Reply-To: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Sender: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Precedence: bulk From: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk To: toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk Subject: Elephant Talk #199 E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 199, Friday, 16 June 1995 Today's Topics: [PRE-GIG] SF Re: youngest KC concert attendee (and concert note) Re: GIG REVIEW: DC Spoiler Re: THRAK - The Movie, pets. Re: Frippie the Cat B'Boom question plus request (none) bartok/fripp San Francisco Crimson Pre-Show Extravaganza Re: Concert crowd reminiscence Crowd Noise Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #198 Prediction ET Posting OOPS! Setting the record straight Trey & the Stick/Warr Guitar KC Celeb/Fan KC-The Movie Opening quote More about John Wetton new CD Elephant-pets Fripping Sustain Re: setlists Chickens!! Derek Bailey and (good) Company... Tony Levin Photos The past again Japan dates anyone? Original U.K. reforming Fripp's mistake Re: #4(4) Elephant-talk digest v95 #198 Rolling Stone review- THRAK Trey's weaponry Bruford CD ROM Musical references THRAK: The Next Generation Matte Albatross The Famous Green Onions Tune Elephant Talk and Belew Youngest KC Concert Attendee Bon Voyage Guitar Player column sought GIG REVIEW: KC in Cincy (kind of a spoiler) GIG REVIEW: Ann Arbor, MI GIG REVIEW: Late Boston Review,thraking good time GIG REVIEW: KC Cinci show/TLevin's "World Diary" GIG REVIEWS: Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo GIG REVIEW: Concert Week, KC (Philly) - Part 1 GIG REVIEW: Concert Week, (King Crimson - Washington DC) - Part 2 GIG REVIEW: KC in Kalamazoo GIG REVIEW: Chicago June 14 Setlist GIG REVIEW: Chicago, June 14, 1995 GIG REVIEWS: King Crimson in Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo GIG REVIEW: (Brief)--Milwaukee GIG REVIEW: Milwaukee, 6/15/95 GIG REVIEW: Milwaukee GIG REVIEW: NYT Review from Town Hall TICKETS: Yet more ticket grovelling TICKETS: Need 1 or 2 San Francisco tix! TICKETS: San Francisco dates ticket trade? TICKETS: wanted for Seattle 6/22 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Please send all posts to toby at cs dot man dot ac dot uk The ET archives: WWW: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/aig/staff/toby/elephant-talk.html FTP: The Americas: ftp.qualcomm.com, in /pub/et FTP: Rest of world: ftp.cs.man.ac.uk, in /pub/toby/elephant-talk EMAIL: Send "index elephant-talk" to listserv at arastar dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 12:10:02 PDT From: dunn at cs dot man dot ac dot uk (Casey Dunn) Subject: [PRE-GIG] SF jeez, I'm getting psyched about the SF shows; one weekend the ORB and then the King! now - hadn't someone mentioned a BBQ or sumsuch here in the bay area? hmm??? casey dunn at intellicorp dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 14:36:26 -0500 From: jmshephe at softart dot com (Jim Shepherd) Subject: Re: youngest KC concert attendee (and concert note) >Date: Fri, 9 Jun 1995 11:19:06 +0100 >From: Julian Parry >Subject: youngest KC concert attendee >question: What is the youngest recorded attendee at a KC concert? > I'll start the bid at 16 years and 10 days when I saw them on March 13th >1982 on the discipline tour, Buckinghamshire, UK (I was short for my age and >Belew spotted the little squirt in the audience and smiled at him- it was >the best concert I'd ever attended). Julian, you are beaten by a mile, I saw a guy and his whole famly at the Cincinnatti show (first balcony). Seemed that he had three little girls, one of whom was wearing a Beat tee-shirt. Looked like the youngest was around 6 or 7! As for the concert, the various reviews in ET #198 were spot on. When KC launched into Thrak, my wife leaned over and said: "So when does Vincent Price come out?" to which I later replied: "King Crimson is capable of a great many things, but I don't think that re-animating the dead is among them!" It was great to see RF smile. Cheers, JS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "I thougth I had a terrible case of mono, then I realized I hadn't had any coffee yet." -- Scott Adams Jim Shepherd Phone: 317.843.1663 Software Artistry, Inc. Fax: 317.574.5867 9449 Priority Way West Drive Voice Mail: 317.574.5856 ext. 1221 Indianapolis, IN 46240 Internet: jmshephe at softart dot com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "John Q. Mitchell" Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 15:29:19 -0400 Subject: Re: GIG REVIEW: DC Spoiler > Indiscipline ... > Another case of imbecilic audience interference: at the end of the > second spoken section, before the music blasts back in, someone > yelled "praise the lord" to which Adrian smiled.) Actually: Adrian sang "I LIKE IT", to which someone answered "praise the lord". - j [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 14:48:06 -0500 From: kikor at interaccess dot com (kikor) Subject: Re: THRAK - The Movie, pets. >THRAK - The Movie >Starring: >Buck Henry as Robert Fripp >G. Gordon Liddy as Tony Levin >Meat Loaf as Pat Mastelotto >Tom Hanks as Bill Bruford >??? as Trey Gunn >??? as Adrian Belew >>Anthony Hopkins as R. Fripp. -gets my vote. How 'bout the 50's era Don Knotts as AB? :-) (Sorry...couldn't resist any longer!) >From: jhuisman at worldaccess dot nl (John L.S. Huisman) Subject: Frippie the cat > >Maybe silly, some 15 years ago I found a cat, and kept it. She had a son >which >I called 'Frippie'. He is still alive and lives with me. Are there >any other >cats with this name ? I've got a cat named Eno. I'm saving "Fripp" until I get an Iguana. I don't know why, but it seems like a good name...for a "Lizard". -frank ============================================== F. J. Mundo - kikor at interaccess dot com "There's the football game garage, Jim/David" -My Dad, budding surrealist ============================================== [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 16:14:06 EST From: "Scott J. Klimek" <"island::cu14sjk"@meteor.syscon.com> Subject: Re: Frippie the Cat jhuisman at worldaccess dot nl (John L.S. Huisman) writes: > Maybe silly, some 15 years ago I found a cat, and kept it. She had a son > which I called 'Frippie'. He is still alive and lives with me. Are there > any other cats with this name ? Yes, it is silly. But since you broached the *pet names* subject... I have either owned or baby-sat: 2 - Central American Boa Constrictors named Bruford and Fripp, 1 - Box turtle named Wetton, 1 - Diamond/Carpet cross-bred Python named Toyah, 1 - Goffin (a parrot-like thing) named Belew, and 1 - White German Shepherd also named Toyah (the snake died). Apologies to T. Levin, T. Gunn, and P. Mastelotto; I guess I need more pets. Still, I'm not sure about the latter... Heeeeeeere Mastelotto! Mastelotto sit! Good boy!... Just doesn't sound right. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scott Klimek "The dead know only one thing: it is better to be alive." sklimek at logicon dot com - Pvt. Joker ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: thomas byran owens Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 16:25:01 -0400 Subject: B'Boom question plus request I have a question that's plagued me for a while. I've wondered if "B'Boom" was a semi-tribute to Max Roach, since Max Roach's percussion ensemble was called M'Boom, or M(ax)'Boom. KC's version would be B(ill)'Boom. :) Does anyone know if this was the intent or if there's a more deeply rooted reference point both Roach and Bruford used? Also, I was completely unable to get to any of the merchandise at the Cincinatti show I attended. If anyone could send me a copy of the merchandise catalog I'd be very appreciative. I really wanted the tour booklet, but any info will be appreciated. Thanks, T. Owens tbowen00 at mik dot uky dot edu [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "John Q. Mitchell" Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 15:36:00 -0400 > From: mathias thallmayer > Subject: CONCERT: solo Fripp in September > Date: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 01:48:42 -0400 (EDT) > > At the Crimson gig in Philadelphia, flyers were handed out with the > following info: > > Robert Fripp: Solo Soundscapes > & > The California Guitar Trio > > September 1st and 2nd, 1995 > at the Paul C. Empie Theater > Muhlenberg College - Center For The Arts > Allentown, PA > > For ticket info call (610) 821-3239 after August 1st. The KC tour lists ends on July 1st -- what is KC and CGT doing btw then and Sept 1st? Is there a CGT homepage yet? :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: John Mitchell Magnet Interactive Studios net: johnm at magnet dot com Advanced Products 3255 Grace St. tel: 202-625-1111 Group Washington, DC 20007 fax: 202-625-1352 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 16:39:16 -0400 From: 3emr1 at qlink dot queensu dot ca (- Steady Eddy -) Subject: bartok/fripp first of all, bartok absolutely rules. for anyone who's interested, take about 30, or so, minutes and listen to LTiA parts I and II. Then, if you can, check out bartok's string quartet no. 4, mov't IV and marvel at the similarities. the more i listen to 'thrak' the more i like it...i do think it's good. the fact is, no matter how closely i study it. no matter how i take it apart. no matter how i break it down. it remains wonderful and chilling. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 13:43:56 -0700 From: richie at nova dot net dot com (Richard Schiavi) Subject: San Francisco Crimson Pre-Show Extravaganza Hello. On Sat June 24th, there will be a pre-King Crimson concert gathering at my house in San Francisco. All ETalk and Stick list members are welcome to attend (and any band or crew member who might want to stop by, of course :-) ) Please give me a general email RSVP if your interested, cuz I'm mostly only inviting cyber people AND concert attendees to this event and wondering how much preparation I should prepare for. It should be, uh, unique, eh? Maybe we can all shave our heads before the show, or paint ourselves Red or something :-) Just kidding. . . There is also easily accessible public transportation (J-Church and Bart lines) very close, for those who don't want to drive downtown and enjoy the ever thought provoking adventures on SF Muni . . . Where: 3841 23rd Street (Between Church St./Vicksburg St.) Noe Valley/Mission area of the City San Francisco, of course phone (415) 647-4136 (if necessary) When: 3-7, Sat June 24th Why: Chit Chat! Rich richie at net dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 14:04:28 -0700 From: andrew at pixar dot com (Andrew Stanton) Subject: Re: Concert crowd reminiscence >Date: Fri, 9 Jun 95 09:34:31 EDT >From: jh at cadre dot com (Joe Hartley) >Subject: Concert crowd reminiscence > >I remember seeing Crimso at the Orpheum in Boston in July of '84. Robert >had stepped out to tune his guitar. He came out, sat on his stool, plucked >each string and seemed satisfied. As a further test, he ripped into some >sort of shredding guitar line for about ten seconds, then stopped to retune >a string. When he stopped, some wanker from row ZZ in the top balcony >shouts out "Hey, Bob-by!" Fripp looks up, mouths "Bobby??", shrugs, and >goes back into the wallpaper-shredding mode. Pretty funny. Whoah, what a memory. I was at that concert as well and had completely forgotten about that moment. I recall getting to the concert a bit early and paying no attention to the guy on stage calmly tuning the guitar, assuming it was a roadie. It wasn't until about 15 minutes later that I woke up and realized it was Fripp just hanging out on stage in front of everyone before the show. As matter of fact, I don't think a lot of people recognized him. Pretty cool. