King Crimson: Classic Or Dud

"20th Century Dreaming” - I'm at least as big a Sylvian fan as I am of Crimson, and this is probably the track that best combines their approaches from heavy prog to ambient. This (or something else from The First Day) is Fripp's best "song-oriented" music since 1981.

Here's what I'd personally include in each of Tomsett's categories:

King Crimson Tracks:
- “In the Wake of Poseidon” or the “Devil’s Triangle” suite

Fripp solo or collaboration tracks:
the Exposure version of "Here Comes the Flood”

Other Crimson members’ solo or collaboration tracks:
- “A House of Hopes and Dreams” by Peter Sinfield (also featuring Lake and Collins)

Appearances on other artists’ tracks:
- Bruford on “Real and Defined Androgens” by Annette Peacock
- Fripp on “Wave” by David Sylvian
- Fripp on “Hammond Song” by the Roches

I saw one of the ProjKCt shows in Cincy @ Bogarts. It was a trio and Belew was playing drums. He might have done something on guitar at one point in duo with Fripp in the gig.

Belew and The Bears used to play in Bloomington back in the late 80s/early 90s a bunch but I never went to check them out. I'm guessing being that close to Cincy, those were live shows they could make happen.

Anyone going to the "speaking" tour with Fripp and KC's manager? It's like a pricey Q&A (Fripp is NOT playing his guitar, not even to answer a musical question) in smaller venues. I'll probably skip it (a Labor Day sale still pegs back-of-the-room tickets at $60 at one venue) but I wouldn't mind seeing a free livestream.

Yeah, I was planning to go, but not at that price, and not in this economy. I am, however, excited to finally see the documentary whenever it finally gets a proper DVD or Blu-Ray release

You’d think that buzz would have led to a distribution or theatrical-release deal, but not so, as Fripp tells RS. “In terms of presentation, we’ve done everything good advice would tell us to do — to go to respected film festivals and have it be well received. Then the next assumption is distribution, and the obvious culprits would seem to be Netflix or Disney or Amazon. But there has been no significant interest from that area. There’s been some interest, but it’s been pitiful.”

Lol at Disney. But clearly this boils down to money.

glad to have a ticket to see the film for its single screening in Sydney next month!

Anyone going to the "speaking" tour with Fripp and KC's manager? It's like a pricey Q&A (Fripp is NOT playing his guitar, not even to answer a musical question) in smaller venues. I'll probably skip it (a Labor Day sale still pegs back-of-the-room tickets at $60 at one venue) but I wouldn't mind seeing a free livestream.

I bought pricey tickets to this when a friend texted me about him "playing" while I was stumbling home drunk one night. Then I realized it was a Q&A. So yes, I'll be going.

Absolutely loved the film. The last rock doco I saw was the Triffids one, which was nice enough but I feel failed to make a case to anyone who was not already a committed fan.

Whereas the KC doco really created a portrait of a singular artistic enterprise which this not-quite fan found extremely compelling. Fripp is great talent of course, and the film totally delivers on the trailer’s promise of a hilarious ex-members’ grudgefest. But it goes way beyond that to being something really fascinating and moving and maybe even profound.

Evades many cliches too - distinct lack of career narrative, and actually not that much music. (There’s music there, but it’s not a concert film by any means.)

i can't wait for this to become available. I've lost track now, is it going to just be a dvd release in October?

I don't think Fripp ever confirmed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO0yMDVhQ8s

His intro video to the Q&A tour was pretty amusing. Invited people to come with burning questions to ask. What is a burning question? he prompts. His answer is essentially any question that you are willing to pay to ask.

how many questions am I allowed to ask about this

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

"Yeah, I have a question for you, Robert, about your Limp Bizkit cover. Had you or Toyah ever heard the song before performing it? And was it difficult to adapt your conception of what the song might sound like to your New Standard Tuning?"

how many times will he say "we're not talking about Discipline tonight"

"Fripp will humour any and all inquiries short of those pertaining to King Crimson and Fripp."

supposedly once someone asked him a dumb question at a Q&A he did at Columbia and he snorted "I thought this was Columbia University"

Details on the documentary

King Crimson have always pioneered their own uncompromisingly independent route, and this documentary, 4 years in the making, has followed the same path. In a carefully choreographed global event, the movie will be available for One Day Only in select independent cinemas worldwide on Wednesday 19th October, with a specially filmed introduction.

