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From: manheimer@nbs-amrf.UUCP (Ken Manheimer)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: seeking long/varied rock pieces (Crimson!)
Message-ID: <466@nbs-amrf.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Mar-85 12:13:19 EST
Article-I.D.: nbs-amrf.466
Posted: Wed Mar 13 12:13:19 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Mar-85 03:36:45 EST
References: <366@abnji.UUCP>, <460@nbs-amrf.UUCP>
Organization: National Bureau of Standards
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In-Reply-To: Jeffrey Allred's message of Tue, 12 Mar 85 155152 EST

> A friend of mine talked me into buying a King Crimson tape
> because "they are just like Rush, but with a better drummer"
> ... 
> Is all there music in this style or is it just my
> imagination?

I don't really havn't been too caught by Rush, so maybe Crimson has a
different appeal.  Crimson's music has great diversity in some ways,
especially with all the personnel changes, but also tends to have a
consistent deliberate intensity, and maybe peculiarity, that
characterizes it.  Some of their (sp.) albums are more overtly out than
others, if that's what you're asking.

I don't care much for some of their early albums, excluding the first
(In the Court of The Crimson King, with among others Greg Lake, for all
of you ELP fans, a great great first album).  I wouldn't particularly
recommend "Wake of Posoidon"; it seemed sort of monotonous to me and
never seemed to get beyond that (though I havn't come across it in a
long time, so my opinion may be different now).  Bill Bruford is not on
that album, though, so that's probably not the one you're referring to.
Another candidate, which includes Bruford, is "Starless and Bible
Black", which I happen to think very highly of.  The second side
consists of two lengthy, highly improvised pieces which are relatively
outside (i.e. as opposed to mainstream); they work at a level where you
need to devote energy to really hear what's going on. In contrast, the
stuff on Larks Tongues works at many levels, at least for me, and is
almost always satisfying (i.e. pulls me in without so much deliberate
effort on my part).  Whether quickly accessible or not, there is *much*
music in this style.  I find more music (whatever that means) in a few
of King Crimson albums than in *most other art rock albums added
together*.  (Probably excluding some less metallic art rock like henry cow,
hatfield in the north, etc.)

By the way, I goofed in my original message - the tune I was referring
to on "Larks Tongues in Aspic" is called "Larks Tongues in Aspic part
I" and runs a total of 13 minutes, including a 2:09 minute coda
(instead of 6 minutes with 2 to 3 minute coda).

One other little note, with regard to all the (getting kind of
redundant) references to Yes/Oldfield/etc in response to the
long/varied song query - some reviewer (I don't have the reference
handy) once characterized the contrast between Crimson and Yes this way -

"While Yes marvels at the world, Crimson grabs it by the balls."

So, a little flame howzabout?

oops,

Ken Manheimer		seismo!nbs-amrf!manheimer
			(everything leaks)