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 13 Jun 95 16:55:26 EDT From: "Neil J. Cavanagh" <76111 dot 3636 at compuserve dot com> Subject: Crowd Noise Moonlit Knight wrote: >I was at the Boston show, and to respond to the comments on crowd noise, I >believe there is a very fine line to walk which is also affected by >personal preferences. In some ways a Crimson show can be too polite and >tight (I would rather be standing), and bellowing between songs seems more I was also at the Boston show, but I believe that the 'fine line' was crossed. I was surrounded by concert goers who must have all been reunited with long lost friends at the show because evidently they couldn't bear to listen for ten seconds without discussing some vital matter. (Alternative explanation: When faced with the great Unknown that is powerful music, they are forced to deal with it by fleeing back to what is Known to them, in this case, the process of 'talking shit.') Mike Smith wrote: > The crowd was generally well-behaved, as was >Buffalo's; what's wrong with those people in Boston and New York? I guess in these cities people act more mechanically; for some an opening act means 'better get in the beer line now' and watching the headline act is akin to watching a football game on TV with some pals. This is unfortunate because the CGT and KC played some great music that night. The CGT's full power was only hinted at on record; their live performance was mind blowing. It is great to see more people discovering Gunn's contributions; his parts run the gamut of guitar chord type Thrakking to high end synth lines. NJC [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 14:12:46 -0700 From: tcona at ix dot netcom dot com (Anthony J. Cona,Jr.) Subject: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #198 for WMNF 88.5FM radio in Tampa.In it he tells in his own words his entire musical career up to that point.He discusses his discovery by Frank Zappa and his further ventures into rock stardom with David Bowie,Talking Heads,Tom Tom Club,King Crimson,and his various solo projects.If you would like a copy of this interview all you have to do is mail a blank 90 min cassette tape plus $1.00(to cover postage)and I'll mail you this revealing interview.Hear from Adrian's own mouth how King Crimson was formed from the ashes of the past and what their intent was for that version of the band.It is a very interesting interview that will give you a better understanding into the world of Adrian Belew.It is more revealing than any interview with Adrian that ever appeared in print. If you want a copy mail 90min blank cassette plus $1.00 (to cover my postage costs) to: Tony Cona 506 N. Sterling Ave. Tampa,FL 33609 USA PLEASE print return address CLEARLY. If you have a question about the interview or want to know more about it you can E-Mail me at: tcona at ix dot netcom dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 17:27:51 -0400 Subject: Prediction From: "Andrew J. Wilson" Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. In the year 2006, the quadruple dodecitet incarnation of King Crimson will be thus: 1 2 3 4 Bill Bruford Pat Mastelotto Herb Alexander Terry Bozzio drums Elvin Jones Gavin Harrison Tony Oxley Han Bennink drums Miroslav Vitous William Parker Mark Dresser Joelle Leandre contrabass Mick Karn Bootsy Collins Les Claypool Bill Laswell bass Tony Levin Trey Gunn Ian Varialle Alphonso Johnson stick Jerry Lee Lewis Keith Tippett Wayne Horvitz Bernie Worrell keyboards Adrian Belew Robert Fripp Reeves Gabrels Buckethead guitar Rob Fetters David Torn David Tronzo James Blood Ulmer guitar Brian Eno David Bottrill Daniel Lanois Flood devices John Zorn Anthony Braxton Evan Parker Peter Broetzmann saxophone Mark Isham David Douglas Don Cherry Jon Hassell trumpet Shankar Joan Wasser Ornette Coleman Irvine Arditti violin The ?%$&^* tickets are already sold out though, chumps. Go ahead, try to find Fripp on the stage! & [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 13 Jun 95 21:30 GMT From: DINAPOLI1 at AppleLink dot Apple dot COM (DiNapoli, Mark A) Subject: ET Posting Ok, I can't stand it anymore... I opened up last Sunday's SF Chron and there they were, The Orb. Who/what the hell are they??? M.A.DiNapoli Yesterday's a memory Tomorrow a dream Today's a gift That's why it's called The present [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 16:36:36 -0600 From: keeks at maroon dot tc dot umn dot edu (Tom Keekley) Subject: OOPS! Thanks to all who pointed out the correct date of the MPLS show. I wrote it down a long time ago and never checked my tickets . .. I would have been knockin' on the doors if it weren't for you all!! I can wait three days . . . i think. Ill be wearing the same red sweatshirt for those that are going and Id love to chat before the show if you want. Rock Bottom Brewery . . See ya (FRIDAY!!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tom Keekley (keeks at maroon dot tc dot umn dot edu) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 18:50:45 -0400 From: GFDrakeley at aol dot com Subject: Setting the record straight It's about time somebody sets the record straight as to what instrument Trey Gunn plays on the King Crimson tour, so here goes.....Trey does not, repeat does not, play the Chapman Stick(r), he plays a Warr Guitar(r). To those who thought they've seen a Stick duet between Tony and Trey, you haven't. To the misguided soul who said he'd finally seen a Grand Stick(r), sorry..no you haven't !! Wake up and post the facts straight please, a Warr Guitar is not a Stick, a Stick is not a Warr Guitar, Trey does not play the Stick in the KC live shows, Tony does not play the Warr Guitar in the KC live shows, got it ??? [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 18:29:38 -0400 (EDT) From: Sam Gustas Subject: Trey & the Stick/Warr Guitar Firstly, I want to thank everyone that has been posting reviews of all the gigs - I've enjoyed all of them profusely, especially as I compare different shows to the one I was able to catch in NYC on the 3rd. But now, a nitpick. When people say that Trey is playing a stick, or a grand stick, I am not sure they realize that he might be playing what is known as a Warr Guitar. It's by a different luthier, Mark Warr, than who does the Stick, Emmet Chapman. This instrument seems only different in the body and the action; it has a body, as opposed to the stick, and the Warr guitar can be strummed very easily. I know, this is a very minor detail, but I wanted to make sure that credit was being given where credit is due. Personally, I think it shows off Trey's versatility and playing styles. :D Sam Gustas sgustas at gate dot net [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 18:21 PDT From: Timothy Edwards Subject: KC Celeb/Fan >New York, June 4th, I was in the foyer just after Crimson began to play and >Lenny Kravitz arrived with a young woman. They wouldn't let he and his >date inside the theater while the band was playing and so he began >complaining saying "I ought to try doing this sh*t at my shows!" After a >more complaining and the "do you know who I am?" thing, they finally let >him in. >I saw his dreadlocks bouncing wildly throughout the show, especially during >Red. Synchronicity - I was at the Virgin Megastore here in L.A. when I looked up only to see the ex-Mrs. Kravitz (please no flames - I am not sexist) aka *Ms.(*there!) Lisa Bonet buying her own copy of THRAK! She, unlike Lenny, threw no fits. She had no date (Tony, Pat, Trey - aren't you guys eligible bachelor types?) to throw a fit in front of. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 22:24:34 -0400 (EDT) From: JPRICE at TrentU dot ca Subject: KC-The Movie How about David Caruso as Bill Bruford and a young Lee van Cleef as Tony Levin? Carradine works for me as Belew. Buck Henry as Fripp is good too. jprice at trentu dot ca [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: aprasad at ccs dot carleton dot ca (Anil Prasad) Subject: Opening quote Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 23:08:29 EDT Someone was wondering about the "talk about music is like ______" quote at the beginning of the Trey Gunn interview. It was meant as an inside joke for hard-core KC-heads. Of course, variations of this line have been bounced around for years and years. However, Adrian Belew used "talking about music is like whistling about chickens" as the title of a non-LP interview/music collage released to promote the 2nd Bears LP. So that's where it came from... And if you're saying to yourself "Wow, that's really a stupid reason to have used it..." Well, all I can say is... erm.. You're right of course. :-) ~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~ Anil Prasad aprasad at ccs dot carleton dot ca ~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Subject: More about John Wetton new CD Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 18:11:10 +0900 From: Masaki Kurokawa I'm not sure,but I think the guitarist playing on "CHASING THE DRAGON- John Wetton Live" is not an ex-member of It Bites. Maybe just TWO ex-members from It Bites. I live in Japan,and so I was able to purchase the album a couple of months ago. A few KC songs are featured on this album,but they all end at the end of the vocal parts.In an interview JW says that it was because he wanted to play only the parts that he contributed in writing. He says that if he were to play the freaky parts of the songs, he would rather play them with RF&BB. I think we should understand and admire his policy. I myself enjoyed this album very much,although I felt the balance is not very good(the drums are too loud). The latest JW solo studio recoring album was first released in Japan as "VOICE MAIL",but afterwards it was released in other countries as "BATTLE LINES"with various album covers. The cover differ from country to country, and I wonder:What about the music? Do they sound the same? Sorry if you find it hard to understand my English. Masaki KUROKAWA s95336mk at sfc dot keio dot ac dot jp [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "tim siefkes" Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 04:57:56 +0000 Subject: Elephant-pets >Maybe silly, some 15 years ago I found a cat, and kept it. She had a son >which I called 'Frippie'. He is still alive and lives with me. Are there >any other cats with this name ? Don't know of any other cats, but I've had a pair of cockatiels for years now named "Fripp" and "Eno". Tim Siefkes timsks at visi dot com http://www.visi.com/~timsks Minneapolis, MN [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 12:30:09 -0100 From: matt at tcns dot co dot uk (Matthew Jones) Subject: Fripping Sustain Dear Elephant Talk Having admired Robert Fripp's guitar playing for a number or years now I recently purchased an E-Bow to play with the infinite sustain sounds that haunt some of my favorite Fripp songs. I must say I was pleased with the results. However I was wondering