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 #200 E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 200, Tuesday, 20 June 1995 ***** 2 0 0 th ***** B I R T H D A Y ***** E D I T I O N ***** [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Welcome to the 200th edition of ET. When we started, on Monday, 19 August 1991, I never thought we would make 20, never mind 200! But we did. We have a few special features in this edition, including a review of Crimson's incredible SECRET WISCONSIN gig, a story from Tony Levin, and an interview with Adrian Belew. I hope you'll enjoy these, and many thanks to the contributors. If you haven't yet visited, or can't visit, the ET Web pages, I thought you might like to know how the readership of ET stands. We currently have 2040 readers in 43 countries: The Americas: 1659 Argentina: 3 Costa Rica: 1 Brazil: 6 Mexico: 7 Canada: 85 Peru: 1 Chile: 1 Venezuala: 3 United States: 1552 The rest of the world: 381 Australia: 34 Iceland: 5 Romania: 1 Austria: 3 Ireland: 2 Russia: 2 Belgium: 4 Israel: 7 Slovakia: 1 Croatia: 1 Italy: 17 Spain: 5 Czechoslovakia: 2 Japan: 29 South Africa: 1 Denmark: 2 Korea: 1 Sweden: 25 Estonia: 1 Lithuania: 1 Switzerland: 3 Finland: 21 Netherlands: 17 Ukraine: 2 France: 11 New Zealand: 6 United Kingdom: 104 Germany: 43 Norway: 13 Unknown location: 1 Hong Kong: 1 Poland: 9 Hungary: 4 Portugal: 2 Thanks to Ken Bibb for his amazing work managing the Americas distribution. Anyway, that's more than enough trumpet blowing. Let's get to it. Best wishes to everyone and here's to another 200! Toby [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Today's Topics: SPECIAL GIG REVIEW: Wisconsin 200 issues! ORB & Fripp & Call for Boston Ambient Musicians Tales From The Punchbowl Crowd noise Adrian Belew/solo stuff Fripp article .... ET: first live show and ramblings Various Topics Muir and Bailey "Road Photos" book, and "World Diary" Re: #5(5) Elephant-talk digest v95 #199 Adrian Belew CNN Interview re: Fripping Sustain? KC and Bartok Belew Album, Gunn on New Album, Fripp on No-Man Album QUERY for Elephant Talk re:re the youngest KC concert attendee Schoenberg vs. Stravinsky as KC's stylistic reference. Adrian's strat(s) youngest KC concert attendee piano-"Yeah!" Bruford interview on NFTE Crowd Behavior "import" questions 2 Replies Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #199 Creaking Crimson Adrian's daughter Minneapolis Carpet Cleaning Re:Contacting Fresh Air, etc. GIG REVIEW: Chicago and Milwaukee GIG REVIEW: King Crimson in Milwaukee [6/16/95] GIG REVIEW: Milwaulkee, 6/15/95 GIG REVIEW: MINNEAPOLIS 6/16/95 - afterthoughts GIG REVIEW: Minneapolis Crimson Concert GIG REVIEW: Minneapolis GIG REVIEW: Minneapolis TICKETS: San Diego [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 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: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 09:00:04 -0400 (EDT) From: Jeff Edmunds Subject: SPECIAL GIG REVIEW: Wisconsin Organization: Penn State University / University Libraries As no one has yet reviewed the recent Wisconsin King Crimson gig, I wanted to describe the most incredible concert I've ever seen. The CGT was awesome, and their 21st-Century Schizoid Man licks had the audience howling. But it hardly prepared us for what came next. Imagine a stage, totally dark but for the red LED lights flickering like lizards' eyes. Then a dim spot, gradually growing in intensity, on the center of the stage revealing an almost unrecognizable Robert Fripp: tight black leather trousers and red spandex T-shirt, his guitar slung low, no longer a few centimeters from his chin but down around his knees a la Joe Simenon, his right hand raised in a fist over his head, his gaze toward the heavens. Suddenly a HEAVY pounding reverberates throughout the hall--it's BB in the dark, positively jumping up and down on his kick tom. Smoke bombs explode. Lasers sweep the audience like the tractor beams of UFOs. Robert grabs the mic and bellows "Are You Ready To Rock?!!!" The crowd, needless to say, goes apeshit. Blinding flashes and the band, now in a blaze of white light on stage, rips into "Sweet Home Alabama". Bruford and Mastoletto are unbelievable, playing 4/4 in perfect unison for the 27-minute song. The interplay between the guitars of Adrian and Robert is indescribable, like a mind-blowing duet between Roy Clark, and, well, Roy Clark. Next comes the opening bars of "Dinosaur." Unlike previous gigs, the mellotron-like sounds are *not* triggered by Belew. This time it's Fripp himself, he and his gold-plated mellotron lowered on a special crane above the crowd's heads! As the rhythm section stomps in with the wallop of a Tyrannosaurus kick, Tony Levin is revealed on stage, his tall frame now transformed into the eponymous hero by a huge paper-mache dinosaur mask, its toothy jaws chomping in time with the beat, and giant dinosaur feet the size of Elton John's Pinball Wizard boots. Tony Rex plods around the stage, banging on his 5-string with the fury of a, of a, well, of a crazed wombat or something. The crowd, needless to say, goes apeshit. The highlight of the evening came near the end of the show. The stage went dark for so long that the crowd's anticipation reached a fever pitch. Then six dim figures stroll onto stage. Spotlight. Tony, Billy, Bobby, Belew, Trey and Pat, in white shirts with red satin armbands, their hair slicked back, their handle-bar mustaches waxed to pointy perfection, stand in a semi-circle around three mics. Tony blows a C on his pitch pipe. A pause, and then Tony's booming bass begins "I'm Toneeee", "I'm Billeeee" sings Bruford, "I'm Bobbeeee" croons Fripp, and so on. Six-Part Barbershop Harmony! Mind-boggling! There were three encores, the first being an acoustic version of Thraak in which Fripp played MIDI'd ukelele sounds, Adrian played lute, and Bruford played in 37.5/17 time on a high-tech kit whose various components whirled around him at speeds which varied with the intensity of his drumming. Then the most incredible performance of all. Fripp alone at center stage, transformed into his more familiar self, guitar under chin and flowing black and white shirt and vest, seated on a stool. Two microphones, one level with the body of his Ovation acoustic and the other head-high. Silence. The almost imperceptible sound of the Maestro's even breathing. Then the opening bars of a song hauntingly familiar yet, as the French might say, "insaisissable", elusive. Slowly it dawns on us what we're hearing. The intro complete, Fripp leans delicately forward to sing "Girl, Look What You've Done to Me...", the song made famous twenty-five years ago on the television show The Brady Bunch by former Monkee Davy Jones! The crowd, needless to say, goes apeshit. Women in the front rows are screaming uncontrolably. Some throw roses or underwear on stage. Bedlam. Then, the final encore. A jam of mystical proportions, lights of every color flooding the stage, surmounted by an immense computer-generated photograph of George Gurdjieff, blinking, nodding with the beat, and puffing out his cheeks in a most bizarre fashion. Tony plays Stick, Trey plays Stick, Bruford and Mastoletto are playing so fast that their limbs are but flesh-colored blurs, Fripp's fingers are like a thousand fleeing spiders, Belew is wrenching sounds from his guitar that would make Beelzebub himself run screaming. Faster and faster, louder and louder, more and more chaotic, running breakneck towards an impossible crescendo, an overwhelming orgasm of sound. Then, without warning, the band members line up at the back of the stage, somehow still furiously playing, and stampede toward the front of the stage. The first rows of the audience recoil, and just as the six racing figures reach the edge and jump, Gurdjieff in a stentorian voice yells "STOP!!!". Total silence. All six figures freeze in mid-air, absolutley motionless, their still bodies somehow suspended above the breathless crowd, flabbergasted. Then, needless to say, the crowd goes apeshit. You guys are the best. Jeff Edmunds [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 20:50:33 -0400 From: TonyLevin at aol dot com Subject: 200 issues! On the occasion of the 200th posting of E.T, I'd like to babble a bit about how some of us in the band peek in on E.T. Back when we were recording Thrak, in RealWorld Studios last October, I had my powerbook in the control room, logging on every time things got dull in the studio (which is very often, even on a Crimson record) and sometimes entertaining the band with quotes from E.T. The unusual situation arose in which some readers were reviewing the VROOOM CD, just as we were recording some of the same compositions (much changed, as you know) for the Thrak CD. I began putting some of the juicier quotes on paper, hanging the pages around the room - for inspiration? Later, a promotional video was made by Virgin, w. small interviews of the band, and the closing scene pans around the control room showing these quotes. Thought you'd all enjoy that. Now, out on the road, Trey and I look at the postings quite a bit, though I must admit I no longer have the time to read them all. Many thanks to Toby for doing such a good job and providing a sensible and enjoyable forum. Tony [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: David Kirkdorffer Date: 16 Jun 95 11:26:05 EDT Subject: ORB & Fripp & Call for Boston Ambient Musicians I'm not a real knowledgable Orb-o-phile but here's what I can tell you. Orb is a kinda ambient/dub/trance "band". On this tour they are four people: Drums, Bass, keyboards/Synths/Treatments, and Turntables/Keyboards/Synths/Treatments. Ambient/dub/trance -- What's that? Well imagine some Jah Wobble dub like bass playing mixed with some Eno-esque ambient noises, add some nature sounds like rivers and mix in some spoken word sections and then add pulsing hypnotic synth lines and drum rhythms that shift as new elements are added/layered. All this creates a dance-y trance-y stew. Overall, the sound is increasingly becoming organic. Heady stuff. Robert Fripp plays with principal Orb members of the FFWD cd. This is a really cool CD (but note -- this is more like Eno/Fripp collaborations than King Crimson). I'd read this project was originally to be released under the name "Orbert." In many ways, Fripp has been active in various ways in this "Ambient scene" and there's a Future Sound of London re-mix of Darshan. He also turns up on the "final guest-list" to the Orb Live 93 and is credited on the 1994 FSOL "Lifeforms" release on a piece called "FLAK" (title sounds familiar, eh?). I remember reading an article that mentioned why/how the the two principal members of Orb (who used to work at EG by the way) started the creating the music which has grown into Orb. Excuse the simplicities, but in the rave scene in where folks dance into a trance to techno and jungle music, you often have a chill-out room for people to lounge about and rest. In the early days, music played in these rooms would be psychedelic, trippy stuff like Floyd, Hillage, Gong, etc. After a while, the Orb's-to-be needed something different to keep their raves' chill-rooms interesting. They started concocting things and this grew into what Orb are today. At least that's the story I go with. If they come to a town near you and you want to dance, trance and be merry for 2.5 hours -- check it out. And, at least in Boston, the lightshow is very cool too. Now, are there any other Boston-based musicians familar w/this genre would like to start a musical-entity a la Seefeel?? David Kirkdorffer [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 10:57:07 -0500 (CDT) From: Watcher Of The Skies (John P Mohan) Subject: Tales From The Punchbowl Just wanted to put in a plug for the new Primus album, _Tales From The Punchbowl_. Many of you Crimheads who are also interested in Primus (the KC/Primus connection has enjoyed prodigious discussion in ET) should definitely check this album out. It far exceeds 1993's Pork Soda (which, IMHO, was a big disappointment). It's more in