Errors-To: admin at elephant-talk dot com Reply-To: newsletter at elephant-talk dot com Sender: newsletter at elephant-talk dot com Precedence: bulk From: newsletter at elephant-talk dot com To: newsletter at elephant-talk dot com Subject: Elephant Talk #641 E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 641 Thursday, 9 March 2000 Today's Topics: Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ------------------ A D M I N I S T R I V I A --------------------- POSTS: Please send all posts to newsletter at elephant-talk dot com To UNSUBSCRIBE, or to CHANGE ADDRESS: Send a message with a body of HELP to admin at elephant-talk dot com or use the DIY list machine at http://www.elephant-talk.com/list/ To ASK FOR HELP about your ET subscription: Send a message to: help at elephant-talk dot com ET Web: http://www.elephant-talk.com/ Read the ET FAQ before you post a question at http://www.elephant-talk.com/faq.htm Current TOUR DATES info can always be found at http://www.elephant-talk.com/gigs/tourdates.htm You can read the most recent seven editions of ET at http://www.elephant-talk.com/newsletter.htm THE ET TEAM: Toby Howard (Moderator), Dan Kirkdorffer (Webmaster) Mike Dickson (List Admin), and a cast of thousands. The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors. ET is produced using John Relph's Digest system v3.5b (relph at sgi dot com). ------------------ A I V I R T S I N I M D A --------------------- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 02:29:28 EST From: DanKirkd at aol dot com Subject: Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers Dear ETers, We recently asked ETers to submit questions for Ian Wallace, drummer for the Boz/Collins/Wallace/Fripp/Sinfield lineup of King Crimson that produced the 4th studio album "Islands". Thanks to all those who submitted questions and to Ian for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer them. Ian is featured prominently on the latest King Crimson Collectors' Club release from DGM (http://www.disciplineglobalmobile.com/news/club.htm), "Live at Summit Studios, 1972". Ian also recently released a record through his label "Artist Road Records" (http://www.finemusic.com/) called "Take a Train" by The Wallace-Trainor Conspiracy, a collaboration with jazz pianist Brian Trainor. So without further ado, on to your questions and Ian's answers. Dan ET Web ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... dave at rocklogic dot idps dot co dot uk (Dave Revelle) Dear Ian, Yours was the first incarnation of Crimson that I saw at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon (when Richard Macphail was sitting at the sound / lighting desk!) then again at the Greyhound, Croydon some time later. My question/s are of a technical nature. When approaching the learning of Schizoid Man, what was the method used to enable the whole band to get the accelerando into the fast 3/4 section and also the timing of the gaps in the unison bit!? I've never been of the opinion that you just "feel it" (I think that Boz would've had trouble with that in his early days as a bass player) so I'm assuming that there must have been a definitive, written approach. I asked Robert about this and he just pointed me in the direction of Japan where there is said to be a transcription (probably inaccurate) Many thanks Dave ** Ian replies... Interesting questions. Firstly regarding the accelerando from the slow 4/4 into the fast 3/4....... The fast 3/4 is actually 6/8. If you listen to the riff, count it as 6 beats to the bar. Because there is no "time" per se between the 2 movements it was done primarily by watching each other. After lots of rehearsal and live playing, this becomes second nature and not as much visual concentration is required. Now the unison "bit" is in 4/4. We originally learnt it by ear listening to the recorded version. Boz didn't read in those days, and my reading skills then were basic at best. When I made my CD a few years back we transcribed it by listening to the original record. I've included the transcription below which I think is fairly accurate apart from the circled parts, which should be written an eight note sooner, sorry but too lazy to change it right now! [Ian's transcription file is not included but accessible at http://www.elephant-talk.com/intervws/wallacetranscription.jpg - Dan] As I stated above, this was all done by ear, no definitive, written approach. Of course, it made for quite a task, lots and lots of listening and practising. This is not easy music. That is why I now teach all my students to read. It's so much easier to be able to sit down with a pad and pencil and chart things out. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... jordancohen at students dot wisc dot edu (Jordan) Who are your favorite jazz drummers? ** Ian replies... All of them! My number one would have to be Tony Williams. When I first heard Miles Davis' Four and More in the mid-sixties it completely blew me away. I think Tony changed the whole concept of drumming period, and he was only sixteen years old when he was doing it! My second favorites are Elvin Jones and Steve Gadd. Elvin because he plays like a non-stop roller coaster with highs and lows that never, ever, stops swinging. Steve because he can play anything, make it sound simple and put it in the elusive sweet spot. All this, and you know it's Steve Gadd. There are so many others. Roy Haynes, Philly Joe Jones, Buddy Rich, Vernell Fournier, Ed Thigpen, Jack DeJohnette, Vinnie Colaiuta, Peter Erskine, Steve Smith, Dave Weckl, Jimmy Cobb, Tom Brechtlein, Greg Bissonette, Dennis Chambers, Victor Lewis, Paul Motian, Mel Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Papa Jo Jones, Big Sid Catlett, Art Blakey, Ed Blackwell. My brain spins when I try to think of just how many great players have existed. I hope I'm forgiven for those I've missed! I was privileged to know Tony before he passed, and also to know Steve Gadd, Vinnie, Peter, Steve Smith and Dave. One of my biggest thrills was hanging with Elvin Jones, and another was having lunch with Jim Keltner, Fred Gruber, Earl Palmer and Louis Bellson while Roy Haynes gave Jim and me a two hour history lesson on the be-bop movement in New York during the fourties and fifties. Two things in common with all the above gentlemen, they all put the stamp of their personality on the music and they all SWING! ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... dhalgren at hotmail dot com (Michael Irish) Ian, did you find jazz drummers such as Elvin Jones of greater influence to your playing than rock thumpers such as John Bonham? I choose Bonham as an example as Led Zeppelin were one of the top bands when you worked on Islands. Do you have any good memories while working in King Crimson? I'm asking this question as Boz Burrell has repeatedly stated that working with Robert Fripp was a terrible ordeal, even given that Robert taught him bass guitar. All best, Michael Irish ** Ian replies... I think it depends a lot on the playing situation, although I have to say that I think everything and everyone is an influence in one way or another, even things that I don't like can be an influence if just by my making a decision what not to play. I think that it is important to take musical ideas from different genres and try to put them into other musical situations. This is one way to develop a musical personality. I have been influenced favorably by many drummers from all kinds of music from John Bonham, Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, Jim Keltner, Jeff Porcaro, Richie Hayward (Little Feat), Stewart Copeland and Earl Palmer, to Reggae rhythm sections like the Barrett Brothers (Bob Marley) and Sly and Robbie, African drummers, Indian drummers, classical percussionists and of course all the many great jazz drummers throughout the 20th. century starting with Baby Dodds and continuing into this current millenium. My personal listening tastes tend to be jazz, particularly between the forties and the sixties, but if it swings I like it! I have many good memories of working with Crimson. It was a tremendous learning experience for me. It was my first "name" band and it took me to the United States, my home for the past 24 years, for the first time. Contrary to various opinions we did have lots of fun and many great musical moments. I think a lot of the negative stuff tends to be emphasized as it makes for better copy, and most bands tend to be formed with the members liking each other and then disbanding with various resentments of one kind or another which spill over into individual reminiscences of "he did that, and this nasty thing was done to me" etc. I think it's important to remember that we were all in our early twenties and there was a lot of pressure on us to succeed. It`s conceivable Boz may have felt this more than the rest of us, being that he was trying to learn difficult music on an unfamiliar instrument, but I can't speak for him, only for myself. Maybe he meant that working with Robert Fripp was a terrible ordeal *because* Fripp taught him bass guitar! ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... tanigawa at cadence dot com (Michael Tanigawa) Hi, Here are a couple of questions. 1. The Jacksonville 1972 DGM Collectors Club cd shows how powerful the 1970-72 KC was in live performance. It has become my favorite club release so far. You play an excellent solo at the end of "Sailor's Tale". How did you generate those sounds? At first I thought that your drums were being processed through a flanger, and they may have been. But it also appears that they are being used to trigger some sort of synthesizer. 