King Crimson

[mudshark]

Belew sings lead on City of Tiny Lights and Jones Crusher on both Sheik Yerbouti and Baby Snakes. Think he does a pretty good job there. And he plays well on one of the best albums ever (Remain In Light). Decent chap, that Adrian

[Matt Wilson]

Robert Fripp & Andy Summers I Advance Masked 1982
For those expecting a guitar summit between these two (at the time) six-string titans, the end result was a pleasant, rather than earth-shaking, experimental experience more akin to movie soundtrack music than anything else. Not exactly ambient in nature, like one of the Eno collaborations, more like Andy's intro to the Police's "Invisible Sun" with Robert soloing on top. Not every song fits that description, and you can certainly discern who's playing what (which I sometimes can't do with Belew/Fripp unless I'm watching a live video) but it more or less encompasses most of the tracks here. The two are the only musicians on the record.

Robert Fripp – electric guitars, Moog and Roland synthesizers, Roland guitar synthesizer, Fender bass, percussion
Andy Summers – electric guitars, Moog and Roland synthesizers, piano, Roland guitar synthesizer, Fender bass, percussion

All tracks are written by Andy Summers and Robert Fripp.

1. "I Advance Masked" 5:14
Lengthy (for this album) cut which introduces the two players' disparate styles. That layered "Invisible Sun" background functions almost as a piece of paper for Fripp's rhythmic scribbling/playing on top. Instrumental, as is the entire album. Robert starts a Crimson-like solo of sorts after the 2:30 mark.

2. "Under Bridges of Silence" 1:41
Percussive effects underscore this virtual link to the next track. I hear more Summers than Fripp.

3. "China – Yellow Leader" 7:09
One of the highlights, and a most Crimso-like feel to this longest of the tunes present. Rob playing a typical KC pattern over Andy's background noises. Some of this stuff really sounds like it could've been written as soundtrack music to an eighties film. It fades away before three minutes only to become another song entirely. More "Matte Kudasai" I guess, before Robert starts another pattern and we're off again. I like this one a lot.

4. "In the Cloud Forest" 2:30
Ephemeral duet between the two where you can easily distinguish who's playing what. Gentle, contemplative - one feels they knocked this one off in about as much time as it took to play it. Still pleasant though, and Fripp goes to town on his solo, but in a relaxes manner.

5. "New Marimba" 3:38
More frantic playing from Rob which could be a KC riff, but with Andy strumming underneath. Did Summers ever solo in a traditional manner? His playing with the Police was unique in that aspect as well. These last two tracks are the most similar in terms of structure, but they still don't sound the same. Fripp's fleet fingers have an almost McLaughlin-like dexterity.

Wikipedia: "Fripp and Summers recorded at the Arny's Shack studio in Parkstone, Dorset. According to Summers, the album was "a synthesis of two guys who grew up playing guitar, heard the Beatles, listened to jazz, have been influenced by Oriental music and Steve Reich, but still happen to be playing in a rock context. Every track started the same way, just two guitars. On some of them I played a little bass or put on a bit of percussion or string synthesizer. There are no drums but you don't miss them. Some of it is very accessible and some is very avant-garde".

6. "Girl on a Swing" 2:03
Another highlight where we have a delicate balance of ballad-like strumming from the Policeman with Fripp's meditative soloing on top. Again, I'm thinking an almost Japanese vibe is present.



7. "Hardy Country" 3:00
More of the same in terms of the "Invisible Sun" sounds with Robert's solos. By now you know what to expect with these tunes. It's all well-recorded, but one suspects had Andy Summers not been involved (his band being one of the biggest in the world at that time), this project wouldn't have got off the ground. Wonder which of them was doing the percussion as both are credited.

Wiki - "Summers and Fripp had met in Bournemouth in the early 1960s. Summers grew up in the town and was at the time the guitarist of the Zoot Money Big Roll Band. Fripp was attending the Bournemouth and Poole College, where he had enrolled to study economics, economic history and political history. When Fripp and his band the Majestic Dance Orchestra secured their first regular gig at the Bournemouth Majestic Hotel, they replaced Zoot Money and Andy Summers who had just moved to London. Fripp and Summers remained friends over the years, and as soon as they had a break in the touring and recording schedules of their respective bands, King Crimson and The Police, they met for some jams that eventually led to an album.

