E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 926 Saturday December 29, 2001 Today's Topics: NEWS: The Usual (Temporary) Moderator Requests NEWS: Improved PDA support for ET Two Strips of Beacon Enough Alreqady With the Whining Pat's drumming-Niacin does KC, ect. GG&F Metamorphosis vinyl vs. Brondesbury Tapes CD -- same A Tribute, of Sorts (?) FYI: Terry Blankenship: website for former Fripp student & League of Two More Red Nightmares; Level 5 KC and DVD Audience Distillation, and consideration of the "bigger picture." why such a vast variation in reviews? I need help from any USA ET'er!/More on Niacin & RED! Elephant Talk #925 Virgil Donati; Planet X; Apocalyptica; orchestral Crimson; ------------------ 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 temporarily being produced using Cheetah PRO Mailing Systems (c) Black Cat Software Factory (info at blackcat dot demon dot co dot uk) ------------------ A I V I R T S I N I M D A --------------------- Date: Saturday, 29 Dec 2001 21:27:43 From: crimson at blackcat dot demon dot co dot uk (Mike Dickson) Subject: NEWS: The Usual (Temporary) Moderator Requests Good people of ET - Toby has asked me to fill in his Royal Moderatorship while he is abroad, so there are just a pair of requests: (1) Please don't quote an entire message (or in one notable case, an entire digest) just to add 'me too' to the bottom. It isn't going to get anywhere near ET so don't waste your time. (2) Can we also draw a lose to the political ranting as well, please? (3) Can you also please *try* and restrict the HTML in your posts as much as you can? Several posts in this issue have needed extensive editing just to get to the meat of the post. Plain test - wrapped to about 70 characters if possible - is far more preferable. Thank you for listening. We return now to our scheduled bickering. :-) Mike Dickson, Elephant Talk Temporary Moderator, Administration and Distribution ------------------------------ Date: Saturday, 29 Dec 2001 04:34:46 From: DanKirkd at aol dot com Subject: NEWS: Improved PDA support for ET I've been meaning to find a moment to make the following upgrade to the ET for PDAs pages, and just have, so I'm happy to announce that we've expanded the PDA version of ET to allow you to access as many as the past 10 ET digests on your handheld device. This is a user configurable option (the default is 1 - the latest), that you can set based on the amount of space you think you have available, and should go a long way to ensuring you don't miss an issue when they come out more frequently, which has been a problem in the past. Let us know what you think! BTW, we don't have exact figures for how many people read ET on their PDA, but the numbers are growing at a good pace. We regularly have more than 200 accesses a day. If you are not familiar with the feature and have a PDA, go to the PDA page (use the menu) at ET Web for full details. The service is free! One other thing: if you like reading ET on your PDA, and if you haven't done so already, you should check out DGM Wireless, also for PDAs. Only about half as many folks seem to use DGM Wireless, but the content is just as cool IMO (guestbook, diaries, tour dates and news). For more info go to DGM Web Cheers, Dan ET Web P.S. Happy New Year! ------------------------------ Date: Friday, 28 Dec 2001 19:46:20 From: jchasin at nyc dot rr dot com (Josh Chasin) Subject: Two Strips of Beacon In ET #925, dose2000 at msn dot com asks if anybody can shed light on the polar opposite reviews of the one show at the Beacon. Might I suggest that at least some of this may be accounted for by the fact that there were TWO shows at the Beacon? ------------------------------ Date: Friday, 28 Dec 2001 19:55:34 From: jchasin at nyc dot rr dot com (Josh Chasin) Subject: Enough Alreqady With the Whining For the love of God, will you people stop simpering about the price of the Level 5 cd? It cost 15 dollars. That is what cd's cost. And no tax. And spare me the "mini-cd" or EP blather. If Crimson are guilty of anything, it is failing to just flat out call the thing a CD and be done with it. Level Five is 45-- almost 46-- minutes long. It is longer than Discipline, ITCOTCK, or Red. It is a full TEN MINUTES LONGER than Beat. So boo hoo hoo, get over it already. ------------------------------ Date: Friday, 28 Dec 2001 20:27:48 From: dose2000 at msn dot com (LAVERNE MUNARI) Subject: Pat's drumming-Niacin does KC, ect. Well, anyone familiar w/the supergroup(I know, that phrase went out in 70's?)NIACIN, Billy