The King Crimson studio album poll

Yeah I just dug out my Frame by Frame box, the booklet is indeed the Young Persons booklet updated to 1991. And very nice it is too.

I bet that's a great read. What is in the Great Deceiver notes? I'm contemplating forking over some money for it.

Looking back over that YPG booklet really took me back -- and made me think about that ageless tension in King Crimson between the music and the words. I find myself periodically getting absorbed in the first four records -- and oddly enough, the Sinfield lyrics are usually a big reason why. I saw some website years ago that "interpreted" them—explaining all the literary references and so forth—and while they're florid to a ludicrous degree, their sense of unbridled ambition is kind of refreshing in today's day and age -- kind of charmingly quaint. Don't get me wrong -- there are definitely some clunkers ("The Letter" is a big one) -- and several go well beyond outlandish to the point of confused ("Lizard"). Still, I'm usually surprised at how well the lyrics fit with the music and how evocative their imagery is. Quite frankly, they make me think far more than the author of ELP's "Taste of My Love" has any real right to.

And while I'm no vinyl purist by any means, I would add that the gatefolds are critical to the overall listening experience -- for the first three records anyway. While mine got waterdamaged years ago, I particularly loved listening along to my big glossy copy of Poseidon.

I know this is unrelated, but I asked this in a thread already, did you ever wind up listening to Love Beach??

Didn't somebody do a "Taste of My Love" poll? That's the only track I've heard, and it is truly hilarious.

(xpost) Were the British LP jackets glossy? Poseidon in the US was soft and fuzzy-ish.

Aw man, I love "The Letters", but yeah, totally florid.

I'm flicking through the Great Deceiver one now. It's not quite as nice as the FbF one because it's longbox shaped.

Let's see now. There's an essay by Fripp about playing live. Extracts from his diary in 1974. A bunch of liner notes by various critics. Lots of published reviews of FbF. And a sprinkling of live photos, which are mostly a bit underwhelming.

On the lyrics, I've always found Richard Palmer-James's to be more interesting than Sinfield's. That yearning, lyrical quality suits Wetton's voice well.

I know this is unrelated, but I asked this in a thread already, did you ever wind up listening to Love Beach??

Of course not.

So...that decscription (very appreciated, btw) doesn't make it sound like The Great Deceiver is necessarily worth buying for the book alone -- right, anagram?

I think all his liner notes have been a great teaser for the book he's finishing up now. I wonder what the ratio of bile to joy is going to be.

I shouldn't say "finishing up" -- "still in progress," rather.

So...that decscription (very appreciated, btw) doesn't make it sound like The Great Deceiver is necessarily worth buying for the book alone

I would say yes, don't buy it for the book alone. The music's great too though, of course!

I would say that TGD is an essential KC release.

And while I'm no vinyl purist by any means, I would add that the gatefolds are critical to the overall listening experience -- for the first three records anyway. While mine got waterdamaged years ago, I particularly loved listening along to my big glossy copy of Poseidon.

Yep, absolutely, those albums are completely diminished without the vinyl gatefolds. My copy of Lizard has the gilded lettering and everything. So disappointing to pull out the CD with the plain printed cover or, worse, play it on the ipod.

Listening to one of the Denver Collector's Club releases right now from '72 w Boz, Mel Collins, etc. And I gotta say, while it's a million miles from the Lark's lineup, this was a great band. The version of "Cirkus" on this with the dueling Mellotrons on the break with Wallace playing this spartan death march to Hell is a complete mindfuck.

Listening now to the unexpurgated Asbury Park for the first time, it's disorienting--Cross' Mellotron is waaaay louder in the mix. Weird like listening to the unedited In A Silent Way sessions, hearing something I love inside of something that didn't previously exist. I'm honestly not sure if I like it, fascinating though it is.

I've always wondered how Eddie Jobson overdubbed his parts on USA. I mean, it's a live album. Also, why? Was David Cross' performance subpar? And if so, why release that of all shows? Same goes for Earthbound. Makes me wonder if both releases were some kind of grand joke on the bands and/or label. Has Fripp ever said anything?

I think Cross & Fripp had had it out by that point. I don't know about the overdubbing on Earthbound--actually I wasn't aware of any. I can tell you after having listened to the entirety of the Asbury Park show that it's one of their best, with ace sound quality to boot.

Sorry, I didn't mean overdubbing on Earthbound -- just releasing a live album of a band that wasn't really representative of said band.

I'd really love to hear the whole show. Seems like a bunch of the ones right near the end--Providence, Asbury Park, Central Park--are among the best.

Btw, the remixed Lizard is pretty great -- thx for sharing. The run-through of "Lady of the Dancing Water" with the different chords is particularly interesting.