2. How would you have felt about playing with Rick Kemp (who almost joined) or John Wetton (who Fripp tried to bring in, to allow Boz to focus exclusively on vocals)? Best regards, Mike Tanigawa ** Ian replies... Thank you for the kind words. The drums were processed through a VCS3 synthesizer, one of the earliest and crudest, it was virtually a ring modulator. The concept was originally devised by Peter Sinfield and myself. Whenever I hit the drums it triggered the synthesizer sound which Peter controlled. This of course led to a hit-and-miss process which occasionally culminated in happy musical accidents. As regards Rick Kemp, we only rehearsed a couple of times but I do remember that he had a beautiful feel and was an excellent bass player. How I would have felt about playing with him is an impossible question to answer because it didn't happen. John Wetton on the other hand, is a good friend and I have worked with him on several different occasions. We played together on the first Chapman/Whitney Streetwalkers album which happens to be one of my most favorite records on which I played. I have only the utmost respect for John as a bass player, singer and writer, and if the opportunity ever arose, I would love to work with him again. However, at that particular time we had put in a lot of work with Boz as the bass player and it felt to Mel and myself almost criminal to replace him. I think we sincerely believed that Boz was progressing as a musician and that it was only a matter of time. In fact, we might have broken up even sooner had Boz been replaced at that time. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... CANARTGRP at aol dot com Would you care to comment on working with Bob Dylan during the 'Street Legal' period? C Rollins South Amherst Massachusetts USA ** Ian replies... This is not a King Crimson question, I'll try to be brief. I'd been living in America for just over a year and half and this was my first big gig. It was very exciting. Dylan, at the time, was probably the biggest artist in the world and we did indeed travel the world in first class style. The musicians in that band were the creme de la creme of the Los Angeles music scene. Jerry Scheff, the bass player, played with Elvis for many years. Alan Pasqua, the keyboard player, was a member of Tony Williams Lifetime, a fantastic player who now does the big gigs like the Oscars, etc. and has put out two very fine jazz albums. Bobbye Hall, the percussionist, played on at least fifty percent of all the great Motown hits and Steve Douglas, the horn player, played on all the early Phil Spector records. So I had a ball just being around such great musicians. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... JAskelly at aol dot com Hello, Ian! I was told once by a very knowledgable gentleman that you sat in with the band Yes at one gig very early in their career (sometime in 1968, I believe.) Can you verify this? If so, do you have any recollections or details to share from that gig? I know that Crimson and Yes toured together sometimes in the 71-72 era, but I'm not sure who headlined!! Maybe you could clear that up for me, as well? Thanks very much. Jack Skelly ** Ian replies... Yes, I did play with Yes. My first professional band was called The Warriors, and John and Tony Anderson were the lead singers. John who later changed his name to Jon formed Yes with Chris Squire. When I moved to London with my band Sleepy, Jon told us there was a room free in the house he was living in and we consequently moved in. Jon lived on the top floor, Chris Squire and Tony Kaye lived in the basement. We all became good friends and Bill Bruford and I would often hang out and talk drums. At some point, Bill decided to give up drumming and go back to university. Yes recruited another drummer. One day Jon came knocking on my door in a panic. The drummer had had an accident and was in hospital and they had a gig that night and desperately needed a sub. I was the guy. I remember really enjoying the gig and at one point Chris Squire turning to me in the middle of a song and shouting out "Do you want to join a band?" I thought long and hard about it. Two weeks before they were due to open for Cream's farewell concert at the Albert Hall, I had dinner with Yes' manager, Roy Flynn who almost persuaded me to join. But I felt too loyal to quit the band I was in and turned them down. Can you lend me a quid? Crimson and Yes did appear on the same bill in `71 and `72. The first time in `71 was at the Academy of Music in New York. Procol Harum headlined, King Crimson were in the middle and Yes opened. Funny, but I've played in all three bands. The second time in `72 was in Boston, King Crimson opened and Yes headlined. How ironic. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... Belewp at cs dot com What inspired the chord solo in A Sailor's tale. ** Ian replies... Chords? But seriously I don't know. This is a guitar player question. Maybe if you asked er........ ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... basilej at yahoo dot com (Joseph Basile) Hello Ian Wallace, Saw you drumming a few summers back with Procul Harum on a Tull tour. I was hoping for Trower, but you were a nice surprise! In fact the highlight of the whole evening. Any recollections of the tour? Joe ** Ian replies... Big fun. Tull were great guys and gracious hosts. We would have theme days like one day was tie day and everybody had to come wearing a ridiculous tie. If you turned up without a tie, you'd have to pay a forfeit such as streaking across the stage in full view of the audience. I bought the most ridiculous tie I could find. Another time was gay day. Now we're back to the subject of cross-dressing. Let's talk about the music. I think Gary Brooker is one of the greatest singers of our age and it was a pleasure playing some of those old Procol Harum tunes. Highly arranged, with a classical sensibility to them. You can't play this stuff to a click track. I don't know why this band doesn't sell out stadiums, it's a mystery to me. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... larks at nsoft dot it (Francesco Cipresso) Hi Ian. Which are your best and worst memories of your Crimso experience? Thank you. 21stCenturySchizoidFrank (Francesco Cipresso) ** Ian replies... Well, let's take the worst memories first. One would have to be the break-up. The disappointment of seeing everything disintegrate so quickly after all the work we'd done. Trying to find a bass player at the beginning, getting so close to calling it quits before I'd even played a note. Flying through a storm over Indiana in a two prop plane after a particularly wild night when everybody on the plane including the flight attendant threw up except for Boz who slept throught the whole thing. The best memories? Finally getting to play live after two thousand years of rehearsal. My first trip to America. Playing the middle bit of Schizoid Man. The friendships that last to this day. Fripp taking me out and buying me a whole, new, big, whopping drum set. The music when it worked, and it did work quite frequently. And to all the girls I've loved etc. (Julio Iglesias) ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... nomad_stem at hotmail dot com (Nomad Stem) Hello Ian, After you left King Crimson how much did you follow the ensuing incarnations? What were the major projects you worked on after that? One last question if I may, outside of drumming, do you play any other instruments, and do you have any other passions? Thanks, Nomad ** Ian replies... Hardly at all. I saw the next band once at the Marquee and once at the Rainbow in London. But I think I was too bitter and disappointed at the time to be objective so I don't think I listened to them again until Elephant Talk which I quite liked. Major projects have been many and various. I have a rap sheet the length of my arm. The ones that come to mind at this sitting would be Alvin Lee, Steve Marriott, Lonnie Mack, Bob Dylan, David Lindley and El Rayo-X, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby Stills and Nash, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Stevie Nicks, Travelin Wilburys, Roy Orbison, Procol Harum, Johnny Hallyday and my own album. I play keyboards and a little guitar and I like skiing, scuba diving, tennis, reading, meditation, cooking and soon to be, golf. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... Turtlecircus at aol dot com Mr. Wallace I was very lucky to have seen you on the Crimson (St.Louis, MO. USA) tour stop years past. I was look'n at my photos of that concert and would like to know who painted the scenic artwork on your drum kit? plus, do you have any pictures of that kit to show the KC fans? Very Tastee Turtle ** Ian replies... Neil Innes from the Bonzo Dog Band painted my drums. He and most of the Bonzos went to art college where they formed and I had the privilege of playing with them on their last tour. Then Neil formed his band The World of which I was the drummer and when I left Neil most graciously did the wonderful paint job for me. I don't have any pictures of the kit and wish I did. Unfortunately, the kit was stolen from a truck outside Winterland in San Francisco at the end of the `72 Crimson tour. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... bartonbrian at hotmail dot com (Brian Barton) Hello Ian. First off, let me thank you for participating in the ET Q&A. To date there have been three official releases from the King Crimson Islands band in concert (Earthbound & 2 Collectors Club CD's). All have featured material from early 1972 even though the band had already broken up by then and was touring merely to satisfy contractual obligations. There are a number of bootleg recordings of 1971 performances that many feel were even better since the band was still trying out new material and playing a wider variety of songs. Would you like to see the best of these recordings officially released even though the sound quality may not be perfect, or are you content with what's already available? Thanks. ** Ian replies... Firstly, I would like to say that although the band had broken up in `72, we still took the playing of the music very seriously. I've only heard one recording of the `71 performances and the quality was too bad to tell how good the music was. I would be very happy to see any of these recordings officially released if the sound quality could be improved. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... gvillegas85 at excite dot com (Guillermo J. Villegas Akena) Mr. Wallace: How did you enter King Crimson back in the early 70s? ** Ian replies... This question is answered in the liner notes that I just wrote for the new Summit album so I'm going to insert an excerpt here: After the first band broke up, two albums were recorded, In the Wake of Poseidon and Lizard. The personnel was different on each album. I'd seen the original band at the Marquee in London and was blown away. I remember thinking to myself how much I wanted to play with them. I bought all three albums and was a big fan. My biggest influences as a drummer were Tony Williams and Elvin Jones. I'd first heard Miles Davis's Four and More in 1967, and it turned my head inside-out. I've never recovered. I thought that if I could play in a band like King Crimson I would have the opportunity to emulate my heroes. During the time Lizard was being recorded I was living in London in the same house as Andy McCullough, the drummer on Lizard. He would come up to my flat in the evenings and tell me what he'd been up to in the studio that day. I was envious to say the least. Also living in that house was Keith Emerson. He had just purchased a large apartment in another part of town and he asked me if I would like to rent a couple of rooms from him, which I did. Time moved on, Lizard came out, I bought it, and that particular incarnation of King Crimson ceased to exist. One day Keith knocked on my door. He had recently formed ELP and was being managed by EG, the same company that managed what was left of Crimson, (i.e. Fripp, Sinfield and Mel Collins). He told me that Fripp was looking for a drummer and that he had recommended me. Needless to say I was very excited. At the time I was playing in Neil Innes's band The World. We had a gig in London that week and Robert came to see me play and promptly offered me the job. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... Michael dot Madden at btinternet dot com (Michael Madden) What is Ian's opinion of the Earthbound release... is it a true representaion of the band? Michael ** Ian replies... No. Much of the album consists of spontaneous jams that were played as encores. It was sonically awful, this due to the fact that it was recorded on one of the early cassette players which I bought whilst on tour. The truest representation of the band's live playing I've heard so far is the new Summit album. The sound quality is excellent as is, in my opinion, the music. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... jdusting at ozemail dot com dot au (Jonathan Dusting) The Studio and Live King Crimson's of 1972 have been described as two completely different beasts, yet both very impressive in their own ways. Why do you think this is so, and which, as a band member, did you prefer? JCD ** Ian replies... A very difficult question to answer. We only made one studio album, although in a way, the Summit album may be construed as a studio album as it was recorded in a studio, albeit a radio station studio. The live playing, having less restrictions was a lot freer, but in retrospect I would have loved to have had the opportunity to have done another studio album after the end of the `72 tour. I think, in general I tend to find live playing less restricting than studio playing. So I would have to say, live. However, I think it is essential to do both. It creates a balance. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... jeffrey dot l dot melton at intel dot com (Melton, Jeffrey L) What was it like for you to transition from playing live with King Crimson to playing with Long John Baldry? Jeff Melton, Staff Writer Expose Magazine ecsp97 at aol dot com Expose Website: www.expose.org ** Ian replies... This is an interesting question. I've had a drink or two with Long John Baldry but I've never played with him. I think you probably mean Alexis Korner and so I will answer accordingly. Alexis Korner was a blues musician, the total antithesis of King Crimson. It came about purely by accident. During the `72 tour we played a number of shows with Humble Pie and Alexis Korner. We were in the middle and Alexis and Peter Thorup were opening as a duo. They were mostly