Sheehan bass-Dennis Chambers drums & John Novello Hammond B-3, will love hearing that this fabulous band has a new cd comming out 2/12/02 called, "Time Crunch" which features an incredible 8+ min version of "RED"!! I love these guy's and have all their cd's & the incredible dvd, and yeah, they cover the King!! Bassist Sheehan state's, "Overall, it(new cd)is just a bit heavier(Is that possible?)and agressive(another, How?)than we had gone before, a little more toward progresssive rock than the fusion or jazz direction. We definitely went more toward's our late 60's early 70's prog rock root people like King Crimson-PFM-Gentle Giant-early Genesis & of course ELP, whom people have compared us to in the past." The quote may not be exact but...I was able to get a sneak listen to "Time Crunch", and while I am biased, i've got to tell you it's a must have KILLER cd!! I left out 1 2001, "best release" cd from my list & that is the guitar genius himself, Jeff Beck's, "You Had it Comming'!! This is just another gem from Sir Jeff. After reading recent post's in ET, I felt compelled to talk about Pat M's drumming. I know so many people identify MOST of Crimson's percussion sound w/Mr. Bruford, and he's a fine drummer(pretty good composer too!)no doubt, & I guess that younger Crimheads may not take into consideration they've ALWAYS had fine drummer's, and since most people that listen to KC have also heard alot of Bill on other albums, Yes-UK & his own stuff, they probably have'nt heard Pat play on anything other than KC stuff. Well, as a drummer myself, I feel I have to point out that Pat is every bit as talented as Bill, and to me he is a breath of clean air! He's NOT a heavy handed(as some have suggested)NEW DRUMMER! Of course he's going to play the older Crimson material differently, i'd be dissapointed if he did'nt. Pat has a ton of talent and alot of flair where Bill was more laid back in at least his stage performance. Let's face it, neither guy is going to "twirl" his sticks, or flip them over their head & catch them on 2 or 4!!(KC does'nt play THAT MUCH 4/4 time anyway & when they do, they either add or subtract a beat, or someone else in the band is playing w/the time)I would have thought Pat had been playing w/the Kings long enough that any of the rubbish about him being "inadequate" would have been laid to rest long ago??!! Pat has a great feel for the music new & old & surely has carried his own weight as far as writing the newer stuff as well. I wonder how many people KNOW just how difficult it is for a drummer to play in a band alongside ANOTHER fine drummer who is palying all the time as happened in the dbl trio? People, Pat is a great drummer, and i'd be willing to dig out the old Modern Drummer magazine that was published & did interviews w/both Pat & Bill prior to them going out on the 1st stateside dbl. trio tour, & make copies of the article for anyone who does'nt think much of Pat's drumming. I think Pat's drumming on this tour & his interpratations o f song's like Red & Thela, ect. was superb. Everyone to his own opinion, but it's hard to believe people who like KC can't handle hearing Pat being the #1, and only drummer the King has, because he's doing a superb job & I can't wait to hear him more, especially since he has a great hybrid kit;of mainly acoustic drums & cymbals(I hope Bob has warmed up to these metal objects that have been used w/percussion for 1000's of yrs.!)& just enough NEW electric(mostly Roland)pads for drum & other sounds! Let's give "this" drummer some! Lastly, while i've been reading ET for year's, (I know i've missed a few issues)I can't recall seeing the band "Tempest" spoken about on ET. IMO, people that listen to Crimson would just love Tempest, a band that's been around for over 10 years & has released their latest cd, "Balance" earlier this year.(That should have been on my list too)Actually, Tempest is closer to Tull than most KC material, but it's hard to pin down what their style is...all I know is it's physically impossible to hear them "live" (or on cd)without moving all about!