King Crimson: Classic Or Dud

I'd hit it.

Maybe.

Which is to say, I have an unnatural appreciation for this era if the band – I have a number of really fond memories digging thru these records, their opulent artwork, gatefolds and Sinfield lyrics. To that point, I would hope that Sinfield's lyrics get their due in this box – an essay or something that establishes and examines how important his vision was to this era.

seems like Sinfield is embarrassed by his youthful pixie-isms…

nah, he may have been pixie-ish personally, but his words were dystopic, if florid…

3CDs feature auditions for the Islands band...

I know Elton John and Bryan Ferry auditioned for Poseidon, anyone know anything about this?

I saw them in the summer and the guy beside me was annoyed that there were only three drummers, not four like he'd expected. I can imagine him saying 'Only 21 CDs?!' to the box above.

Only Elton auditioned for Poseidon AFAIK but they both auditioned for Islands. I just love the idea of Fripp holding onto these audition tapes for 40 years and deciding that now is the right time to release them.

That timeline wouldn't make sense, both were established in their careers by the time Islands was recorded.

Wiki: In early 1970 Ferry had auditioned as lead singer for King Crimson, who were seeking a replacement for Greg Lake. Although Robert Fripp and Pete Sinfield decided that Ferry's voice was unsuitable for King Crimson's material, they were impressed with his talent and helped the fledgling Roxy Music to obtain a contract with E.G. Records.

Wiki also says:

After a search for new musicians, Fripp and Sinfield secured a returning Collins and Ian Wallace on drums. Auditions for a singer included those from Bryan Ferry, Elton John, and John Gaydon, the band's manager. The position went to Raymond "Boz" Burrell.

need to check Sid Smith's book but I don't have my copy to hand at the moment. I seem to recall Fripp saying something about it in the liner notes for A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson as well.

Wow that's crazy, Elton had already recorded four albums, including Tumbleweed Connection, by spring of '70. Sorry, just trying to sort out the chronology.

Three albums but point taken. I had always assumed Elton's audition was before the self-titled record was recorded – but wiki does confirm that "Your Song" didn't chart until October '70 so maybe the underlying idea that he wasn't yet a success when he tried out holds.

it'll be amazing if ferry and john auditions are on this box. I have downloads of all the other mega box sets and I have to admit I don't dip into them all that often.

I don't have the Road to Red set but he Larks Tongues set is really good. As much as I like Starless box, there's a ton of improvs on the LTIA one that don't sound like anything else that band ever did. Once Muir left, they settled into a thing. An absolutely unique and amazing thing to be sure but a thing nonetheless.

I love the recordings of the Muir band. Most of them sound like shit, but where the hell else are you going to hear stuff like a Wetton-Cross violin duet?

So I'm reading Bill Bruford's autobiography (which had been sitting on my bookshelf for many years), and it's pretty great. Even though some of the music doesn't really hold up for me (but some really does), I've always connected with his approach and mentality. He's a smart dude and writes well about the industry and his own performance anxieties etc.

in the court of the crimson king title track never fails to pitch up my reality when i hit play - maybe overstated or cheesy to say that - but the song makes everything cool

I remember buying that on CD when I was 15 and when the chorus came on it felt like my heart stopped

Those nostrils are classic.

Just ordered the Epitaph box - four CDs of live material and BBC sessions from 1969. I've read that the sound quality's kinda rough at times, but the performances are amazing, and it's not that easy to find, but the KC webstore got hold of a few copies.

yeah it's pretty good. the first two discs sound good; it's the second two that sounded worse.

Has anyone seen them live recently? They are coming to Berlin soon for two concerts and I still don't know if I want to go.

Last summer in the USA... if you saw them in 2014 not much has changed but the repertoire has expanded. If you haven't seen them at all then absolutely

I saw them just about a year ago. Wrote about it here. You should go, but expect a tightly disciplined (no pun intended) show.

yes you should see them if you like crimson at all. it's not like you're going to have another 10, 15 years of tours with fripp to see.

I’m a bit surprised he’s kept it going this long honestly.

I thought the 2014 show (my first) was good. The 2017 show, OTOH, was special. Extremely well chosen setlist and some inspired performances and arrangements. My friends, also longtime fans (if not heads), agreed.

Also, I hate that the goddamn Sid Smith book is nigh impossible to find. Our local library network doesn’t even have it!

yeah i saw 'em in '14 and the download released of a '17 show is way better than what i saw

Last year's show was fantastic!

the cheapest tickets are 80 euro by now for the 3rd of july, but i think i have to go. i have always liked them, esp. the first two albums, discipline and beat.

