From elephant-talk at arastar dot comMon Jan 30 07:19:51 1995 Date: Sun, 29 Jan 1995 12:42:35 +0800 From: elephant-talk at arastar dot com Reply to: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk To: elephant-talk at anthor dot arastar dot com Subject: Elephant-talk digest v95 #166 E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 166, Sunday, 29 January 1995 Today's Topics: KC in Germany!!! Re: Islands: what's the story? Ruminations on the "Vrooom" name tape trading article Crimson ticket Answer to question about Islands Re: Islands Islands & USA Brain Candy & misc more on oblique strategies Various comments Earthbound Fracture, Thrak, Bath Islands who wants to see robert fripp in santa cruz? I saw a KC bootleg today, case y'all are interested... KC confirmed tourdates Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #165 RE: Welcome to Elephant Talk Why Not Holdsworth? Islands Re: Why not Holdworth, plus I like Islands ! more diary Holdworth misc New instrumentation live dates and other... Re: Why not Holdsworth? Bruford interview Ride Islands - The True Story [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Dear readers My apologies for the late running of this edition. It's exam time here and I have scripts from 350 students to mark! :-( But normal service has now been resumed. :-) Toby [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 20 Jan 95 15:25:50 EST From: "Dr. Kenn Kassman" <100522 dot 2573 at compuserve dot com> Subject: KC in Germany!!! KC is touring Deutschland -- May 7 in Dusseldorf, May 8 in Berlin, May 10 in Munich, May 11 in Stuttgart and May 14 in Brussels. I don't know about the rest of the tour but here in Berlin they are playing in the Tempdrome, which is a nice little circus tent. A very good venue for intimate music. Re: Shriekback--excellent band, the early stuff is the best--as it is with every band since the Beatles!!! One reviewer about ten years ago called Shriekback the band the Talking Heads wished it could be!!! One final note! Belew is the best!! I wish he would get his shit together and start doing more work with mainstream/alternative artists like Bowie. He has a lot of potential, but .....what does he do with it???? [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 21 Jan 1995 16:37:50 +0700 From: james dot dignan at stonebow dot otago dot ac dot nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: Islands: what's the story? >I don't know a lot of King Crimson fans personally, but the few I do know >have told me *repeatedly* to stay away from the "Islands" disc (I'm sorta >new to KC and am buying their stuff now). I've also seen a post or two on >here saying the same thing. > >Why? What's the deal with this disc? Is it too left field (or should that >be left left field, considering how left field KC *is*, relatively >speaking?)? Or does it just suck all the way through? I haven't been >disappointed with any of their stuff so far--I've only got "Court," "Wake," >"Lizard," "Discipline," "VROOOM," "The Compact KC," "Larks'," and am >planning to pick up a mint used vinyl copy of "Earthbound" (if the store >still has it). What's the big stink over "Islands?" I can't imagine Fripp >and Co. doing a horrendous recording...maybe a fluke song here and there, >but not a whole damn album... If it's any consolation I (gasp) like Islands, especially the title track. As to it being left field, quite the opposite is the case. It's probably the most "commercial" of KC's early albums in some respect - not as dark as red, or as surreal as Court or Lizard. If you like Starless and Bible Black - your next purchase after Earthbound ;-) - and songs from LTIA like Book of Saturday, you may actually enjoy Islands, believe it or not! I admit that some of the songs are very dated, very 70s (Ladies of the Road, for instance), but it's still a pretty cool piece of plastic. James James Dignan, Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk St., St. Clair, Dunedin, New Zealand pixelphone james dot dignan at stonebow dot otago dot ac dot nz / steam megaphone NZ 03-455-7807 * You talk to me as if from a distance * and I reply with impressions chosen from another time, time, time, * from another time (Brian Eno) [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Andrew Studer Subject: Ruminations on the "Vrooom" name Date: Sat, 21 Jan 1995 14:53:22 +1100 (EST) Now I've heard some amazing conjectures as to the reason "Vrooom" is named as it is, (including over the top acronyms) so I thought I'd add my $Aust 0.035. Wasn't VROOOM the name of the amazing device used by the Cat In The Hat to stop the purple stain that originated in his bath? Just a thought. Great album though. Andrew studer at physics dot su dot oz dot au [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 21 Jan 1995 01:49:33 -0500 From: terrapin at acs dot bu dot edu Subject: tape trading article Friends, Romans, music lovers: I'm working on an article for the Boston University Daily Free Press about bootleg tape trading on the 'Net: no muckraking expose, just a survey of the field. I'd appreciate it if anyone who collects/trades tapes could answer the following questions and e-mail them to me at terrapin at bu dot edu. I am willing to give anonymity if it is requested, although real names or even nicknames would be preferable. Thanks for your help. 1) Name/nickname, age, and city/town of residence 2) NUmber of boot CD's/tapes you have 3) how many of #2 were acquired on the 'Net 4) Lists you subscribe to to acquire #2 5) advantages/disadvantages to boot trading on the 'Net 6)Do you know what your favorite artists and their record co's. think of boot trading? 7) do you care much about #6? 8) what's your opinion on *selling* of boots/rarities via the Net? 9) how long have you been trading on the Net? 10) [$64,000 question] Why do you trade boots on the 'Net? Thanks again. ---Kurt Blumenau / terrapin at acs dot bu dot edu [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 21 Jan 95 17:32:47 -0100 From: mpeters at ibm dot net Subject: Crimson ticket Just bought a ticket for the May 7 KC show in Cologne, Germany. The ticket says 'King Crimson with Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford and others'. And others ? I wonder who is responsible for Pat and Trey being treated like 2nd class musicians here. HOP Software * Michael Peters [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 21 Jan 1995 11:39:20 -0600 From: sanderso at gac dot edu (Scott T. Anderson) Subject: Answer to question about Islands Chris Pardua asked in ET #165 what the deal was with "Islands," which he has never heard. Being of mixed feelings on "Islands," I thought I should present both sides of the story. PROS: Very "earthy" feel is unique to KC albums and is an interesting approach for Fripp to take; track "Sailor's Tale" is one of the best KC songs ever, IMHO; overall, the compositions are okay. CONS: This one is big enough to have made me despise the album for years: The cornet solo on the title track is SHIT! Pardon the profanity, but it is necessary. This is the worst playing of any instrument EVER to appear on a King Crimson album. Also bad (IMHO) is the wailing siren vocal on "Formentera Lady" leading into "Sailor's Tale" (which I think stands better as it is on the FbF boxed