8. "The Truth of Skies" 2:07
This one starts off more Police than Crimson and if I had to choose a track more slanted to Andy than Robert, this would be it. It's also the closest to filler we've had so far.

9. "Painting and Dance" 3:24
A slower ambiance in the "Girl on a Swing" mode, with the two trading licks. I like this one! I painted my lips a garish red and danced around my apartment in a tutu in celebration of this tune. Or did I, is anyone even reading this?

10. "Still Point" 3:08
More of the same. At this point there aren't going to be any surprises to this LP. It's all nice, sometimes serene music good for background effect if nothing else. Fripp's patterns overlayed on Summer's background. Actually, it almost sounds like Andy is soloing over Robert's chords here, so what do I know?

11. "Lakeland/Aquarelle" 1:43
A gentler mood dominates this cut. The record is winding down (not that it ever worked up a head of steam to start with).

12. "Seven on Seven" 1:38
Another winding down track which doesn't sound like the previous one. Nobody is really stretching out here on this penultimate tune.

13. "Stultified" 1:25
Some Crimson chords, not much else.

"The cover painting is by American pop artist James Rizzi. The title track was released as a single with "Hardy Country" on the flip side." - Wiki

[ConnyOlivetti]

I Advance Masked
Great album
Was released digital on DMG some month ago
Both albums will se a re-release next year

[Matt Wilson]

Three of a Perfect Pair 1984
Better than Beat, still not as good as Discipline, this would be the last of the KC albums of the '80s. As usual with Fripp and various versions of Crimson, he'd begun to not get along with different band members. At first it was Bruford, later Belew - resulting in Robert pulling a George Harrison and leaving the sessions to go home for a few days after Adrian told him to leave the studio for awhile (this was during the recording of Beat). It's always interesting to read Fripp's pissy diaries which he kept for virtually the entirety of Crimso's existence to see how he was often disenchanted with being in a collective and the politics involved with dealing with the label and massaging the egos of group members. I guess we were lucky to get three LPs from the same band - something unheard of in the '70s with any iteration of Crimson. Anyway, this is a fine record, and even though all the earlier Heads comparisons still apply, our boys had carved out a niche for themselves which was unique and distinct. In concert, they were hellaciously good, as the Absent Lovers Live in Montreal, 1984 set illustrates.

Adrian Belew – fretted and fretless guitars, lead vocals
Robert Fripp – guitar, frippertronics
Tony Levin – bass guitar, chapman stick, synthesizer, backing vocals
Bill Bruford – acoustic and electric drums

All lyrics are written by Adrian Belew; all music is composed by Belew, Bill Bruford, Robert Fripp and Tony Levin.

The Left Side

1. "Three of a Perfect Pair" 4:13
"She is susceptible, she is impossible" sings David Byrne, er, Adrian Belew, in the great opening cut which starts the album off strong much like "Neal, and Jack and Me" did Beat. The best cuts on the last two albums are easily the equal of the tunes on Discipline. Thing is, there are less of them in my estimation.

Wiki - "Three of a Perfect Pair is the tenth studio album by English band King Crimson, released in March 1984 by record label E.G.. It is the final studio album to feature the quartet of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford."

2. "Model Man" 3:49
Easy-going beat where no one is pushed in a more commercial-sounding manner. Difficult to ascertain if this was a more pronounced attempt at being radio-friendly, or if it was just the direction the band was going in at the time. Sounds fine though.

"The album balances traditional song structures on side one (the "left side") with more free-form improvisation on side two (the "right side"), fitting somewhere between the experimental Discipline and the more commercially accessible Beat.

3. "Sleepless" 5:24
Levin's complicated bass riff (you need to see this performed live) begins one of the standouts of the record. Something like this really should have been more successful on the air waves. Wiki: "Sleepless" is a song by the band King Crimson, released as a single in 1984. The track is best known for its distinctive opening bassline which features Tony Levin slapping on the strings to create a pulsating beat, and for the music video in which all four members of the band appeared."

