King Crimson - "THRAK" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered 2019/1995 (Discipline Global Mobile)

I wrote about King Crimson's 1995 album "THRAK" a little awhile ago, concerning the CD release of this album. Listening to it again (and again) "THRAK" is King Crimson's best album. The sound of two guitars (or more overdubs), two basses, and two drummers, in other words, a double-trio setting makes the sound hard with moments of softness that is truly beautiful. "Coda: Marine 475 is like the greatest Yardbirds rave-up within under three-minutes. I have never been a mega-fan of Adrian Belew's writing, but here he shines as both writer and guitarist. "THRAK" is an accurate title to this work, because that is the overall sound of the album. 

The music is orchestral and very contained in the hands of Robert Fripp and company. Fripp is the Duke Ellington of this band, and he knows how to obtain a singular focus, while still showing each musician's character and trademark. Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto work brilliantly together to give loose almost chaotic rhythms to match the sweetness and mostly the harshness of the guitars. My favorite guitar albums are the first Television and Feelies albums, and "THRAK" is another excellent guitar record. 

King Crimson - "THRAK" CD, Album, 1995 (Virgin)

I have entered into the forbidden.  For the past year or so, I  have been listening to King Crimson, a band that I once avoided due that I couldn't stand the word "Prog."   Prejudice is an ugly thing to have in one's life, but in my fashion, I slowly started listening to the first five King Crimson albums and realized that I enjoy the music due to the intensity of the band's playing, but also their compositional streak.  In a way, it reminds me of Duke Ellington, not in style, but the fact that Robert Fripp has firm control of the band, but yet allows each musician to participate in the overall sound of the project on hand. "THRAK" is the only album I have that features guitarist and lyricist Adrian Belew in the King Crimson line up.

"THRAK" is a right name for this album, because that is what it sounds like.  It's a tense, textural record with incredible percussion flourishes, but also the intensity of the guitars riffing against each other, but with the overall approach of Fripp's soundscaping, that in a sense is the foundation of this work.   Of the King Crimson albums I own and listened to, "THRAK" is by far the heaviest due to the force of the instrumentals and some of the vocal works.  As usual, I think the weak link to King Crimson is the lyrics.  Whatever it is by Belew or others, it seems to be second thought compared to the sound of the music.   

Moreover, it's the sound of the recording and arrangements that give it a full sonic plate.   The beauty of Fripp and company is that they do look back, but always go forward.  The unique line up of a double trio or having two percussionists (Pat Mastelotto & Bill Bruford), two bassists (Tony Levin & Trey Gunn), two guitarists (Fripp & Belew), is that it's not a mess, but again, like an Ellington big band, it fits the entire motif of the big sound. 

King Crimson - "Starless and Bible Black" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2015/1974 (Discipline Global Mobile)

Listening to King Crimson in 2018 is connecting the dots between Roxy Music, King Crimson, and what-the-hell-is Prog Rock.  John Wetton played with Roxy Music as their (one of many) bassists and I also remember he toured with Bryan Ferry (In Your Mind) tour.  And of course, the Eno/Fripp matchup during the time of this album "Starless and Bible Black."  It's not that all the musicians are masters of their instruments (which they are, of course) but more of the fact that they are brilliant arrangements at work.  The textures between almost silence and thrash come in equal doses.  

"Fracture" at 11 minutes is a relationship that's taking place between percussion, violin, and Fripp's guitars.  At times it reminds me of a Looney Tunes soundtrack, or something off from the Beach Boys' "Smile," with respect to chimes looming in the front and back.  Wetton's bass is the foundation, and I want to add, like their next album, "Red," his playing is aggressive, but knows how to frame the song in such a manner as Thelonious Monk sketching out the melody.  At times, he sounds like a jet about to leave the airport.   As they are rocking, one of them yelps, which seems almost out of place in the sterile cold world of King Crimson.   

Just focusing on "Fracture" makes it sound that is it, but the whole album is remarkable.  The noise they make is big, grand, and at times, there are Chinese melodies that slips in the heaviness.  Michael Nyman Band also comes to mind as well, with the intensity of its speed, and again, at least in the early recordings by Nyman, a very aggressive electric bass, that sounds incredible with the strings/horns.    The four members of King Crimson, David Cross (violin), Bill Bruford (percussion), and of course Fripp and Wetton, I think were the best version of King Crimson.   Roughly this combo made three albums.   It's music that is grounded in 1974 because one senses that something else will come upon the world,  punk/No Wave.   And I think King Crimson was at the entrance waiting to open up to that world with welcoming arms.  Also one should note the beautiful cover by Tom Phillips, who has associations with the British experimental music world, as well as being a great artist. 