(Smiling all the while too!)Their 9th & newest release is just great. To come closest to their true "live" sound tho, I suggest either the "Gravel Walk" cd or, "Live at the Philadelphia Folk Festival"(even tho I love this cd I don't feel it truly captures their live sound due to the recording)They've played at that festival for the last 8-10 yrs & have been "closing the show" for a # of years now. Do not get the wrong impression of them because they play at a folk fest, because the band(they've been here 7, soon to be 8 times, & the times i've been able to catch them, they've always had new members, but have gotten better each time)is Lief Sorbye on lead vocals & acoustic & electric mandolins(1 a dbl neck!)Adolfo Lazo on drums(these 2 have always been the core & have been there forever)Todd Evans now plays all guitar's, electic & acoustic, Sue Draheim now superbly handles the violin duties, or as they like to say fiddle's, and on string snaping/Stanley Clarkish/funky sounding fretless & fretted basses is William Maxwell.(BTW Sue has played w/Englishmen John Renbourn & Richard Thompson as well as the group Albion. They play a hybrid mix of Celtic/Filandish-balls to the wall rock & roll with a good amount of funk. Lief writes most of their great material & their buddy Robert Berry often sit's in with them & produces them. Just great great stuff. Please check them out & get hooked like I did. Lastly, you can find out more about Niacin & Tempest as well as great prog groups like Liquid Tension Experiment-Magellan-Planet X-Royal Hunt-Steve Walsh-Mullmuzzler-Explorer's Club(w/Bozzio & a cast of 1000's)who are releasing a cd early 2002-Bozzio/Levin/Stevens-Shadow Gallery, many more, & those great tribute cd's on Genesis-Tull-Yes-Rush-ELP-others by simply going to www.magnacarta.net A great smallish record company that mainly allow these great groups to decide-record for themselves, & allow the artists to keep the biggest chunk of change, but do provide advertising & guidence for prog bands w/talent that are just trying to catch a break w/o signing their lives away, & no I don't work for them. Toby, & guys/gals, i'm sorry if i'm repeating what could be common knowledge, but i'm guessing many don't know about this great company. Anyway, again thanks for another great year & I look forward to 2002 being even better. Happy New Year everyone. The never short of breath Steven Munari "No one who ever dug deep in their pocket to come see 1 of my shows, can ever say they did'nt get their money's worth!" "Bruiser" Brody 1946 to 19= 88 ------------------------------ Date: Friday, 28 Dec 2001 21:34:08 From: artshop at artist-shop dot com (Gary Davis) Subject: GG&F Metamorphosis vinyl vs. Brondesbury Tapes CD -- same At 11:45 PM 12/28/01 GMT, Brian Kelley wrote: >I have a copy of the GG&F Metamorphosis on vinyl, which is the >unreleased "Brondesbury tapes" from '67-68. This is apparently a >limited edition pressing of 1000 vinyl copies (of which I have #476). >I bought it at a record show back in August for $28 (which I was assured >was a very good deal!) > >Now on ebay, there is presently a "supposed" CD version of this same >album entitled "Giles Giles & Fripp - Brondesbury Tapes 1968". > >I say "supposed" because I had no idea that it was ever put onto CD >(since the dealer at that time said it had never been pressed to CD). >The seller states that it is INDEED an "official release" and NOT a CD-R >copy. But I just wanna make sure... Yes, this is most definitely an official release. However, it's only come out within the past couple months, so when Brian purchased the LP at the record show back in August, the dealer was correct when he said it had not been pressed to CD. I have this CD listed on my Voiceprint page in The Artist Shop at . It is Peter Giles who is behind the release of both the LP and the CD. I'm not sure I understand the reason for the different titles. The additional tracks were actually supplied to Peter by Ian McDonald after the release of the LP. I checked out the ebay auction Brian referred to. The seller describes the CD as a limited edition. However, while the LP was indeed a numbered and limited edition, there is nothing in any of the information that Voiceprint has sent me on The Brondesbury Tapes that in any way suggests the CD to be a limited edition. On a purely personal level, I have to say I quite enjoyed the CD apart from it's historical value. I would definitely recommend it to Crimson afficionados. Gary ************************************************************** Gary Davis The Artist Shop The Other Road http://www.artist-shop.com artshop at artist-shop dot com phone: 877-856-1158, 330-929-2056 fax:330-945-4923 INDEPENDENT PROGRESSIVE MUSIC!!! ************************************************************** Artist Shop Radio Check out the latest Artist Shop newsletter at http://www.artist-shop.com/news.htm ------------------------------ Date: Friday, 28 Dec 2001 22:08:43 From: baruffi at ameritech