The Offical King Crimson Thread

[Jimi Dean Barrett]

In the comments on that You Tube video there is a dissenting voice saying "This is a PROJEKT not a King Crimson record!"
Denial much?

I liked this. I thought it could go either way, but then a minute in the song actually starts and it reminded me of the Starless track. Only more produced and with more saxophone. It sounds like King Crimson. Maybe that's a failure to people who think King Crimson have an evolving sound?

Robert Fripp in "Going Backwards Musically" shock!!!

I'll have to hear the rest of the album. But going back to Red isn't as bad an idea as the anti-nostalgia guitarist might think.
But I'll have to hear more from it.
Suppose a tours out of the question?

[danielcaux]

I like the first minute or so, sounds a lot like some of the late Floyd intros, like Signs of Life mostly. But the rest is kinda "meh". And it's great to have Mel Collins back and all, but he sounds here so generic that it could very well be your regular pretentious music student with lots of techinque but no style at all.

The music is not really that bad, a little remiscenent of some of their mid 90s ballads like One Time, but not as good. But then again it sounds so slick and Kenny G-esque ...and the video doesn't help things at all.

Perhaps I have reach a point where, for me at least, Belew is as essential as Fripp in order to consider something really "King Crimson". This may sound odd but it's somehow true, for the last 30 years Belew's voice, guitar and lyrics have been like 60% of the King Crimson sound.

[jschexna]

As much as I like Red and ITCOTCK I still think Discipline was their best effort

<--- nice avatar.

[Flying pig437]

I only listen to certain albums in the summer and ITCOTCK is one of them. My winter King Crimson album is Red but I accidentaly deleted my music library a few mths. ago and when I retreived them or the computer shop did from my hard drive some songs were missing incl. Starless from Red so I don't have a winter KC album anymore.

[Enish]

I couple of weeks ago, I decided to give King Crimson another chance by listening to some of their music past In the Wake of Poseidon. I came to the conclusion that I find each album up to Red mildly interesting, but there's at least one song on each of those albums that simply blows my mind or makes me stop what I'm doing and listen. The title track off of Islands and "Starless" off of Red are 2 of those. Still, I find the band hard to get into. I prefer the blues roots of Pink Floyd to King Crimson's jazz.

[Flying pig437]

I couple of weeks ago, I decided to give King Crimson another chance by listening to some of their music past In the Wake of Poseidon. I came to the conclusion that I find each album up to Red mildly interesting, but there's at least one song on each of those albums that simply blows my mind or makes me stop what I'm doing and listen. The title track off of Islands and "Starless" off of Red are 2 of those. Still, I find the band hard to get into. I prefer the blues roots of Pink Floyd to King Crimson's jazz.

The nightwatch off of Starless, I think is a great song too.

[Enish]

I'm listening to it right now. It's o.k., but I really like the guitar work in it.

[danielcaux]

Their early albums really require your full attention in order to "get them". Most of 70s KC output is awful music if you listen to it while doing other things. Some of their songs start really low in volume or are very "delicate" (Talking Drum, must of Bible Black album, Moonchild, Formentra Lady, Book Of Saturday) and you don't even notice them until they are almost over.

Their music is definitely not something you would like to listen while working out at the gym. With the exception perhaps or their 90s albums, which are quite noisy.

[Enish]

Their music is definitely not something you would like to listen while working out at the gym. With the exception perhaps or their 90s albums, which are quite noisy.

That reminds me of a clip of KC I saw on YouTube a while ago. They were playing a very noisy avant-garde jazz-inspired piece that I couldn't stand after a minute listening. I go into new music with an open-mind, but I was clearly not prepared for this. If I remembered which clip it was, I'd link it, but I can't help you there.

And I actually do admire (to an extent) the band's earlier works compared to the rest of their music. Their late 70s and 80s stuff bores me after a while.