playing pure Mississippi Delta blues and I would stand at the side of the stage and listen to them. It was at the time, after playing such convoluted music with King Crimson, a breath of fresh air to hear something so simple and yet so meaningful, don't get me wrong Crimsos' music was meaningful too, but in different way. Because they were just a duo, my drums were set up behind them and one night, unable to resist, I crept up onto the drums and joined in. It became a regular nightly occurance. After our stint with Alexis and Humble Pie, they carried on with their tour and Crimson continued with ours. They asked me if I would join up with them at the end of Crimson's tour as theirs was to continue for several more weeks. Crimson's final show was in New Orleans, appropriately on April 1, 1972. The next day, I flew down to Tampa and joined Alexis. I had a ball. Maybe it can be likened to being in a sauna for 45 minutes then jumping in a pool of cold water, drying off and going to sleep in a nice, warm, comfy bed. Ironically, a week later we played the Warehouse in New Orleans. Mel and Boz had stayed in New Orleans for a vacation and came to see us play. They ended up on stage and ended up in the band. And at the end of the tour, we cut half an album in San Francisco and finished it in London. The album was called Accidently Born in New Orleans and we continued to tour, make albums and have fun. The end. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... keith at scran dot ac dot uk (Keith Burns) Ian, Did Boz actually play the bass on Islands? I've heard a lot of rumours that Fripp had to do it as Boz was still learning at the time. Best wishes, Keith Burns ** Ian replies... Yes, Boz played the bass on Islands. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... gsmulti at spiritone dot com (Greg Segal) What was it like working with the VCS3 for Groon - were you able to properly monitor the effected sound so you could play off it? Or were you flying blind? ** Ian replies... I've already partly answered this question. As I said previously, Peter Sinfield was controlling the VCS3 so although I was flying blind we got to the point where we had developed a rapport and could play off each other. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... misterd at apex dot net dot au (ross david) Dear Ian W., The album, The Young Person's Guide To (1975), came with a booklet containing album and concert reviews, and other material dealing with the bands reputation, reception and touring experiences. Do you have any comments about that booklet? Was there anything else we needed, or would have been amused, to know? Ross Davis A.C.T., Aust. ** Ian replies... I am afraid you'll have to wait `til my book comes out. ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* From... DanKirkd at aol dot com (Dan Kirkdorffer) Ian, Once again, on behalf of the ET Team and all ETers, I want to thank you for being so kind to particpate in this Q&A. Let me close with the following questions: How has your first Artist Road Records release been received? Will there be more? Assuming the King Crimson Collectors' Club continues for many more years, there will likely be more releases from the incarnation you played in. If you were to pick one show that you felt was the "must have" performance from that band, which would you say it would be? Finally, can you tell us what your future plans are? Thanks, Dan ET Web ** Ian replies... My cd has been received with critical acclaim and not much money. Trying to sell it on the internet proved to be a more formidable task than we anticipated and it would be nice to have it picked up by a record company for distribution. So if anybody out there is reading this... As for there being more, I'm hoping this is going to be the case, but since I've moved to Nashville and Brian Trainor commutes between New Mexico and New Jersey, it's proving to be somewhat of a task although we would like for it to happen. We've written couple of things and are hoping to somehow get together in the future to continue writing and to record another one. Maybe if we could get a record company interested... I remember many good performances from both `71 and `72. Unfortunately, I don't remember where they were but from what currently exists I would have to say the Summit album is the one. My future plans are what they have always been, to play as much good music as possible and make a living doing it, to make more albums of my own, to continue writing music, to continue studying the drum set, to write a book or two (which I've already half started), to cook the perfect meal, to ski all the black diamonds in the world, find inner peace and die in the drum chair! ******* Ian Wallace answers questions from ET readers ******* ------------------------------ End of Elephant-Talk Digest #641 ********************************