This will be followed on Saturday 22nd October by a special streamed screening in London, with live introduction by Robert Fripp and Q&A with the director and band members. The whole event and movie to be available live worldwide on the nugs.net platform and available through Video On Demand for a 24 hour period thereafter to allow for fans in different time zones around the world. A BluRay/DVD release and larger box set will follow, with never before seen live performances of the band, outrageous outtakes and hours of unreleased additional footage.

There's always a "larger box set," isn't there?

Fripp, why do you have to make it so difficult?

I'm crossing my fingers that our local Everyman Cinema will screen this, as they're the preferred supplier in the UK, but details have not yet been released.

$25 to watch a livestream?

Yeah, that seems a bit much. At that price, you typically can buy an HD download of a feature film or even physical Blu-ray.

He and Singleton showed some of the outtakes (performances, behind the scenes interviews) at the beginning and at various points of the Q&A tour they're doing right now. The live material was great -- they filmed the band in the round, with the cameras inside the circle and circling outside which made for a wholly unique way of experiencing the band performing.

F&S also said that while they were very pleased with how the film turned out the director was a bit of a flake and couldn't properly finish the film for years.

I read an interview w/the director where he said he had a finished cut, decided to bin it and start over from scratch and is happier with the result. But of course he'd say that!

I'm just glad he had the good sense to change the original title, which was like CosmiKc FuKc or something

Details for the movie are out; I think I might spring for the deluxe version, which is shockingly only $67 for an eight-disc set.

BLU-RAY and DVD:

In The Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson at 50 (A film by Toby Amies)
Film Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1 24/48 (Blu-Ray), Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 24/48 (DVD)
Audio for the film and all other selections plays in LPCM Stereo 24/48 on both formats

Excerpts From CosmiKc F*Kc - A 23 minute edit from the early version of the film.
"Starless" The Final Performance - Live at Bunkamura, Tokyo, December 8, 2021
Trailers and Additional Short Films
· Schizophonia
· Widows
· Raindance
Official Trailer

8-Disc Deluxe Version:

BLU-RAY 1 and DVD 1
As above

BLU-RAY 2 and DVD 2

King Crimson - Tring: Live in the Studio
1. Radical Action Suite
2. The Letters
3. Sailorʼs Tale
4. Cadence and Cascade
5. Fracture
6. Starless
7. Discipline

King Crimson - Rock In Rio
1. Drumzilla
2. Neurotica
3. Red
4. The Court Of The Crimson King
5. Indiscipline
6. Epitaph
7. 21st Century Schizoid Man

Gentlemen Of The Road: A 38 minutes short film: Backstage with King Crimson

CDs 1-4 (MUSIC FROM THE FILM SOUNDTRACK AND BEYOND )

CD1
1. Introductory Bellscape - Live 06-07/11/18 *
2. 21st Century Schizoid Man (edit) - mixed by Steven Wilson 2019
3. Moonchild (including cadenzas) - Live in Philadelphia, 23/09/19 **
4. Cat Food - from Cat Food EP Alt. mix by David Singleton
5. Lizard: i Prince Rupert Awakes Recorded at Wessex Studios, 1970, Keith Tippett piano (ii Bolero iii Dawn Song iv Last Skirmish v Prince Rupertʼs Lament) - Live in Rome 23/07/18 * [exc I, prev. rel]
6. The Letters - Live in the studio, Tring, 2018 *
7. Sailorʼs Tale - Live in the studio, Tring, 2018 *
8. Easy Money - Live in Oakland 05/09/19 **
9. Larksʼ Tongues In Aspic Part Two (Fripp) - Alt. mix by Steven Wilson 2012

CD 2
1. Fracture - Live in the studio, Tring, 2018 *
2. Fallen Angel - 2009 remaster by Robert Fripp & Simon Heyworth
3. Discipline - Live in the studio, Tring, 2018 *
4. Cadence And Cascade - Live in the studio, Tring, 2018 *
5. The ConstruKction Of Light - Live In Nijmegen, 22/06/19 **
6. Peace - Live in Vienna 01/12/16
7. Matte Kudasai (alt. intro) Recorded at Island Studios, 1981
8. The Mincer - Live in Zurich, 1973, completed at Air Studios, 1974
9. A Scarcity Of Miracles - Live in Japan 2015
10. Radical Action Suite - Live in the studio, Tring, 2018 * (Radical Action I / Meltdown / Radical Action II / Level Five)
11. Peace A Theme - mixed by Steven Wilson 2022 *