dot net (Tom Baruffi) Subject: A Tribute, of Sorts (?) Being close to the new year, it is time to repay debts. I must confess to reading (and enjoying) this newsletter for so long I forgot there was an actual web site connected to it. Thank you all for your years and years of dedication. I have been a fan of the band since I first heard the sound break through here in the states in 1969. Nothing sounded like them then. Nor today. Intelligent. Risky. Daring. Thank you all for your years and years of imagination. I just picked up the Level 5 CD as well as the Deja Vroom DVD. Sublime. If I could die right now, I'd die a happy man. Except I would miss out on the next page of this fabulous story. I press on. Happy New Year to All. ------------------------------ Date: Friday, 28 Dec 2001 22:58:46 From: vdorje at ev1 dot net (Craig) Subject: FYI: Terry Blankenship: website for former Fripp student & League of Here`s the website for former Fripp student & League of Crafty Guitarists member Terry Blankenship. (I had him on my first radio show *looooong* ago, & had wondered what had become of him). http://home.cinci.rr.com/terryblankenship/ and... http://www.mp3.com.au/artist.asp?id=1509 Enjoy, ~Craig ------------------------------ Date: Saturday, 29 Dec 2001 03:10:30 From: dvella at skidmore dot edu (David Vella) Subject: Two More Red Nightmares; Level 5 Eletalkers, The subject line does not refer to the King Crimson tune, but to a couple of strange dreams I had last night, which were, nevertheless, KC related. Normally, I am too overtired to remember my dreams, but this morning I woke up remembering two of them. OK, here's the first: I am driving a great distance to meet my friend Dave who lives in Boston so that we can go to the movies. Dave & I meet up, but several things happen to thwart our plans - we get lost, we run out of gas (or other car troubles? the memory is hazy, but we clearly are spending a lot of time at a garage...) We never get to the movies.... OK, here's the obvious interpretation: I have been waiting for months for the release of the Lord of the Rings movie, and had been intending to see it on opening night. But I'm still swamped with work (grading papers and the like) and don't see any let up for a couple of weeks at least. Ergo, all the troubles getting to the movies in my dream. What does Dave & Boston have to do with it? Well, I did recently travel to Boston for the King Crimson concert, but did NOT meet up with Dave, whom I haven't seen in about ten years. Obviously, I was feeling guilty for letting so much time slip by, so I invited him to come along to the movies with me in my dream. Well, that was easy, but the next one is much more surreal. I can't even describe it completely since the images are so abstract. All I can recall clearly was that I was floating somewhere (was I under water? in outer space? I can't tell for sure, but the feeling was much more like outer space.) I seemed to be engaged in some sort of sci-fi rescue operation or repair job. Darkness all around - was I working on a space station or ship of some sort? In any case, a vivid feeling of urgency in what I am doing - and then, faint at first, but growing in intensity, a murky red glow that wasn't really a glow - it was more like the space around me was filling up with color that didn't glow, but had the potential to glow, if that makes sense. Fractal-like tendrils of red and black started to surround me - I became alarmed as it approached me closer and I sped up my ...job or whatever it was I was doing. It became clear that I would not finish what I was doing before I was to become engulfed by this strange red color. Then, suddenly, I was inside it, or more precisely, it passed through me and around me. At the same time, my panic turned to serene calm as I heard a reassuring voice (yes, its goofy, but I heard a voice) announce: "Don't worry, it's just the ConstruKction of Light!" At which point the murky red stuff really DID start to glow - and me with it! Then I woke up. Weird. What to make of it? All I can think of is that the second dream had exactly the same interpretation as the first. Except, it was more intense. The feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to keep up with work and things was much more menacing. It's almost as if my mental editor looked at the first dream and said "Oh come on! We can do better that that!" Besides, it ended on an optimistic note, even a bit humorous with that pun on the title of the KC album. So, while it was more menacing and