the vein of _Sailing The Seas Of Cheese_ (1991), which I believe is the band's most polished and conceptual album. The latest issue of _Guitar Player_ magazine has thorough articles on both Primus and KC, and even runs an interesting feature comparing the two bands. The KC article is interesting and highly accurate (I only spotted a couple of errors) and goes into painstaking detail regarding Adrian and Robert's setups. Also features good colour photos of the band during all four incarnations. A must-read for any Crimhead, even those who don't play guitar (like me). About to take off for Twin Cities to see the prince tonight. I'm wheels. JP [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 95 17:53:17 GMT From: sheehanm at rosnet dot strose dot edu (Michael Sheehan) Subject: Crowd noise Hello ET'ers, Just thought I'd pop out of lurk mode to address the crowd noise question. Although I generally make as little as possible--apart from loudly telling a boorish drunk who yelled "Freedom!" as he was being ejected from Town Hall to "shut the hell up"--in New York on Saturday I didn't think it was a problem. A few whoops and cheers for peoples' favorite members, wht the hell? After 10 years, let 'em say hi. The backtalk during Indiscipline seemed to amuse the guys in the band and most of the audience members I was near (4th row balc) got a chuckle out of it (especially when, during the pause before the "I wish you were here to see it" somebody said, "Ya know what?"). Adrian seemed to be having fun with the audience chatting back in that tune. That said, stupid slobbering drunks should be expelled, and there are certainly moments (such as the synth/bass break in Dinosaur) which don't call for whooping it up but rather for polite silence out of deference to the musicians and the vast majority of silent crowd members. I just feel--hell, let's not forget, this is rock and roll music after all. Much as I was almost persuaded otherwise after that fantastic show in NYC, it's not the second coming of the Messiah. It should be fun, and maybe a little boisterous even, but certainly well short of a slobbering mess. Just my plugged nickel's worth. Cheers, Mike Sheehan [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 15:35:59 -0500 (EST) From: BBELLAS at idicl1 dot idi dot oclc dot org Subject: Adrian Belew/solo stuff A good friend informed me that Adrian Belew has solo album of all acustic songs. He mentioned that ther are a couple of Crimson songs on there as well. If anyone has some info they could pass along on this that would be very kind. Is it just in central Ohio or does eveybody problems getting hold of music from these guys. I seem to be very unlucky when attempting to aquire recorded material from any and all of the memebers of KC. The only thing I can find is Thrak, which I have, and Peter Gabriel albums that Tony Levin is on. And by the way on the new double live cd by PGabriel the bass is so far down in the mix at times I can't tell if he is playing at all. What a drag! Is it just that KC cds' are no longer being pressed because I have yet to come across a copy of 3oaPP anywhere or any of live 80's stuff. I did finally find a copy of Beat in a local record store but even a blind squirel finds a nut sometimes. Unfortunetly when it comes to cd distribution, to quote Spinal Tap "money talks and bullsh_t walks". Uh? Bob Bellas (OUCHCUBE) BBELLAS at idi dot oclc dot org [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 15:44:51 -0500 From: jlblue at indiana dot edu Subject: Fripp article .... Readers (especialy in Asia) may be interested to know that the magazine AERA (published in Tokyo) featured Mr. Fripp on the cover of the April 10 issue (no. 17). There is also a one-page article on p. 68 of the magazine. It's all in Japanese, but I am sure Asian fans would be interested. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Subject: ET: first live show and ramblings Organization: Department of Tesselating Kumquats From: Leigh Orf Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 16:16:28 -0500 I've been an ET reader for about six months now, and my signing up coincides with the sudden recent enthusiasm I have felt towards the music of King Crimson, past and present. A good friend and I attended the Milwaukee show yesterday, and I will provide my brief account of the day after saying a few introductory words. A former roommate introduced me to King Crimson a few years ago. He said they were "probably his favorite band" and we used to sit around listening to music a lot, sometimes at night out on the porch (aah, I miss those fine summer porch nights Todd!), and one night he got out his Young Person's Guide To King Crimson double LP and we listened to is in my room, since his turntable was shot. Initially, I really liked about half of the songs, and really disliked the other half. Over time the music from the early era ('68 - '72) embodied King Crimson entirely in my mind, and it wasn't until later on that I discovered the band had changed markedly over time and had moved on from the dirgy, minor-chord-drenched epic Epitaph-esque songs which initially attracted me to the group. Before I finally got around to getting some copies of the KC albums that were released when I was in grade school (still have a few to go), I discovered The First Day with Fripp & Sylvian, and from that album on, there was no turning back. I got a copy of the Sunday All Over The World (an *excellent* album) at the behest of a record store employee who, upon discovering the Moonshake album I was looking for wasn't in, said "You should check this out... it's like Moonshake, only it makes sense". I don't see more than an ounce of similarity between the two groups, but am quite grateful that he exposed me to it. So anyway, during the time I'm discovering the music of Crimson, I find out that the group is reforming. I am obviously delighted. I get Vrooom as soon as it hits the record store, and after many listenings, I find that it isn't what I had expected based upon the previous KC releases, but, to quote Adrian Belew, I LIKE IT! I like Thrak even more, probably because the album is longer ;) and because the of the cleaner mix. Of course, when I find they are on tour, and coming to Milwaukee, which is only an hour & a half drive from Madison, I am immediately interested. Pete, a rather cool dude I work with and hang out with, and I got tickets, and the following is an abridged version of the events of yesterday. I awoke at 4:30 AM to the sound of my alarm, as expected. I host a classical music show on Madison's community radio station (WORT, 89.9 FM) which runs from 5AM-8AM. I have to find the person to bribe to move my slot an hour or two later. The show went well, and I was *this* close to playing the beginning of Islands on the show, but finally decided against it after finding the record library copy to be quite scratched. I left the station at 9:30 AM (I also engineer the following 1 hour show) and found it to be a gorgeous day, blindingly sunny and quite hot. A great day to spend on the beach, yes? Which is exactly what Pete and I did after making the drive to Milwaukee. We hung out at Bradford Beach with a cooler full of homebrew and pretty much just hung out and listened to music and mellowed out and enjoyed the day which was just going to get better. After baking ;) in the sun for a few hours, we motivated our lethargic sand-coated bodies to the Riverside Theatre and just as we got in the first notes of the California Guitar Trio were gracing the air. I really liked what I heard of the CGT. It was the first time I had ever heard any of their music, and I am pretty sure this tour will really increase their fan base. I will most certainly pick up a recording of theirs soon. They did an absolutely amazing Toccata & Fuge in G minor (Bach)... really really really great, not flubbing over the hard parts or anything like that. And they looked like they were having fun, too, which is a big plus in my mind. They were well received by the crowd, which was very enthusiastic throughout the entire show, if not a bit obnoxious in most of the quiet parts (is there like ONE GUY who goes to ALL shows and screams out dumb shit or whistles loudly during the dramatic pause / quiet parts in good music? If so, and you see him, kill him). Anyhow, KC took the stage and tore the place up. It was much fun to watch the interplay between Mastelotto and Bruford. I was forewarned about Fripp's non-presence on stage from previous concert reviews, so I wasn't surprised as I might have been otherwise. It didn't bother me particularly since you could see him sitting there and really, it's his choice how he wants to be seen on stage as far as I'm concerned. Maybe he just wants to concentrate and not worry about lots of people staring at him, I dunno, but all I can say is he is probably my favorite guitarist/musician today, and did some very incredible things last night on stage. I'm a big Zappa fan, and it was a treat to finally see Adrian Belew in person. He's also an amazing guitarist, and I like his voice. It was cool to see Tonly Levin's face light up at the beginning of the bass lick in Elephant Talk. By the way, what's the deal with those extensions on his fingers that he uses to smack the guitar strings? It looked like he suddenly grew amazingly long, wide fingernails. And what's the name of that upright electric bass he played (don't tell me it's "upright electric bass" or I'll just have to laugh). I suppose I could probably find the answer to these questions somewhere on the net but what the hey. I'm glad Robert Fripp came out into the spotlight after the show to take a bow. It was funny seeing him shade his eyes and look around the entire theatre, as if he were scoping out the audience. I waved both times (hi Robert). He looked happy. They all did, actually. I could go on - but the setlists have already been written, the stage presence of the members has been talked about, and to my surprise and amazement, three reviews of this show have already been posted to ET. You guys just came home after the show and got in front of your computers? Wow, now that's discipline. I went to sleep. Leigh Leigh Orf http://scrap.ssec.wisc.edu/orf.html Host of "Variations On A Theme" Thursdays 5-8AM on WORT 89.9FM, Madison, WI ``we live and then we die, it seems and never see the puppet strings sleepers walking, busy bees inhabiting each other's dreams'' [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 17:46:14 -0400 From: aglwsa1 at peabody dot sct dot ucarb dot com (Gary L. Wright) Subject: Various Topics E Talkers, Just thought I'd take the time to say thanks for all of the concert reviews. I am living vicariously through these. Also, I'm jealous of people meeting the band members. Does this really happen, or is it kind of like letters to the Penthouse Forum?? Also I'm throwing in some random thoughts on other subjects that have been discussed of late. New GIFS on the KC WWW Page I noticed the other day that the Elephant Talk Web Page includes links for two new GIFS. One of Robert looking very dour; and a second one of the band in front of an orange/red backdrop. Check them out. Hendrix influence on THRAK I'm a little late on this subject, but I had noticed a certain Jimi Hendrix influence on the THRAK album, particularly on "Walking on Air". The drums sound a lot like Hendrix. ("Wind Cries Mary" or "May This be Love"?) Marine 475 Lyrics My wife has worked in the commercial insurance industry for over 10 years. I showed her some of the discussion which was taking place about the lyrics to "Marine 475". She tells me that the numbers are called CAT numbers, for CATastrophic losses. It seems that Lloyd's of London assigns these number to specific catastrophic events and then all subsequent claims against these events are able to use that CAT number as a reference. So, each of the numbers in the lyrics can be thought of as separate catastrophic events. This would seem to be in line with the general theme of VROOOM & THRAK. Why not Sartori in Tangier? Since