if He actually uses an E-Bow to achieve that sound or if He has another method. I am also curious how He achieves some of his more serrated sounds, the type that are reasonably clean when quiet but seem to leap up, spikes and all, when a harmonic is pinched etc. I have read articles on his effects and tunings and gleaned little. Any comments would be welcome. Matthew Jones Bromley College of Further & Higher Education Rookery Lane Bromley BR2 8HE OPEN ACCESS I.T. CENTRE 0181-295-7053 bromleycollege at tcns dot co dot uk 100257 dot 3334 at compuserve dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 09:02:03 -0500 (CDT) From: dcapehar at utdallas dot edu Subject: Re: setlists While from the reviews of King Crimson I can tell that the concerts are excellent, I have noticed that - with the exception of when they play "Heartbeat" - they play songs from only four albums: THRAK, Discipline, Red, and LTiA. I agree with the posters that more should be played from the other albums, e.g. "Waiting Man", "Sartori", "Fracture", and the like... I had even thought that "21CSM" would be a great addition to the set, esp. since we have this cool double-trio thang happening in one way or another. The band does seem kind of schizo this way. :) However, I can see why anything from the first 4 albums would be a bit of a challenge because of the difficult instrumentation changes... then again, KC has done more challenging things! :) Waiting patiently for the November dates... Damon Capehart | "Man, what a stupid .sig ..." -- You dcapehar at utdallas dot edu [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 23:41:27 -0400 From: LarksTngue at aol dot com Subject: Chickens!! Subject: The past again I posted last week about Mr F being impolite to Sara Lee... and I had one request for the story. Now, I did receive an email from Mr Donald Fisk whose recollections are slightly different from mine, perhaps a third opinion exists....but here's the sordid story One day in the dim and distant past. The League of Gentlemen are doing their UK tour. Rock is dead - in England anyway - punk rools. The LoG get to fill small venues, Mr Fripp is demonstrating being a small & intelligent unit and going with (ahead?) the zeitgeist, as we used to say on the street. Arriving early at the Greyhound Public house, I'm impressed to see Mr F sitting at a table in the pub, mixing with the punters, or at least sharing the space, and accompanied by a long legged, glamorous young woman. League of G come on and after one number, a voice is heard barracking from the rear. "Robert, yerr a cunt.." . "Excuse me," says Mr Fripp "I didn't quite hear that" and he has the hint of a grin. "Robert, yerr a cunt" replies the voice, quite clearly a disenfranchised Crimsoid. "Ah," replies Mr Fripp "I think you'll find the only cunt on this stage is to my right". And of course Ms Lee is standing stage centre. She gives Fripp the most astonished and increasingly angry look you may ever come across when someone is rendered speechless and impotent under the glare of spotlight and audience. Fripp looks around, counts the band in and they're off. Yes, he does apologise after the number but Sara Lee looks no less displeased. Barry Andrews gets in a sympathetic grimace to Sara Lee but every time there is a hiccup in the proceedings like a missed note, or when a piece collapsed and had to start again (was that the opener?) Andrews and Lee get a glare from Fripp. It was so like the beak and his errant pupils, but the beak had made a bad joke and the air was crackling. It was a humdinger of a gig. Shame there was no live recorded output from them. To people in the UK: who else saw Jules Holland's usually excellent 'Later' on Beeb2 featuring the Sinead O'Conor experience? And wasn't her first number (fire) incredibly like Exposure? The keyboard doing a Frp-ertronic guitar and Ms O'Cs self Fritzsched vocal. You can even count E---X---P---O---S--- at the same rate. Well dodgy. And who can tell me where the strange voices in the Talking Drum come from? Two lots, a woman from a movie and the guy saying: I'm going to get you and when I do... and straight after, that odd recital of mumblings. I always wondered what it was... Cheers then, Mark C [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 19:38:32 -0500 From: belier at riq dot qc dot ca (Cyclone Magazine/Francois Angers) Subject: Japan dates anyone? Hello. Could someone please post the japan dates of the THRAK. I'm trying to update the concert list that Fripp made for the FBF box set (I managed to type them all into my computer) and don't have these. Thanks Francois ...Hey Denver, you might have our Nordiques, but you won't get three KC encores like us. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 95 23:50:08 EDT From: bkwells at pop02 dot ny dot us dot ibm dot net (Bruce Wells) Subject: Original U.K. reforming Although this is not "directly" related to KC, I thought ET readers would like to know that U.K. is reforming with the original members. Bill Bruford, John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, and Alan Holdsworth. News of this comes from the KC shows in NYC. Apparently, after the show, Jobson and Bruford were discussing doing new recording sessions with the original lineup. This comes from someone in my office, whos fellow band mate talked with Bruford and Jobson after the show. This is as much as a confirmation as I have, but I do know the person in my office is very reliable, so I believe it to be true. If you have not picked up the first U.K. album (with Holdsworth and Bruford), it is one worth owning. It will be good to hear the original band again. It kind of remindes me of when I got into KC around 1978, and having qto listen one of the greatest rock bands ever, only to know that I would never see them live, or hear another new album. Was I ever wrong! KC is back and I LOVE IT!! bkwells at ibm dot net (Bruce Wells) [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 06:17:18 -0400 (EDT) From: Bruce Bielawa Subject: Fripp's mistake > Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 09:21:52 -0400 (EDT) > From: terry kroetsch f > Subject: Fripp's Mistake > > Favourite moment: Fripp coming in an entire verse too soon for his solo in > Elephant Talk. The entire band burst out laughing and Fripp continued > laughing through the bow and exit. I LOVED IT. My first Fripp error. Actually, Terry, it was at least your third. Fripp messed up his picking part so bad on VROOOM (the very first cut of the evening) that he had to stop, BOTH times that it came around (the part where the percussion drops out). [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 00:55:22 -0400 From: AG1Light at aol dot com Subject: Re: #4(4) Elephant-talk digest v95 #198 hey folks, can anyone tell (ag1light at aol dot com) in New York City if K.C. has any more new york area shows set up at the end of the tour please--- please-- someone e-mail back thanks, N.Y.C.!!!!!!!!!!! [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 03:49:14 -0700 From: aschul at ix dot netcom dot com (Arnold Schulberg) Subject: Rolling Stone review- THRAK >From Rolling Stone magazine, Issue 711 dated June 29, 1995 THRAK- 3 stars "The last incarnation of art-rock pioneers King Crimson made for a rare union of power and precision, crafting three early-'80s albums- Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair- that were Promethean feats in a dreary time. With THRAK, King Crimson have re- emerged from the interregnum with their passionate virtuosity grayed but not gone. The new-model King Crimson assume an expanded format: Spiritual leader and guitarist Robert Fripp and singer-guitarist Adrian Belew are joined by their past associates, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Bill Bruford, along with new members Trey Gunn on stick and Pat Mastellotto on percussion. Fueled by crashing rhythms and high-octane riffs, THRAK's opening instrumental, "VROOOM," is a mix of melody and mayhem that proves these veterans can keep pace with young noisemakers when it comes to well-wrought sonic violence. A future Crimson manifesto can be gleaned from the barbed hooks and ominous textures of the album's third track, "Dinosaur." On the bridge, Belew pre-empts questions of continued relevance with a self-deprecating exposition on the fate of the aging but still evolving art rocker: "It's a wonder I'm not yet extinct...Still, I've made my fossil bed and I toss and turn." That said, King Crimson bound stylistic borders as few bands can, veering into an interlude of ambient symphonics before a searing Fripp guitar solo pins you to the wall. Throughout THRAK, Fripp's frozen-rope leads and the band's intricate din are as potent as ever. But for the most part, Belew trades his Discipline-era notes-from-the- underground lyrical style for clever pop-song haiku. The lilting love paean "Walking on Air and the pedestrian observations of "People" seem dispensable next to the industrial fusion of "VROOOM" or soundtracks for the concrete jungle like the onomatopoeic title cut. The potential of King Crimson's renewal is most fully realized with the grinding close of "VROOOM VROOOM" and its coda, in which the band twists the themes of the opening piece into so much bent metal. It's the artful abandon of these final moments that bode best for the longevity of this egghead-banging outfit." Sure are a lot of hyphenated conjugations there, fellow eggheads. Arnie Schulberg [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 11:06:13 -0400 From: jhm at beat dot pdial dot interpath dot net (John H. Moore) Subject: Trey's weaponry I just read ET 198 and I wanted to make a correction about what Trey is playing. The interesting looking instrument is not a Chapman Stick, but a Warr Guitar, made by a gentleman in SoCal by the name of Mark Warr. I spoke to Trey about it after the NYC show on 6/3, and he said he'd been playing it for about three months. There had been a flame war (warr?) about said instrument on the Stickwire list, but it seems to have calmed down of late. ___________________________________________________ John H. Moore jhm at beat dot pdial dot interpath dot net vox: 919.382.1918 Chapel Hill, NC fax: 919.309.0957 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 15:33:47 -0400 From: jhm at beat dot pdial dot interpath dot net (John H. Moore) Subject: Bruford CD ROM The 8/95 edition of Musician mag mentioned a CD ROM project from BB, called "With An Edge". It sounds like a collection of samples and MIDI files of Bruford playing grooves in odd time sigs. The name of the company producing the disc is Keyfax, but the article gives a bogus C$erve email address. Anyone know anything about it? ___________________________________________________ John H. Moore jhm at beat dot pdial dot interpath dot net vox: 919.382.1918 Chapel Hill, NC fax: 919.309.0957 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 15:33:43 -0400 From: jhm at beat dot pdial dot interpath dot net (John H. Moore) Subject: Musical references I recall from recent posts that people have heard lots of Stravinsky and Bartok in some of the 70's era compositions. I heard a piece on my local public radio station the other day that sounds like the source for parts of Larks Part I. The composition was called "Lark Ascending" by Ralph Vaughn Williams, and the snippets I heard sounded much like the solo violin parts that David Cross played. Anyone familiar with this piece? I admit I don't know much about the composer; any suggestions for worthwhile recordings out there? ___________________________________________________ John H. Moore jhm at beat dot pdial dot interpath dot net vox: 919.382.1918 Chapel Hill, NC fax: 919.309.0957 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 20:04:39 -0400 From: DnTMan at aol dot com Subject: THRAK: The Next Generation THRAK: The Next Generation starring Patrick Stewart as Tony Levin John De Lancie as Bill Bruford Jonathan Frakes as Pat Mastellato Brent Spiner in an incredible dual Dr. Jekyll/ Mr Hyde role as BOTH Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp!! and Trey Gunn as himself! (since i couldn't think of anyone from ST that looked like him:) ____ HI TONY!!! thanks for poppin' in! ____ Only 14days til I seem dem here in LA...and counting. - Tom S. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Paul Dowling Date: Thu, 15 Jun 95 14:40:44 PDT Subject: Matte Albatross All this chit-chat about crowd noise reminds me of a Discipline tour bootleg tape (sorry Robert) I once owned. When the band launch into Matte Kudasai, an audience conversation can be heard clearly on the tape. My memory is clouded, so I paraphrase... (...During Adrian's seagull opening...) Crowd person A: "This sounds like Albatross" Crowd person B: "Eh?" Crowd person A: "It's like Albatross" Crowd person B: "What?" Crowd person A: "Albatross, you know...Fleetwood Mac" Crowd person B: "Oh" Thanks for the list Toby. Five days to Seattle... [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 20:22:59 -0400 From: Khosatral at aol dot com Subject: The Famous Green Onions Tune In #198 Paul Richards wrote: Thank the gods that someone else heard this!! Unending thanks it is a musican of PR calibre, I thought I was nuts. At the DC show June 7 I had a fleeting impression of "Green Onions," but awed as I was by the sonic assault, I shook it off as feedback from my overloaded cortex. I can't count the number of times I've heard this tune at a blues show. Let this little joke answer for all time whether RF has a sense of humor. BTW, my burned in image from Warner show? The moment of stunned silence at the end of "Indiscipline" before the audience explodes. Just the hi-lite of an evening with nine master musicians. ta, kho [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 22:15:57 -0400 From: ScottTV66 at aol dot com Subject: Elephant Talk and Belew Very happy to have found this site for Crimson-philes. I am the Executive Producer of CNN's SHOWBIZ TOAY and recently had the honor of interviewing Adrian as my little part in helping the masses learn about the release of THRAK. It was the second time I had interviewed him having done a piece on The Bears a number of years ago. Adrian (and wife Martha) were delightful and I finally had the opportunity to ask him questions I had always wanted the answer to.We talked about his recent visit to the Fender factory (he had them custom paint that wonderful irridescent orange one)..the origins of "Theela Hun Geenjeet" ,,how Crimson came to reform..how his daughter was doing (gifted art student) and how much he and Martha like Nashville. And the Saturday night Town Hall show was awesome..particularly Fripp's soundscape... when I asked Adrian how in God's name Fripp makes thos sounds..he was at a loss to explain himself... Scott Leon [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 06:05:22 GMT From: mike at blackcat dot demon dot co dot uk (Mike Dickson) Subject: Youngest KC Concert Attendee Julian Parry wrote... > (2) on an unrelated note,for an unknown reason, I associate "One Time" with > the death of Frank Zappa. Really? I always thought it was cancer of the prostate. :) --- Mike Dickson [Team OS/2], Black Cat Software Factory, Musselburgh, Scotland mike at blackcat dot demon dot co dot uk - Fax 0131-653-6124 - Columnated Ruins Domino [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 00:57:24 -0400 From: ai645 at detroit dot freenet dot org (Lara J. Spears) Subject: Bon Voyage We just got back from our whirlwind tour of four states, Ontario, three Great Lakes, and six King Crimson and California Guitar Trio shows (that should be 'States', capitalized; we've been in many more states than just four)! The high points of the whole gantseh metzia (sp?) for me, in no particular order, are as follows: Sharing tasty Belgian beers after the Ann Arbor show with the members of CGT and Trey Gunn, in the bar, who should materialize but the Master, himself! I hope I won't be offending him if I share that he brought the remote channel-changer from the hotel, and in short order changed the bar TV to static. The bar management failed to notice this, and the TV was at his mercy for the duration of his stay... Priceless. Would anybody like to share perceived similarities between RF and Chance, the Gardener (I've thought of five, so far)? Watching Pat send a drumstick into lunar orbit during the encore in Toronto, and then teasing him about it afterwards (whoops, I meant Cleveland). Something about how grounded he is while playing--and I mean this in a good way--made this a special moment. The California Guitar Trio's "Shadows" walk at the end of the Chicago show was also priceless. Please be sure not to miss this band, and 'shush' people in your party who think it's appropriate to talk during opening acts! Keep on elephant-talking... Peace, Lara [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 95 04:39:14 PDT From: dwight at pentasoft dot com Subject: Guitar Player column sought I have beeqn able to locate almost all of Fripp's Guitar Player essays from 1989-1990, but am missing one - September 1989 "Guitar Craft". Does anyone have a copy of this, that they would be willing to mail or fax me? Address is: Dwight VandenBerghe, 17541 Stone Ave N, Seattle WA 98133, and fax is 206-546-2106. I'm willing to reimburse expenses. Thanks! Dwight [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: thomas byran owens Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 16:20:48 -0400 Subject: GIG REVIEW: KC in Cincy (kind of a spoiler) Well, I've had roughly four days to recover and assess the June 9th performance of King Crimson and the California Guitar Trio at the Taft Theatre in Cincinatti. The set list was identical to the DC show, but I'd like to comment on a few things I noticed. First of all, the California Guitar Trio was excellent - no, GREAT! I would happily pay to see these fellows solo. I can't recall hearing compositions that required such a degree of technical accuracy played with such emotion! "Toccata & Fugue in Dm" was probably the best arrangement for more than two hands I've ever heard executed. I was irritated when the CGT first started playing and the audience wouldn't shut up, but after the second number no one said a word! The CGT received a well-deserved standing ovation. Then came King Crimson, of course. By this time I hadn't slept in thirty six hours apart from an hour and fifteen minutes nap, so I was rather giddy. They began with the VROOOM Coda, which still has me perplexed. I'm wondering if it's just a little bit of musical humor or if there's some deeper context. >From there they went through Frame By Frame, which seemed to be really rough and not-together. I think it was because Fripp's guitar and Belew's didn't mesh. Fripp's also seemed really low in the mix compared to the rest of the band. They did Dinosaur and One Time, both of which seemed weak. I was beginning to fear that I was too tired and my condition was affecting my outlook on the performance, but then they kicked Red in, and things were FINE! The highlights from there on out for me were Red, B'Boom/Thrak, SSEDD, and People. Fripp did some great soloing on Thrak, and the general avant-garde atonal improvisation on that tune was fantastic. This was the only song Fripp seemed to get into, doing some rocking back and forth on his stool. In the later part of the show dour Bob would play his part and then drop his hand to his side mechanically. Some of the stuff was still blistering. Belew shone on SSEDD and People, doing some great soloing there, and in general bouncing up and down. Not as electrifying as his solo performances, but he still smoked. Mastelotto was great to see, but I could only hear Bruford. I thought their percussive interplay was fantastic. Levin was good, as expected, but Trey Gunn was the major revelation. Many of the sounds on THRAK that I had attributed to Belew's guitar-critters were being created by Gunn! I'm going to have to find his solo albums now... All in all, a great show. I hope they swing around the south and do more albums. I'll eagerly await it! Thanks much to KC! On a final note, I'd like to extend thanks to Toby for the list, which has become the highlight of my e-mail, and to Paul Richards for writing to us. Farewell. T. Owens [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 14 Jun 95 12:19:09 EDT From: Suntower Systems <70242 dot 1520 at compuserve dot com> Subject: GIG REVIEW: Ann Arbor, MI Real quick: 1. CGT was great. Very impressed. They should have played longer. 2. The sound of KC was muddy and so thick it was at times hard to hear more than just noise. This may be because... 3. Trey and Pat are superfluous. They really didn't add any substantial parts of their own; they simply filled in spaces which made for too much density. 4. That said, you can really tell that both of them are, individually fine musicians. It's just that, for the most, part, for all their playing, you really couldn't hear their contributions. 5. Tony just gets better and better. His upright created some -very- menacing sounds which I never would have thought would work in a 'heavymetal' context. Greeeeaaaaat. 6. Robert -really- annoyed a lot of people at the show with his pretentious 'in the shadows' routine. Many thought he looked like he was on a throne looking down on his minions. We didn't mind him in the shadows, but people paid to -see- him and not having any lights on him in his solos was disconcerting and really turned off a lot of new fans not used to his eccentricities. I read somewhere that he feels that this helps focus atention on the other palyers: WRONG! It's like putting clearasil on a zit: it only draws attention to how stupid it looks. 