darker, it was simultaneously uplifting and wonderful in the true sense of the word - 'full of wonder'. Just like the music of King Crimson, actually. By the way, for the person who asked in ET #925 about the set lengths of the East Coast Concerts, regarding the Boston Show on 12/8, I timed it, too. JPJ started exactly on time and played exactly 60 minutes. There was a half-hour break between sets, then KC played exactly 90 minutes (including two encores). As I reported in my Gig Review a few issues back, the sound quality was near perfect from where I was sitting in the balcony, but others who sat elsewhere had other reactions. I thought the first 5 minutes of KC's act was a bit lackluster (probably due more to the choice of opening track - Dangerous Curves - than anything else), but I can only rave about the final 85 minutes of it! Fripp was front and a bit right of center, although seated sideways (facing Adrian) and mostly in the shadows. He seemed to enjoy a fairly good rapport with both the other band members and the (rather rowdy) audience. And as for the debate on whether or not their set contained improvs, may I ask/suggest whether they are neatly tucked inside the two tracks Virtuous Circles and Deception of the Thrush? The version of VC I heard live seemed quite different from what is on the Level 5 disk, and Thrush seems to sound different every time I hear it. These pieces are evolving - doesn't that mean they are trying different things out as they play them? So maybe sections of these pieces *are* the improvs? Can we hear from someone who saw several consecutive shows from this tour addressing this issue? Oh, and my 2 cents on what the title 'level 5' refers to - despite what others have pointed out, citing direct quotes from Fripp's diary and whatnot, to me parts of this piece CLEARLY refer to earlier themes in the LTIA series, although it seems to be somewhat buried and mixed with other themes, as if it was a deliberate effort to not follow the previous themes too closely. I therefore come down on the side that 'level 5' is a euphemism for 'LTIA Part 5', although I'm certainly willing to entertain the possibility that it has a double meaning (such as the 5'th level of protection from biological/chemical agents as suggested by the cover art.) It would be nice if a band member would clarify this - Trey? Adrian? C'mon, we'll all chip in and send you a free bottle of ... you know... By the way, I was perfectly happy to pay $15 for Level 5 at the concert merch table. God knows that over the years I've spent huge amounts on music that ... well, let's just say on levels 1 & 2 ... I only wish the song 'ElectriKc' was on Level 5 - looking forward to the next studio album. Hoping you all had a restful holiday and wishing you the best for the new year, or, more briefly: Peace (a theme), David Vella ------------------------------ Date: Saturday, 29 Dec 2001 12:31:12 From: Hans dot Scheepers at atosorigin dot com (Scheepers, Hans) Subject: KC and DVD The Deja Vroom DVD is still very impressive. The sound quality is great and video is ok. It ius great to see the double trio in action. This KC release was very fast in making use of the DVD features. Now I wonder whether the other, earlier, video VHS releases will be transferred to DVD. Any news or rumors here? Thanks, Hans Scheepers ------------------------------ Date: Saturday, 29 Dec 2001 09:22:13 From: trey5winds at hotmail dot com (Trey Five Winds) Subject: Audience Distillation, and consideration of the "bigger picture." Hmmm. Better be careful there, Scott. You might be promoting an idea that others might have many differing opinions on! And, even from here, I can see Fripp's questionable reputation among the readers of ET get worse with considered concepts such as this! How dare that Fripp chal- lenging us as an audience! Isn't it enough that he challenges us as listeners of music ?!?!? Considering Robert Fripp's applied efforts to further his own studies in league with J.G. Bennett and studying Gurdjieff (my spelling is pro- bably incorrect there) in application to the living of his adult life, I would opine that perhaps you are not far off the mark. If I recall correctly, Fripp had attended courses at Claymont for several different reasons, mostly/including to learn how to apply what he has learned in life to how he lives and conducts his adult life. Imagine: a course on how to be an adult in our society! A course on how to be a well-conduc- ted human being! How droll! (In my own opinion, it's a shame that