my company transferred me from West Virginia to Houston, I have to hope for a Southern US Tour this fall/winter. (I would have driven to the Cincy show in a "Heartbeat".) To placate myself in the meantime, I watched the Live in Japan video this weekend. While watching this, I was struck with the thought that the current line-up is missing a wonderful opportunity to play a tremendous version of "Sartori in Tangier". They now have two drummers, so BB could go wild while AB wouldn't have to keep time... two stick/bass players....room for SoundScapes over an AB guitar solo....just thinking out loud...I'm picturing an encore that starts with a duet between TG and TL - leads to Sartori - which abruptly ends and is followed immediately by Lark's Tongues Part II THRAK: The Movie Isn't this too obvious - Patrick Stewart(Capt. Picard on STtNG) as Tony Levin?? Rolling Stone THRAK Review Reading the review of THRAK in Rolling Stone gave me a chance to reflect on the same publication's review of USA which used to grace my dorm wall while a freshman in college. The reviewer of that album (that's what we oldtimers used to call CD's) was somewhat less that enthusiastic. In fact, he hated the album; preferring instead the likes of Boston, Peter Frampton, et al. That's all for now. Keep the newsletters coming. The best thing I've found on the InterNet yet. Gary L. Wright Information Technology - Union Carbide Corp. E-mail: aglwsa1 at peabody dot sct dot ucarb dot com X400: C:US ADMD:MARK400 PRMD:UCARB S:WRIGHT G:GARY Phone:(713) 212-2072 Fax # (713) 212-2217 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Malcolm Humes Subject: Muir and Bailey Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 17:14:04 -0700 (PDT) Folks have asked about Jamie Muir a few issues back - I held back on answering this again since I've raved about Muir a bit in the past - so somewhere in the digest archives I've already gone on at some length about Muir's work with Bailey and Muir's brief stint with Alan Gowen (pre- Gilgamesh and National Health) and Alan Holdsworth in a short lived and apparently unrecorded band called Sunship circa mid 1971... to me the idea of Gowen/Holdsworth/Muir seems like an incredible lineup, at a fertile period right before they all burst into work they are well known for now. An appendix to my previous mentions of this - a few months ago I asked a friend to ask Hugh Hopper to ask Alan Gowen's widow if there are *any* recordings of this short lived band in her archives - and there's some possible small label interest in releasing said material if it exists. Don't get your hopes up though. I think the interview with Muir from circa 1991-2 in Ptloemaic Terrascope was perhaps uploaded to this mailing list in the past too - Jamie has given up music for painting as of a few years ago, though he was active a bit post King Crimson. I suspect Muir's work with Bailey and the Improvisational Company might be a bit, uh, out there for some Krimsoid fans. As to Bailey, he's still around - he's played in the US in recent years and his label Incus has been re0issuing older material and I think recent works. Derek would be 65 this year. There's an excellent Web page on him and a related one on Incus: http://www.shef.ac.uk/misc/rec/ps/efi/mbailey.html I don't know if Robert Fripp has ever acknowledged any influnce by Bailey but most certainly he's aware of him. Fred Frith is much more directly influences stylistcially. I should mention my Frith web pages at: http://prog.ari.net/prog/Bands/Frith/frith.home.html Any chance someone might eventually install a Web searchable index to past issue archives of Discipline/Elephant Talk? It'd make it easier to find stuff like the prior info on Muir lurking in there. I say someone since I suspect Toby hasn't the time to keep up and that anyone would be welcome to help with this... oh, the Bailey page above also links into an extensive European Free Improvisation Musicians Index and label index too, really worth a visit: http://www.shef.ac.uk/misc/rec/ps/efi/ehome.html Sorry for the general lack of Frippery in this post, but, as interests in Muir and King Crimson were what spawned a serious interest in improvisational music for me I think the pointers above are well worth exploring. On the topic of improvisation, the 70's King Crimson lineup was revered by many as one of the most interesting improvisational rock bands ever, yet until the release of The Great Deceiver there were few recordings that really reflected that, and even in the Great Deceiver box the level of improvisation might often be described as "variations on a theme" rather than just all out free form. The 80's King Crimson seemed to hold less of an emphasis on improvising, and my impression is that most of the improvising was doing as a compositional process in the studio - the live outings didn't reflect a lot of totally improvised material, it was more along the lines of sublte variations on the songs or solos. Now I ponder what role improvisation plays in the new lineup? and I have a feeling that there's little in KC's concerts now that might be really free form improvisation, I mean in the sense of getting beyond the songs and solos. In some ways it seems like Fripp over the years has shied away from loose, unstructured improvisations. One of the most out there noisy guitar improvs I've heard from Robert was one of the earliest live recordings, a segment in the Plumpton '69 concert that got really free and sounded much more along the lines of what Bailey and Frith do. And I think that segment of the concert was left off the release material form that show and is only heard on bootlegs of that concert. Does the current band lineup have the confidence, the communication and perhaps the interest that it takes to just stand on a stage and play, freely, with no predetermined structure? I suspect that in some ways the band has too much communication, too much common language already in their musical stylings to be able to do this anymore without sounding inherently like one of their songs; despite the rhetoric that the new lineup is going into uncharted territory they seem firmly rooted in textures and styles of playing that reeks of King Crimson past. I for one would love to experience a concert of King Crimson where they didn't just play the latest release and a few old favorites... - Malcolm Humes mal at emf dot net, malcolm at pobox dot com, malium at aol dot com, mah2 at ci dot berkeley dot ca dot us, etc. http://www.emf.net/~mal/ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 20:50:37 -0400 From: TonyLevin at aol dot com Subject: "Road Photos" book, and "World Diary" In answer to a posting about my old book of photos, I sold them out many years ago. I hope to re-print the book by the end of the year, and put it in the catalogue of Papa Bear Records, along with my solo CD. Then in a few years, I hope to do an update, w. photos from the '90's as well as the '80's. And, in answer to another query, (to repeat earlier info,) to order the "World Diary" CD, send check or M.O. for $15 plus 2.50 p&h (NYState add 1.44 tax) payable to Papa Bear Records, to: Papa Bear Records, P.O. 498E, Woodstock, NY 12498 (From Canada, check or M.O. in U.S. dollars, for $15 plus 4.00 p&h.) t.l. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 21:23:59 -0400 From: MikelBiko at aol dot com Subject: Re: #5(5) Elephant-talk digest v95 #199 Well, after reading all the reviews of the current tour, I am sure looking forward to Thursdays show in Seattle! I rushed out the day tickets went on sale, and got 2 good seats for my girlfriend and I. She has never seen (or really even listened to) the King before, so it will really be an experience for her! I LOVE turning people on to great music, and this should prove to be an extremely memorable experience! Sorry Dwight, I don't have any extra tix, but anyone else going to the Seattle show that would like to meet up outside the Paramount before the show for a quick chat, please email me directly at mikelbiko at aol dot com - I also have a HUGE 50+ page audio/video trade list available (mostly Genesis and Gabriel, Marillion, etc, a few Crimson items) so let me know if interested in that also. mikel orsborn mikelbiko at aol dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 22:13:49 -0400 From: ScottTV66 at aol dot com Subject: Adrian Belew CNN Interview I received a lot of E-Mail concerning my interview with Adrian on CNN. A small part ran on CNN's SHOWBIZ TODAY on Wed June 7. Since there was a lot of interest..I am transcribing the interview here for whoever cares. Please excuse any ignorance on my part since..after reading many of the postings in "Elephant TalK'..it's evident that there are many more Crimson-ites much more well versed in the groups rich history than I am. The interview took place at 3pm eastern Monday June 5th,1995 at CNN's New York bureau:The interview informally started with me asking about the origins of "Thela Hun Ginjeet": Belew: It's actualy an anogram of the original title I had "Heat in the Jungle".robert suggested, "well I don't like that title,Ade..can you find something?"..so I took these Scrabble tiles and I made some anagrams and made it "Thela Hun Ginjeet"...which means nothing but it sounds good to sing.(laughs)...We play about the best,I think, of the 80's material from that band..things like "Frame by Frame". and "Elephant Talk"..and "Matte Kudasai"..they've become kind of minor Crimson classics...we seem to play a lot of stuff from the "Discipline" album..the first album..the "honeymoon" album..and everybody likes that..everybody liked that record the most. SL:It was a groundbreaking album. AB: Yeah SL: let's start with how King Crimson..after all these years..ended up getting back together? AB: The short story is that there was so many rumours circulating that there was going to be a new King Crimson ..a few summers ago while I was in Europe..I decided to pop in and see Robert at his house in England and ask him "Is there going to be a new King Crimson and..if so..I want to be a part of it." And I think that started the wheels turning with Robert and myself.Once he had a commitment from me then I think he felt "OK,we can go ahead with this." It's taken quite a few years to put the sub-structure together..to get the band all in one place..it's a band from two continents now...and it's been worth the wait. SL: Not to mention that your solo career was making incredible strides..you've put out some pretty good music over the past few years.. AB: Well.it still is..I feel great about my solo career andfrankly we will now divide our time between King Crimson and making solo albums.For instance..now we have this tour that's been May and June..and at the end we have 3 months off.I'll go home and my summer vacation will be making a new solo album (laughs). SL: The new album "Thrak"...you put out an earlier album entitled "Vroom" before this which was basicaly the rehersals for this album? AB: I think of "Vroom" as kind of a documentation of the beginnings of the band. We were in a recording studio rehearsing and writing all the new material and we recorded it as we went and we decided,"Well some of this is really worth putting out." So we put out a half an hour CD that was supposed to be released..really..only in Asia..and I think there are imports coming into America now..it's an interesting side of the band starting up. What the "Thrak" album is,though,is a much more refined..almost a year later..version of the band after we'd written more material..played in front of an audience. .and recorded properly in a studio...Peter Gabriel's studio. SL: How would you compare "Thrak" to "Disciplie", "Three of a Different Pair" and your other 80's work? AB: Some of this album harkens back to the earlier King Crimson ..the 70's version..band..I wasn't a part of...because it has such a heavy ..you know..almost heavy metalish quality sometimes.Some of the songwriting,though,which is one of my primary roles, I think is still similar to the band in the 80's.You get these..I like to try