Now I'm confused. I just read that when Fripp re-released USA as part of the 30th/40th Anniversary editions, since all the performances bar one had been from Asbury Park, he just decided to add "Fracture" and "Starless" from that show to the reissue and replace said performance ("Schizoid Man") to make it a complete Asbury Park show. So what's different about it from the Collectors Club edition you heard, Sparkle Motion? The mixes? The Presence of Eddie Jobson?

I've always wondered how Eddie Jobson overdubbed his parts on USA. I mean, it's a live album.

IIRC David Cross originally played on the USA album, but was overdubbed by Jobson due to a record company issue. You see this on a few 70's and 80's-era live albums where one performer is under a different contract and has to be overdubbed.

My instinct tells me that can't be true, as Cross is all over the record. But then, w/o looking at my vinyl, I can't remember whether he's credited as a full member or as an additional performer.

To add to the confusion, I just dl'd the USA 30th Anniversary edition to hear the complete Asbury Park concert and..."Easy Money" still fades out.

Yeah, I've been doing some research and it looks like Cross does appear on a few of the tracks. Now I'm not really sure what happened - maybe Fripp felt like his playing was substandard on the others? Perhaps it wasn't recorded well? Not sure where I heard the record company thing but it seemed plausible as I have a few other live albums on which this happens.

I haven't done a proper A/B comparison between USA and the Asbury Park KCCC release...but the track "Asbury Park" sounds substantially different. For years my copy of USA was a vinyl rip bootleg, well before the 30th Anniversary releases (which RF relented to just putting USA & Earthbound out as they had been originally released, Easy Money fadeout and all). The sound on that boot was decent, but the 30th Anniversary edition was cleaned up to the point where Cross' playing was more pronounced--this is the version I included on V.3 of the comp set.
The newer one is all the more exposed, I don't know if it's a matter of mixing, or editing, or both. Jobson only appears on USA on 3 tracks: LTIA II, Schizoid Man, and Lament. In any event I can say that the sound is killer on the Asbury Park complete show, and the band is incredibly tight. It's really a shame they didn't make more music after Red.

Wow, this new Lizard is actually pretty good

I had not previously heard ANY of that guitar in "Indoor Games" and I've heard the album like 20 times

They really did an awesome job with this

Just picked up the David Cross solo album "Exiles" (1997 I think...?) - it's actually kind of good. Not really what you'd expect from a violinist's solo album - it's actually quite heavy, with a good dose of Fripp and some other guitarists. It does have a remake of "Exiles" with Wetton, which is decent (but has some weird techno shit in it that doesn't really take), and has Pete Hammill on a couple of tracks. My first impression is that it's at least as good as anything Crimson released from the 90's on. Though there really isn't much of an "identity" here. Anyway just thought I'd let you guys know.

I don't remember much from it. I did listen to an earlier one from the 80s called Memos From Purgatory--it had some typical era-specific production touches, but wasn't bad overall.
You know, the Larks Tongues group are all still around--maybe they should give it another go...

Wetton has openly questioned whether he has the energy at 60 or whatever to play like that anymore. And Bruford sounds Fripp'd out.

Btw, was just reading these old pieces from the NME by Ian MacDonald in 1973 on Fripp's incorrigible sexual appetites (and apparently, prowess!). They have to be read to be believed -- and are kind of mind-blowing for anyone who's followed Fripp over the years and feels like they've pinned him down.

Fripp's incorrigible sexual appetites (and apparently, prowess!).

whaaaaaaa?!

doesn't he make a comment during one of the live albums like "a lot of lovely breasts in the club tonight" ?

"Ladies of the Road" was kind of about this

On the Denver live record mentioned upthread, Fripp introduces "Ladies of the Road" and wryly alludes to its subject matter -- when one of the band members hints at Fripp's contemporaneous exploits, Fripp's says simply: "This is a song of reminiscence."

He's always seemed so disinterested in lyrics that I figured he just put music to whatever words Sinfield, Palmer-James and Belew threw out there, regardless of subject matter. I knew he wasn't chaste in the early days of KC -- I read that he got treated for groupie-clap sometime in, uh, 1969? -- but "incorrigible sexual appetites" is a bit of a surprise.

xp -- well I'll be.

Well, you have to remember that 1969-1974 was THE time to form a progressive rock band if you were searching for groupies. I can only imagine how many of them followed ELP around in their prime!!

Like - even Steve Howe probably got some attention

this is cracking me up

This thread is about take a turn into pictures of Prog Beefcake, I can feel it

He's just always seemed like the kind of guy who managed to get out of his clothes once a year or less, and there were always tears afterward. Now I'm imagining the cops in Bredonborough getting nightly calls about the screams coming from Bobby 'n' Toyah's place.