set, starting right at the 12/8 cymbal thing). And finally, "Prelude-Song of the Gulls": sure, it's a decent chamber orchestra piece for Fripp to write, but what the hell is it doing on a KC album? I forgot to mention, there's an error on the Definitive CD. There's supposed to be a bit of studio sounds with the orchestra tuning up and such at the end of the album, and it was hacked off. Overall, you have to at least HEAR "Islands" at some point. Don't get it before you get other, more important KC stuff. Actually, I like it better than "Beat" (my least favorite KC album). _____________________________________________________________________________ Scott T. Anderson The "T" stands for Tuber. sanderso at gac dot edu Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota ____________________________________________________________________________ _ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 21 Jan 1995 21:27:52 -0500 (EST) From: Sergey V Girlya Subject: Re: Islands On 18 Jan 1995 Chris Pardua wrote: | I don't know a lot of King Crimson fans personally, but the few I do know | have told me *repeatedly* to stay away from the "Islands" disc (I'm sorta In my opinion, "Islands" is one of the best KC records - second, perhaps, only to "Lizard", if they can at all be compared, that is. The only "problem" with it might be that it's somewhat quiet and maybe a little jazzy compared to other albums. I don't know why but most of the people here seem to be into the noisier part of Crimson. I do like the more recent KC stuff, too, but, frankly, out of each of these later albums I really enjoy but a couple of tracks - like _The Night Watch_ and _Fracture_ on Starless, or the title song and _Nuages_ on Three_of_a_Perfect_Pair. Or _vrooom_ and _One Time_ on VROOM, for that matter. The earlier albums, I think are more elemental. I expect, though, many folks to disagree. Sergey girlya at minerva dot cis dot yale dot edu http://www.cis.yale.edu/~girlya/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: C. Mortensen Subject: Islands & USA Date: Sun, 22 Jan 95 12:56:35 MET Hi' all All the fuss about people that doesn't like Islands amazes me, to me it's the best KC album. Whenever I'm to recommend a Crimson album to a newcomer it has always been Islands and it has never failed, they get hooked. A few tracks on the album are a bit more "commercial" (read: accessible) than usual 'The letters' and 'Ladies on the road', but that definitely does NOT make them bad. The album also contains the all-time pearl 'Sailors tale'. And now I'm at it, there's been so much talk about Earthbound and how hard it is to get hold of, but what about the other live album USA. I've been trying for more than 5 years to get my hands on that one, but haven't succeded yet. Can it be that it's just not available in Europe, or have I been unfortunate. Claus Mortensen [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 22 Jan 95 08:30:55 EST From: Michael Peters <100041 dot 247 at compuserve dot com> Subject: Brain Candy & misc I saw a Macintosh compatible CDROM called 'Brain Candy'. It features abstract psychedelic graphics (judging from the cover) accompanied by Eno/Fripp music, with titles that didn't sound familiar. Can anyone tell me what it is ? My PC can't play Mac CDROMs. If it's previously unreleased stuff, I need to have it anyway. 8-) For those who want a *complete* discography, you might have missed two CDs with Fripp collaborations: David Cunningham 'Water' features sparse RF chords on one piece. 'Water' is a beautiful minimalistic CD. Made to Measure Vol. #31. 'Goldberg - ein Dutzend Taeuschungen' (a dozen deceptions) is a radio drama by Maria Volk (text) and Ulrich Bassenge (music), also featuring Holger Czukay, Max Goldt, Holger Hiller, Roman Bunka, Ernst Jandl and others. Was released on CD by the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Radio) here in Germany in 1991. Interesting project, featuring sparse frippertronics here and there. Probably not available outside Germany. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | Michael Peters CIS 100041,247 | | Postfach 600645, 50686 Koeln, Germany mpeters at ibm dot net | | "Do nothing for as long as possible" (Brian Eno) | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 22 Jan 1995 11:56:32 +0800 From: kbibb at arastar dot com (Ken Bibb) Subject: more on oblique strategies Since my post on the oblique strategies fortune file that I have, there have been many people downloading it :) There has also been an article on it from Gregory Taylor. He's given me permission to include his Oblique Strategies FAQ in the elephant-talk archive, so it's now there. To retrieve the file via email, send: get elephant-talk oblique.faq to listserv at arastar dot com with a blank subject line (or "asdf"). -- Ken Bibb "Upon a wave of summer kbibb at arastar dot com A hilltop paved with gold jester at crash dot cts dot com We shut our eyes and make the promises we hold" David Sylvian--"Wave" [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 22 Jan 1995 15:13:08 -0500 (EST) From: "Scott T. Lillis" Subject: Various comments Chris Pardua posted in ET#165 about Islands, for which he'll probably receive many replies. Well everyone likes to share their opinion it seems. I personally like Islands. I would reccomend this and Lizard for people who are already familiar with other KC material. As a production, I think Islands is pretty sloppy, but there are some noteworthy bits of playing on the album. Unfortunately, it isn't amazing(like most KC) it's just sorta interesting. Alot of people think Ladies of the Road is one of the few good songs on the album. I personally like The Letters and Formentera Lady more. They have a somewhat classical orientation, while having an improvised feel at the same time. Lizard is pretty hectic but has some cool jazz riffs and good guitar work. I think you should check these out, but use caution! --- Also people were talking about the track list for Earthbound, the other song on the second side is called 'Earthbound' and sounds basically like and improv. This is still pretty easy to find on vinyl if you look around. Also, I mdon't much care for this version of Groon. The one from the B-side of Cat Food(also on a Young person's guide to KC) is much more interesting,IMO. --- Also, a quick reminder, anyone interested in contributing to/proofing/ or just having KC tablature for various songs, please contact me. We have a few tunes worked out in detail(Lament, Starless) as well as some other snippets. Scott Lillis --- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 22 Jan 95 15:22:58 EST From: astarling at octrf dot on dot ca Subject: Earthbound Hello, There's been quite a bit of talk about 'Earthbound' lately. I have a copy that I picked up about 7 years ago. It was a Japanese pressing with the little pink strip around it (I think all the Japanese audiophile pressings had a paper strip around them), in mint shape. Anyway, I came across a used copy at a local record shop. They're charging $25 Cdn (guess they know it's a rarity). If anyone is keen on getting it, perhaps you could send me e-mail and some cash and I'll go snag it for you, assuming it's still there. Thanks to the kind folks who are transcribing the Fripp interviews and diaries. They make an excellent read. As I am turning 30 this year, I got a kick out of Fripp saying throughout his late teens and all of the twenties his brain was in his dick. Looking forward to my brains moving back upstairs. Glad that S/F live is documented in 'Damage'. When I saw them the sound was mush. Fripp's guitar was pretty much a wall of noise without a lot of definition. Probably discovered that Fripp played on Blondie's 'Parallel Lines' when I read the discog a while back, but was caught by surprise last night when I hooked up the turntable and played the record. That is Fripp on 'Fade Away And Radiate' right? All the best, Andrew. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 22 Jan 1995 17:01:33 -0500 (EST) From: SMITH at hws dot edu Subject: Fracture, Thrak, Bath I have three messages: 1. For those fans of Fracture (there must be a few out there): you might be interested in Henryk Gorecki's string quartet "Already it is Dusk." I'm not saying that KC has any influence on Mr. Gorecki (although Gorecki's title is Crimsoid enough), but both pieces leave the same musical taste in my mouth, er-uh, ears. Strong contrast between fast and slow, loud and soft, textural similarities due (I believe -- after all, I'm not a musician) to polytonal chords ... is that right? A lot of unresolved dissonance. The playing by the Kronos Quartet is just as intense and fierce as Larks'-period King Crimson. Kronos Quartet is a phenomenon in its own right ... I wonder if they ever improvise. Interesting possibilities. But I digress. Oddly, Gorecki's piece is most evocative of Fracture during a fast section which is based on traditional Polish dance music. Go figure. However, "Already it is Dusk" is purely for the brain -- it doesn't influence anatomy below the belt like Fracture does. If anyone out there does listen to Gorecki's music, please let me know what you think. 2. I've been listening to Thrak a lot. Without a doubt it is the freshest track on the Vrooom EP. It pushes the figurative envelope, as it were, right down your throat. There is so much to listen to (that crashing, thumping percussion; Fripp/Belew's wired guitars; the stick stampede) but I think the guys' intent was just to have you enjoy the annihilation ... the Dionysian infinite felt beneath crushing Apollonian restraints: the same theory behind Discipline, I believe. I picture Lucifer's fall from heaven, Beelzebub swiftly following .. They wake to the groggy depths of "When I Say Stop, Continue." 3. In two weeks (Feb. 5) I'm leaving the good old US to study in, of all places, BATH, ENGLAND for four months. With my luck, KC will be long gone by then. But if anyone knows any different, let me know. I'd love to meet Mr. Fripp and friends. Gosh, what would I say? Something along the lines of "Hello." Sorry I took up so much space, Steven D. Smith Hobart College [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 14:48:33 -0600 From: Glenn Astarita Subject: Islands Regarding the latest digest, a young KC fan was told that Islands was bad. I recall many moons ago purchasing Islands sadly I don't own it any longer. If my memory serves me, It has shades of the European free jazz movement which was surfacing at that time. I think it was similar to "Lizard" in that vein. Basically, these releases seemed to be a bit daring for a rock band at that time. A good bit of improvisation heavy on the woodwinds and such. Maybe the origins of Art or avante-garde Rock ? Unfortunately I can't recollect much else, but I did manage to wear the l.p. out. I did enjoy Islands and think it's worth buying... Glenn [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 23 Jan 95 13:05:58 -0800 From: David A. Craig Subject: who wants to see robert fripp in santa cruz? It turns out that I have two extra tickets for the robert fripp show in santa cruz, tuesday january 31 at 8:00 pm. Tickets were $10.50 each. Mail me directly ASAP if you want them. If you live near santa barbara or palo alto you could pick them up before the show, otherwise we can just meet you in santa cruz the day of the show (believe me, we'll be there!) The catalyst is a *great* place to see shows. A really good vibe, and even for such a music loving town the audiences are great. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Charles Corley Date: 23 Jan 95 15:42:46 ES Subject: I saw a KC bootleg today, case y'all are interested... Was browsing at a used/import/bootleg cd shop in Austin called Technophilia today and I noticed that they have a KC bootleg dated 1973 called 'A Day at the Edge of the World.' The band line-up is Cross/Fripp/Wetton/Bruford. It was priced at $23. I skimmed through the tracks (which I can't remember now, otherwise I'd list them) and personally thought that the disc sounded execrable. However, I know how eager many of y'all are to acquire boots, so I thought I'd post this here. It might be of particular interest to other Austin subscribers. Some of the tracks were: LTiA1 Dr. Diamond intro Dr. Diamond Easy Money Book of Saturday Talking Drum LTia2 That's just a few of them (from memory.) One thing I noticed is that 21st Century Schizoid Man is listed as the last track on the album but is, in fact, not there at all. Could someone mail (so as not to waste space in the digest) me a sort of review or description of Let the Power Fall and Brian Eno's Nerve Net (particularly with regard to Fripp's playing on that album.) I'm thinking about buying these next time I make a purchase and would just like some input on them. Oh, and as a recommendation, I would like to suggest Wire's album '154.' Their sound is a sort of raw, stripped down post-punk sort of sound but there is a very unique sensibility at work that reminds me alternately of the 80's King Crimson (without the virtuosity, but with a raw garage-band sort of energy) and of the late 60's (Piper at the Gates of Dawn) Pink Floyd. I had often heard Wire referred to as one of the most influential (and most minimal) bands to come out of late 70's punk, cited by REM among others, but had never listened to them until recently. I heartily recommend this record. (As an aside, I picked up this cassette at Camelot in a $1, buy one get one free, cassette bin, which is where I had gotten a bunch of KC cassettes only a few months previous.) [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 24 Jan 95 07:22:25 EST From: Udo Dzierzanowski <73064 dot 1470 at compuserve dot com> Subject: KC confirmed tourdates King Crimson - Confirmed Itinerary 1995 Date Venue Capacity 6 May Volkshaas, Zurich 1,500 7 May Philipshalle, Duesseldorf 2,500 8 May Tempodrom, Berlin 2,200 10 May Philharmonie, Munich 2,300 11 May Liederhalle, Stuttgart 3,000 13 May Zenith, Paris 3,400 14 May La Luna, Brussels 1,600 15 May Congresgebouw, Amsterdam 1,900 17 May Royal Albert Hall, London 3,325 18 May Royal Albert Hall, London 3,325 26 May to 30 June - North America [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "John Mitchell" Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 10:09:42 -0500 Subject: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #165 >Date: Fri, 13 Jan 1995 12:44:35 -0800 >From: David Bayer >Subject: Videos? > >I was wondering if Mr. Fripp has any plans of releasing videos >in the coming year in the U.S. What