and write classicaly well written songs and then let the band contribute and do them their own unique way...so you get songs like "Dinosaur" or "One Time" ..those are really good strong songs that King Crimson can only do. those songs..no one else could do those songs (laughs) the way this band does. SL: That;s interesting because you take a song like "People" ..which is a lot like the stuff you were doing in the 80's..but then you have a song like "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" ..and that's a song that sounds similar to the King Crimson of the late 60's. AB: "Sex Sleep Eat Dring Dream" is an example of the band kind of coming up with something..improvising it..and then I take over as the songwriter and make some chord changes and write a melody and write the lyrics for it. So it's more of a band..a combination of the whole band..that's probably why it sounds more like the band than say my music or Robert Fripp's music. SL: Does the music evolve in the jamming process or is it written out..? AB: Sometimes it evolves that way.I'd say there's a portion of the music that comes from our just playing together and improvising...taping everything..listening and saying "well that idea there has some merit". Most of the material,however,comes from either the pen of Robert Fripp or myself.Robert generaly writes all the instrumental songs on this album..you have something called "Vroom" ..you have "Thrak".."Vroom Vroom"..those are his pieces..and anything that has a melody and words..it's up to me to write..I'm the singer and so it's my requirement to come up with what I want to sing...and so it's kind of a two headed monster..you know you have the band either being lead by Robert or somewhat directed by me. SL: That's another interesting thing about this band in that in some ways it's 2 trios... two drummers..two stick players..such a difficult instrument..and now you have two of the greatest in the world..all playing in the same band.How does that work when it comes to figuring out parts and the overall sound? AB: It really has been fascinating to watch these guys do this.I think they've all done amazing stuff together.They kind of wood-shedded.You have Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto..our 2 drummers ..sitting down and working out some very elaborate thinking on all the different possibilities for 2 drummers working together and they've really done amazing things.The same with Tony Levin and Trey Gunn.They both play stick ..which is an unusual instrument to begin with..it's part bass and part guitar..but Tony Levin is well known for all of the other bass things..he plays an upright bass with a bow..he plays electric bass..so you have all these different combinations in the bass department as well and they've done amazing things.And then you have Robert Fripp and myself sharing the role as guitarist and both of us are notable for all the different sounds textures and approaches we can have..so it's a bit like a rock orchestra or something...you have an amazing sound possibilies..and I'm right there in the middle on the stage..some nights the sound is just overwhelming..it's great. SL: Sitting in the audience Saturday....at some points it was incredible..the emotional impact of the sound on the audience. AB: We have great audiences everywhere we go they've all been waiting ten or eleven years now to see this band and so they're all keyed up and I think the show is fairly intense..you know..it's a musical experience ..it's not just a bunch of songs strung together..there's some improvisation..there's some very heavy instrumetal moments..and you have a band that's very confidant and experienced..it would be fascinating to see how many records we've all made.I know I've made 50..I know Bill Bruford has made 60..Tony Levin has probably made 150. so there you go. SL: The bands status has mainatained all these years..there's a tremendous desire on the part of your audience to hear you play..why is that? AB: I think it has something to do with the musical integrity of the band.It's not a band that does things in a normal fashion.There's definetly a sound to King Crimson and an attitude that you bring to the music.We dont do the normal things you might do for someone else.It's band that's all about coming up with something new,adventurous..it always has been.and I think our audiences know that and have come to expect that and so it's a special thing for them SL: That's surely why because there aren't a lot of bands willing to take risks..and you as a musician..you've always been a risk-taker..the people you've played with..Zappa,Laurie Anderson.all people who take risks in their music..is that something you've always been drawn to? AB: Yeah, I think I like the innovators in music and I've been very fortunate that I've been able to lock horns with some of the best...David Bowie,Frank Zappa,Laurie Anderson,Paul Simon.. amazing musicians..and we always en up being great friends,too. so it goes deeper than that. I have a flexibility in my own musicality ..it's instintual. SO I can walk into someone else's music ..it can be 9 Inch Nails and I can play something they really like...or it can be Paul Simon..very different approach..and yet he'll like what I play. SL: I talked to Paul Simon about you a long time ago.. AB: I was on "Graceland"..the very first album that someone actualy sent me a Gold Album. Thank you,Paul! (laughs) I've been on many of them..he was the first person to give me one! SL: I have a recent album..a Beatles compilation..in which you played "Blackbird". how did that come about? AB: It's a record that has interpretations of Beatles songs by different guitarists..I was approached by the producer of the record who knew that I was a big Beatles fan and "Blackbird" I chose because I thought I could do an interesting rendition of it.it's very similar to the original song and yet more fully orchestrated because the original song just had guitar and Paul McCartney's voice. SL: When you play with other musicians do you find that not only do you bring something to their music bu you get something that influences your playing? AB: I think I have learned a lot about recording from all those experiences..The recording studio is my favorite domain..I'd rather make a record than anything. And in fact I;ve just installed a beautiful studio in my homeso that's what I like most.It's the creative process..the problem solving..trying to get your ideas into something called a CD..correctly,the way you originaly heard them.So yes..you learn things from all these people and I'd liek to think I bring things to their records too. SL: You still live in the MidWest? AB: A year ago I moved to the Nashville area..I have a beautiful home there with woods and a little creek and lots of birds and things ..a very nice area for me to be in especialy during creative times. SL: I remember when you were on the "Night Music" program and you played with Elliot Sharpe,Pop Staples,Nona Hendryx and that great Sanborn band..that must have been something.. AB: That show was noted for bringing together lots of different styles of music in one show..and then what they would do at the end is..they'd get you all lined up and have you play something together that you'd never played ..it was amazing (**Note: the song was "Take me to the River") I remember standing standing next to the saxaphone player Ivan Popovich ..from..I believe a Czecheslovakian wedding band (*note: Bulgarian) they played very odd time signatures and played very unusual music and there I was playing with the saxophonist. SL: Clarinet AB: Clarinet,that's right.. SL: I have a tape of it (laughing) AB: You do? He know's everything about me! I'm impressed! (laughs) SL: Are there any plans for Crimson to put a live album out after the tour is over? AB: I think so..I think we'll probably try and do that.there are a lot of bootlegs of the band and we'd like to do something more official.The performances have been excellent and we record some of them...so maybe we'll cull that into a live album.We're already talking..Robert and I..about some of the ideas we have for the next record..and I'm sure he'll be at my studio in Nashville as soon as he can be there.The way the music generally begins is with Robert and I sitting casually like you and I are doing now with guitars..not even plugged in..and we'll try this..and this will sound a little like this..you know..start doing some outlines and..sort of a blueprint..and they evolve from there. SL: His solo spot (in the concert) was just amazing..I can't even describe to people what he was playing .. AB: It is unbelievable..it's different from night to night.I can't explain it either.Robert Fripp has a masterful approach ..he can do things with guitar that no one else can do..and I'm a big fan. SL: Then again..so can you. AB: It's a mutual thing..we're kind of cheerign each other on from the sidelines.Even in the recording sessions.I remember when we did "Dinosaur" and I had reserved a section in the middle in which I wanted Robert to play one of his great soaring solos and I stood there with him and said " That was great..now..if we can just get a better ending here.." and he kind of needs that and I do too..you need a partner in those things sometimes. SL: How did "Waiting Man" start? AB: "Waiting Man" started with Tony.,from a line on the stick. and then I introduced chord changes and added melody and lyrics later. SL: One of the great things about Crimson is how the middle parts often take off in totally different directions from the original concepts..how do they come about? AB: It would depend on the song."Dinosaur" has a copletely irrelevant middle section..it goes completely to another sound and turns from being a six piece band into a trio with me playing sort of an oboe thing and Tony bowing the bass..that whole section I specificaly wrote to take the song in a different direction.We had songs on the record that were starting to be monumental in their scope..big,seven minute instrumental pieces but all of the songs with vocals were still 3 or 4 minute pop songs so I thought lets try to apply this monumental epic song approach to a song with words and that was one way of doing it. SL: Then you take the middle of "People" which is a great solo..even though its a short piece of the song..but I was looking forward to hearing that live because I wasnt sure who was playing that solo..and now I know you all were. AB (laughs) That one was something the band came up with .I presented that song in a very simple form.then the band said "Lets do more with it" and put the middle section in and 'Lets do a long involved ending" and so forth. SL: I think it's one of the most succesful pieces on the album. AB Really? That's great.The nice thing about King Crimson's music is that includes so many different areas.I find people who like this..dont care as much for that..you really have choices with this band..it's definetly not a one trick pony (*Note: did he know of Levin's acting career?Hmm) You have lots of differnt styles and tastes there and it's a pretty full pallette. At this point the official interview ended..but: SL: What made you decide to move to Nashville? AB: My wife,Martha..She was born and raised about an hour and a half south of there. A very nice man who made it easy for me. Scott Leon [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 00:19:13 -0400 From: DMB5561719 at aol dot com Subject: re: Fripping Sustain? >Any comments would be welcome. plug your guitar into a fuzz pedal, pre-amp or compressor (for gain) then into a wa-wa (optional '70's Fripp sound), then into a volume pedal to control the feedback from the gain. for added spice at parties, then plug the above mess into a 3 to 8 or more second digital delay for digital tape loop effects (Frippertronics/Soundscapes). while wearing a shirt that is not tucked in, (just kidding Mr. Fripp!) serve while sitting on a bar stool. David Beardsley dmb5561719 at aol dot com ******************************************************************* Email