The arena of service manuals is a ripoff … do you own the rights to the service manuals you are peddling on ebay ? one thing the EU should sort out is free access to service manuals beyond the point at which these companys are prepared to service their products its ridiculous were exposed to getting them through third party dodgy websites.
REAL King Crimson Retrospective
non fanatic 2011 REVIEW :
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As a person who is not a prog rock fanatic, just a person who listens to every genre of music, and who isn’t insistent on ever lauding or blowing smoke up any genre or band whatever, and who is currently in one continuos session listening to the entire KC back catalog in chronological order to find what has stood the test of time, ie is listenable to non fans as well as fans, Prog rockers sometimes like acid jazz fans or fusion jazz nuts in there fever to defend the genre they enjoy, become defensively enthusiastic about their pet loves, and begin to turn a blind eye to disharmony and clashy sounds or ego or wishy washy lyrics, or grow so perverted as to love in the same way as harmonious sounds, musically the benefit of going “off piste” is to at some point thematically return to some coherence and harmony, King crimson at there most experimental are very very hard work audibly, Lizzard sounds like to many jams that shouldn’t have made it on to the album. I’m making a list of all tracks 4 stars and up for the entire catalog it will be interesting to see how this compares to others views here.
If their was a best of, this is what I would select :
Quality KC tracks in chronological album order four out of five stars and up imo:
In the court of the crimson king 1969
This album is top Notch KC being versatile and lyrical – languid – mellow – thoughtful and truly of their time a must listen, my favourite kind of King Crimson.
tracks 1-4
21st Century Schizoid Man
I talk to the Wind :
Continue reading
Part two of King Crimson Appraisal and Retrospective part 1 here
Starless and Bible Black 1974
pushing the freeform atonal jamming improv further, too far fora few im sure
tracks 5, 7, 8
Trio (so graceful in its slow coming)
Starless and Bible Black
(harder to listen to, might drop this one, headphones help and you have to be in a mood to appreciate some dissonance)
Fracture
(not as hard to listen to might drop this one, headphones help and you have to be in a mood to appreciate some dissonance, wierdly sounds like somebody heard this track when writing the simpsons theme tune ? or is it just me ?)
Lizzard 1979
“LIZZARD” has been the weakest studio album so far. the track lizzard itself is way to self indulgent and does not hang together well over its 23 minute duration, sounds like too many disparate bits ill coordinated slapped together, and kind of theatre-ised twiddly mega concept album, indoor games and happy family are particularly weak, Too many fae fairy random lyrics overall, I’m sure few prog rockers or KC fans are going to agree with the pummelling im giving Lizzard but heck, I might change my mind on this one day but that would be if I was prepared to forgive it the insane 70′s Prog Rock fantasy Concept overwrought studio album vibe they were overtly doing, sadly times are too cynical for the kind of wilful innocence displayed in this Album.
no tracks ((Lady of the Dancing water and Lizzard came closest to making it, tracks 2 and 3 so bad I shall not name them 3 being pure filler material) 4 and 5 could be included if feeling generous)
UPDATE : second listening on headphones it grew on me a bit but im think im going soft. Lizzards thin repetitive military anticipant drumming with freeform Jazz and mellow bass was wearing in on me.I almost sounds like they started with one track and somebody came in did their track by hearing the first and its previous additions, recorded at the same time in. studio ? Second part of Lizzard is surely another track ? 2nd half vocals start on the edge of truly weak. I might be persuaded after all to include something from this album, but it would be with reservations ? I think its the lyrics and vocals that are ruining this album some of the playing is totally fine.
THE 80′S ERA BEGINS, and you can hear it :)
Discipline 1981
Sound has become something new, definately 80′s influences in here – so versatile, with a hint of talking heads in here (Elephant talk) and many other styles, but good in places, many 3 star tracks that almost made 4.
tracks 2,7
Frame by Frame
Discipline
Beat 1982
most swaggering 80′s american AOR sounding, again proving that KC are talented enough to play almost any other band styles well.
(album to generic > heavy studio production values) almost doesnt quite sound like KC.
no tracks (waiting man almost makes it but not quite)
Three of a perfect Pair 1984
The album titled track is the best here and it slowly fades, Model man and sleepless almost on the list, “Man with an Open heart” perhaps what owner of a lonely heart might have sounded like if talking heads had done it ? I think this Yellow coloured album must have gone on to influence Yello four years later in 1988 sonically ? Nuages almost included but tricky listening, Industry sounding influenced by the name and sound of a preset on a new peice of kit, Dig Me atonal filler ? track 8 and 9 improv buildup to … finishing ? a classic KC move :)
track 1
Three of a perfect Pair
model man, sleepless and nuages could almost be considered 3.5
Vroom 1994
track 6
VROOOM
Thrak 1995
Strong return to form, energised sound
track 2,4,10,14
Coda: Marine 475
Walking on Air
> elegant mellow fading
One Time
Vroom Vroom
Heavy Construkction 2000
Live Album – So So imo
cd1,trk1 cd3,trk7
Into the frying Pan
Beautiful Rainbow
The overall arc of KC imo like most bands seems to be, to remain consistent for a bit and then as they get further from their youthfull inception they lose coherence this is natural and normal. KC’s attempts to reinvent themselves by gambling with lineup changes etc sometimes come up with things that are worth it (most of the 70′s albums), but have also created quite a Large spoil heap (79-82 a tough period) to get there and Lizzard is in that pile in my opinion. Beat and half of three of a perfect pair also, seem to sadly, be coated throughout with the same sour disharmonious cyclic repetitive guitar loop riffs, and the eighties restylings and fetal era based contemporary sound style clonings dont stand out in the 80′s itself, as tracks of significance, except perhaps as influences for things to come later, all of purpose, but not standing the test of time from a listenable perspective in their own right. Vroom imo opinion weak, Thrak a little return of flavour, but by this point as with allot of bands of this age albums are beginning to more and more repurpose and regurgitate things past, and the sound so different that by the time you reach the bloated studio/Live “Heavy Construkction” the King Crimson of 2000 is as to be expected i suppose, another band completely, in all but name, Ok robert fripp is consistently there but still its just not really KC. theres too many samey overtly for the sake of it experimental abstract rock / noise awkward tone poems that arent adding to anything or going anywhere, in my opinion some of the experimentation shouldn’t have made it onto the album and should have remained the exploration that leads up to a work and not the work itself in certain places, and as for including his censorship of photography statement on the audience as track worthy of including, its pure filler for the fanatics crimson fans. Beyond 2000 I have fearing, not yet trod the path to “the power to believe” I will get there though.
UPDATE : sonically “the power to believe” sounds like its sonically working in place … report soon …
many will disagree, but I presume there ear is not crimson fresh, but crimson trained.