I had in mind were > >1) Re-releasing Frejus what is this? >.. >4) Careful with That Axe [vol 2, 1991, 56 mins] This is available in the US from: Audiophile Imports P.O. Box 4801 Lutherville, MD 21094-4801 (410) 628-7601 This seems to be a one-man operation. He stocks a lot of Jaco Pastorious, Bruford albums, Uzeb, and Djam Karet. Tell him you saw it on the net. "Careful with That Axe, Vol 2" is an excellent video, including a number of KC video clips, plus several LCG clips, interspersed with Fripp talking. It was filmed in Italy in 1991, in English with Japanese subtitles (!). The LCG sections are: "Blue Balls", "Fragments of Skylab", "Ricer Car" (played by CGT), "This Yes" (Leavitt, ugh), and "Rhythm of the Universe". ** Are any of these tunes available anywhere else? ** They are fantastic (ie: as good as Yamanashi Blues). Go out and buy it now. "Martin G. Bradburn" said something about a Bridge Between video - where can I get it? He also asked about Fripp's current setup: "Careful with That Axe" has a mention of it; Zoom w/ ART Multiverb. Of course, this is from memory, and even then only accurate to '91. - john [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Brian Thomson Subject: RE: Welcome to Elephant Talk Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 18:29:00 PST The other day I was trawling through my old issues of Sound on Sound magazine (UK), and came across this in the Sylvian interview in the June '94 issue: ... Sylvian was asked to do a tour of Japan in 1992. "Robert (Fripp) approached me in late 1991about whether I wanted to join a new King Crimson he was forming. Though very flattered, I decided that I didn't feel equipped to take on the whole baggage and history that comes with being a member of King Crimson. So instead we took the offer of the tour as an opportunity to write material for an album." Can anyone imagine how that would have sounded, especially now we know what the new KC sounds like? Perhaps this version of KC isn't quite what Mr Fripp was after? Brian T (There's always a first time for everything...) PS; I've also posted this message to the Sylvian newsgroup to see what they think... (To join the Sylvian group, send a blank subject line and body text of "SUBSCRIBE SYLVIAN " to ) PPS If you ask me nicely, I might transcribe the article for those who didn't catch it... SOS also has a full interview with Mr F., with full details of his equipment setup as it was in late 1993, and some interesting quotes on old fuzz boxes... [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: pvallado at waynesworld dot UCSD dot EDU (Paolo Valladolid) Subject: Why Not Holdsworth? Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 16:14:27 -0800 (PST) > Date: Thu, 12 Jan 1995 13:24:22 +0600 > From: mps at geode dot geodesic dot com (Michael Spertus) > Subject: Why not Holdsworth? > > Does anyone have any idea why RF has never played with AH? The combined > originality and technique would be awesome. Why not Holdsworth? Because being a guitar player in King Crimson requires a willingness to play rhythm guitar as well as leads. Holdsworth does not like the sound of himself strumming the guitar. While he has demonstrated at least competency in basic funk styles and rock rhythm guitar, he is simply not interested in playing rhythm guitar. I'm not putting him down, I rather like him myself; but his personal style simply would not fit with the rest of the band. He'd end up playing lead guitar all the time, which would get old fast with King Crimson. Perhaps Chris Hoard, who actually witnessed a brief (non)encounter between the two can offer more insight. -- Paolo Valladolid ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Moderator of Digital Guitar Digest, an Internet mailing list |\ |for Music Technology and Stringed Instruments | \ ----------------------------------------------------------------- | \ finger pvallado at waynesworld dot ucsd dot edu for more info \ | \ http://waynesworld.ucsd.edu/DigitalGuitar/home.html \| ----------------------------------------------------------------- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Subject: Islands From: mike dot dickson at almac dot co dot uk (MIKE DICKSON) Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 07:29:00 +0100 Organization: ALMAC : Grangemouth, Scotland : +44 (0)1324 665371 [T] I don't know a lot of King Crimson fans personally, but the few I do know [T] have told me *repeatedly* to stay away from the "Islands" disc I'm not certain why it's so regularly slagged off. Some of the material is, admittedly, a bit weak but it's by no means bad. Although the opening tracks is pleasant at first, it hangs about far longer than it is welcome, it's more than made up for by 'The Sailor's Tale' which is arguably one of the best things Fripp ever recorded. Side two starts off well enough with 'Ladies of the Road' and even 'Prelude', it tails away poorly with the title track which tries to be all things to everyone and fails to do anything very much at all. Fripp aside, the playing is rather perfunctory. Boz wasn't much of a bassist and his singing is so 'measured' that it makes it sound like he's reading the lyrics for the first time as he sings them. Having said all that I'd still recommend you purchase it, though. It's a strange record, more leaning towards improvised jazz (as developed from 'Lizard') and is lighter on the Mellotron and thunder of the first two records. I recall playing it to a non-fan who became an instant convert on hearing 'Islands' for the first time, so it must have its merits. Put it this way; I'd play 'Islands' a *long* time before I'd think about playing anything from the 1980's King Crimson! --- * KWQ/2 1.2g * Columnated Ruins Domino * mike dot dickson at almac dot co dot uk * TEAM OS/2 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 18:47:51 +0800 From: John dot Lukes at EBay dot Sun dot COM (John Lukes) Subject: Re: Why not Holdworth, plus From what I've heard, most recently reading an interview with Steve Howe, Mr. Holdsworth is virtually NEVER satisfied with his live performances nor his recordings, so maybe Mr. Fripp finds Holdsworth's apparent "discontent" and "perfectionism" hard to work with or even off-putting. Just venturing a guess... Besides, perhaps "RF" doesn't concur with the idea that the "new KC" are just "updating earlier Crimsons." In other words, there's a pretty good chance he is quite happy with where they are and what they're doing. My take on Robert Fripp (from readings here and otherwise) is that he wouldn't be involved if he weren't quite satisfied with the fruits of their labors. Didn't Abraham Lincoln say something about, "You can please some of the people some of the time...but not all of the people all of the time"? Seems to apply here. Finally, Mr. Fripp says that "Vrooom" is the postcard preceding the love letter. I think it's too early to make any "final" judgements about the "new KC" -- we haven't heard them yet! -JOHN ("aim for success, not perfection") [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 24 Jan 95 16:44 BRT From: GABRIEL AMORIM COSTA Subject: I like Islands ! Hello, fellow ET'ers ! On the previous issue Chris Pardua was asking about _Islands_ and the reason why it seemed to be so unrecommended by Crimson