us for information on IMMP recordings. Include IMMP in the subject line. IMMP = strange beautiful music, an adventure. ******************************************************************* [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 00:21:10 -0500 (CDT) From: 5436DUMKER at VMS dot CSD dot MU dot EDU Subject: KC and Bartok Hmmm, KC helped me get into Bartok also (one of my favorite classical composers!). For me, it was the Violin Sonatas 1921 and 1922. Listen to these and then put on LTIA. Mere coincidence?!? I also really like the very avant-garde and modernistic sound of many of Bartok's compositions. Reminds me a lot of the very avant-garde sound of Larks' Tongues era Crimson. Respect- Russ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "BARRIE SILLARS" Organization: Phase Devices Limited Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 08:33:39 WET Subject: Belew Album, Gunn on New Album, Fripp on No-Man Album "The Acoustic Adrian Belew" has just been released on CD in Britain. It is on Discipline Global Mobile (DGM 9504) and I believe is only available in Europe and Japan. This may be due to contractual reasons in the USA or has it been released previously as the copyright is dated 1993? The album is just Belew singing playing acoustic guitar as the title suggests. He includes a cover of "Matte Kudasai". This version runs for under 3 minutes and is slower than the KC version. He also covers John Lennons' "If I Fell" (there is that Beatles reference again!) and Roy Orbisons "Crying". The other tracks are, I presume from his solo albums, which I am not familiar with. A full track listing is as follows: The Lone Rhinoceros/Peace on Earth/The Man in the Moon/The Rail Song/If I Fell/Burned by the Fire We Make/Matte Kudasai/Dream Life/Old Fat Cadillac/Crying Martha Adored. The album had me thinking, KC-UNPLUGGED anyone! Another newly released album which may be of interest is by U. Srinivas and Michael Brook called "Dream". It is on the Real World label (CDRW47). This has a Stick contribution from Trey Gunn on the first track "Dance". The album was recorded at Real World Studios where "THRAK" was recorded. The album is basically a collaboration between Indian electric mandolin player U.Srinivas and Michael Brook. Brook is best known for his work with Brian Eno and inventor of the Infinite Guitar which has also been used by U2. The record has four long tracks, mostly instrumental and improvisotary and includes contributions from Nigel Kennedy, Nana Vasconcelos, Jane Siberry, James Pinker and others. Another album, which I am not sure has been discussed previously within the Newsletter is "Flowermouth" by No-Man. This album includes very strong contributions from Robert Fripp on a number of tracks. It was released last year on the One Little Indian label (TPLP 67CD). Fripp plays solo guitar, skysaw guitar and Frippertronics on six tracks. The solo on the long first track, "Angel Gets Caught in the Beauty Trap" is particularly exceptional and must rank as one of his best as contributing player. On recording Fripp for the album, Tim Bowness of No-Man commented in an interview for The Wire magazine: "We recorded him in Stephen's (Wilson, other half of No-Man) bedroom and it was the best Frippertronics concert ever, in your own house. We invented these obvious strategies for him to work in. So, say we wanted him to do some hoary old rock 'n' roll playing, we'd have these photographs of Buddy Holly and we'd cross-fertilise them with pictures of Fripp. He was witty, astute, intelligent; he didn't dent his legend one bit". It is also to be noted that Mel Collins plays sax. and flute on a number of tracks with Fripp. Other musicians who appear include Richard Barbieri and Steve Jansen (both ex Japan) and Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance). The album cover is by The Bill Smith Studio with photos by The Douglas Brothers. The album is highly recommended. Extract, copyright with The Wire. I hope they don't mind. I do subscribe. You should too. Dr. Barrie Sillars --------------------------------------------------------------------- Barrie Sillars | /~) /\ / | bsillars at phase dot com Senior Design | /-~hase /_/evices /_imited | Vox:+44 01582 445000 Engineer | Dunstable, LU5 4TS, England | Fax:+44 01582 445060 --------------------------------------------------------------------- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 15:13:21 +0100 From: "Mathematical Institute, (01865) 2-73525" Subject: QUERY for Elephant Talk Is there any information available on when the (said to be) double-CD of KC live in South America will be released? As far as I can see, in the UK one can't even get the live version of "Red" that is supposed to be on the Dinosaur single, since the single isn't in any record shop I've found. On the subject of which: it was said on the newsgroups when The Great Deceiver came out that the idea was to follow this with two more boxed sets of live takes, one from 1981-4, the other from antiquity. Is this still planned? I suspect the ancient one would be fairly painful, (imagine Earthbound expanded to 4CDs, without the subtle editing) but the 1980s one would be quite something. Ah well. Like many others in this forum, I'd like to put in a word for the California Guitar Trio - as a Bach fan, I was impressed by the way they played the entire fugue to BWV 565 at the Royal Albert Hall gig: not everyone in the audience knew what they were up to, but I hope a few of us did. If you haven't heard it, their finest recording by far is the transcription of the immortal Passacaglia (alas, without fugue) on the RF String Quintet album. Graham Nelson Oxford University, UK [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 18:10:58 +0100 From: Julian Parry Subject: re:re the youngest KC concert attendee (1) Thankyou for spotting the 6-year old in the audience Jim. Can anyone beat that? I make it that the tee-shirt owner must have been approx. -6 years old when she bought her shirt. Did they enjoy the show? (2) On FZ: I will ignore an Englishman's twisted sense of humour. Julian Parry. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 13:17:00 +0400 From: reiwampa at ccs dot internet dot ve (Julio d'Escrivan) Subject: Schoenberg vs. Stravinsky as KC's stylistic reference. The reason I don't see Schoenberg as the main stylistic reference for KC's atonal or polytonal wonderings is that except for Schoenberg's music which specifically makes an issue of being pulse driven, say in one of the five pieces for Orchestra or fragments from the Orchestral var. op.33 or perhaps even passages from Pierrot, his music isn't really about pulse and metre, it is about pitch relations. This seems to me to be proved by the fact that he eventually became the musical developer of 12 tone music (not having been the inventor !). Now, for rhythmic organization (or compositional improvisation) we must really look towards Stravinsky, mainly. Stravinsky does make pulse an issue. He is well known right up to his 12 tone period for his use of ostinatti and interlocking patterns although perhaps a band closer to this would be Gentle Giant, KC can be definitely classified in this group, especially the 80's material although LTiA and many others come into this category also. The main difference is that where Stravinsky interrupts his patterning at seemingly odd places and juxtaposes them with contrasting material, thus undermining a constant predictable pulse (gentle Giant does this too), KC's music is metrically dense in regards to layers of metre, that is to say "vertically", it seems to me that KC creates more of a "groove" rather than continuously interrupting it as can be found in Strav's Danse Sacrale from Le Sacre or Soldiers Tale or say passages from Orpheus, or the Greeting Prelude, etc, etc, etc. The Stravinsky "rhythmic style" can be sometimes described as additive: (3 beats +2 beats) - (3 beats +1 beat) - (3 beats+ 2 beats) - (then a change of metric unit from, say, 8ths to 16ths, then back again to added beat measures) and so on. The greatest virtue of KC is that it can be enjoyed at a purely gut level but then it can be admired and enjoyed technically as well ! reiwampa. (Great list Toby !) [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 09:41:47 -0400 (EDT) From: Nicholas Joseph Bratton Subject: Adrian's strat(s) Bonjour, At the Ann Arbor show I was somewhat puzzled by Adrian's livid Fender Stratocasters. Instead of the standard trio of tone and volume knobs located near the jack and pickup selector, Adrian's guitars had one knob, which was tucked up near the bridge pickup. Is this a variation on the strat which is a widely available option, or is it a customization exclusive to Belew? Whatever is the case, he sure played it in stunning fashion. Also- my vote for King Crimson film roles- Steven Segal as Trey Gunn. Cheers- Nick "Anything that is popular automatically cannot possibly be interesting musically." Brian Eno [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 11:00:44 -0700 From: mkoehler at ix dot netcom dot com (Mark Koehler) Subject: youngest KC concert attendee Julian Parry wrote: >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). > Well, the title may lie with someone else now. But assuming KC make to Atlanta in the fall as promised, our daugther Crimson (it's on the birth certificate) will attend a KC show at 10 or 11 months. Mark Koehler [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 13:19:44 -0700 From: dmax at ccnet dot com (dmax) Subject: piano-"Yeah!" Well, maybe I'm behind the times, but I finally had VROOOM VROOOM Coda up at frightening volume today. I can't remember anyone mentioning the extreme end of the song/album after the last note fades out and you hear -> a tinkling happy piano that finishes a song, and then a man's voice assert: "Yeah!" So what's the word on this? (Sorry if it's been discussed into the ground already on the list...) *front row balcony seats for the Warfield show Jun 26th! tee hee hee...* Got to pay no mind to innovation... Just over and over with the same sensation Till your ego swells and your output dwindles. You can tell everyone that you've been swindled. -John Hiatt [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: j dot ppontorier at genie dot geis dot com Date: Sun, 18 Jun 95 20:37:00 UTC Subject: Bruford interview on NFTE The editor of the YES digest called _NOTES FROM THE EDGE_ is scheduled to interview Bill Bruford this week. In a noty in the digest he said to submit all questions to him no later than than JUNE 21. His e-mail address if hunicutt at uncwil dot edu . I subscribed to the digest by sending e-mail to NFTE at sol dot cms dot uncwil dot edu. nThe digest is put together very nicely. There's alot of good information on band and solo activities of present and former band members (hence the BRUFORD inbterview). Maybe after the article comes out, I can get permission to reprint it here on ET. I also had a few thoughts on King Crimson in general. I've read in past issues that people thought that Fripp is rude for being in the shadows, and for not showing expression while he's playing. In my humble opinion, I don't think people ,appreciate how much Fripp is actually doing on stage. King Crimson is and has always been a Robert Fripp controlled show. Not only is he playing his parts, but in some case is also playing some of the other parts, he is in total control of what everyone on stage and off stage is doing. This takes a t tremendous amount of concentration !! When a single note goes astray from any member of the band you can see (if you can catch them at an outdoor show) awlful expressions on his face of disapproval. Fripp is a genious and sometimes geniuses can tend to be a bit introverted. That, in my opinion, not being rude. He's trying to make sure everything goes right so we get our money's worth at every show. take care all !! j dot ppontorier at genie dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 19:16:56 -0400 (EDT) From: Michael Kelly Subject: Crowd Behavior I promise to stop moaning about crowd behavior after this post. I certainly do not want to foster one of those threads that goes on and on until we all foam at the mouth and fall over backwards. BUT......... I really look forward to a KC (or member there of) concert. I spend many hours listening to music of all kinds and see it as a major event. Just as many would see a concert by say.... Yo Yo Ma. >jh at cadre dot com (Joe Hartley) wrote: >and bellowing between songs seems more a part of applause than an attempt to remind performers what their names are.