7. Red was wonderful and connects beautifully with the new band. Peace, jc Harris [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 14:16:46 -0400 (EDT) From: MBRADBURN at NARVAX dot NAR dot EPA dot GOV Subject: GIG REVIEW: Late Boston Review,thraking good time Well better late than never! Thanks to all the posters for the gig reviews it prolonged the experience of the June 2nd Orpheum show. I went with 3 young friends of mine(< 25, i'm 37), non of us had seen Crimson before. After a fast trip up from RI (I threatened to kill if we were late) we populated our 6th row balcony seats (stage right) just as the CGT took the stage. They were magnificent! Very friendly vibe that was definitely picked up by the audience. Paul Richards is quite the Robert Jr w/ fuzz slide and some nice delay stuff and all three bought thier different styles to the original and cover pieces. The high point were the GTB&TU and the Bach Fugue. They could have done an encore. During the intermission my friend left his Thrak and LTIA shirts that he had bought at his seat and some ripped of the LTIA one. At a Crimson Show! I hope the scumbag who stole it gets some heavy karmic return. Anyway, KC took the stage and it was as good or better than I had hoped. Pat and Bill were great complimenting each other perfectly. Anyone who thinks he is not a great addition to the lineup, is IMHO sorely mistaken. The sound was good to excellent and the differentiation of the instruments quite distinguishable. Trey was phenom playing soundscape colors, frippian fills and bass notes to rock your bones. Tony was as always a vibrant happy soul whether plucking one of two four strings, Stick or coaxing quavering strokes out of his standup. He is such a pleasure to watch. Adrian was very reserved as opposed to other times I've seen him, but his guitar/synth(melo/vio/drumo) work was impressive not only for its reproduction accuracy and technique but for that intangible soul that is Adrian. His voice sounded in great shape and I think it only gets better with time. Robert was well, Robert. He restrains so he can unleash, in darkness so to shine, in holding back he allows others to let go. I wish I could have had binoculars to watch his hands, as we were just far enough away to not quite make out that kind of detail. The high points were a stunningly beautiful! rendition of 'One Time', the soundscapes/Ba Boom section, (I remember watching Bill's right hand as it blurred into another dimension), Robert's crank & shred on Indisipline and Red, the wonderful 2nd encore (Talking Drum,LTIA) and the general felling that we were seeing one of the most talented group of musicians on the planet, having fun, expanding the horizons and allowing us to be a part of it all. We left content and exhausted as if we'd just participated in a marathon or something. Oh and my friend Kyle, who had the shirt stolen got to go backstage and got to talk to Bill, Tony and Adrian and get a tour photo signed, karma once again. I thank all of the band for such a great performance, CGT for the perfect opener (the new CD is regularly in my player) and Toby as always for providing the best forum on the Net. I just hope it's not long before I get so see all/some of these musicians practice their craft again. The rain stopped, the sun came up , the penny dropped, one time...... Martin ****************************************************************************** Martin Bradburn mbradburn at nardeb dot nar dot epa dot gov ****************************************************************************** The rule is: better to be present with a bad note than absent from a good note. When our note is true, we are surprised to find that it sounds very much like silence, only a little louder.- "The Road To Graceland." Fripp ******************************************************************************* [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 14:38:13 -0500 (EST) From: BBELLAS at idicl1 dot idi dot oclc dot org Subject: GIG REVIEW: KC Cinci show/TLevin's "World Diary" How about that Cinci show! That was my first but hopefully not last Crimson show. My only complaint was the heat. For some unknown reason the Taft Theater did not turn the air on and us poor, pathetic slobs who had to sit on the 2nd balcony roasted (Heat rises!). I missed CGT but as I was walking up to the theater, pass the tour buses, who pops his head out but Bill Bruford asking me "do you have a light?" (for a cigarette). A friend of mine, who's practically a chain-smoker left his cigs in the car. Sorry Bill. High points: 1. Tony Levin, Tony Levin and last but not least Tony Levin. Whomever has the information for his solo album "World Diary" could you please list it in ET or email me. It was truly an honor to see someone with such a unique style perform his craft so flawlessly. 2. The stick interlude before Elephant-Talk was beatiful to witness visually as well as audibly. 3. Those of you whow do not like Thrak or Adrian Belew's voice please go see KC live. For some reason I think the music translates much better in a live rather than recorded performance. Next to HR Belew is one the most unique vocalists around, although that is just my humble opinion. As to the issue of Fripp sitting in the shadows between the drummers. My wife who is not the KC fan Iam remarked to me during the show how rude it was not to let the new stick player have a spot-light. In my opinion being in the shadows drew more attention to him and less attention to the other musicians. I play in a band in Columbus and to be quite honest would rather not be under hot stage lights for an hour and a half every night. Its difficult to play your instrument when your whole body is drenched in persperation. Possibly this creates enough problem for Fripp to bequeath the spotlight to other members of the band. Now to address the Missing Fripp conspiracy. Is it any coincidence that King Crimson and KC and the Sunshine band have both regrouped in 1995 and are currently touring this summer. Quick, someone call Oliver Stone I think we got us conspiracy. Bob Bellas "Luck is the BBELLAS at idi dot oclc dot org residue of design". My Brother [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 95 11:04:30 0100 From: Pete Gilbert Subject: GIG REVIEWS: Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo Show Reviews: June 10, 1995. The Michigan Theatre, Ann Arbor, MI (which is *not* Detroit, despite what the t-shirt says). The place was sold out (in fact, they sold standing room tickets). I'll try not to repeat anything that has been said before. Oh yeah....the theatre only let you go back to your seats during a break in the music (like they do at classical concerts). I really like this, as I get very tired at having to let some bozo from the middle of the aisle back in during the middle of the music. It was a hot day today, so the theatre was quite warm inside. The California Guitar Trio opened. Words fail. They were magnificent. Broke into a bit of schiziod man during one tune. Two of my friends were moved to tears during Toccata and Fugue. The big Show: I liked the way they opened by coming out on stage one at a time. Overall, they looked like they were having fun, although Trey looked too serious during Thrak. Fripp got up from his stool twice during Sex, Sleep, ... Fripp played some truly amazing stuff from back in the shadows. The Warr guitar that Trey plays is an awesome looking beastie, and sounded cool, too, although he was "out front" all too briefly for my taste. The drumming was most impressive, although they seemed to get out of sync once or twice. The duet with Tony and Trey was way too short. They should get at least as long as the drummers got. Red Sizzled! The soundscapes were very, very cool. Just when I thought I had that stuff figured out, I'm left in the dust again. It was nice to hear Frame by Frame again, although I wish that I could have seen Fripp's hands during that one. I did the Bruford yell during one of the breaks. BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUFFFFFFFFFOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRD. At the end of the show, someone handed flowers up to Adrian. He gave them to Robert. The band seemed very pleased with the show and the audience response. Overall, this was an awesome show. My minor gripes are mainly about not seeing enough of some of the things that I was interested in, but overall, the show was fantastic. As my brother observed, "it must have been a good show, your voice sounds like you yelled your fool head off." June 12, 1995. The State Theatre in Kalamazoo. This is another great old theatre. The theatre seemed to be pretty full. A nice touch was the staff bringing drinks to your seat, although they let bozos come back to their seats during the songs. Kalamazoo seemed like a nice enough place, although they seemed to be rolling up the sidewalks as we wandered about town around 5pm looking for a place to eat. The CGT got to do an encore tonight...and stood while they played it!! I went and talked to the guys towards the end of the krimson show and had them autograph the new cd for my sister. I told them the story about their music bringing tears on saturday. I'm glad that I got to see them play live. Keep up the great work!! The big show: very similar to the show on saturday. Here are the differences that struck me. There was more light on Fripp tonight. I'm sure that the lighting guy caught hell for it (does he still have the gig ? :-) ) Again, Fripp stood up twice during SSEDD. The sound seemed better tonight, although the location of our seats may have had a lot to do with that. We were across the aisle from the sound board, so we got the sound as he wanted it. On saturday, we were closer and off to the left. The duet between Tony and Trey was very cool, and was a great intro to Indiscipline. Several of the audience went berserk during this number, howling with delight, much to the amusement of the sound guy. I noticed a bit more of what Trey was playing tonight. He does more than you notice, at first, although most of it is supportive (like adding to the arpeggios during Frame by Frame). He alternates between adding to the bass and adding a guitar part. What is with the sound that Fripp uses during his solo in Elephant Talk? On saturday, I thought that he'd picked the wrong patch from the synth and had just stuck with it like a good trooper, but here it was again on monday. I really liked the Talking Drum. They have picked up the tempo for this number, and at first I found it unsettling, but it has grown on me. The squeals leading into Larks' Tongues... always send shivers up and down my spine. Overall, this was another excellent show. I really like the band finishing with Walking on Air. After all of the craziness ending with a nice, pretty song is a very nice touch. Thank you, gentelemen. Hopefully, you'll come back to my neck of the woods for the next leg of the tour (the fall colors should be wonderful). :-) -- ========================================================================= Pete Gilbert | "A little rebellion, now and Ford Motor Company | then, is a good thing and as Environmental and Occupational Toxicology | necessary in the political pgilbert at eccdb4 dot pms dot ford dot com | world as storms in the | physical." Thomas Jefferson ========================================================================= [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 14:06:58 -0400 (EDT) From: Michael Backof Subject: GIG REVIEW: Concert Week, KC (Philly) - Part 1 Hello Everyone... Well I just finished a week and a half of little sleep, lots of concerts and movies, and road trips. Since I just slept for the greater part of thirteen hours and I can now perform typing without falling asleep I though I would post some reviews. This will be in several parts since I will be including quite a few spoilers for King Crimson and Echolyn, and the small Caryn Lin / Bon Lozaga tour. I'll probably just post parts one and two which are the Crimson gigs since Toby is overrun with posts. Parts 3 and 4 will be posted to r.m.p, The Wiblet, and Ytsejam. SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!!!! SPOILER!!!! King Crimson (Philly, PA) - Gig Review 6/1/94 --------------------------------------------- This day began a long and rewarding week of concert going. I picked up