[J Ed]

added Fripps 1st solo album Exposure to the Archives

very weird stuff, almost like a fragmented scrapbook of ideas he had at the time

theres expected appearances by Eno, Gabriel, Hammill, and Levin
but also very prominent vocals from Daryl Hall and one of the Roche sisters
but its ok theyre being very difficult-listening too

one song actually sounds like a blues, bet he wouldnt want Boz to found out he did that one
and another could be Larks Tongue in Aspic pt 21/2
but mostly we get Frippertronics loops with banal protoNew Age selfhelp samples ontop, alternating with difficult listening "rockers"
I gather he spent much of the interCrimson years hanging round New York and this was his Punk album

[Idisaffect]

I gather he spent much of the interCrimson years hanging round New York and this was his Punk album

Did Fripp hang out in NYC?

[nosaj]

Yes, Fripp lived in NYC and recorded Exposure there. AND, there is a double "ceedee" of Exposure where Daryl Hall sings a lot of the songs, but Hall's management would not allow him to appear so prominently on it. Which reminds me, the 40th Ann. of Discipline has been released. My fav. album.

EDIT: From WikiP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_% ... Background

"Originally, Fripp envisioned Exposure as the third part of a simultaneous trilogy also comprising Daryl Hall's Sacred Songs and Peter Gabriel's second album aka Scratch, both of which Fripp contributed to and produced. Hall's management and label resisted the project, fearing the music would damage Hall's commercial appeal, insisting as well that Exposure be equally credited to Hall, initially Fripp's main vocalist. Fripp instead used only two Hall vocals on his album, substituting Peter Hammill and Terre Roche in various places."

[Idisaffect]

Interesting. Thanks. Fripp soaking up the late 70s nyc vibe.... That explains a lot.

[oz1701]

my theory is Fripp deliberately chose to humiliate this band with the worst sounding live album he could release, "proving" to the world that these guys were incapable of improvising the way he wanted them to, and then contrasting this immediately with Jamie Muir's zany percussion theatre on the opening track of the very next album

and I think thats what the title refers to
it doesnt mean theyre tootally cosmic, it means theyre incapable of getting cosmic (as in "earthbound misfit I")

I see your point, but now I've got this vision of Robert Fripp hosting a "Candid Camera/Beadle's About" type show where he tells his audience "Just watch how these musicians can't improvise with complexity!" Only to find the audience hasn't got a clue as to what he's going on about?
Really awkward close ups of Robert when he realises the TV people aren't going along with him. And then it cuts back to a shot of Pete Sinfield in the producer's booth smiling and going "Gotcha!"

Good thread by the way.

well its precisely because it has the scatting and blues jams that make this album such a worthwhile listen despite the sound quality - the Summit recording referred to elsewhere on this thread is also rather good but much better sound quality wise (recorded live for a radio broadcast if i remember correctly) but Earthbound does stand alone in its different approach and i always thought the opener sounded like it was sung by Daleks.

[nosaj]

Yes, Fripp lived in NYC and recorded Exposure there. AND, there is a double "ceedee" of Exposure where Daryl Hall sings a lot of the songs, but Hall's management would not allow him to appear so prominently on it. Which reminds me, the 40th Ann. of Discipline has been released. My fav. album.

EDIT: From WikiP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_% ... Background

"Originally, Fripp envisioned Exposure as the third part of a simultaneous trilogy also comprising Daryl Hall's Sacred Songs and Peter Gabriel's second album aka Scratch, both of which Fripp contributed to and produced. Hall's management and label resisted the project, fearing the music would damage Hall's commercial appeal, insisting as well that Exposure be equally credited to Hall, initially Fripp's main vocalist. Fripp instead used only two Hall vocals on his album, substituting Peter Hammill and Terre Roche in various places."

Okay, I really like Exposure, so I decided to pick up the Daryl Hall solo album called Sacred Songs recorded in 1977 and produced by Robert Fripp (w/ musical contributions). Great stuff! The record company would not release this album until 1980!!

So, I must say, I recommend checking out the 2 CD version of Exposure and Sacred Songs as a means of hearing the Daryl Hall and Robert Fripp collaboration!!!