< I see "bellowing between songs" as appropriate and yelling performers names as silly although to be expected. Either of those behaviors during pieces just plain sucks. Its not what I paid to hear. >(there's also some humor involved in this genre: the Rockyesque "Yo, Adrian!"). But I thought yelling out the Indiscipline lyrics had no class at all -- it's just so darn obvious, at least yell out something creative, eh?< Im not sure that "Yo Adrian" was ever funny although it certainly was old a long long time ago. It also strikes me as appropriate as yelling "Yo Yo Ma Ma" in between movements of a symphony. >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.< And the funny part was.......??????? I attended a LCG show in Boston where RF verbally vaporized an overzealous fist waving "Hey Bobby" yelling standing in a sit down venue "fan". When the League returned to the stage RF took the time to speak to the audience and one person in particular regarding how disappointing it is to have someone like that in an audience. I wonder how RF can contain himself at KC shows like the one in Boston. Im beginning to foam so I will stop moaning now. On a more positive note! M. S. (Peg) AtKisson (matkisso at opal dot tufts dot edu) wrote: >I thought it was Laurie Anderson who said, "Talking about music is like dancing about art." Laurie was quoting Steve Martin who said "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture". [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 20:40:11 -0400 From: goneal at freenet dot vcu dot edu (Gene O'Neal) Subject: "import" questions heelllo at was at my local "import" store and was looking at the catalog they had and i saw very few k.c. titles but to getting to the point, is 21st CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN and LAMENT have the same trakc listings and if so which one has a better sound quality..and the same for CIRKUS and CIRKUS 71...I didn't see a track listing for SONGS FOR EUROPE in the discography..can anybody help? the same for ABSENT LOVERS the owner told me not to fool with vinyl but I'll trust anybody who says it is good quality and worth it. i'm also looking for a sound quality rating and listing of RETURN OF THE CRIMSON KING and along with a quality rating of A WEIRD PERSON'S GUIDE TO KING CRIMSON btw ...he did have a boot (oops i mean import) in the catalog that is not in the disc. its called FORMENTERA (or was it FERMENTERA) MEMORIES 3/27/72 sorry no track listing nor company name..any info for any of these questions would be GREATLY appreciated. thanx -- this Gene (Cinder) O'Neal night king crimson goneal at freenet dot vcu dot edu wounds loving old and sometimes new time progressive and alternative music [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 20:46:42 -0400 From: dnash at atlanta dot com (David Nash) Subject: 2 Replies >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 ??? Have you tried Prozac? and... >DnTMan at aol dot com > Someone said something about a song on Lizard about the Beatles. Which >one? I never caught that, but I did notice the drawing of the fab 4 on the >cover +yoko. "Happy Family", at the time,(1970) was a very accurate little Beatle story. Yoko is in the story, too. "Do like the Hindu: The best you Cando!" mohandas_k_ghandi at afterlife dot com David E. Nash (The one from High Point, NC) dnash at atlanta dot com gnash42213 at aol dot com [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 21:44:21 -0500 (CDT) From: BARON JONATHAN J Subject: Re: Elephant-talk digest v95 #199 To All, KC was great in Chicago (Wed. 6-14). The California Guitar Trio (opening band) was great as well. they reminded me of McLaughlin's, DiMeola's, & DeLucia's album "Friday Night in San Francisco-(1981)." JB [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "BARRIE SILLARS" Organization: Phase Devices Limited Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 07:52:34 WET Subject: Creaking Crimson Is it me or my hi-fi, but has anyone else noticed a strange creaking noise throughout the "THRAK" version of "One Time". It occurs about seven times throughout the song on the left channel. Maybe it is due to pick-up from the guitar or some exotic percussion. On reflection, it is probably the first recorded instance of Fripps' rocking chair. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr.Barrie Sillars| | bsillars at phase dot com Senior Design | Phase Devices Limited | Vox:+44 01582 445000 Engineer | Dunstable, LU5 4TS, England | Fax:+44 01582 445060 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 04:12:41 -0500 (CDT) From: Watcher Of The Skies (John P Mohan) Subject: Adrian's daughter >From ET 199: >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. My girlfriend is from Lake Geneva, WI and consequently went to high school with Adrian's daughter - she (my girlfriend) directed a play and said Adrian's daughter tried out for it...she was rejected...ah well. Good to know she is a gifted art student, though. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 04:20:46 -0500 (CDT) From: Watcher Of The Skies (John P Mohan) Subject: Minneapolis I will NOT bore you all with a review of the MPLS concert review, since there will be plenty of those already. I did note that Adrian's Indiscipline trick 'o the night was to look at his watch and patiently wait while rowdy crowd members were saying his lines for him... After the show I had an entertaining conversation with Paul Richards about the posts he's been sending. Very nice, personable. Some time after we left the theatre, my friends Tom and Emily and I were hanging around the loading dock behind the theatre on a tip that band members might eventually emerge. Sure enough, I soon found myself standing right behind Mr. Bruford himself, but did not know it until he turned around and was right in my face. I extended my nervous hand and thanked him for the music, telling him I was a drummer as well and sharing my experience with double drumming. He was very polite and seemed interested in what I had to say. I also spoke with Pat Mastelotto and told him how impressed I was with his contributions...I had no idea how many of the insane percussion noises on THRAK were his doing! Eventually, Adrian also emerged and seemed in a hurry, turning down autograph requests. Upon some questions as to Mr. Fripp's whereabouts, he spread his arms in an exasperated/apologetic gesture and said, "What, do I LOOK like Robert's keeper?" He seemed entertained by our enthusiasm but was equally eager to get on the bus and did not stick around to chat. In summary, I was very impressed by the concert (of course), the GCT, but most of all, by the fact that I was granted the opportunity to thank my absolute favorite drummer and role model, Bill Bruford. I know it was impossible for him to know from a few seconds of chit chat just how profound an impact he's had on my playing, but it was a very rewarding moment and one that I will never forget. Thanks King Crimson, and I hope to see you again soon! JP [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 10:03:03 -0500 (CDT) From: "Larry R. Nittler" Subject: Carpet Cleaning I was riding my bicycle into work this morning, and I passed a carpet cleaner's van emblazoned with "MOBLE CLEANING UNIT" in large red letters. When Fripp used to go on about "mobile intelligent units", was he envisioning a society of carpet cleaners? Just a thought, Larry ___________________________________________________________________________ | Larry R. Nittler Human beings were invented by water as | | lrn at howdy dot wustl dot edu a means of transporting itself from | | Interstellar Dust Buster one place to another. -- Tom Robbins | [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 12:27:18 -0400 From: pcallo at vt dot edu (Paul A. Callo) Subject: Re:Contacting Fresh Air, etc. This is for the person who asked how to contact Fresh Air on NPR. The Fresh Air Home Page can be found at:http://libertynet.org/~freshair/fa.html In response to this conspiracy theory... What album cover for Islands do you guys have??? Mine is mostly white with little Islands of color. To the best of my knowledge, this is the original album, so where's the "I"??? One last thing, can anybody tell me if the definitive edition of Lizard (is there one?) has "fixed" the sound mixing "problem" on the title track. he first time I listened to the album I was frustrated that I could not here Jon Anderson's vocals but lately I have come to wonder if his voice wasn't intentionally "mixed under". Some artists do this because they feel the words aren't as important as the sound of the voice. Does anyone have any information or opinions about this? P.C. [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: E#KIRKD at ccmail dot ceco dot com Date: Fri, 16 Jun 95 12:23:52 CST Subject: GIG REVIEW: Chicago and Milwaukee Hello to all and happy 200th to ET! (Boy has this baby grown fast!) I am glowing in the aftermath of two very incredible, powerful, and delightful shows! The passing of KC and the CGT through Chicago and Milwaukee have left me both happy and sad. Happy at the pleasure of seeing this great group of musicians playing music I have loved listening to for years and years, and yet sad because of their moving on westward without me. If only they could take up a permanent residency at a venue in this area - one can dream. }-) My seats for both shows could hardly have been better in my mind: 2nd row balcony. In Chicago I was over to the right a bit, and in Milwaukee I sat over to the left a bit. Some observations: - The Milwaukee show was not sold out. Chicago sold out fast. However, some "fans" at the Chicago show obviously couldn't get enough of themselves and yabbered and partied throughout. The Milwaukee audience listened and was more polite. To the guy who offered me an elbow in the mouth if I told him pipe up again: you may have been twice as big as me, but dinosaurs had pees for brains too! If you want to talk, save us all the annoyance and do it elsewhere folks! - KC played "Heartbeat" in Chicago, but left it out in Milwaukee. I don't believe they replaced it with anything else, so the show in Milwaukee was about 5 minutes shorter. - "Red" was awesome in Milwaukee! In Chicago I noticed 2 false starts by Belew (?) when they changed movements/themes which really threw me for a loop, and the band I think too. Belew forgot to switch effects on "Indiscipline" in Milwaukee which got a more humorous response. - The "THRAK" improv was more off the deep end in Milwaukee. I kept thinking of LTiA days. :) The improvs were among the most exciting parts of each show. The sense of the unknown and experimentation, and the interplay between the performers as they each did their own thing and then rejoined in the collective THRAKking was a joy to hear and see. The 80's band did less of this until ToaPP. I hope the 90's band does more. - Both the Bismarck and Riverside theaters were similar venues. It would be a shame if they moved to larger venues. - My fiancee commented that Fripp seemed to account for only 1/8th to 1/12th of the performance as a whole in her mind. This was her first encounter and perhaps was the impression Fripp intended by his sitting in the dark, out of any direct lighting, as if he was trying to say, "see us play but focus on what the other guys do and see that I alone am not King Crimson, these other guys make us what we are." - Over the two shows I was constantly amazed by all the players. Belew demonstrated his own version of guitar discipline and was