Current setlists look pretty cool, no doubt because Fripp settled (in every sense, probably) with Belew. Still not quite sure of Fripp's motivations - which, sure, may just be money - but the fact that the KC train keeps a rolling makes me think he's not going to stop any time soon. Fripp is 72, but playing sitting down behind speakers with headphones on has got to count for something!

there's still like 3/4ths of a new album in their setlist, here's hoping...

I mean as far as his motivations go...I guess it kinda goes without saying that every musician approaching a certain age is bound to go on a nostalgia tour at some point, even if they've insisted that they wouldn't? the cool thing about this new group is that in a way it's like every incarnation of Crimson rolled into one, willing to go back to much more than just Red, Larks 2, and the occasional Schizoid Man...that in itself is really a new thing for KC. they've always been a "stay at home if you wanna hear the old records" sort of band.

^ rollins seems like one of the few older musicians who has zero interest in reforming old bands

I guess it kinda goes without saying that every musician approaching a certain age is bound to go on a nostalgia tour at some point, even if they've insisted that they wouldn't? the cool thing about this new group is that in a way it's like every incarnation of Crimson rolled into one, willing to go back to much more than just Red, Larks 2, and the occasional Schizoid Man...that in itself is really a new thing for KC.

This is what makes the whole thing so interesting to me. It's 100% the opposite of "We've reunited the lineup from The One Album Everybody Likes and we're playing it front to back! Tickets are $300, $500 if you want a handshake and a photo beforehand!" Instead, he's put together an entirely new lineup featuring members from just about every era of KC, radically different from the lineups on any particular record, and re-arranged the tunes to suit the current players rather than attempting to mimic the studio versions.

I mean as far as his motivations go...I guess it kinda goes without saying that every musician approaching a certain age is bound to go on a nostalgia tour at some point

We're also talking about Fripp here, who went on a stubborn multi-year Fogerty-esque content strike while he was feuding with various labels.

rather than attempting to mimic the studio versions.

I dunno about this. The show I saw a few years ago was good but not that radical to my ears. The drummers have the most room to improvise, but they're not exactly busting the songs apart. I mean, even these players, there are too many people on stage to really mess around, imo. Certainly "Schizoid" was pretty much the album version to the note. Though I'm not sure if it all counts as nostalgia or not, actually; he's certainly doing no cheesy disservice to the band and its legacy. To the contrary, I think parting with Belew allowed him to remind people that there was a lot of good stuff in the '70s that gets often gets overlooked or steamrolled by "Larks"/"Red" and everything after.

Some of the reinterpretation is down the individual players; Tony Levin does some pretty radical stuff to Wetton and Lake's lines, especially in terms of the rhythmic concept. Levin's more of a jazz player than either of those two were, but he takes a lot of the blues and jazz elements the English bassists used right out of there.

Certainly "Schizoid" was pretty much the album version to the note.

This was definitely not the case in Boston last year.

Was it at all like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3028oDEKZo4

I mean, I guess there are solos in there, but I don't consider solos terribly "radical."

I’m conflicted because I would love to hear a group as talented as this open up more but clearly for Fripp, the arrangements matter most. Where the band delivers is on its ability to summon rich, voluminous power- crucial for any incarnation of Crim, but perhaps even more important for one at the late stage of its existence.

That's not the 7:20 album version to the note, come on!

OK, it was not "to the note," but it was not radically or even significantly different, other than the solos and other digressions, was it?

Like I said, I don't think a ship this big can turn on a dime, it's got to be close the album or it would all fall apart. Too many players.

The rhythmic feel is a little different and, yeah, there are the solos and digressions. I definitely wouldn't call it a radical reimagining, nor is that what I'd expect from King Crimson (of all bands); I just don't see it as mimicry of the studio versions, compared to what most rock bands do live.

Despite bringing aboard, as discussed above, the singer and guitarist from a KC cover band, who has the screaming schizoid man on his guitar. I mean, I don't expect much more either, but there were different eras that incorporated different degrees of improv (esp. when Muir was in the band), and this one has so much talent I'm surprised it hasn't tried to further more out. But it's all good.

i think the only thing I want from them that they're not doing right now is LTIA 6

most of these guys are playing with sheet music so no, there are not wild deviations. there are shows/tours that are just stronger than others though

the Radical Action set is incredible. dunno if I really need anything else from them. though I'd love to hear some Lizard stuff.

^ rollins seems like one of the few older musicians who has zero interest in reforming old bands

lol he had 2 bands and both of them had a revolving door of musicians