fans. I can only say that I myself like it a lot, maybe not my fav KC album, but I see no reason for people to get away from it. "Sailor's Tale" is certainly one of my fav KC songs (I'd like to listen to a live version of it, one of the reasons that will lead me to buy an old vinyl copy of _Earthbound_ if I find it). "The Letters" and "Ladies of the Road" are also excellent tracks. Maybe most of the people dislike the more 'introspective or-call-it-whatever-you-want' titles like "Formentera Lady" and "Islands", but even these tracks are certainly not bad, you just have to be in the right mood to listen to them. The final part of "Formentera...", with that female vocals over the growing instrumental that introduces "Sailor's Tale" pleases me a lot. So, Chris, I think it would be really worthy to take a listen to _Islands_ and see what you think. I bet you won't be disappointed.... Comments ? Gabriel [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Jean Adams Subject: more diary Date: Wed, 25 Jan 95 1:13:17 EST This is more of the article from the Jan. 1982 musician magazine-The diary of King Crimson by Robert Fripp. Friday, April 24th, 1981;HQ. The girl who preferred me with my clothes off was a 17-year-old model from Newcastle, where I had met her while playing in Change Is, a new and trendy club. She had come to London to run rings around a musician she had met at the club the week before. He was actually running rings around her: he was married. When she discovered this she slashed her wrist in the bathroom sink and then staunched the flow of blood on Greg's towel, leaving large stains and clots. This angered Greg, who had only allowed the girl to stay in our bachelor flat for a few days as a special favour. At that time, May 1969, Greg Lake and I had an apartment together in Leinster Square, just between Queensway and Westbourne Grove. The flat was one large room with a cardboard partition which made two "rooms".This allowed each to be fully involved in the personal life of the other, and ALL its details, whether wanted or not. Greg had come to London in November 1968 to join Michael Giles, Ian MacDonald and myself in Giles, Giles and Fripp, replacing Peter Giles. Since Greg had nowhere to stay he shared my bed in Brondesbury Road. It wasn't a great arrangement, so we got an apartment. King Crimson began rehearsing on January 5th, 1969, in the basement of the Fulham Palace Cafe, Fulham Palace Road, and for the first week of March went to work at Change Is in Newcastle, the new and trendy club. Our booking was as Giles, Giles and Fripp, the only work GGF were ever given, following a moderately successful BBC2 TV show, COLOR ME POP. We caught the train from London to Newcastle on the day before the gig, Saturday, and checked into our digs at South Shields, right on the North Sea coastline and with a cold that reached all parts. Greg said we should go into the club and line up the birds for the coming week. He looked on me, somewhat rightly, as an inept puller. Once in action I was assured, but to get to that point was a problem. Greg for his part had all the lines down and could charm nearly everyone he wanted, and he took it on himself to give me some help in strategy and manoevres. So, off the team went to Change Is. This was the last day of the club's first week, with the Paul Williams Set playing, and the crop of the town's young women in mini-skirts as waitresses. We lined up trade for the week. I was wearing my smart Carnaby Street jacket, trousers and frilly white shirt, and felt bold. The character of pulling, I learned, involved being pushy and insincere. The following week, liberated from background in a new town and society, the first time I had ever been further north than London, two waitresses responded. Both visited me in London. The 17-year-old model who made her suicide attempt did so on the night King Crimson played the Van Dyke Club in Plymouth. The band returned by milk train via Bristol and I arrived back at our flat at 7:30 in the morning. Lee Kerslake's girlfriend, a friend of the model, answered the door. Obviously, something was wrong. Just having traveled London to Plymouth, played, returned without sleep, this was just what I needed. The model's wrist was stiched by now, Greg's towel a shade of heavy magenta and a freshly opened razor blade on the sink with only a touch of coagulated blood. I washed it off and shaved on it for a week. We sent her home to her mother. Her friend, the other waitress, visited from Newcastle shortly afterwards. A very quiet, innocent and pretty blonde. She gave me gonorrhea. The first one gave me trichomoniasis vaginitis, but I didn't know this at the time. Not long afterwards Greg was going to pay a visit to the Willy Shop as a matter of course, and why didn't I go along, too? After all, this was part of my education, Wimborne mud fresh from my recently purchased(with Greg) Anello and Davide boots. So, we went to Gower Street Special Clinic together and the doctor told me I had gonorrhea. Unclean! VD! Unclean! Nice people did't get VD. I had shamed my family. Greg was far more practical and comforting. Then I had to get in touch with the girls, and an embarrassed confession from the innocent blonde returned by mail. I never heard from her again. The first one I saw backstage at the Lyceum two years later, still with the married man, but I haven't seen her since. At this time King Crimson was beginning to be sucessful, and the new blood we represented began to appeal to the bloodthirsty. Mike Giles, the drummer, was married but then gravitating towards his second wife. Ian MacDonald fell in love for the first time. This left Greg and myself as the band's main singles. Part of the appeal of being a professional musician, particularly in rock, was the freedom of behaviour allowed to young players, particularly young rockers. One expected them to carelessly and frequently rut; ergo one could carelessly and frequently rut. Taking on a persona made pulling much easier: Robert Fripp of King Crimson could proposition with a confidence that Bob Fripp, young thinker of Wimborne, couldn't. And ther was interest coming the other way. David Enthoven, one of our managers and the E of EG, said: "Greg'll get all the dollies, and Fripp'll get the heavies." Certainly, I did come to know one or two women of substance. Meanwhile, two young women who worked the periphery of the nightclub area had been looking through the MELODY MAKER. One had said to the other: "You should get yourself a pretty rock star" and took her through the music press to find one. A photo of King Crimson showed Greg to have the qualifications:"That's the one for you," said the instigator. Her friend, for whom Greg had just been selected, was a friend of our second manager, John Gaydon, the G of EG. He made the introduction and was sent champagne as thanks. We were recording IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING at Wessex Studios by now, July 1969, and I was homeless. Greg had moved a Danish blonde into our bachelor flat and I moved out, my share of the rent being taken over by another young bass player, Chris Squire. Chris had the apartment mostly to himself because Greg was spending a lot of time visiting the lady who had selected him. Anyway, at the