these courses don't exist here in America, where people really NEED it. If they do exist, they're practically invisible, and deserve publicity. And, frankly, there are people of all shades and walks of life who real- ly need that course -- myself included.) In the very early parts of this century, and following quite a few centuries back, this was the norm in a few European countries if I remember my world history correctly. College, as it exists now, doesn't quite grapple with the idea as much, or, at least, not in as much detail as some of the Claymont courses were to have done. They were supposed to be rather challenging affairs that demanded upon the students the condi- tions of continuous focus, tireless perserverance, and a formidable yet flexible determination. The idea was that you learned how to be more than what you were and how to apply that more to the living of life. No...this doesn't sound familiar, does it? Such courses also taught that certain processes taught us more about ourselves and the people and world around us while still acting to dis- charge the capacity of whatever those processes entailed. This is defi- nitely true of any creative process, but insight can also be gleaned by how someone does extremely ordinary things -- by observation, you could learn more about someone than they could possibly guess at, even when doing something totally ordinary and mundane, such as housecleaning or paying bills. These courses taught how to refine that sense of percep- tion, how to apply logic, and how to bring all of these together to work for you in your life. No, I have to say that this doesn't sound ANYTHING like what Robert writes about in his diaries, does it? I didn't think so (for some of you just tuning in, this is called sarcasm, or, in the hands of those capa- ble of literature, a stab at bad comedy)! If King Crimson were to challenge us as listeners of music, and the philosophies of individual members were to challenge us as appreciators and supporters of the musical effort, doesn't it make sense that this "distillation" process would continue even onstage in live performance situations? It does to me. And, I don't believe this is intended by any of the individual band members; I think it comes out more as a sort of shared aftereffect that both musicians and audiences undergo simultane- ously, if not together. So, the "audience distillation theorem" sounds pretty good, and even has the ring of Truth -- to MY ears and observations. But then, as one who has attempted to play music before live onstage with a band and who is now continuing in a refining process of his own, I think it's simply one of the side effects of attempting to play music: the music distills you more thoroughly than the behaviour of a musician onstage ever could. It is my considered opinion, though carefully considered through rea- ding quite a few of Robert's individual diary entries, that Robert has experienced music as many things, among them a process of catalysation within the self; i.e. if you really LISTEN THROUGH the music, it might give you more than just the notes that you hear. Indeed, many of the individual band members' diaries hint at this same sort of view; perhaps they even share this view collectively. But if not, more than one of KC's band members have brought the question up, and it is an intriguing question, to me: In listening to/experiencing music, especially during a live performance, how could you NOT make the effort to hear under- neath the surface? How could you NOT make the effort to experience more? Isn't that part of what live performance is about? Isn't that part of what music is about, period? And while Robert's written words have given me a few different points to consider in the overall question of "What is music", I have explored many more possibilities and points on my own, sometimes led down a cer- tain thought trail by a remark someone has made, an interview of a par- ticular musician, or by someone observing how I interact with music. Like KC's members, I have given careful consideration to many diffe- rent views of music, though I have read very little on the subject and have developed and used my own thought processes in those considera- tions. MY only conclusion that I can offer about music is that music is one of the few voices of the Divine Being that we haven't totally tuned out yet. We haven't learned how to shut it off. We have no clue how to silence it. And, thankfully, most of us don't really want to. We may not like what all the