my friend Steve in Columbia, Maryland at 3:30 PM and raced back to my home town of Westminster, MD to get Tom and John. I got home at about 4:20 PM and by this time the traffic was starting to mount for rush hour on the Baltimore beltway. I flew down Rt 140 determined to be on-time for the 7 PM Crimson show in Philly, and at about 5:00 I was stuck in stop and go traffic on the the Baltimore beltway. I managed to stay sane by putting Thrak in the tape player and turning it all the way up until my speakers were overloaded with the sound of Trey's low end stick playing and Tony's bass work. After twenty minutes of this traffic and the sounds of the title track in the speakers I was out on the open road doing obscene speeds up Interstate 95. After Thrak concluded and my tape went through the live Elephant Talk and Red on the Dinosaur single, we were approaching the scalloped roadway near Wilmington, Delaware. (By scalloped I mean just that, the pavement joints were curved so to cause maximum damage to the car's suspension) We got up into the suburbs of Philly at around 6:30PM and got into the parking garage at around 6:50PM, hearing the sound of the gate closing right after we entered. The garage had reached capacity. The crew emptied out of the car and we walked a block to the Tower Theater. Outside I saw Chris Bubzy (Echolyn - keys, backing vocals) and Greg Kull (Echolyn- management) handing out flyers promoting their new album" as the world" that was released on Sony last February. I talked to Chris for a few minutes and noticed a long, dark haired bearded guy leaning up against the wall of the theater in an Ozric Tentacles shirt. I recognized him and asked Chris if this was Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater - drums) and he said, "Yeah, that's Mike." I walk towards him and he recognized my Awake shirt and pointed, while nodding his head in appreciation. I asked him how it was going and he said that they just finished recording A Change of Seasons the day before and he was taking the night off to see King Crimson. I told him that I was hoping to see him at the Ytsecon over the weekend but the chance of my making it were waning. He said it was a pretty cool idea. By this time my friend John walked over and saw his Ozric Tentacles shirt and commented on how cool The Ozrics were. Portnoy nodded in agreement and then the event staff people were yelling "clear the Street" so we went inside. I then told John that he was talking to Portnoy and he nearly shit himself. We sat down in our pretty good seats, 27th row left Orchestra. There was a walkway in front of us so we had a lot of leg room. The California Guitar Trio was already playing when we got into the Theater at 7:10PM. Then performed a really cool set, with tunes from their two albums, the Robert Fripp String Quintet album, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, plus some Bach. They received heartwarming appreciation from the crowd. Crimson came on shortly thereafter and opened with Coda Marine 474. The things that impressed me most are as follows: 1. The interplay between Bruford and Mastelletto was awesome! They were constantly looking back and forth at each other playing with great precision for a duet of drummers. They alternated strange fills and rhythms overtop of the beat framework of the Crimson sound. B'Boom, Thrak, and The Talking Drum + Intro gave them both a chance to cut loose and for Bruford to use his electronic percussion. 2. Indiscipline once again proved to be one of my favorite songs. Bruford was grinning like a Schizoid Man during the whole song, and Belew sped up his vocal part to keep the audience from singing along. 3. Red was incredible and provoked a standing ovation from the audience. 4. Fripp's Soundscaping was inventive and added a lot to the band. He seems to use the soundscapes in a similar method to a keyboard player to fill background in songs. The only difference is that Fripp's work is so much more interesting than a layered keyboard part. 5. Tony Levin's use of the upright bass was surprising and tasteful. I got to see the "funk-fingers" for the first time. 6. Adrian Belew has some great effects for his guitar. He has the sea-gulls (Matte Kudasai), Mellotron (Dinosaur), trumpeting (Elephant Talk), percussion (Talking Drum - intro). The man is also a brilliant front-man. After the two encores we met a few people in the audience and talked about the Marillion tour in the USA starting in August (rumor has it The Bayou is the opening venue). One of the guys I met said he had the new album and that they seem to have gotten more "Floydy". We split out and got back with little difficulty. I had to go to work late the next day so I had some time to sleep.... (continued in part 2, Washington DC King Crimson show) Mike Backof mbacko1 at umbc dot edu BTW This my first post, I have lurked for some time (over 1 year) and I'd just like to thank Toby and Ken for all the time they spend working on Elephant Talk and King Crimson material. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 21:45:29 -0400 (EDT) From: Michael Backof Subject: GIG REVIEW: Concert Week, (King Crimson - Washington DC) - Part 2 SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! Gig Review (King Crimson, Washington DC) 6/7/95 ----------------------------------------------- Well, it had been almost a week since I saw Crimson in Philly and I was going to be able to see them again tonight. Fortunately I didn't have to drive today and the group was in no hurry to get down to DC. I drove over to my friend Tom's house and waited for the arrival of the other two guys who where travelling down there with us. Josh, John, Tom, and myself piled into the LaBaron, popped in a prog tape I made for Tom some time ago and headed for the city. We travelled down MD 97 behind an entire convoy of dump trucks, which got to be quite annoying after 20 miles, before they finally turned off. The trip promised to be interesting since none of us knew the way to the Warner Theater, I was navigating since Josh and John were known to get carsick while reading in a moving vehicle. After about 1 1/2 hours sirens from emergency vehicles resounded through the air. We had entered the city! The area of DC was pretty run down along GA Ave, and the traffic was hellacious. Supper's Ready played through the speakers as we found the parking garage next to the theater at 13th and E street. We parked and travelled up into the heart of the city. The group headed for the Mall in the center of DC because we planned to visit the Air and Space museum. Nothing exciting really happened on the way, but I do remember one thing. The heat was terrible and when we arrived at the museum the whole entry room was filled with people who had stopped just to make use of the air conditioning. (The admission was free) We checked out the NASA exhibits (It had been years since any of us were at the museum), the WW I & WW II planes and displays. I appreciate the place a lot more when I understand what the history is behind the Spitfire, Hellcat, and other planes. We saw an IMAX (large stereo wall screen curved to simulate 3-D) film about Discovery (the US space shuttle) and about the future of space exploration (narrated by Leonard Nimoy). No, Journey to the Center of the Cosmos was not playing, but the experience was grand. Highlights were computer replication on the surfaces of Mars and Venus and a simulated travel over the landscape, a shuttle lauch from about 40 feet from the ship, and the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope. After this we split for food since it was 6:00PM and the concert was scheduled to start at 7:30PM. We stumbled upon the world's slowest McDonald's on E street and ate there (ten minutes to get food when one person is in front of you in line, Yuck!!!). After attempting to digest the French Fries we headed to the Theater. We got inside and since it was about 7PM we had time to get shirts and check out the theater. My first impression was that this place is beautiful! The theater was ornately decorated with gold paint and figures carved in the walls and around the barcony level. The seats were very nice and comfortable and they had a bar which served wine and mixed drinks inside the theater. I picked up a couple of drafts and headed for the stage to check out the band's equipment. The things that struck me: 1. Adrian Belew has more pedals than I have ever seen a guitarist use (I saw at least six) 2. Fripp is well positioned between the drummers because his equipment looks and fits well between the kits. He also has the most equipment behind Bruford and Masteletto. 3. I noticed the plexiglass barriers again and they seem to do a great deal to aid in instrument separation. Drummer's snares are usually rattling during bass and guitar solos at rock concerts and the glass seems to dampen this and probably helps the musician's ears. I saw a few people I knew and chatted, then we sat in our 9th row center seats for The California Guitar Trio's set. They sounded equally impressive at both venues. Got to hear Kan-Non Power from the RFSQ album, and part of Schizoid Man, plus the Bach piece and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (a crowd favorite!). This group seems to be genuine when they look out at the end of their set in amazement at the great applause from the audience. Crimson came on about a half hour later and openen once again with VROOM Coda Marine. The band seemed a lot more excited this evening and I guess it was due to the smaller venue, or some inside band thing, who knows with these guys. Highlights include: 1. My favorite thing about this performance was the Improv in Thrak. I am really surprised that more people haven't posted about this yet, since it was so different and amazing. All other versions of Thrak I have heard pale in comparison to this. The main theme started and about 2 minutes into the song Fripp kicked in some wild soundscapes, and Belew and Gunn broke off into their own little world. Fripp began playing with telephone ringing, the phone would ring and when it stopped the main theme of Thrak would echo through. Fripp was "calling the boys home from the skirmish" so to speak. This thing deserves to be recorded. 2. As others have noted, when you see two shows it is easier to pick out some parts of the music. Gunn was easier to follow in this show than in Philly. He was alternating between guitar-type parts and a layering sound the he was using when Fripp would move into the lead role or interplay with Adrian (Discipline songs). 3. Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, this is getting some airplay in Baltimore, but Fripp got up from the stool not once, but twice during an emotional guitar part. This really isn't my favorite song but it is great to see Fripp so engaged. 4. Elephant Talk was again exceptional, the stoner in my row was bouncing up and down for this, not as exciting as the 350 lb guy who was dancing in Philly, but interesting. 