talking Drum? I mean if we're going to count that then most of their recent instrumental work just dates back to Red or Discipline (the songs)

I'm also very curious as to what's going to be played here. Fripp has always insisted on being in the "now" and not looking back but if they're not writing any new material I'm not sure what that means exactly. I guess I'll have to go to the Madison show as well.

Dangerous Curves = Devil's Triangle with a disco beat. Looks like we'll be getting Starless, which is cool as hell. That was on my list of classic tracks that could do to be resurrected.

How do we know we're getting starless? (My 2nd favorite KC track)

Fripp posted a pic on Facebook today w/caption " the Back Line at work on Starless..."

I think his Facebook page is a new thing.

https://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm?entry=4664

that's fucking great, it's my favorite KC song. Surprising that Fripp would go for a whole-hog retrospective show, and I was certainly hoping they'd be doing a new album.

what's fripp's fb page?

oh, it's linked there. ok

Looks like the page itself isn't new, but it's news to me that he's posting stuff to it himself. I thought his diary at DGM was his only direct online communication.

looks like his personal page since you can't add him or follow him

could this be where KC finally does a full-on nostalgia show? they've certainly earned it, and knowing Fripp I don't see why he would prefer 10-year old material over 40-year old material as they're both firmly in the past by his standards.

http://d1ya1fm0bicxg1.cloudfront.net/2014/05/king-crimson-tickets_10-04-14_3_5387a435cbf52.png

From the looks of this it sounds like the nostalgia trip. I'm not complaining.

been giving this a listen all day:

http://iapetus-store.com/album/sultry-kissing-lounge-crimson-projekct-tour-2014

Reuter is a pretty great Fripp clone, that's for certain.

Did we ever find out what happened between Fripp and Gunn? I remember there being some rumor of some falling out but never anything definitive.

It sounded like Gunn was just worn down by Fripp being Fripp. I always got the feeling he left for much the same reasons as Bruford. In any event it's too bad because I think on balance I'd prefer Gunn to Levin on this outing.

http://prog.teamrock.com/news/2014-07-01/king-crimson-release-first-new-music

Pretty good

Yeah I'd like to hear a whole album of that stuff, sans Jakko.

well if you were to tell me the lineup for KC was the one on this track then I'd say we're doing just fine. Anyway I have no complaint with this minute, and do hope it leads to a new album.

Sounds good. What the heck will Pat have to do, what with Bill keeping the time and Gavin playing like three drummers?

(This is a perfect time to note that the first Rieflin solo album, with Fripp and Gunn, is pretty great. Rieflin sings like Sylvian!)

Very excited about these upcoming gigs, but wondering if I am $90 + fees excited. And those are the cheap seats.

Odds of seeing anything called Crimson again are slim. I'd go---but are there even good seats left in Chicago?

If anyone has a ticket to the SF Friday show and wants to trade for Saturday webmail me.

Yeah, there are seats for two of the three nights. This band is so nerdy it can't even instantly sell out three club dates.

Jesus - anything other than balcony seats were gone in SF after the first week.

How many nights?

2 nights

I slept on it for a few too many days, no idea why. Ticket resellers are putting floor seats at $220 - too rich for me. I'll just be happy to hear the show.

Hmm. Well, I guess we have an extra night and ... fewer Primus fans?

I think I'm happy to listen, too. Harrison is the only guy whose skills barely translate to your ears. You have to keep an eye on him to know what he's up to.

crystal ball is telling me I'm too broke to see Crimson :(

So, wait, is this being billed as a farewell tour? I've seen some people call it that, and other people deny, no formal announcement from the central camp, but then stuff like this:

https://slotix.com/tours/king-crimson/farewell-tour-2014/806e73182a62cb86338e66df5f128b58VwR2BFV=

Not what's linked, but that it does call it a "farewell tour 2014" in the link. If this was indeed my last chance to see the band, it could be worth $100. Then again, Fripp has a habit of comebacks as well as going full hermit. He could disappear forever or tour every year until he kicks. hmmm ...

seems weird that the tour officially has a name 'past, present, and future' if it were a farewell tour, but who knows.

Esp. weird he would call it "future" after saying this version has no plans to record.

Well, he hates his past, too, so that doesn't leave much to celebrate or say farewell to:

Robert Fripp: “My professional life has been so devoid of joy”

https://m.facebook.com/UncutMagazine/posts/873569076006412

By "joy" I'm pretty sure he means "money."

yeah man i heard he had plenty of joy touring with eno
hehehehe

fripp heads should get the upcoming Heldon reissue - Allez-Téia! I'm listening to it right now. There is even a song called In Wake Of King Fripp.

How is it compared with the Cuneiform reissue? Also: Heldon/Richard Pinhas: S&D

i'm not sure! i think this is just a vinyl reish on superior viaduct.

anyone nab any of the recent Crimson vinyl reissues? Bought Red today (my fave) but have not listened yet.

Completely joyless, I heard.

Hmmm

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/983756_10204866033075152_5762559804329043367_n.jpg

i'm not sure! i think this is just a vinyl reish on superior viaduct.

― tylerw, Monday, August 25, 2014 3:49 PM

correct, it is a vinyl reissue whereas the Cuneiform was CD. I assume the same master tapes were used.

Crimson YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYru1JoobMQ

OK, that drum trio is genuinely compelling and listenable. Suddenly I am psyched.

no e-drums or triggers, hallelujah

ok I spoke too soon but still sounds natural and quite good

I am very much looking forward to the KC cover version of "My Pal Foot-Foot".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_d1ud6bLmI&list=UUBxEf1UWDjbIEoh2MAQR7zQ

It's only recently that I realized that Fripp envisioned these three drummers as his frontline leads. Wonder what the songs will sound like?

Fripp is on the cover of the upcoming issue of The Wire. Should be interesting.

I bet he complains a lot in the interview. "I have packaged and resold each of the King Crimson albums 15 times, in every format, but what do I have to show for it? Plus, I have yet to find a benefactor who will pay me not to tour, so until I do, I will meditate, practice my guitar and perfect the art of speaking about Fripp on the third person."

I wish he'd hurry up and publish The Writing Project.

I kept hearing "it's a band of seven eagles"

It's the true story of seven strangers.

psyched for the melotron emulator.

Any ILXors in Albany for tonight?

setlist spoilers over at progressiveears

Huh. Intriguing. I guess it's not surprising it should take several cues/moods from the Fripp-Jakko-Collins project. From that report, it sounds like the band was still figuring stuff out (?). Then again, the 2008 iteration was apparently not always up to Fripp's standards, but I thought it was a total monster, so who knows?

Still on the fence about $$$.

well they haven't done an "official" show yet so who knows