end of a long day's recording I would set out to find a bed wherever I could. One night Greg asked where I'd be staying and naturally I didn't know. And so it turned out that the first lady, the instigator, had herself taken an interest in a rock musician: me. Said Greg:"You can take pot luck and go on 'round, or come and eat with us and we'll get her over. Have a look and see what you think." I opted for the meal and get-out clause, and went 'round to Chelsea where Greg's wealthy friend had her expensive apartment. Did I like avocados? I'd never had one. Yes please. Excellent meal, and towards the end of it my selector came 'round. She was Danish and worked late evenings as a hostess in a will-known London nightclub. Her job was to help rich men spend a fortune on fortunous drinks, and she helped by emptying her glass on the carpet under the table. She held the men in contempt. Whether or not she turned the occasional trick I never asked: Greg thought she probably did. She took me home with her to a small and comfortable flat in Notting Hill Gate, where she cooked and took care of me. I knew what was required. About this time, mid-1969, I saw a little of London's swinging set, but it was really beyond me. I couldn't afford it; I wasn't part of it; it had a subtle filth and depravity which attracted and repelled me. I did not swing. It disappointed me that this was a situation I couldn't master: I just couldn't handle it. Sophistication and social graces I lacked. But I began to see how much hookers, strippers and musicians have in common: they sell something very close to themselves to the public. This observation I've confirmed many times. The feeling is of people in the same job who sometimes get together after hours. HQ;later the same day. At yesterday's rehearsals we ran through a set for a mini-audience of Paddy and the soundmen from London to check our needs. We played badly and the running order was all wrong, but AB's wild and weird sounds are well in evidence all over the place now he's using his Fender more. Bill's family came to visit and the team assembled at the Horton Inn for dinner. Wonderful stories from the Americans about their work with different legends of the music industry. It was during Frank Zappa's 20-minute guitar solo when the band wandered off that Bowie took Adrian for the "Heroes" tour. Adrian went over to say hello to David and Iggy Pop during the break and Bowie promptly offered AB a job at the end of the Zappa tour. Tony had stories of how the New York studio musicians test out producers. Crinkling polythene in front of a microphone sounds like a duff mic lead if you're in the control room, and on two albums TL was doing, ALL the musicians in the band took to doing this, during the countdowns just before the takes. And if the producer gets a bit heavy the musician with strong nerves will leave for a coffee, once again just before a take. The really bold one will go out of the studio and bring back bottles of wine. "Hey, you guys, wanna have a bottle of wine?" apparently will loosen up any structured atmosphere. Tony has just come from the Yoko Ono album with Phil Spector in New York: one hundred run-throughs for one or two takes. Phil sits in a darkened control room, and the musicians set up in the farthest corner of the studio. They weren't allowed to leave for coffee or the bathroom and were told not to look at him. When Phil discovered they were checking out the safe/record lights to see if one of the hundred run-throughs were for real, he wanted to disconnect the signal lights on the 24-track, but technically it wasn't possible. (that's it for this week - JA) [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 14:19:14 -0600 From: Glenn Astarita Subject: Holdsworth Hello, Allan Holdsworth has done some stuff in the past with Ex-Crimsonites such as Bruford and Wetton. Does anyone know of a Holdsworth mailing list/digest ? I would appreciate any feedback via the digest or more appropriately to my e-mail address. Thanks, Glenn.................. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 20:53:11 -0500 From: Diaphanus at aol dot com Subject: misc I have looking through the past few ET digests, and I thought I'd add my two cents about a few things: VROOOM-There's been a lot of (elephant) talk regarding this 'calling card' from Fripp & the boys. People generally think it's good (definately KC), but I can't help but shake the feeling of disappointment that I read in ET. I don't know. All I can say is that it is a calling card, and that better things are to follow. (Has anyone thought that R.F. has put this out to appease his fans (us) who have been waiting through 2 or so years of KC reunio n rumors (many from RF himself)?) DAMAGE-Being a huge Fripp and David Sylvian fan, I was ecstatic when 'The First Day' came out. I think that DS's 'Gone to Earth' is eponymous and has some of RF's best playing on it (check it out). Needless to say, when I heard that they were touring I just had to go. I saw them in November 1993 at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, and it was one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. Several months later, in 'Generation Records' in the Village, I found a bootleg of the tour recorded in Japan a week before I had seen them. I shelled out the $40 for the double disc set....and it turned out to be the best damn bootleg I have ever heard. I played it nonstop for months- and then 'Damage' came out. I bought that too. The only reason I mention this is that I was a bit let down with 'Damage'! For one thing, compared to the bootleg, the excellent Michael Brook is buried in a lot of spots-his guitar really adds to the texture of the songs and its a shame he can't be heard. I must admit that 'The First Day' and 'Damage' sound better on the official release- but the bootleg definately has a better balance of guitar levels. Anyway, check this out if you see it-it is well worth it. OTHER-There is a band that has a lot of KC influence (especially from Red, SABB, LTIA but heavier) called Bald Red Lady. They're dark aggressive progressive rock that is also worth checking out. You can contact them at Baldredl at aol dot com for information and free music. Thanks for hearing me out... Dia [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 00:33:27 -0800 (PST) From: Frank Ashford Subject: New instrumentation Greetings! I wondered what you all thought about the new instrumention of the band, how you think the music has changed over the years and what version of King Crimson most influenced your musical taste? To start off, here are my responses to these questions. I think the double-trio format is interesting. I wonder, though, why the double trio was chosen to be symmetric (two of everything). I wonder a lot about what a King Crimson double trio with say Olu Dara or Jon Hassel playing trumpet instead of the second guitar and maybe a marimba player instead of a second drummer would sound like. I have a lot of difficulty distinguishing the personalities in the music. It is not delicate. It's like taking a sip of water from a firehose. Perhaps that is the idea behind the music? The music seems to have changed from being a sometimes confrontational sometimes cooperative group to a unified front . . . a