King Crimson: Classic Or Dud

Because newest KC is touring?

Ok? Fripp is quite within the range of reproach as far as new material is concerned, and given that Levin and Collins are his only "ringers", I'm wondering where the new songs are coming from. Kind of amazing Belew isn't involved.

I wonder if they have plans to have any of the shows professionally filmed. Probably too much to hope for. That setlist at progressiveears is an intriguing mix of eras.

I don't think there are any new songs, per se -- there are some improv sections, and the drum trio section is new I guess.

Belew's facebook page, months ago:
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.

it has so many replies because this is the first time they've toured in almost 8 years; and certainly the first time they've hinted at revisiting early material (which they are doing, if you check the setlist). The only newcomers are Reiflin (who has been in Fripp circles for a while now) and Jakko (ditto) so it's a sensible lineup. It's too bad no Belew but they also are avoiding doing any Belew material and Belew's Crimson Projekt has Fripp's blessing so people can go there for that; Belew was certainly important and I think Fripp acknowledges that by not doing any of his material without him.

also crim live is worth getting excited about.

Actually I'm very happy Belew isn't involved

belew is great. i love belew. but every king crimson show in my lifetime, thus far, has been about "elephant talk" and not "starless", and you know, i'd rather hear them play "starless", which clearly they were never going to do with belew in the band.

"larks' one" is an interesting choice. i have no idea how this band could pull that number off. incidentally, last night was also the live debut of "one more red nightmare". if you can believe that!

I'm wondering where the new songs are coming from.

Easy: no new songs. Lots of drum duos/trios, though, it seems.

Having seen him on the last tour, I consider Gavin Harrison a ringer. I'm happy Belew isn't involved, too, because he has such a dominant personality, but man, how cool would it have been to get someone like David Sylvian again instead of Jakko? I have a hunch Sylvian would never sing old Crimson stuff, though. But neither did Belew, really.

I should put in yet another reco for the Rieflin/Fripp/Gunn album "Birth of a Giant."

http://www.thewire.co.uk/img/scale/460/565/2014/09/10/460x565xcover368.jpg.pagespeed.ic.79Rb-P1b6u.jpg

electronic version just hit my inbox, imma check it out

reckon he's just about good enough at the guitar to pull off the hat

but only just

Any ILXors in Albany for tonight?

― Malibu Stasi (WilliamC), Tuesday, September 9, 2014 12:33 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Thought seriously about going, even though I don't own any of their records, but it's way too much $$$ for "this might be good." One of my fb friends posted a pic from the show, and when I saw three drum kits on stage, I immediately regretted my decision.

Also, they sold out two nights in about 20 minutes.

Good, wide-ranging interview. Next up in the archival reissue series is a 26 (!) disc Starless & Bible Black-era box set. Fripp says there are no plans for new KC material, but he hasn't ruled it out. No news on the Writing Project, unfortunately, although the legal battles are apparently now over (and were resolved to RF's satisfaction).

Steve Smith (NYC jazz/classical/avant critic) says last night was completely stupendous

one more red nightmare? hell yes!

what the hell was fripp's latest legal situation anyway?

It was a long-running battle with his former record companies over the payment of royalties, putting KC stuff up for download that they didn't have the rights to do, etc etc

http://dmme.net/king-crimson-issue-a-tour-document/

ITCOCK has got to be one of the most unfortunate record title acronyms ever

Also: Thrakboxx!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6treXzF5oE&list=UU7ZofFFT1N7evHE918cJBWQ

Man, what is with unboxing obsessives.

In Boston waiting for them to go on. Stoked!

ITCOCK has got to be one of the most unfortunate record title acronyms ever.

Good thing it's actually ITCOTCK!

Or ICOCK, if you're gonna remove both "the"s.

In Court of Crimson King, Party always know where to find you!

In Boston waiting for them to go on. Stoked!

update please. mightily resisting buying tickets for nyc on thurs

Likewise. I can get tix here but would sort of prefer not to.

I will try to do this without spoilers...