4. "Man with an Open Heart" 3:05
Another one they performed live a lot, so it's grown on me considerably. More of what sounds like Japanese motifs pepper this musical salad and I can imagine this being another radio song in a better 1984.

"The "other side" on the 2001 CD remaster consists of instrumental material from the 1983 sessions, and a 1989 a cappella recording (first published in the 1991 Frame By Frame box set) in which all four members supposedly perform a humorous barbershop quartet that is really Tony Levin singing by himself, with the four part harmony achieved through overdubbing." - Wikipedia

5. "Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds)" (Instrumental) 4:47
Now, the background noises remind me of what Andy Summers did on most of the tracks on I Advance Masked, so was that an influence? Robert noodling on top. Filler, I guess, but not inoffensive. I hear Tony's chapman stick in full effect. All things considered, easily as good a first side as side one of Beat.



The Right Side

6. "Industry" (Instrumental) 7:04
The lengthiest cut to be found has a slow beginning, but then works up to a cacophony of noise which I'm sure the group was proud of.

Wiki - "The title of the album is based on the idea of “perfect opposites”, or his truth, her truth, and an objective truth (the idea of “three sides to every story”)."

Of course, in King Crimson there was always "Fripp's truth."

7. "Dig Me" 3:16
Funky guitar riffing (Fripp or Belew? I can't tell) highlights this short experimental tune which I enjoy. Wiki: "The hip hop duo Gang Starr would later sample the intro to "Dig Me" in their song "Words I Manifest (Remix)" from their 1989 debut album No More Mr. Nice Guy.

8. "No Warning" (Instrumental) 3:29
The last two tracks are wordless and all the better for that. Kind of space-filler, this serves as a warm up for the last cut.

"The Peter Willis designed artwork illustrates the sacred–profane dichotomy while being a simplified version of the Larks' Tongues in Aspic cover; a rising phallic object represents a male solar deity about to penetrate the crescent figure, a female lunar deity. According to Fripp, the artwork is “a presentation of a reconciliation of Western & Eastern Christianity..the front cover has the two elements, representing the male & female principles. The back cover has the third element drawing together & reconciling the preceding opposite terms”. - Wiki

9. "Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part III)" (Instrumental) 6:05
Now we're talking! The third installment of the "Larks' Tongues" trilogy sounds like classic Crimson to me. Robert cold rarely be bothered to come up with killer riffs like this, so when he does, I take notice.

Wiki: "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part III" was released as the closing track on 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair. This part marks a drastic shift in style from the previous two entries, being created a decade later with two new people, Adrian Belew, and Tony Levin, involved. Part III opens with the same melodic motif seen in parts I and II, but the rhythms and tones are significantly different, with Bruford playing a mix of acoustic and electronic drums. Greg Prato of AllMusic counted "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part III" as one of his favorite songs from Three of a Perfect Pair.

Released on 27 March 1984, Three of a Perfect Pair reached number 30 in the UK Albums Chart.

Trouser Press described it as "a most disjunct album from a band that prided itself on carefully matched contradictions. The Left Side sports four of Adrian Belew's poorer songs and a self-derivative instrumental; the flip is nearly all-instrumental, nearly free-form, nearly brilliant. [...] Apparently the Frippressive "discipline" that forged the critically acclaimed pop/art synthesis of the first two latter-day Crimson albums is not a permanent condition."

During an interview on BBC Radio 1 in 1984, Robert Fripp described the album's 'left' side as "accessible" and 'right' side as "excessive".

[ConnyOlivetti]

Another great write up.
Sadly I dont care for Beat or this one, the magic was gone.

[Matt Wilson]

I'm actually thinking of going up through Thrak on this thread, Conny.

[ConnyOlivetti]

I'm actually thinking of going up through Thrak on this thread, Conny.

