King Crimson: Classic Or Dud

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

I think 'live in chicago' is a better set than Radical Action though RA is more like "starless and bible black" in that it comes across as a studio album.

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

Black Flag wasn't his band, it was Greg Ginn's. Rollins was their fourth vocalist.

The Rollins Band had one membership change (Andrew Weiss out, Melvin Gibbs in) between 1987 and 1997. Then he fired everybody, hired an existing band and re-named it the Rollins Band.

I was a big fan of the previous Live in Chicago, one of the sets with Belew from ... 2008? Something like that. I think the band claimed they were underrehearsed but I thought they kicked ass.

This is nuts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w0vxQ-ueCI&index=3&list=PLXJtCSP_l25BpXDAVGkV2HQ9T2-MrtBcw

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

― frogbs

most crimson lineups have tended to flame out a bit after their first tour, this one has gotten better. you should hear the chicago '17 set. they also do a good version of "fracture" - a little sad i didn't get to see them do that!

re-listening to chicago '17, jesus this is the best "easy money" ever. i mean better than "usa". better than central park '73.

i quite enjoyed the concert last night and was glad that now i have seen them with robert fripp who was quite in the background but of course in ploaces he added his special "circular" guitar sound from "discipline". "the court of the crimson king" is still one of the most emotionally devastating pieces of music in the world for me. besides that, yes there were three drummers and they had some nice interaction going on. one of them played the mellotron, i think. i hadn't realised before how wide the spectrum of king crimson was, the early melodic art rock with folkish singing, free jazzy parts, hard rocking stuff etc. it was pretty loud and i did not like the crescendoes (they made me think of godspeed, with much less silent-loud dynamics going on though). the lack of melodic inventiveness often seems to be covered up by instrumental masturbation. that was exactly the reason why they never were one of my fave bands. i very much liked the sax and especially the flute which is such an important element of early king crimson. tony levin's bass solo was phantastic. an amazing instrument. i was probably 50 meters away from the stage but the sound was huge! unfortunately they did not play "21st centutry schizoid man". the show lasted for about 3 hours with a 20 minute break. they were very much on time. at the end tony levin made a photo of the audience and we were invited to make a photo of the band. during the concert photos were forbidden according to a voice from tape which also wished us a joyful concert etc. this i found weird but even weirder that people clapped after that. to clap for an announcement from tape, wtf. the audience was mixed but more older (50+, 60+) than younger people, i'd say.

can't believe they've dropped 21st Century from the set list!

For Springsteen On Broadway cameras are likewise forbidden under penalty of seizure/expulsion, but they similarly allow everyone to take pictures at the end. The weird result is that the applause at the end is oddly muted, since everyone is taking pictures.

I finally read Bill Buford's autobiography, which was, as reviewed, quite good, and at times more of a deep-diving treatise than a memoir. He's remarkably well-listened, often as or even more aware of peers, competition and up and comers as he is his band mates, particularly the impenetrable Fripp. There's not much Yes in here, but lots of KC, and the book comes closer than most to answering the eternal Fripp question: "weirdo, genius or asshole." Spoiler: like many artists, he's all three!

Listened to some of Live In Vienna in the car today. Exceptionally good “Fracture” – and nice to hear Fripp do some soundscapes after a long time away from them.

KC have taken an interesting approach to Spotify - a bunch of their live albums are up, but none of the studio albums.

Currently streaming:

Epitaph (Live 1969)
Ladies of the Road (Live 1971/72)
The Nightwatch (Live at the Koncertbebouw, Amsterdam, November 1973)
Absent Lovers (Live in Montreal 1984)
VROOOM VROOOM (Live 1995/96)
Heavy ConstrucKtion (Live in Europe, 2000)
Live in Vienna (2016)
Live in Chicago (2017)
Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind
Meltdown (Live in Mexico 2017)

on apple music too as it turns out

RF's always made a point about the band having a specific formation date, so happy 50th birthday to KC.

2000’s era boxed set incoming:

King Crimson / Heaven & Earth box


24-disc box set featuring CDs, blu-ray and DVD-As • Combo CD+DVD-A sets of two studio albums also available

King Crimson will release another one of their mega box sets in May. Heaven & Earth is the seventh in their ongoing series and focuses on the period from December 1997 to August 2008.

This box set features 18 CDs, 3 x blu-ray audio, one blu-ray video and two DVD-Audio discs. The first three CDs are devoted to enhanced version of the studio albums The ConstruKction Of Light (2000) and The Power to Believe (2003). The former has been remixed (by Don Gunn) and features all new drums by Pat Mastelotto and has a new moniker The ReconstruKction Of Light. The Power to Believe is featured as an extended/enhanced stereo mix and includes the studio version of Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With and Level 5.