CD 3
1. Drumzilla - Live in Los Angeles 06/08/21 *
2. Waiting Man - Live in Frejus 27/08/82
3. Seizure - Live in San Francisco, 01/11/98
4. The Talking Drum - Alt. mix by Steven Wilson 2012
5. Indiscipline - Live in Del Ray Beach 23/07/21 **
6. Exposure - Mixed by Steven Wilson 2021
7. VROOOM - Live in Toronto 20/11/15
8. Coda: Marine 475 -Live in London 01/07/96
9. Darts - 2022 remaster by Marian Hafenstein at Possible Studios, Berlin **
10. Requiem (Extended version) - mixed by Steven Wilson 2013

CD 4
1. Walk On: Rio - Live in Rio de Janeiro 06/10/19 *
2. Larksʼ Tongues In Aspic Part One - Live in Stuttgart 16/06/19 ***
3. Breathless - Live in Poland 2018
4. One More Red Nightmare - Live in Sandy 03/08/21 ***
5. Epitaph - Live in Rio de Janeiro 06/10/20 *
6. Frame By Frame - Live in Nashville 27/09/19 ***
7. Pictures Of A City - Live in Osaka 02/12/21 ***
8. Red - Live in St. Augustine 24/07/21 ***
9. The Court Of The Crimson King - Live in Rio de Janeiro 06/10/21 *
10. Starless - Live in Tokyo 08/12/21 *
Key to OST: * = Previously unreleased, ** Previously Available via download at DGM Live/Cassette only release, *** Previously available in a different mix/master at DGM Live. All asterisked material new to CD.

The Tring live recordings are those that Naive Teen Idol mentions above -- beautifully filmed and they really highlight how the three drummers interact with the rest of the band. $67 for four audio CDs + the two DVDs is very reasonable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cdzfsLz1J8

Goddamn, Belew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ABECyKdhws

Crazy how Belew hitting one chord on an acoustic guitar sounds like Belew

Belew learned a lot from David Byrne.

Re:vocal delivery and stage presence

Yeah, I've always assumed that everyone perceived he was doing a David Byrne Jr. thing and was ok with it.

Didn't he turn down an offer to join Tom Tom Club, which would have basically made Tom Tom Club like Talking Heads 2.0?

he did!

Belew did, however, go on to work with Weymouth and Frantz on their own spin-off project, Tom Tom Club. Joining them for recordings at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, Belew played rhythm guitar on the sessions for the band's debut album, as well as adding his trademark processed solos (and even performing the entire instrumentation for the track "L'Elephant").

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Belew#Talking_Heads,_GaGa_and_The_Tom_Tom_Club_(1979%E2%80%931982)

sorry I meant "he DID play with them!"

He claims that Weymouth suggested he could replace Byrne in Talking Heads in the early 80s!

It's always odd to see these live performances where the performers smile and hold eye contact with each other while coordinating their intricate parts, when behind the scenes there was so much infighting and disagreement.

Belew is really a remarkable imitator - on the Gizmodrome live album he mimics Stings voice better than Sting probably could these days. Plus his spot on Dylan impression on “Flakes”

bruford says that looking at each other smiley era of KC was joyous and not doomy

Belew is really a remarkable imitator - on the Gizmodrome live album he mimics Stings voice better than Sting probably could these days. Plus his spot on Dylan impression on “Flakes”

Most insane Belew trivia I learned is that he provides the main "sax" hook on "You Can Call Me Al."

(or at least some of the horns. this was the era of fake horns and real horns hanging out together on albums.)

Yeah I discovered that a few years ago, blew my mind a little too.

A friend of mine who I introduced to Crimson and Talking Heads back in high school just played percussion in Belew’s band with Jerry Harrison covering Remain in Light!

lmao i thought there were synth horns mixed in there but i had no idea it was belew playing them via guitar synth

The documentary is getting two more screenings at Metrograph in NY - the director will appear at both and Tony Levin will do a Q&A with him on Tuesday, December 6th at 7:00pm. FYI it’s not a big theater and tickets are assigned seating with no additional fees to buy online.

Forgot the link

https://metrograph.com/film/?vista_film_id=9999003042

Weird that Fripp did that speaking tour, when he could have just waited a bit and done kind of a roadshow tour with the doc.

Quick perusal of this album on Spotify … I don’t hear it? Maybe I’m listening to the wrong tracks? One of the other dudes is singing some of the Police tunes (ie, Darkness).
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, November 9, 2022 7:22 PM (two weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink

thinking of this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qxmlCyv4o

unfortunately they do not let him sing a whole lot