King Crimson - "Red" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1974/2013 (Discipline Global Mobile)

I've avoided King Crimson ever since their first album. I admired and loved the Eno/Fripp albums as well as Robert Fripp's contributions to David Bowie's "Heroes" album, yet when it came to King Crimson, I felt like that was the Jets hangout, when I was clearly a member of The Sharks.  It wasn't until a few hours ago that under either a condition of boredom or being adventurism (or both) that I went to Amoeba and purchased "Red."

I played the album once so far, and I love it.  What surprised me, and it shouldn't have, is the connection between Roxy Music and King Crimson.   I know that Bryan Ferry was once going to audition to be their lead singer, and of course the Eno/Fripp connection as well.  But listening to "Red" reminds me of some of the longer instrumental passages of the first two Roxy albums.  It's more in that line than say garden-variety prog rock.  Fripp is exceptional of course, but John Wetton's bass playing is incredible.  A very aggressive heavy sound from that instrument that reminds me a bit of John Entwhistle or traces of a punk aesthetic concerning the noise of the bass.  Michael Nyman in his orchestra had a heavy electric bass player as well, that also stands out in such a manner. 

"Red" is a classic album, in that there are no wasted moments and all five songs are equally placed in a position that makes the album seem more like a novella than a big novel.  The beauty or strength of King Crimson and on this album is the textural playing by all musicians.  There is a riff orientation that goes through here, but also a gentle melody here and there that gives the material tension.  Fripp broke up the band right after recording "Red," I think due to the issues of the band being tied down to its prog-rock image, as well as Fripp being curious to explore the world of New York City's punk/post-punk/ no wave scene.  He didn't need to break up this band. It would have been at home in lower Manhattan. 

Yes - "The Yes Album" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1971 (Atlantic)

Taft High School.  That should be the title of "The Yes Album."  I never owned this album due that every student at Taft High School had a copy of this record.   I kind of liked it that I was the 'only' person on that campus who didn't have a Yes album, especially "The Yes Album."  Overall my teenage life got better in the year 1971.  I loathe my Junior High School, but I have very few complaints about Taft.  The fact that I was fundamentally a C- student throughout the three years there, yet my social life was total straight A's.  The girls were pretty, the guys intriguing, and to base one's whole day on lunchtime at Taft was my primary goal on a daily basis.   So in that sense, I was a total success.  Still, I avoided "The Yes Album" like the plague. 

It wasn't until the year 2017 that I realized that I'm a snob.  If a great percentage of the population likes something, I'll hate it.  Clearly, as a teenager, Yes (the band)  was a major part of the machinery of teenage life.  All five members of Yes (at the time) were extremely great musicians, so it was the first fling of a well-tuned and proper recording artist that one can respect for their skills.   The thing was, I never cared for skilled musicians at the time.  I was more impressed with the imagery of a band or artist than how will they put together a song.  

Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass), Bill Bruford (drums), Jon Anderson (vocals) and Tony Kaye (keyboards).   One can swear that all of them had proper music lessons as children.  The truth is, when one wasn't looking, I secretly admired their songs when it was played on the FM radio.   I liked "All Good People."   Even now, not listening to the album, I can hear the whole track in my mind.  It's the perfect pop ditty that stays in one's head, even when they are taking a hot bath, and your brain is just floating on top of the oiled bath water.   

A few months ago I found this album at Rockaway Records (in Silver Lake) for $4.99.  I couldn't resist buying the album.  The odd thing is that I didn't even pause and think about it, I just took it to the counter and bought "The Yes Album."  I would like to think that it was nostalgia that made me buy it, but more like an unfinished business with my past.   I was curious what a 63-year-old man would think, and how different was it from a 15-year-old teenager's ears.   To my surprise, the album doesn't suck.   For sure, the price of admission is worth it just for "Starship Trooper."  A song in three separate parts, each written by a member of the band.  The classic part is "Würm" by guitarist Steve Howe. It's a proper guitar rave-up that is catchy but also builds in intensity.   That one piece alone makes this album 'almost' essential, and it would be if I weren't such a snob. 

"Yours is No Disgrace" and "I've Seen All Good People" is pretty great as well.  But to be honest, I consistently play "Würm" over and over again.  It's almost a meditative piece of work for me.  I like to write to the music when it's background noise.  The other interesting thing about "The Yes Album" is that I feel it's the foundation for David Bowie's "Station to Station" album.  Tony Kaye who played with Yes, also worked with Bowie on "Station to Station."  Musically not the same, but the format of the album with its many themes and only having six songs strikes me as a work that influenced "Station to Station."  At this point and time, I have no interest in checking out the rest of Yes' catalog.  I think "The Yes Album" is good enough.