The Condensed 21st Century Guide To King Crimson: 1969-2003

King Crimson

Discipline, 2006

http://www.dgmlive.com

REVIEW BY: Benjamin Ray

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/22/2014

Although there is nothing condensed about the title, this two disc collection is more or less the perfect sampler of one of the most creative, progressive and difficult cult bands of all time.

This sampler is whittled down from the four CD boxed set of the same name (hence the "condensed" part) and is aimed at those unfamiliar with the band or who only know a couple of songs from the 1969 debut In The Court Of The Crimson King. One disc is hardly enough to encapsulate all one needs to know about the band, and four discs is too much to ask for a neophyte, so Robert Fripp put together this two-disc set, and it is absolutely the perfect place to start, even more so than the actual albums.

The Crimson of 1969-1974, captured on the first disc, was a rotating lineup with guitarist Fripp the only constant, and much like a jazz ensemble, the music tended to suit each lineup's strengths, giving each album a different feel. From the classic debut comes the proto-metal scream of "21st Century Schizoid Man," the doomsday Mellotron epic "Epitaph" (sample lyric: "The fate of all mankind, I see / Is in the hands of fools") and the slightly truncated title track. The follow-up In The Wake Of Posiedon was a bit of a rehash of the debut, with two exceptions – the avant-garde, truly strange "Cat Food" and the lovely "Cadence And Cascade" – both of which are here. Lizard is wisely ignored and Islands, the final album with the semi-original lineup, offers the jazzy instrumental "Sailor's Tale" and the underwhelming "Ladies Of The Road," an ode to groupies that tries to blend blues, Beatles and raunch and fails on all levels.

Fripp pulled together a new quartet in 1973 and released the fan favorite my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Larks' Tongues In Aspic, a truly original work that blends heavy metal guitar, violin, quiet passages, shrieking electronics and John Wetton's vocals. Unfortunately, instead of picking "The Talking Drum" and the second part of the title cut, Fripp selects a short edit of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1" and the dull "Book of Saturday," which are hardly indicative of the rest of the record. From Starless And Bible Black comes "Fracture," which is fine, and then from the strong Red comes the flawless instrumental title track, the gorgeous opening section of "Starless" and the hard prog rock "Fallen Angel," which closes the disc. The latter selections are the best of their two albums, making this first disc more or less a "best of" that will hopefully cause the listener to explore the rest of these seven fascinating albums (save Lizard for last).

In 1981, Crimson reformed again with three new players, including Adrian Belew, who brought a skewed pop sensibility (from the Brian Eno/David Byrne school) and a dash of new wave and funk. Dialing down the keyboards but keeping the tricky time signatures and virtuosic playing, the band released the masterpiece Discipline. Fripp selected the title track, the beautiful "Matte Kudasai," the driving "Frame By Frame" and the offbeat "Elephant Talk," and although the "The Sheltering Sky" deserves to be here, too, its absence is understandable. The following two albums were not nearly as good, with the best of them – the darn-near pop song "Heartbeat," the funky "Sleepless" and "Three Of A Perfect Pair" all here, along with the dull "Neurotica" and "Waiting Man."

Then, in 1994, the same quartet added two new players for a "double trio" format and released the strong THRAK, which pays a debt to Red with "VROOOM" and "Coda: Marine 475" and then serves up "Dinosaur" and "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream." A huge mistake is made by excluding the absolutely beautiful duo of "One Time" and "Walking On Air," especially because the disc closes with six songs from the group's final album, The Power To Believe, which are fine but rarely rise to the heights of what has come before (save "Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With," a funny swipe at the then-current nu-metal and hard rock bands).

Nothing from the 2000 album The ConstruKction Of Light, the live ProjeKcts or any live material is included, but in a collection like this it's not really necessary. That said, those who enjoy this and are curious about the band's live prowess are encouraged to find one of the many concerts that Fripp has released over the years, especially the 1994 show B'BOOM. Listeners also are encouraged, as said above, to explore the band's full albums if they like the songs from that particular record or era.

The Condensed 21st Century Guide may not be perfect, but it comes pretty darn close in telling the story of this classic progressive rock band (a term that seems reductive even though the band was more progressive than most) and is highly recommended for newcomers or casual fans wanting to learn more.

Rating: A-

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