in very good voice. Levin expressed his joy of playing and provided killer bass sounds (esp. LTiA II - matching Wetton's thunderous bass). Fripp really let loose, in his minimal movement way. I'm not fooled - this guy has always been the heart and soul of this band. Bruford played with little sign of effort. I love the way he just suddenly cracks a big smile as he realizes how much fun he is having. There are different drummers for different needs. KC needs Bruford's great style - it wouldn't be the same without him. Gunn did all kinds of things with his hands and fingers that amazed. He accounted for soundscapes, bass notes, all kinds of new sounds. Mastelotto really whacked and complemented Bruford's drumming perfectly, and added nice percussion work. He made the sticks look like rubber. After the Milwaukee show I went over to where the CGT were selling their CDs and after figuring out which one was Paul Richards (the one with curly hair), introduced myself as an ET reader and thanked him for his ET postings. I encouraged him to send more, perhaps an extra special one for ET #200. The CGT were very good, and perhaps more "on" in Milwaukee. I never thought I'd hear the Shadow's Apache live. The final swell in Bach's Toccata and Fugue always gives me chills up my spine, and they didn't disappoint. I got a little emotional from the feeling inside. I then was able to see Adrian Belew as he left the theater and signed autographs. He was very friendly and answered people's questions at the same time - he even obliged a lady who wanted a hug instead of an autograph! He commented that he tries to perform in smoke free venues for his voice, and that the band would like to stay together as long as possible, but will need to take things slowly for that to happen. Then Bill Bruford came out followed by Tony Levin and Trey Gunn. I got to shake both Bill and Tony's hand and thank them for the great show. Bruford look tired, but signed some autographs. His words to me were simple: "Nice shirt" (I was wearing my "Red" t-shirt). Someone asked if yellow was his favorite color, to which he replied, "No, I just have bad taste". Levin too was very friendly. He was passing out Papa Bear info. Gunn looked at first like he wasn't expecting much attention, but a number of people gave him warm compliments too. Fripp avoided us all and got into a 4x4 that the others joined him in. He did give us a wave from within. People sign, people decline to sign. To each his own. I can only think that the next studio recording by this band will be even better than the last. I can't wait! Daniel Kirkdorffer e#kirkd at ccmail dot ceco dot com (Sorry for the long post, but it was covering 2 shows and it has been 13 long years! - [Toby, are you passing out ET birthday balloons?!]) [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 15:04:43 -0600 From: michaell at cs dot wisc dot edu (Michael Lee) Subject: GIG REVIEW: King Crimson in Milwaukee [6/16/95] Organization: University of Wisconsin-Madison (A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups: rec.music.progressive) I do remember one thing. It is difficult to put a King Crimson live performance into words. I've been listening to Crimson for seven years now, and it's my first chance to see the entire band together live. One thing is for sure; the live performance is unlike anything I've ever heard before, and is absolutely miles away from what is on the album. First of all, the California Guitar Trio was a wonderful opener. They were clearly enjoying themselves, and it was an intense, unique experience. I realized that I had talked to Paul Richards five or six years ago after a Crafty concert in Madison, when one batch of new Crimson rumors had just started. The sense of humor they have was quite evident; and it's interesting to see how they have used the vocabularly they learned from Fripp used to speak their own words. As far as Crimson goes, what can be said that hasn't been? The layout of the musicians were very interesting: PM RF BB TG AB TL We had very good seats -- on the right aisle, about 10 rows or so back. Close enough to get a very good view of everyone. One thing I was interested in seeing was how the different "pairs" of the double trio format worked. Bruford was clearly liberated by the chance to not have as much of a responsibility as a time keeper, and it was also very interesting seeing him send Mastelotto signals; at one point clearly sending him a signal to quiet down. Mastelotto is *big*. Fripp was very still, not moving for long periods of time. Not having the spotlight on him has a very interesting effect, especially in the center. I saw Fripp once with the Crafties years ago, and it was interesting to see how he was in an electric context. As far as the music goes....wow... The new material was much better live then on the album, especially on songs like "One Time" and "People". There was a thickness to the music that is difficult to describe. One Time had a lot more going on in the background, Bruford filling in some light percussive touches. The challenge of the band is to switch from the vocal pieces to the long instrumentals. It's sometimes easy to ignore the vocal pieces, but it's the contrast that makes it all the more rewarding. Red was smoking, of course. Thrak was an immense pleasure, with a long venture into musical exploration, unlike anything I have ever heard before, and proved to be quite a free for all. I had hopes that this would be a band that it would be often difficult to follow who was playing what, and this was one place where that turned true. Talking Drum/Larks Tongues PT II was a joy as well. The absence of any Beat or Three of a Perfect Pair tracks was interesting. I would be interested in seeing some other older tracks as well; but then that may just be my tremendous desire to see "Starless" live... :-) Get the program. Very interesting thoughts from RF. I like it! -- Michael Lee michaell at cs dot wisc dot edu Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison On The Web [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 13:33:04 +0400 From: mckenna at interaccess dot com (McKenna W. Rowe) Subject: GIG REVIEW: Milwaulkee, 6/15/95 Hello, all! I am a new member of the mailing list. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say how absolutely phenomenal King Crimson was last night. Saw them at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee. Was anyone else there? I highly doubt I'll ever see a show in my lifetime that can even compare to last night's. I have never seen such a great lineup of fantastic musicians. I think this is definitely the most talented line-up of Crimson personnel-and my friend and I that went wonder if they've even hit their peak yet!! The stage set-up was very exciting with the symmetrical drum kits and subtle, tasteful lighting effects. We were right by the sound board so the mix was great. What amazes the most was the incredible intensity of the show. I think Crimson is every bit as intense, if not more, than Metallica or some group like that-it's just that it's controlled, disclipined intensity. In an age of bands like Green Day throwing beer on the crowd and telling them to fuck off, seeing a group of musical geniuses conduct themselves like gentlemen was a welcome change. (Not that I have ever been dumb enough to go see Green Day.) They even get dressed up-Bruford looked like a Catholic school boy in his white shirt and tie. I had trouble, as did my companion, distinguishing sometimes the guitar parts-it looked like either Fripp or Trey Gunn could be playing at certain times...though who can tell anything with Fripp encased in shadow the whole time? I personally have always enjoyed watching Tony in particular...he's got a lot of flair...I especially dug the whole interplay between him and Trey before slamming into "Elephant Talk" ya-hoo!!!!!! Also-Crimson not only can crank out the hard-driving, abstract kind of grating guitar chords (Thrack, but they can kick back and let loose with such beautiful ballads (i.e. Matte Kudasai...) Did I mention that Adrian Belew's voice is in such fantastic shape? I have had some operatic training and I can tell that he takes care of it....he sounded fantastic. If you want to classify Crimson as "jazz", I think a lot of times jazz groups get too caught up in their own technical jams-but Adrian has a great knack for catchy, rich melody lines and lyrics. I also have to give credit to the California Guitar Trio. They were awesome and engaged my attention every second. The Bach fugue blew my mind. I think the audience practically wanted to give a standing ovation after every song..I know I did. To me, Crimson is just at the absolute pinnacle of musicianship...I think they fuse rock/jazz quite successfully. It's also interesting to watch them knowing they haven't got tp prove a fucking thing , you can see on their faces they just enjoy playing the music so much... Please let me know your thoughts on the show, and I couldn't stress enough how this is a show not to miss. these guys have been around for a long time and their music is as young, fresh, and intense as ever. I wish Gabriel would inject a little more aggression into his stuff. McKenna "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent..." -Eleanor Roosevelt "Like flies to wanton boys, so are we to the gods..." -King Lear [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "tim siefkes" Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 10:31:39 +0000 Subject: GIG REVIEW: MINNEAPOLIS 6/16/95 - afterthoughts While I don't wish to add yet another semi-redundant concert review to the list, I do feel the need to add just a few words of acknowledgement to what was indeed a terrific show in Minneapolis last night. KC, of course, was magnificent, and I'm so glad to have had the chance to see them in a live context again. Their power and "controlled chaos" works like only they can produce. For a band that has been in evolutionary existence for over a quarter of a century, they still challenge themselves to come up with new and essential music. Once we settled in, and the mix came together, I heard the voice of the Crimson King emerge from that stage and it spoke to us. The King is indeed still alive! But the pleasant surprise of the evening was the California Guitar Trio. Even reading about their performances here in E-T didn't prepare me for what to expect. I just went in expecting something "pretty good". Well, my friends and I were more than gratified by their performance. Truly splendid stuff, and I will be adding both their CD's to my collection shortly. The CGT rounded out the bill just perfectly to make a most perfect evening. Their "Tocatta and Fugue" nearly moved me to tears, it was that good. A word of advice to those who haven't yet seen this tour: don't get there late as many people I witnessed last night. You won't want to miss the opening performance!! A big open letter of THANKS to the CGT for adding their talents to a truly spectacular show. Tim Siefkes timsks at visi dot com http://www.visi.com/~timsks Minneapolis, MN [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "ToddM" Organization: LaserMaster Corporation Date: 19 Jun 1995 14:31:29CST6CDT Subject: GIG REVIEW: Minneapolis Crimson Concert The first thing that struck me about the show was the great seats I had - the far right edge of the balcony so the view I had of the group was above as well as across. Many friends who had seats towards the center or on the main floor complained that they could not see certain performers - I on the other hand had a birds eye view of them all and got a lovely view of Fripp's gargantuan monster rack (two TC Electronic 2290 Digital Delays, Eventide Ultra Harmonizer and god only knows what else - it was chilling to experience the Fripp fuzztone sound in person). But I am remiss: the opening act, the California Guitar Trio came out and captured the audience with their "take no prisoners" musical style and quickly won over the audience. Many people seated adjacent to me felt that the