different dialects have to say, how it says it, and how certain people use and/or abuse these dialects, but we still want the overall contact of music. Some people just want to hear a tune that sounds decent. Some of us want so much more. Music, from my experiences, has that more to give, and even wants to. And, like anything else worthwhile, we have to give more to get more. So, Scott, my question to you and anyone else interested is: WHO or WHAT is really doing this "distillation" to us? Is it really Robert or any other band member? I personally don't think so; they have better things to do -- like, attempt to play music. I personally believe that it's the music that "distills" you; I've been thinking the words "sculp- ting" or "tempering" perhaps may fit better for how I experience the process, but "distillation" is an excellent description nonetheless. Of course, I must allow for the possibility that I could be wrong, but I don't think OR feel as though I am. I may have given an answer, or stumbled onto part of a much bigger answer... Anyone else care to share any thoughts on this? Dialogue would be most welcome on the subject; either privately OR on here. To all ETers and all of KC's brood past and present, have a good new year. I hope for all of us that it only gets better from here. Best Wishes, Trey Five Winds ------------------------------ Date: Saturday, 29 Dec 2001 10:35:32 From: Annajs3 at aol dot com Subject: why such a vast variation in reviews? I can only offer my honest opinion in reference to the above question. The reason there is such a variation in show reviews is this; some people attending are true music enthusiasts arriving with no expectations and some are pompous jackasses. I had the pleasure of being sandwiched between a few of these "fans" both during the show and exiting the venue after, all of them complaining, "the set was too short, they didn't play enough old stuff, they all seemed tired," etc. Why not just say, I paid my hard-earned money and the band didn't jump through hoops for me? Please, let's all reevaluate why we attend concerts and choose our bands accordingly. By the way, I'm sorry I did not attend both shows in New York City. The 14th at the Beacon was as inspiring as my first KC show in 1995. Anna J. ------------------------------ Date: Saturday, 29 Dec 2001 09:53:21 From: dose2000 at msn dot com (LAVERNE MUNARI) Subject: I need help from any USA ET'er!/More on Niacin & RED! I realize this has nothing to do w/ET but I don't know where else to go for help!! Help, I was up early 7am Central time, tv chanel surfing, when I happened upon this AMAZING tv show on the BET Jazz chanel, but my new digital cable was all fucked up & I could not get this show, and I need help to buy or trade anything for it! It was on Bet Jazz but called "World Music" and was an hour long incredible show featuring "The Band From Utopia" all ex members of Frank Zappa's band playing his music. It was amazing as it was like a 15 peice band, with Ike Willis-Vinney Colauita-Tommy Mars-Mike Keaneally-Ed Mann-Bruce Fowler-Ed Palumbo-Bob Harris-Chad Wackerman, many more. They did great UNCENSORED versions of "The Illinois Enema Bandit"-"Easy Meat"-"Uncle Meat"-"Andy", & Others I could'nt catch, cause the picture & sound were going spazztic! As I mentioned, I want this bad & cannot find a schedule for replay on their website(I may be overlooking it somehow, but I doubt it?)the only possible good thing is it appeared several years old(Vinney had more & long hair & other stuff)so hopefully someone out there recorded it before? Or this morning? So PLEASE, contact me privately and i'll either pay you for a dub, or trade you something great in return! I have a damn good quality copy of 81's "Friday's" KC performance, a 40 min. "Oysterhead" tv performance, & lots more, so get ahold of me!!(The "Friday's" show was recorded 20 years ago on a Beta machine but transfers wonderfully to VHS!