The next four CDs feature the instrumental/improvised ProjeKcts, er, projects, described as “research and development” by Robert Fripp. These are all new to CD and each ‘ProjeKct’ each CD features a different line-up.

A further 11 CDs feature live recordings (several new to CD, with some material previously unreleased) from the 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2008 tours.

Of the three blu-ray audios:

Disc One contains the complete recordings of ProjeKcts 1, 3, 4 & 6 – every single concert plus additional material the ProjeKcts released, it features the complete albums: ProjeKct 1- Space Groove, The ProjeKcts – 4CD box, ProjeKct 1 – Jazz Café Suite, ProjeKct X – Heaven & Earth, BPM&M – ExtraKcts & ArtifaKcts and Rieflin/Fripp/Gunn – Repercussions of Angelic Behaviour
Disc Two contains the complete recordings of ProjeKct 2 (every single concert). More than 30 shows plus an album’s worth of rehearsals.
Disc Three contains The ReconstruKction Of Light – the album in stereo and 5.1 mixes with the drums completely re-recorded by Pat Mastelotto – stereo mixes by Don Gunn, 5.1 mixes by David Singleton and the original album in hi-res stereo, The Power to Believe – expanded/enhanced 2019 master (2 tracks with additional elements plus 3 extra tracks assembled/mixed by David Singleton) and 5.1 surround mixes by David Singleton – all mixes executive produced by Robert Fripp – plus the Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With and Level 5 mini-albums, the 2000 show from London, the EleKtriK live album from 2003 and a video of a tour of the KC studio/live equipment setup from 2002.
There is also blu-Ray video disc of Europe 2000 – The Bootleg TV tour, which features around 10 hours of audio/video mostly never seen/heard since the concerts with versions of selected songs and improvs (usually two per night of each) from almost every show. Includes footage and music from 20 performances.

Finally, two DVD-As (compatible with all dvd players) feature The ReconstruKction of Light (new stereo/5.1/original stereo mixes plus ProjeKct X – Heaven & Earth) and The Power to Believe (2019 stereo/5.1/original master mixes plus Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With mini-album).

A detailed track listing will be available soon, but you get the general idea! As with the previous sets this box comes presented in a 12-inch box with booklet, memorabilia and new sleeve-notes by Sid Smith and David Singleton.

Heaven & Earth will be released on 31 May 2019 via Panegyric Recordings. If the big box is just too much you can opt for CD+DVD-A combos of The ReconstruKction Of Light and The Power to Believe. All three products can be ordered from the SDE shop using this link or the buttons below (scroll down for price comparison widgets).

that 2000 3-disc set called Heavy ConstruKction was really good - all the improv stuff was incredible. plus, the ConstruKction tracks sounded quite a bit better live. a lot less gimmicky.

I'm puzzled as to why they'd re-record the drums, but it's fripp and he's obsessed with percussion so maybe I ought not be surprised.

Agreed on Heavy ConstruKction- if you have only one document from that era, it's as definitive a statement as anything they produced.

ProjeKct X was a total mess though, if memory serves.

If I had to guess, I'd say that Pat has simply gotten better with better electronics than what they had then? When I saw them a couple of years ago he was practically playing the Jamie Muir role. Either that or it is just to take advantage of the 5.1 surround. .

Anyone else see that artist who is turning classic bands and albums into pulp covers?

https://i.etsystatic.com/16399689/r/il/dfdc7e/1413420327/il_570xN.1413420327_cu1r.jpg

https://i.etsystatic.com/16399689/r/il/4e928b/1359219662/il_570xN.1359219662_madp.jpg

https://i.etsystatic.com/16399689/r/il/eed582/1422538727/il_570xN.1422538727_rrt4.jpg

why do i hate this? it doesn't even make sense. why would those be books? smh

all they're doing is taking existing paperbacks* and dropping in KC titles w/o changing the cover illustration

*(not really pulps, the larks tongues one is a pelican forex = a non-fiction paperback published by penguin abt education or science)

the joy division unknown pleasures "song titles on book spines" was cool, but yeah I don't understand the point of this other than just boilerplate text for making designs or whatever

ha yeah I was gonna say "artist? their probably just using existing book covers"

not King Crimson but these are pretty cool

https://www.instagram.com/madebymotel/

they don't necessarily have to make sense

they don't HAVE to make sense, but then you're in let's just put two things together mash up geek shirt territory

https://66.media.tumblr.com/28f578eeae60b64f5207d530dfde1099/tumblr_picptbR6st1qirnn2_540.jpg

but one of those things is something I like

Aw, I think the covers are cute.

Going to try to make the Philly show. Was holding out hope for a Fripp-Levin-Belew-Bruford reunion tour before I die (or before Fripp does) but at this point that looks unlikely, so I'm pretty determined to see this band while I can. Also, that Meltdown set from Mexico City was incredible. My expectations are high

go see belew trio if you get a chance tho its good