guitarist wearing the hat was Fripp in disguise, but it was really Bert Lams. Paul Richards with his fuzz-e-bow Ovation acoustic raised eyebrows on a number of occasions, once using slide to create a shattering blues number and on another piece a very Fripp-like e-bow solo leading into what sounded like Frippertronics with delicate acoustic guitar overlay. Delicious. Wailing leads is something you do not expect from an acoustic guitar (strange to find synchronicity in this - when I was in Jr. High School I experimented with fuzz distortion on a Yamaha classical guitar. At the time I didn't have an electric and longed for that sound. I was amazed to see someone actually using this for viable musical work..) Yes, they did indeed play a snippet of Schizoid Man to wild cheers from the audience. Thankfully, the audience was well behaved that night and illegal chemical intoxicants were nowhere to be detected. It seemed that this audience was very willing to sit quietly and listen, for the most part. Hideyo Moriya sat stage left lending delicate filigree and ridiculously complex harmony lines to many of the tunes. Unfortunately, they didn't play his amazing Kan-Non Power this night, but they did play the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and blew everyone away. The group justifiably received a loud and lengthy standing ovation. One of the best and most consistent opening acts I've ever seen Hey guys, why don't you create a guitar instruction book called "Learning the Chords that Hurt!" Ouch. Okay: Crimson. The recordings don't come close to showing the kind of power this outfit can generate live. Patrons pasted into the back of their seats with white knuckles holding to their armrests comes to mind. At certain points, I was afraid that plaster would start falling from the ceiling (specifically: Red, Thrak, the instrumental portions of "Sex..."). I've seen major rock artists perform live, none of them came close to the power and fury that this group can generate. It made speed and thrash metal bands look silly and feeble by comparison. It was like watching a hurricane at work. The sound really didn't get completely sorted out until several numbers had been performed. Due to the way I was seated, I was able to get a very good view of everybody and see just what was being contributed to each piece of music from each musician. When I first came into the auditorium, I immediately mistook Mastellotto's kit for Bruford's. Surprisingly, Bill played on a scaled down kit with a number of Simmons pads and was light, agile and airy with lots of quick rhythmic interludes. Mastellotto performed on a huge kit and was the power drummer, a bruiser. While Bruford added polyrhythmic interplay over the top, Pat played his kit as if his sticks were baseball bats. If I were on the receiving end of the drumsticks, I'd go for Bruford's every time since I'd be a dead man if I was being hit by Mr. Mastelotto. Interesting to see the interplay between the two and the signals they were able to give one another to complement the music. Belew was perhaps a touch more exuberant than the shows I'd seen him before in. He jumped around and leaped in the air as if the music itself could levitate him. Not that there weren't moments of uncertainty. "Frame by Frame" was played at a tempo a bit faster than the album and Belew unfortunately missed the point where he sings "Step by Step..." not once, but twice. I felt sorry for him since the sound hadn't really gotten itself together and really, it was amazing that anyone can sing and play those kind of time signatures at that tempo at the same time. Belew was spot-on the rest of the evening and excelled on guitar. The guy can really stretch out when needed. It was cool to see him do the high fuzztone line on the intro of red, leaning back with Fripp in the shadows. The evening started with Marine 475 (which, ironically was reprised later when they played "Vrooom") and progressed into Frame by Frame. I especially enjoyed Dinosaur as it seemed to be the tune where everything jelled (I loved the lightining effects on that particular tune, I won't ruin it for those who will be attending). Fripp's solo on that tune was a standout (I could see his hands moving like hummingbird's wings in silhouette). Tony Levin was always on, of course. The guy makes it look so easy it's ridiculous, moving back and forth from electric bass, stick and standup electric bass. He was always audible and looked like he was enjoying himself. It did appear that his backup vocals were undermixed in Frame (as was Fripp's guitar playing the extremely fast figures) until the mix was leveled a bit. Watching him use the "Funk Fingers" while playing "The Talking Drum" broke me up since it looked like his fingers were dancing as fast as they could. The Belew-Synth-Violin solo here was a highlight as was Trey's instrumental sparring. The squealing violin part ended and when Fripp broke into Lark's Tongues Part II the place went wild. Trey Gunn - I could see and hear him. His rack had some of the same components that Fripp had. In fact, it appeared that both Gunn, Belew and Fripp were all using guitar synthesizers of some sort at various points during the show. Gunn appeared to act in some capacity as a keyboardist (playing synth like pads), a guitarist (playing both rhythmic and lead parts), and bassist (playing parts that were different from Levin's, but complementary in timbre and pitch). The Stick and Warr-Guitar were both in evidence. Robert Fripp was seated in the shadows (and the occasional spotlight that shone on him by accident or design) and played guitar in a criminally proficient manner. His parts ranged from blistering guitar solos to ridiculously difficult rhythmic plectrum guitar parts, to icy synth washes to soundscapes of liquid texture as well as powerful chording. You may not have been able to see him, but you couldn't avoid hearing him. His rack looked like as tall as a refrigerator. Watching him play in the shadows you could see a guitar technique that was built upon efficiency of movement. His guitar sounded simply grand. At the end of the evening (the house was packed and the fans boisterously shouted their approval) he put his hand up above his eyes to shield from the lighting glare and took a long look from stage left to right to see all of these people who'd come to see the band. He shook hands with Adrian, then they hugged and Robert smiled. It was a nice sight. They all took a bow. The second encore's highlights included Vroom Vroom and Walking on Air. What was really nice about the latter piece is that at the very end, the swirling soundscape guitar part that Robert had been playing didn't end. Robert stopped playing, put his guitar down, pushed several buttons on his immense rack and came to the front of the stage with the rest of the band members - the sound swirled on. The last chord from the digital delay finally stopped about five minutes later to applause from the remainder of the house. By that time, I'd bet the band was already on the tour bus since it was parked just down the block from the theatre. I passed by the bus on the way to my car and saw a large TV in the back window already on. The California Guitar Trio were in the lobby signing autographs just after the concert. It was a great show. I hope they'll be back with another record when this tour and project winds down. Oh: forgot one more thing: before the show they played some really excellent burbling Fripp/Gunn(?) ambient (soundscape?) styled music over the house pa. I'd love to hear that that music would be available for purchase someday - I really liked it. It was like the next logical extension after 1999. ToddM at laserm dot lmt dot com Todd Madson - Associate Technician LaserMaster Technical Support Services [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 14:38:05 -0600 From: keeks at maroon dot tc dot umn dot edu (Tom Keekley) Subject: GIG REVIEW: Minneapolis Well, I saw them live and was, honestly, blown away. That was a fantastic show and ALL of the guys were great. I was much more aware of Trey Gunn than I inticipated after reading the posts here. I play guitar and I can't believe he plays that Stick/guitar (forget the luthier) the way he does. Amazing! Adrian was very cool and his vocals are always fun. Fripp ripped in the dark. The drumming was as great as I had read here. Mr. Levin was his usual, funk-finger-thick-thumbed bass master. (Tony, I wanted to buy your disc there!!!! Now I have to wait for the mail order!!) The sound was great and the hall RUMBLED when Tony and Trey roared. A very diverse and appreciative crowd, but I don't want to be sitting during a show!!!! I wish peple who wanted could stand at shows like that! I wanna move and dance during stuff like Dinosaur and Frame and I wanted to SLAM DANCE during VROOOM!!! And to the guys in CGT - - fantastic! Loads of fun. (Which of the three is the one posting to ET??) I can't wait for the live disc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tom Keekley (n/a) (keeks at maroon dot tc dot umn dot edu) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Scott T Anderson Subject: GIG REVIEW: Minneapolis Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 11:52:11 (CDT) KING CRIMSON; Historic State Theater; Minneapolis, MN; 16 June 1995 Here is the set list, as best as I can remember. I'm not sure where "Elephant Talk" fits in, so I'm guessing. Basically, this may not be the right order, but I know these are all of the songs/pieces/whatever that they played: Improvisation (TL on upright, RF soundscapes, BB joining, then band...) VROOOM VROOOM Coda (interesting as an opener) Frame By Frame Dinosaur Red (what a gratifying experience to finally hear this live!) One Time Long, ominous RF soundscape, drummers appear... B'Boom (amazing... BB's hands move like hummingbird wings) THRAK (hellish, frightening free improv section in middle) Matte Kudasai (where did THIS come from??? Nice juxtaposition...) Elephant Talk People (FRIPP GETS A SPOTLIGHT!) TG and TL stick duet, BB enters on VERY complex drum solo over vamp from... Indiscipline (AB races through lyrics, audience begins to shout "I DID!") Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream VROOOM VROOOM (I'm not sure about this place in the order) ENCORE #1: Long improv featuring drummers leads into... The Talking Drum (not sure I like the funk fingers on this one) Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part Two (YES!) ENCORE #2: VROOOM (finally!) Walking on Air (band quietly exits the stage as Fripp plays soundscape which is looped to serve as exit music) First, I was glad to see that Fripp had assumed a central position on the stage (after what I had heard about his nearly offstage position in Europe. The spotlight was even on him a couple of times!!! "Indiscipline" was quite amusing. AB RACED through the first set of lyrics. Then he waited. People in the audience randomly started shouting "I DID!" Ade played it cool... he even looked at his watch once, eliciting the intended laughter of the audience. The most gratifying moment for me was when the band kicked into "Red." I've always liked that song, but now I've experienced it the way it was intended... in person, and at the right (LOUD) volume. At times I thought things were a bit too loud, but that volume was just right for "Red." Overall, this was simply the best show I've ever seen. I hope this incarnation of KC lasts at least as long as any other did. I want to see these guys again! Scott T. Anderson sanderso at gac dot edu [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 19 Jun 95 16:32:57 PDT From: wurster at jeeves dot ucsd dot edu (Andrea Wurster) Subject: TICKETS - San Diego 2 tickets to only San Diego appearance! Main floor, row P Copley Symphony Hall June 28, 1995 8:00 pm Face value (what a deal!) Respond privately by email only, please. Thanks, Andrea [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 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 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]