If so, why not also the last two albums?
”The Power to believe” is one of their best, imho

[Matt Wilson]

I'm actually thinking of going up through Thrak on this thread, Conny.

If so, why not also the last two albums?
”The Power to believe” is one of their best, imho

Because I've never heard them.

[ConnyOlivetti]

I'm actually thinking of going up through Thrak on this thread, Conny.

If so, why not also the last two albums?
”The Power to believe” is one of their best, imho

Because I've never heard them.

Ah, fair point.
"The Construkction of Light" is really bad, so probably not worth your time
but I can strongly recommend "The Power to Believe"

[Matt Wilson]

I was going to finish up the '80s last week with either Bewitched or the album Robert made with Toyah, but some drama occurred on Thursday and that plan went out the window. I'm not overly fond of either LP anyway, so no loss. I want to finish up this Crimson thread this week and wanted to at least review something Fripp did in the '90s pre-Thrak, so it was either one of those League of Crafty Guitarists discs or the record he made with David Sylvian - none of which I own by the way. So I listened to Damage on youtube and decided on that.


Sylvian, Fripp - Damage 1994
There's two versions or mixes of this LP. The one pictured above is the original Fripp mix, which is the one I'm listening to on youtube, so that's the review you're going to get. It's a live performance with future members of Crimson (Trey and Mastelotto), and is an overall pleasing though not very progressive-sounding holding-pattern release which actually came up on Will Romano's list of top prog albums in his Mountains Come Out of the Sky book. That's what tipped the scales in favor of this over one of the League of Crafty Guitarists albums.

David Sylvian – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard instruments, tapes
Robert Fripp – Guitar, Frippertronics
Trey Gunn – Chapman Stick, Vocals
Michael Brook – Infinite Guitar
Pat Mastelotto – Drums

1. "Damage" (Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, David Sylvian) – 4:31
The first thing you notice about these songs is that the lyrics aren't necessarily fit for Crimson albums. This is a love song for starters. Also, Sylvian's voice is more conventional-sounding than what we're used to hearing Robert work with. Once properly prepared though, it's all pleasant background muzak, sorry, music. This one is a ballad and it moves slooooowly.

Wiki - "The songs "Damage" and "The First Day" were only released on this album, and no studio versions were ever released. "Blinding Light of Heaven", however, has a studio version on the limited edition third disc of Sylvian's compilation Everything and Nothing.

2. "God's Monkey" (David Bottrill, Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, David Sylvian) – 6:42
This is more like it. Funky, musical, and with a decidedly Crimson feel. I like David's voice too. Apparently, Fripp wanted him to sing with KC but Sylvian refused.

3. "Brightness Falls" (Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, David Sylvian) – 6:29
If anything, even more fitting a Crimso release. I can see why this project immediately preceded the reformation of the band. I may even prefer David's voice to Adrian's. Perhaps lacking King Crimson's complexity, this still satisfies.

"Damage is a live recording by David Sylvian and Robert Fripp. It was recorded on the "Road to Graceland" tour at London's Royal Albert Hall, December 1993." - Wikipedia

4. "Every Colour You Are" (Richard Barbieri, Steve Jansen, Mick Karn, David Sylvian) – 5:40
Experimental, with a slow build, this dark song about abject frustration leading to destruction wasn't written by any member of Crimson either past or future but ambles along nicely nonetheless. There's actually videos of the band playing these songs online.



5. "Firepower" (Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, David Sylvian) – 7:02
For some reason this rocker's lyrics remind me of Lou Reed's "The Blue Mask." Lengthy, with plenty of room for Robert's guitar.

Wiki: "This album, originally mixed by Fripp, was first released in 1994 as a limited edition box set: a 24-carat gold CD and 32-page colour booklet in a jewel box inside a cardboard slipcase. It was remixed by David Sylvian and re-released in standard jewel case packaging with different artwork on 10 September 2001."

6. "Gone to Earth" (Robert Fripp, David Sylvian) – 2:28
A seeming treatise on organized religion (I guess) is the shortest number on offer here.