5. Indiscipline had Bruford grinning from ear to ear again. During the stick and drum part at the beginning my friend Tom yelled "Bruford" and Bill smiled at him as Tony snapped his head around to see who said it. Bruford continued to laugh. Belew had to wait for some screaming to continue the song. 6. The Talking Drum, Lark's Tongues in Aspic II, and the intro was terrific as the second encore. A girl in a Starless and Bible Black shirt engaged in an orgasm when she recognized The Talking Drum. Again I think The Talking Drum is a song that gains alot from the double trio formation, I have never really gotten into it on LTIA. Comment: 1. Masteletto seemed to play less tonight than in Philly, I don't know if he was ill or something but he left the stage quite often, and was missing parts. It sounded fine with Bruford playing but some of the intricate rhythms were missing in a couple of songs. After the show I chatted with the Sony guy who was handing out flyers for a free Echolyn concert in DC on Saturday night. I talked to him about Dream Theater and Echolyn for a bit, and I saw his Ytsejam Virginia lic. plate on the way to the garage. I forced some Dream Theater down on the guys on the way back. I crashed hard and got a couple hours of sleep before work at 7 AM. Thanks to King Crimson, The California Guitar Trio, and The Warner Theater for making these two shows great!! .... continued in Part 3 Bon Lonzaga / Caryn Lin show Questions or comments.... Michael Backof mbacko1 at umbc dot edu [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "Jean M. Adams" Subject: GIG REVIEW: KC in Kalamazoo Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 23:55:52 -0400 (EDT) Hello all, I just had the great honor of seeing our favorite band in Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, JOY!!!!! No track listings from me cause I was too busy soaking in the music since this was my first "hot date" with KC. The AA show was good and the music was great but I was a lot in shock so I don't have much to say about that except that in a row 2 up from me someone in the center had to get up at least 3 times and the whole row had to stand to let them out. During one exit I saw them catch Adrian's attention as he was singing. At the end the audience was very appreciative and it appeared that the band was a little surprised. At the Kal. show I had the good fortune to sit in the first row right infront of Tony and Bill, who I couldn't see the prev. show. I heard everything crystal clear and found myself closing my eyes to focus even more on the music even though I had a great view of everyone. The main focus of this post is to tell what I did see when my eyes were open. I could see Robert clearly and once during a section when he wasn't playing I could see him bopping ever so unobtrusively, something I don't think I could have detected farther back. The second was also about Robert, during a few songs his hands were moving so fast they seemed to be hummingbird wings. This concert filled me with great joy and I think if the band comes back to the US this fall/winter a road trip will definitely be in order. For THRAK: THE MOVIE Brian Cox as Robert Fripp For those of you who don't know Brian, he played the 1st Hannibal Lector before Anthony Hopkins(in the movie Manhunter). Hopkins was a good call Tony, I always see Robert as Lector when I read the books, I think it's his teeth. Later - Jean [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 08:12:43 -0500 (EST) From: JAVAUGHN at DEPAUW dot EDU Subject: GIG REVIEW: Chicago June 14 Setlist Just got back from the Chicago show. It was my first time seeing Crimson. I'm still trying to analyze everything, so I'll just post the setlist. Jam -> (Members coming on stage one at a time and starting to play) VROOOM -> VROOOM Coda (without the Marine 475 lyrics...) Frame by Frame Dinosaur One Time Red (Incredible -- Pat sat out for the first half) Frippertronics -> B'Boom -> THRAK (noisy as hell -- Adrian used a cordless screwdriver) Matte Kudesai Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream People (Tony used the Funk Fingers) Heartbeat (!!) VROOOM VROOOM Dueling Sticks -> Elephant Talk (!!!) Indiscipline (with long intro from Bill and Tony. During a quiet part while Adrian was talking, Robert played this cheesy organ riff on the guitar synth that made Adrian laugh and Robert smile. Awesome.) Talking Drum -> (Adrian used guitar synth to sound like drums -- very cool...) Lark's Tounges in Aspic Part II VROOOM VROOOM Coda -> Walking on Air [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 10:12:49 -0400 From: EliezerK at aol dot com Subject: GIG REVIEW: Chicago, June 14, 1995 I had almost given up hope before posting here, but due to the kindness of another ET reader (thanks again, Bill) I eventually got a couple of tickets and, after a twenty year wait, finally made it to my first Crimson concert. The California Guitar Trio were fun to listen to and fun to watch. I wish they would do their own gig here soon so I can take my wife to see them (she likes the CGT, but can't deal with the noisier aspects of KC). The silly little dance at the end of Apache was a hoot. My only complaint is that their set was too brief- but I guess Robert wanted to keep the evening moving along. Crimson was not perfect, but they were damned close. IMO 'Matte Kudusai' and 'One Time' dragged a bit (despite the hokey lighting effects), and the band never quite hit their stride on 'Frame by Frame'. Also, they had some minor feedback problems on 'Vrooom Vrooom'. Counterbalancing this, the show had a series of high points. 'Dinosaur' soared. 'Red' sounded great, as did Robert's little soundscape (fire and ice) follwed by a very tempered 'B'boom' (Bruford makes the incredible look easy, and overall the tag team drumming was tight and well done). 'Thrak' is a joy to see live, with the fresh bits in the middle (I wish this band did a bit more live improvisation, something which has always been a KC mainstay). 'Indiscipline' was particularly wild this evening, and the two encores were a treat- 'LTIA Pt. II' sounded incredibly fresh. The audience was pretty well behaved, overall. Not a whole lot of a**holes on parade here. All in all a great evening in which each band member had a chance to shine. I hope KC sticks around forever- or at least continues to resurface every few years. The world needs this kind of artistic vision. EK PS Thank you Toby for providing this forum. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: malzahn at umcc dot umich dot edu (Eric Malzahn) Subject: GIG REVIEWS: King Crimson in Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 13:51:22 -0400 (EDT) King Crimson in Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo --------------------------------------- What I love about this band is that you can see two shows with the same set lists and still the shows are very unique. Hence, the reason for driving to Kalamazoo 2 days after seeing King Crimson in Ann Arbor and two weeks after seeing them in Toronto. The Ann Arbor show was quite excellent. As Terry Kroetsch stated, it was a little more menacing than Toronto. The theater was smaller and band was a little wilder. The place was very hot, but it didn't seem to effect the band. Adrian is really going nuts on songs like Red and Indiscipline these days. At times (and maybe I noticed this because I was just about in the front) he looks to be at a level of intensity and concentration that I didn't see at his solo gigs. I love the way they started the show with each member coming on separately and adding to the improv. It really sets the mood, and makes it quite apparent that this is not going to be a typical rock show. Matte Kudasai works better than Heartbeat with this band, so I'm glad that they've made the switch at least for now. One of the truly amazing things about King Crimson is seeing them go from songs like Indiscipline, Thrak, and Larks Tongue's in Aspic to songs like One Time, Matte Kudasai, and Walking On Air so smoothly. No other band can play this range of music this well. The Kalamazoo show was after a day off, and I think the band was a bit more fresh then two days earlier. I had the pleasure of talking with Adrian in the street briefly a few hours before the show. He seemed extremely relaxed as he embarked on a stroll through downtown Kalamazoo. I commented to him about how hot the theater was in Ann Arbor. He responded, "not as hot as Cincinnati!" Most of the songs in K-zoo seemed to come to life even more than during the previous shows I've seen. Perhaps the day off had something to do with it. Bruford's additives were right on. Adrian was going crazy all over again. The stick duet knocked everyone out. In fact, the whole Talking Drum/Larks Tongues piece has totally blown me away every time I've seen it. All in all, the show was brighter and more alive. Thrak became extraterrestrial once again. Adrian wondered out loud at the end of it, "is anyone hurt out there?" Vroom, Marine 475, and Vroom Vroom really crunched -- almost blew me out of my seat (Of course, I was sitting 4 rows from the right side speakers!). In essence, all the latest songs have become the best voices for the cries of this awoken organism. And of course, that's only fitting. Adrian started the last encore by saying, "maybe we'll see you in the fall." I most certainly will be there... -- Eric Malzahn [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: d dot zemel at genie dot geis dot com Date: Fri, 16 Jun 95 05:14:00 UTC Subject: GIG REVIEW: (Brief)--Milwaukee There is absolutely nothing I could say about the Milwaukee show that would add much to all of the other gig reviews that have appeared here already. As a result, I'll be brief. INTENSE. The word for the evening was INTENSE. First, the California Guitar Trio. Intensely beautiful. Three very nice people who can play the hell out of their guitars. Their music lifts you out of your seat and has you floating through the air. Simply awesome and, again, intense. (Paul, I was the guy in the XTC shirt who told you he enjoyed your posts here.) Yet for intensity, King Crimson has no equal. If Phil Spector produced a "wall of sound", then King Crimson is a f**king skyscraper or at least the great wall of China! There wasn't a single second when I wasn't trying to see more than I focus in on in that second or concentrate on hearing more than I could absorb at one time. The musical virtuosity of every one of the six musicians is astounding. Put two or three of them together and you have almost too much for the senses but all six....well, it's so much that I felt giddy from the experience. Tony Levin is an imposing presence and yet, smiling and friendly. Robert seems emotionless by his facial non-expressions, sitting in back in the dark, but there is so much emotion in his playing that it's easy to understand how it's too concentrated in the music to appear in his face. (However, during the first bow, he wasn't only smiling but laughing and sharing something funny with Adrian.) Bill Bruford is a joy to watch and seemed to enjoy playing as much as we enjoyed watching. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the others too. I promised to be brief and I've already violated that promise but the enthusiasm and excitement can't be denied. Dean [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 01:52:31 -0600 From: nash at chem dot wisc dot edu (John R. Nash) Subject: GIG REVIEW: Milwaukee, 6/15/95 Not a full-blown review, but rather some thoughts in the wake of the show.... CGT: A wonderful set, very well-received by the audience. The guys have v. good stage presence. I wish they had played a little longer! Nice hat. Opening: Tony Levin started the proceedings off, starting an improv that slowly added members of Crimson until AB arrived to direct the end of the 'piece.' Then into VROOOM (full version) and they were off! It was somewhat similar to opening with 'No Warning' on the 3oaPP tour, and I found it quite effective. Highlights: Red absolutely _smoked_. In Dinosaur, AB accidently forgot to switch the guitar from 'oboe-sounding' to 'string-sounding' during the quiet section, causing much mirth on stage, a ripple of laughter fromhe crowd, and a smiling "yeah, I know" look from AB to the crowd. Thrak surpassed all expectations -- the middle section is a bona fide "blow", an improvised free for all. Adrian was playing away with his "keyboard" sounds on the gtr, when RF launched a counter-salvo with a different "keyboard-sounding" patch on _his_ guitar. Great fun. Amongst all of the turbulence, the improv held itself together long enough to launch back into the main theme. "I like it." AB decided to combat any chance of someone in the crowd yelling the words to Indiscipline out by saying them as fast as possible. This of course left him lots of time while the band vamped in the background, so he looked at his watch and said "that was fast!" (see also "I'm waiting for it to come 'round again on the guitar' -A. Guthrie, Alice's Restaurant) Larks Tongues II sounds as good as it ever has, having restored the teeth it didn't have in the 80's band's version of it. And how. Sound quality was fine, to my ears, and I didn't need the earplugs that I had brought. There were no shortages of 'walls of sound', of course, though! This Crimson is really, really good... And they all seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves onstage. I think we'll get another album at least out of this lineup. I certainly hope so! One other program note: Pat Mastelloso has apparently been replaced by "Animal" from the Muppet Show. :-) Man, he hits those drums hard! (It complements BB's style very well, IMHO.) THRAK! -==-John R. Nash-==-nash at chem dot wisc dot edu-==-UW Madison, Dept of Chemistry-==- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 03:11:14 -0500 (CDT) From: 5436DUMKER at VMS dot CSD dot MU dot EDU Subject: GIG REVIEW: Milwaukee Somebody call 911!! Yes, fans, just saw my first King Crimson concert. I've loved 'em for years, but only just _finally_ got to see them live. What a gift! The following are a few poor impressions which survived the depradations of the sonic steamroller which Fripp & Co. unleashed upon my poor, tender psyche. But First a caveat: two things must be borne in mind. First, those who say King Crimson must be seen live to be appreciated are right. KC live is a whole 'nother animal. Second, the songs, like the band, are living, changing entities. Several of the pieces played were quite different 'versions', and close attention is both wanted and rewarded if one wants to really appreciate this band. The touches, shadings, and 'new parts' are _tremendously_ important. But before KC, a word about the CGT. First time I'd ever heard them or their material, and I must say i was impressed, even though the guy in the hat kept blinding me with his shiny, shiny guitar! ;) These folks played music which was quite tasteful and, at times, quite beautiful. I'm happy to report that they were enthusiastically received, garnering two standing ovations and even playing an encore! (BTW, nice dance, guys!) The CGT were an excellent part of a carefully orchestrated evening of quality entertainment (if such is the word to use...) But on to KC. I originally wanted to concentrate only on the highlights so as to avoid offering a 'laundry list' gig review. Problem is, as things turned out, there were too many damn 'highlights' to list. How does one relay an Experience like what I just underwent (and just look at how long this post is already)? Hey, Jimi would have been proud. OK, so I'll just relate a couple of things which really made an impression on me. If you want more, e-mail me. First: the Soundscape which opened B'boom. Now I'd never heard one of these things live before, though I've heard the records, of course. Well, when Mr. Fripp did his thing, I was quite taken by it. Dudes, it was truly scary. I had no idea it could be so powerful. Second: the band played a truly amazing version of Thrak, replete with bits of Fracture in the middle. It ended quite poignantly, stage dark, spotlight only on Adrian, who played a long, slow, quiet ending. Quite extraordinary. (People was given a similar treatment. The version here was _very rythmic, ending with an AB guitar solo. For all you guys who didn't like the album version, GO LISTEN TO IT LIVE! It kicked!) Third: the duet between Trey and Tony which led into an INCREDIBLE rendition of Elephant Talk. I could go on for hours, but I'm not sure our redoubtable Editor would appreciate my deposing him and single-handedly authoring an entire edition of ET. Suffice it to say that the band finally got focused around the time they did Thrak, and once focused, it was a tour de force to the end. One final observation from my visit to the court of the Crimson King: This band has incredible untapped potential and energy. As good as they were here tonight, if they grow at all they will be simply . Peace, Russ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 22:03:10 -0400 From: MBaumann at aol dot com Subject: NYT Review from Town Hall I don't know if this has already been posted on E.T. I don't recall seeing it. From the New York Times re: KC and Orb. June 6, 1995 Watching the Generations of Rock Merge and Mutate By NEIL STRAUSS On Saturday night at Town Hall, the guitarist Robert Fripp sat dimly lighted on a stool at the back of the stage, the calm in the center of the storm that was King Crimson. Whenever the pioneering English art-rock band, which recently reassembled after breaking up more than 10 years ago, brought its complex instrumental thud down to a quiet drone, Mr. Fripp was left alone. He sat stiffly and impassively in his seat, either playing a sweet, harmonically rich guitar line that had been submerged in the song all along or sending sounds swooshing through the hall speakers. Later that night, nine blocks away at Roseland, Alex Paterson (who used to work at EG, the label for which King Crimson recorded) stood stiffly and impassively on a dark stage, obscured by a bank of turntables and electronic effects, the calm in the center of the storm that was the Orb. Nearly every time the Orb - an English band that pioneered dance music's gentle, sleepy cousin, ambient house - ended a thumping, twittering collage, Mr. Paterson isolated one record that had been buried in the mix and played it on its own. Working together using the name FFWD, Mr. Paterson and Mr. Fripp collaborated on an album last year, creating quiet atmospheres occasionally ruptured by sound effects. Watching the two perform separately on Saturday, it was easy to see how music trickles down from generation to generation. At Town Hall, Mr. Fripp, who is 50, took older styles (early-20th-century composed music, 1950's rhythm-and-blues, 1960's free jazz), combined it with his own mannered, studied approach and delivered it to a very enthusiastic younger audience, which seemed to be mostly in its 30's. At Roseland, Mr. Paterson, who is 35, took the minimalism and progressive rock of King Crimson and others in the 1960's, anchored it to the disco of the 1970's and added his own sense of sound sculpture and mysticism, playing modern-day art-rock for a younger audience, mostly in its teens and 20's. King Crimson performed not as a band but as a double trio. It had two musicians playing drums (Bill Bruford and a new member, Pat Mastelotto), two on guitar (Mr. Fripp and the singer Adrian Belew) and two playing the Chapman stick, a 10-stringed instrument that combines the guitar and the bass (Tony Levin, who also played bass, and a new member, Trey Gunn). In its 100-minute set, the band balanced songs from its new album, "Thrak" (Virgin), with ones >from its back catalogue, including "Elephant Talk" and "Red." In the songs with lyrics, Mr. Belew sang in a polite near falsetto reminiscent of David Bowie and David Byrne, both of whom he has collaborated with. The drummers played slightly out of unison, with Mr. Bruford trying to complicate the steady playing of Mr. Mastelotto. Halfway through the set, Mr. Belew looked at his watch and remarked: "Ten years. Hard to believe, isn't it?" And it was hard to believe that the band had lost little of its power, depth and flow in a decade apart. At Roseland, the Orb, which a decade ago was still absorbing influences for the ambient dance-music it started making in 1989, played an ambitious set that lasted more than two and a half hours. In that time, Mr. Paterson summarized his own career, adding the complex beat of England's current jungle music to some of his early songs and stripping the beat from later ones. He also provided a history of modern electronic music, spinning excerpts from records by everyone from the Minimalist composer Terry Riley to the space-rock band Can to the funk band Cameo. A drummer, a bassist and a second D.J. filled out the sound as lights flashed on two giant orbs on the sides of the stage and slides that seemed to have been borrowed from Pink Floyd's archives lighted up their backdrop. Where the Orb's songs (many named after planets and U.F.O. tales) were meant to evoke the mysteries of outer space, King Crimson's precise and mathematical music called to mind the apparatus of a spaceship, one able to travel to the Orb's destinations. Copyright 1995 The New York Times [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Greg Picklesimer Subject: TICKETS: Yet more ticket grovelling Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 13:20:12 MDT Missed my oportunity to buy a ticket for the Denver show on 6/18. If anyone has a spare, please email the details. I also just found out I will be in SF on 6/26 and could use a ticket to the show at the Warfield. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Greg Picklesimer (greg dot picklesimer at symbios dot com) Symbios Logic Inc Fax: (719)573-3824 1635 Aeroplaza Dr. Colorado Springs CO 80916 Phone:(719)573-3497 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 12:32:41 -0700 (PDT) From: James M Murphy Subject: TICKETS: Need 1 or 2 San Francisco tix! Hi I am looking for one and maybe two tickets for one of the San Francisco shows. I would like floor tickets. And I will not pay more than face value. James jmurphy at sfsu dot edu [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 12 Jun 95 17:54:56 pdt From: dwalden-berg at smtpgtwy dot ggu dot edu Subject: TICKETS: San Francisco dates ticket trade? I have 2 tickets to the KC San Francisco show on Saturday, June 24, and would like to trade them for two of either the Sunday or Monday San Francisco shows. If you're interested, please email me privately. Thanks. David Walden-Berg dwalden at ggu dot edu [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 14 Jun 95 04:39:14 PDT From: dwight at pentasoft dot com Subject: TICKETS: wanted for Seattle 6/22 I still need tickets to the Seattle show 6/22!! Please help!! Dwight [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 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 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]