phalanx. I think the KCIII band had a lot more space in the music. In those recordings, they seem not to overrun eachother. Each member can be clearly and distinctly heard in the *best* pieces (ie Providence :^). by the way, is the Providence on Red the same as the Providence on The Great Deceiver . . . is this another live surprise like Starless and Bible Black?). Today, their music is so much more dense. I find it very difficult to personalize. Perhaps that is the point . . . that I *should* find it difficult to personalize. I think this may also have something to do with the way the instruments are treated currently. I get the feeling with the state of the art guitar, in the right hands, *any* sound can be generated. I'm not to keen on having this exploited all that much. I think there is something to be said for a musician struggling with the physical limitation of an instrument . . . that musician with that instrument is a character fixed in the sonic pallette. When the musician can alter that significantly, it gets more difficult to identify who the musician is. For Fripp, I've always loved the sound of his Les Paul(?) and that angry grinding sound he'd make. For Adrian Belew, I think his best work with King Crimson came with Thela Hun Ginjeet . . . the guitar seemed to come alive and express the sheer terror of his moment in the streets. I don't hear anything like that urgency of expression now. I suspect Tony Levin is one of the more sensitive listeners in the band what with his tremendous breadth of exposure and experience. I wish the music gave him more of a chance at expressing himself individually. No question, for me KCIII was the revalation. After hearing that music *anything* was possible. I mean that stuff made my ears much bigger. Sure, now I could go on to listen to the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, John Carter etc. For that push to insight, I am eternally greatful. Bill Bruford kept the pressure on in that direction. I really think Earthworks is as close as anyone has gotten to expressing the spirit of that earlier time: space, cooperation and improvisation. -Frank fashford at crl dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 15:28:24 -0800 (PST) From: Bruce Gordon Subject: live dates and other... Hi y'all, I am experiencing a wonderful year of CD buying and because of Mark (possible prod.) and such I have been having a GREAT music year of listening. Kudos aside... When will the KC outfit come to Seattle? Please, please, please come to Seattle. We fans are legion and would relly like to see/hear KC. Sylvian/Fripp (Damage tour) didn't make it up here, although, I did receive an autographed poster from David (thank you!). I've seen KC in '73 (Central Park)and in '84 (Boston...or was it '83?) and I would love to able to see them this decade as well. What's Toyah's next project? Would she come to Seattle for a performance? (please come to Seattle in the springtime...It really doesn't rain all the time: we just say that to keep the southern Californians away...oops!) Hi ya' Tony Levin! Do you remember the tour for PG's II album and that November date at Hartwick College? There was that incident involving Jerry and the Hartwick track and the other drummer from Woodstock? (I think he really was a newspaper guy). I was that obnoxious college student following Peter around and asking about Raisin Bran, Teddy Bears and Bruce Springsteen, after the show while you were packing up wires and microphones. Because of the experience, I now play stick, amoungst other things. bruce, Lord of the Reedy River, purveyor of astrology, etymology and legerdemain...who grew up in Roxbury, NY just a couple o'valleys from Woodstock (off rte 28 & 212, on rte 30) [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 10:59:23 -0800 From: msg at fiji dot asd dot sgi dot com (Mark Grossman) Subject: Re: Why not Holdsworth? > Does anyone have any idea why RF has never played with AH? The combined > originality and technique would be awesome. I heard a long time ago that he had a tremendous ego... that he considers himself the greatest guitar player in the universe. If that's true, I'd imagine he'd have a hard time in a group with another strong guitarist or two.... -- Mark [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 16:45:54 -0500 From: Merrill Tritt Subject: Bruford interview The following was printed in _The Beacon_, Florida International University's student newspaper on January 18, 1995. It was written by Hans Morgenstern, music critic. Bill Bruford - Progressive Pioneer Still Rocks On "I have no interest in rock music," said drummer/percussionist Bill Bruford. He utters some strong words. After all, Bruford co-founded Yes in 1968 and played a brief role in Genesis in 1976. Since 1972 he has jumped at Robert Fripp's whims to reactivate the mostly hibernating King Crimson. Once again, for Crimson's third resurrection since he joined the group, Bruford sits poised behind his battery of acoustic/electronic percussion instruments. Its first public performances since 1984 took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Backstage, at the Teatro Broadway, located in the center of Buenos Aires, Bruford sips his third cup of coffee and explains his boredom with rock 'n' roll. "Rock music is a very conservative art form," he says. "It sort of begins and ends with Elvis Presley. That's kind of it. There really isn't anything in it. There's three of four chords, the same beat and the face changes, so now everybody thinks Soundgarden, or something, is the hippest thing, but it sounds exactly the same as the big groups in rock, before it." Since he first started in "rock," he has had an interest in making it something different. In the last '60s, many artists in England shared his ideas. They set out with the intention to come up with a form of music that would challenge radio airplay. They wanted nothing do with The Beatles, The Who, or The Rolling Stones. The term "progressive rock" or "art rock" was penned by the music press in an attempt to pigeon-hole this new form of music. "Art rock," Bruford said as if the coffee he has just sipped had a bitter taste. "It's one of these unfortunate terms that have to be dragged up to try and describe a movement. I'm sure the dada movement wasn't thrilled by the term 'dada'". Along with groups like Genesis, Pink Floyd and Van Der Graf Generator, Yes was part of a new music movement in the late '60s that offered Bruford a reason to perform. "Art rock, if it meant anything, was that rock could develop, or benefit by having other elements introduced into it, be it jazz or classical music or world music or anything." Bruford stayed with Yes until 1972. After recording _Fragile_ he was approached by King Crimson leader Robert Fripp. "'I'm proposing a band,'" Bruford said explaining how Fripp approached him, "'and it has you in it, and it has a crazed avant-garde, improvising drummer called Jamie Muir, and it has a violin player [David Cross] and the best young bass player in London called John Wetton. Do you want to be in it?'" Bruford admitted the idea sounded preposterous to him at first, but now he says the band feels like his spiritual home. Bruford said there were no hard feelings when he left Yes for Crimson. In