It was excellent. First off, the set list is extremely well-chosen. Deep cuts, arrangements that are both inspired but also faithful somehow.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, unlike what I heard about the "double trio" of the 90s group, this lineup totally jelled. A few Scarcity-esque moments on the soprano aside, Collins is a bit of a revelation -- so great on those early records, blowing pretty full on throughout. Levin is a fucking anchor, bowed bass, stick, and some fine stage presence. Jakko fit in pretty well. His voice was versatile enough to handle Lake and Wetton material with no problem. Fripp took some ripping solos and looked like he was enjoying himself.

But the triple drum thing took the cake – both as theater and musically (Mastolonetto looked uncomfortably like a trim Michael Moore BTW). They never filled too much space and balanced out the heavy riffage nicely. It was a lot like having Giles, Bruford and Muir on stage together but with them constantly switching roles.

They also managed to make the whole thing really fun.

Lastly, after the show, a sixty-ish year-old guy in the bathroom looked around at the other guys, turned to me with a smile and said, "King Crimson. Brought to you by Flomax."

Don't hesitate. Go.

ITCOCK, Red and Larks (40th Anniversary Editions) going up on the iTunes store Sept. 30th.

iTCOCK

Someone take this broke old corny fuck to the nyc show tonight! I am v charming company!

:(

Dude if I was in NYC I would totally take you. Except I think the shows are all sold out?

they are indeed! But ilxors are the kind of important ppl who have fancy +1's and such.

The two albums that Robert Fripp did with David Sylvian, 'Damage' and 'The First Day', are being reissued.

They're not coming to Canada at all afaict.:(

Fripp is being such a control nut about these shows that there are little in the way of + tickets, let alone +1.

"good news, you have a comp ticket -2"

well I expect he'd rather sell the tickets than give them away.

I was pissed that they released a bunch of floor seats this week for the warfield shows in SF. I don't get how this stuff works but I'd much rather be sitting there than the balcony, which was the best available when I bought a ticket a week after they went on sale.

We were in the balcony. You can see the full seven guys very well, and the three drummers up front.

thanks for the reassurance.

Tom Scharpling
15 hours ago
At the King Crimson show. There would be less dudes in one place if I was at a factory that manufactured dudes.

Interesting thing I read in a Fripp interview recently:

He spent most of the '90s embroiled in disputes with management, record companies and lyricist Pete Sinfield, "who considers himself in relation to Crimson the way Roger Waters does to Pink Floyd".

I never realized that Sinfield was considered a major contributor.

Sounds like it's only Sinfield that considers Sinfield a major contributor.

Okay, just checked the credits for the first album (Court of the Crimson King). Sinfield actually gets more writing credits than Fripp on that one. He's listed as the co-writer of every track (only lyrics I guess?). Sinfield is also credited with "illumination"...

Fripp is credited with writing the music for three of the five tracks. Ian McDonald (the keyboardist) is listed as co-writer of the music for all five tracks.

Sinfield is also credited with "illumination"...

odd then that they're playing Sinfield-composed songs on this tour

Why odd? KC played Schizoid Man in 73-74 after the Fripp-Sinfield split, and didn't even the 81-84 band bring it out occasionally?

Sinfield:

“I was the one who wrote all the poems and had the strange bohemian background,” he says. “Robert came from a staid solicitor’s family in Dorset. He kept his paperback books in plastic bags, and mine were scattered all over the place. But for two and a half years, the combination worked.

“When Greg was asked to join, it was still stuck in Giles, Giles & Fripp land, all very clever-clever. Ian and I introduced an element of songwriting – something of weight, flamboyant Gothic weight. Greg’s talent and enthusiasm is like a big pair of bellows. There’s this small spark and he’ll puff away and suddenly he’s made it into a flame and added some harmonies to it. Mike would put some drums behind it, I’ll stick a word or two on it, and Fripp would calmly say, ‘I have an idea for that’, and drag something out of his 20,000 years of guitar practice.”

81-84 never played that, no. Pictures of a City was written by Sinfield, so was the Letters. So that's three tracks that presumably he gets royalties off of

ha, that's kind of a great quote xp

Sinfield is responsible for some truly atrocious lyrics but I don't think King Crimson could've been what they were without him. Plus he wrote "Under the Sky" for GG&F and I freakin' love that tune