Keep in mind he did hang around with Eno a lot, that might explain it

sexy helmet
http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/189c806224f8fbf1670775d07b45876e/1667766.jpg

There are some real "out of character" moments on the GG&F album too. I have no idea what the guy is really like. Even the people who write about meeting him all share wildly different stories about what he's like in person.

xpost Why do you think he hung around Eno? Surprised they didn't put out an album called "Sloppy Seconds."

cool sweatshirt
http://progressiverock.com/sites/default/files/images/fripp_and_eno1975.jpg?1305249257

"No Pussyfooting" was meant to be taken quiet literally

From Robert Fripp: The Sexual Athlete, by Ian MacDonald:

"What," I enquired, fully expecting a swift back-down, "was the best lay you ever had?"

Fripp stroked his chin, reflectively. "There are about four chicks involved in that – not, in this case, simultaneously. I have to admit. However, return with me if you will to my earliest days as a rock musician. I used to get complaints from Greg (Lake). Not directly, but I used to hear about them.

"You see, we shared this flat which was basically one room divided into two by a thin cardboard screen. It was, as you can imagine, not fit to live in. Anyway, Greg used to complain about the gasps and screams coming from my side of the partition and, I must admit, his women used to get on my nerves too. No comment on Gregory, just his women – but I decided to move out.

"The ensuing period of my homelessness in 1969 was one of the most rewarding of my life. I was continually thrown on the mercies and generosities of tender maidens. Oh those lovely situations. It was quite awful in one way – but quite beautiful in another."

...

"Of course, when one is young one has all these delusions of being the great stud and one is not interested in a harmonious relationship of giving and taking. But, I'm happy to say, those days for me are now long past and I have spent many fulfiling hours, even on this very lawn upon which I now recline, not only copulating but involved in various other activities.

"In fact I was lying here naked one day, a young lady in attendance, when my next-door neighbour, the chairman of the Rural District Council, popped his head over yonder hedge to inform me that I had Dutch Elm Disease."

"Of course, when one is young one has all these delusions of being the great stud and one is not interested in a harmonious relationship of giving and taking. But, I'm happy to say, those days for me are now long past and I have spent many fulfiling hours, even on this very lawn upon which I now recline, not only copulating but involved in various other activities.

"In fact I was lying here naked one day, a young lady in attendance, when my next-door neighbour, the chairman of the Rural District Council, popped his head over yonder hedge to inform me that I had Dutch Elm Disease.

"But America is the place for numbers really. We've just done all the sunshine areas. Now sunshine, what ever it does to anyone else, has the most alarming repercussions within me. Things happen to my body. I undergo chemical changes.

"I find myself drooling, my tongue hanging out, my mouth snapping together involuntarily, twitchings – obsessive thoughts – the lewd imagination develops.

"In fact, I've never seen so many delightful young bodies, both quantity and quality, within such a short space of time as the last month in America. I was overwhelmed. By the end of the tour, I came back unfit for anything, completely exhausted on every level of my being. Oh! Oh!

"Nowadays I say to the rest of the lads: Take my name off the list, lads, put me on the reserve list – only to be called up in dire emergency. Then, after an afternoon in the sun by a swimming-pool with all these young bodies hanging in and out of bikinis, I say: Lads, you've got to put me back on the list. And I'll be called up to action. Oh! Oh! The battles that are fought throughout the Holiday-Inns of America! Delightful."

...

AND ENO? What of the man that the groupies of three continents have come to know as The Refreshing Experience?

"Yes," nods Fripp, his glazed expression returning. "We're both incorrigible womanizers, both wonderful examples of young Taurian virility. It may interest you to see a certain picture which will be the cover for our joint recording effort, The Transcendental Music Corporation, featuring us both in a state of undress.

"We were intending to have with us certain similarly unclad females – but, on reflection, decided that this was but a feeble excuse to gaze upon the works of the creator made manifest in the flesh.

"So we decided that it was a far nicer idea to have Eno and myself in the nude as a small way of saying thank you to those ladies who have done what they can in the past to enable us to develop as men – and, hopefully, as an invitation to all those ladies in the future who'd like to help us develop even further."

so many abundant lols in there i don't even know where to begin c/p-ing

nothing appeals to tender maidens like enduring homelessness!

oh! oh!

feel like interviewers should ask this question more often.
"What," I enquired, fully expecting a swift back-down, "was the best lay you ever had?"

that's the question they want to be asked, really

though he never really answers it, does he? how Frippian to take a simple question and drone on for twenty minutes without formulating an answer.

He'll take it all the way to Dutch elm disease, but won't answer the question! On one hand, kudos for protecting the identity of his most magnificent maiden; on the other hand, I don't even honestly want to know what's on the other hand.

Is he always this hilarious?