fact, he even reunited with his former band mates in 1991, although, he admitted the decision to release a record was a bad idea. "That was kind of like a three month vacation," he said, "having fun with the old pals, but I wouldn't give up my day job for it." He remembers the recording of Union as a trying chapter in Bruford's musical life. "It was a really horrible experience," he said. "The musicians were completely out of the control of that. It was a record company's album. They're on the telephone every afternoon saying, 'How's progress?'" Bruford said. "Why? Because they put two million bucks into it, and they want something, so the musicians get too much pressure." Yes performed at the Teatro Broadway the week before King Crimson started holding its court there, but Bruford didn't seem interested in catching the show. He didn't give any particular reason why he hadn't attended. "Although," he said, "members of our band did come to their concert. I heard it described as professional cabaret." Bruford admitted that his interest in rock has only been recently stirred by the rejuvenation of King Crimson. But, he said, he feels more comfortable in Jazz. "Jazz, of course, is where I started," he said. In 1985, he formed Earthworks so he could try his hand at something he couldn't do with King Crimson. "I wanted to hear something done on the drum Kit." he said. "I began using the electronic drums in a very melodic and chordal way. I wouldn't do that in King Crimson because they have two guitars for that." Bruford invited Django Bates on horns and keyboards, Iain Ballamy on saxophones and keyboards and Tim harries on bass to join him in his drive into British jazz. Together they recorded four albums, including the recently released live album _Stamping Ground_. "It's European jazz," Bruford said. "While America invented jazz, it's now, nonetheless, and international sport. Like somebody invented soccer, but hey, there are different ways in playing soccer. The Brazilians do it differently from the Germans. That's the way I feel about jazz." Bruford said jazz had a special calling to him as a drummer. "Jazz was innovated on the percussion, brilliantly, and now, of course, there's electronics, word music, multi-metrical stuff, all kinds of things that go on with drums, phenomenal," he said. According to Bruford, the same elements could apply to rock. "I'm interested in rock insofar as I can do something interesting with the drums, and that's why I always play in some meter or with electronics, in some funny meter, with a whole combination of sound. I kind of treat every tune differently." In the end, he would like to see his efforts at innovation on the drum kit recognized. "I just try to do a good day's work, really, which is try and bring a particular interest to the drummer's seat. I'd like to feel that in the end of 40 years, when I retire, drumming was slightly different to the way it was when I found it. This is extremely arrogant: that, in part, one iota of that, had something to do with my efforts. I would like that. That people would remember, 'Bill Bruford... Oh, yeah, he had a few ideas." ---------- [] ---------- [] ---------- [] ---------- [] ---------- Aplogies for the typos. =========================================================================== == Merrill Tritt === mtritt01 at solix dot fiu dot edu === Miami, FL == == unbeing dead isn't being alive - e.e. cummings == =========================================================================== [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 14:22:11 -0800 From: Isaiah Singer Subject: Ride Cal Student seeks transportation for rare pilgrimage from East BAy (BErkeley) to Slim's next Wednesday. Strap me to your roofrack, even, just get me there, please! eternal thanks, Isaiah (isinger at ocf dot Berkeley dot edu) [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: JDEhm at eworld dot com Date: Fri, 27 Jan 95 20:44:34 PST Subject: Islands - The True Story In Elephant Talk #165, Chris Pardua asks, "What's the stink over Islands ?". I too must iterate my confusion as to why some KC fans say to stay away from Islands. I think it is one of KC's better albums. I admit it is hard to say which albums are better since the musical 'feel' changes with each incarnation of the band; with the only constant being Robert Fripp, but I feel Islands ranks in the top three. This is the only KC album that I know of that has a 'piece' that is performed a la string quartet (Prelude: Song Of The Gulls); who'd of thought that Fripp could write such peaceful music (future Frippertronic songs aside) and the song Islands itself is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Now before you think that I'm just on the mellow side, I must say that Sailor's Tale is absolutely amazing. I love when Fripp 'lets loose' on his axe. His solo, on Brian Eno's Baby's On Fire, still to this day puts all the 'heavy' guitarists to shame. I do have one problem with the CD of Islands though and I'm not sure if others have the same problem: it sounds like it was copied off of an actual vinyl record with a microphone. I bought my copy in Amsterdam about nine years ago. It is marketed by Virgin, on the EG label (EGCD 5) and was made in France by MPO. To boot, after the song Islands finishes, the CD keeps playing and after a short time you hear what sounds like people in a studio and string instruments being played/tuned. Does anyone else have a copy like this? What's the story? Also, what's the sound like on the Definitive Edition and does it have this extra stuff at the end? There's my two cents and I hope someone can shed some light on my queries. "Waves sweep the sand from my island, from me." JD Ehm at eworld dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] ----- ADMINISTRIVIA ----- ** POSTINGS Please send all postings to Toby Howard, at toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk. ** SUBSCRIPTIONS/ADDRESS CHANGES USA subscribers: please contact Ken Bibb at elephant-talk-request at arastar dot com. Non-USA subscribers: please contact Toby Howard, at elephant-talk-request at cs dot man dot ac dot uk. ** ARCHIVES FTP: The Elephant Talk archives are available on ftp.uwp.edu, in /pub/music/lists/elephant-talk, and recent issues in ftp.cs.man.ac.uk in /pub/toby/elephant-talk. EMAIL: The Elephant Talk archives are also available via email. To get an index send: "index discipline" "index elephant-talk" to listserv at arastar dot com and to retrieve files (in this example, the discography, discipline #63 and elephant-talk #148) send: "get discipline discog" "get discipline discipline.63" "get elephant-talk et.148" to listserv at arastar dot com (send email to kbibb at arastar dot com if you encounter problems with the email archives). ** WWW http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/aig/staff/toby/elephant-talk.html ** LEGALESE The views expressed in Elephant Talk are those of the individual authors only. Elephant Talk is released for the personal use of readers. No commercial use may be made of the material unless permission is granted by the author. Toby Howard, Elephant Talk editor. http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/staff-db/toby-howard.html toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]