(I got a Beta recorder in 79!) Lastly to follow up on a thread I began, Niacin's new release "Time Crunch" has an 8+ min version of RED on which Shehan states, "The song always carried a good deal of menace, but filtering it thru the thick Niacin tone, it sounds positively terrifying!" Niacin also does an incredible cover of Jan Hammer's, "Blue Wind". Besides these 2, there are 9 other asskicking songs on the cd! Buy it! I REALLY need your help, thanks in advance, Steven Munari "To Be Sad Is a Mad Way to Be" Ian Anderson a very early Tull song ------------------------------ Date: Saturday, 29 Dec 2001 17:58:10 From: mrtea at mac dot com (Mr Tea) Subject: Elephant Talk #925 This from Elephant Talk at @1031 on Fri, Dec 28, 2001 >If anybody can give me an idea about the authenticity of this CD >version, I would really appreciate it. Hi Brian. Yes, it's the real deal - basically an expanded version of the LP. The LP was released first, in a limited edition of 1000 as you were informed, and no indication was given at the time of release that a CD containing the same material would be coming out. So, keep the vinyl as a precious artefact (it surely is) and buy the CD for listening to... Mr Tea -- "Always remember to warm the pot." ------------------------------ Date: Friday, 28 Dec 2001 17:53:17 From: scottst at ohsu dot edu (Scott Steele) Subject: Virgil Donati; Planet X; Apocalyptica; orchestral Crimson; > and the most incredible drummer to "burst" onto the music scene in 6 > yrs. the possible ALIEN (in terms of other Worldly) Virgil Donati , who > also writes alot of the music & is hands down THE fastest double bass > drummer, whether it be on 2 bass drums, or a dbl pedal. Well, he is pretty alien, coming from Australia and all. But he sure is a good player, I'll go with you there. I love his record Just Add Water with Scott Henderson and Ricc Fibracci. > It's hard to try & catagorize the mus ic of Planet X but IMHO, folks > who like where KC is going will also love the extremely HEAVY > (somewhat metalic) structured (but w/alot of improvosation) progressive > (I know;-) fusion meets metal, meets great compositions. It just has to > be heard to be understood, & loved! I think some KC fans would like Planet X but I think they share more with Dream Theater than they do KC. > After hearing once again Apocalyptica doing their beautiful renditions > of Metallica tunes I was wondering if these Finnish lads ever > considered doing an album of KC tunes( Red and LTIA I, III would be > great!) or- how about collaborating with KC? I can see it now ... KC > unplugged.... It would be much better than some conservative symphony > trying their take on Fripp and co.! Apocalyptica has a real metallic sound that would suit Crimson music. Their cellos are amplified. Vvvvvvt. I don't yet own the newest record by Mr. McFall's Chamber, and it's name escapes me, but there are fantastic versions of Matte Kudasai (Adrian's slide guitar realized by musical saw!) and The Sheltering Sky on it. Maybe someone who knows the title of this record and how to obtain it will chime in here. I agree strongly that the time is right for a release of Crimson music arranged for string orchestra, or full orchestra if it can be funded. I hope that Mr. Keeling plays a big part in it, because he seems closer to the project than anyone else, and judging from his own recorded music and analytical work, he has the best ears to hear it and realize it. There are so many Crimson tunes that deserve this treatment that I wish for a 2-CD set of them. But Fracture is the one that I've always wanted to hear arranged for string quartet, that would just send me. >I have a copy of the GG&F Metamorphosis on vinyl, which is the >unreleased "Brondesbury tapes" from '67-68. This is apparently a >limited edition pressing of 1000 vinyl copies (of which I have #476). I >bought it at a record show back in August for $28 (which I was assured >was a very good deal!) Probably was. >Now on ebay, there is presently a "supposed" CD version of this same >album entitled "Giles Giles & Fripp - Brondesbury Tapes 1968". This has been released by Voiceprint, you don't have to go to E-Bay to get it. DGM is even selling it now. >I say "supposed" because I had no idea that it was ever put onto CD >(since the dealer at that time said it had never been pressed to CD). >The seller states that it is INDEED an "official release" and NOT a CD-R >copy. But I just wanna make sure... The CD is much longer (has more stuff on it). Get it if you can. >I know maybe Sid had a limit set by his publishers at Helter Skelter to >keep his book at a maximum page length or whatever. I figure he was working under that sort of restriction. That was my only problem with the book, I wish it had been longer. I devoured it in just a couple of days. >Hey, this fine, well-documented and accountative bio is 1000 times >better than not having a Crimso bio at all, right?!! :) Yes sir, that is really right on. - S. np: Nothing! Time to go home now scottst at ohsu dot edu ------------------------------ End of Elephant-Talk Digest #926 ********************************