7. "20th Century Dreaming (A Shaman's Song)" (Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, David Sylvian) – 8:03
Definite Crimson chords highlight this long contrast to the previous cut. Methinks the future double trio version of KC could've really made something out of this number.

Wiki: "Paul Stump, in his 1997 History of Progressive Rock, called Damage: Live "a wonder of elegiac splendour."

8. "Wave" (David Sylvian) – 6:11
Gorgeous tone to Fripp's guitar here illustrates the lyrics to the first love song since "Damage."



9. "River Man" (David Sylvian) – 5:01
Another slow build in a song where the protagonist is dreaming of being with his lover. Lots of atmosphere in these tunes. Kind of like Dylan's Oh Mercy vibe.

10. "Darshan (The Road to Graceland)" (David Bottrill, Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, David Sylvian) – 10:47
Funky rhythms percolate in the lengthiest cut on the disc. Almost a return to a Talking Heads flavor, but slower, more menacing, as befits Robert Fripp on the road to KC. Short, Haiku-like words. Cool cut, actually.

"The song "Darshan: The Road to Graceland" was replaced by "Jean the Birdman" on the reissued version as Sylvian believed that this track would fit in better with the rest, and the track order was slightly changed." - Wikipedia

11. "Blinding Light of Heaven" (Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, David Sylvian) – 4:15
I'm not gonna complain about another rocker with a pronounced Crimson feel. The singer isn't really feeling the connection with his woman by the sound of it. Join the club.

12. "The First Day" (Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, David Sylvian) – 4:44
The last track is another really sloooooow one, which bookends the disc with the first cut I imagine. Things were about to get better in Frippland soon.

[ConnyOlivetti]

Great album, prefer the original mix

[Matt Wilson]

VROOM 1994
Not exactly an LP, but longer than an EP, '94's VROOM was the first indication in ten years that the King Crimson name had been resurrected. All four members of the eighties lineup were still around and Robert had hired additional bassist Trey Gunn and another drummer, Pat Mastelloto (both of whom played on the Damage album) for a 'double trio' effect. These guys were monsters as a performing unit, and this little mini-album is great. In some ways I like it even more than THRAK.

Robert Fripp – guitar, soundscapes
Adrian Belew – guitar, lead vocals
Tony Levin – bass guitar, Chapman Stick, backing vocals
Trey Gunn – Chapman Stick
Bill Bruford – acoustic & electric drums, percussion
Pat Mastelotto – acoustic drums, percussion

All songs written by Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto

1. "Vrooom" – 7:34 (includes Coda: Marine 475, and a 0:17 unlisted 'Intro' piece on original releases)
Right away, we're thrust into an awesome display of KC power in this long version of a song which would be rerecorded and released on the LP in a shorter take. Fripp's crunchy chords haven't lost their ability to amaze and the stop and go time signatures tell us it's progressive. Tony's (or is it Trey's) bass lumbers along and parts of this almost feel like a garage band. Hell, yeah!

2. "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" – 4:42
This one definitely sounds like an Adrian number. His voice has lost the Byrne quality so prevalent in earlier years, and it's all the better for it. He's playing with the voice modulation in some parts like Greg Lake did in "21st Century Schizoid Man" so long ago.

Wiki - "Vrooom (stylised as VROOOM) is an EP by the band King Crimson, classified as a mini-album due to its length. It was released in 1994 as a companion to the subsequent full length album THRAK (1995). It is the first King Crimson release to feature the “double trio” of guitarists Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, bassists Trey Gunn and Tony Levin, and drummers Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto."

3. "Cage" – 1:36
Another Belew tune - short, and filled with words. Very cool though and there's an extended number which goes on for a couple of minutes longer.

4. "Thrak" – 7:19
Even more bone-crunching than "Vroom," this would be another one rerecorded and released in shortened form on next year's album. These numbers are in the "Red" vein of outstanding KC instrumentals which the band play the hell out of.

Wiki: "All of the tracks on Vrooom (with the exception of "Cage" and "When I Say Stop, Continue") were re-recorded for use on the Thrak album the following year."

5. "When I Say Stop, Continue" – 5:20
Belew's songs were all over this endeavor, and there's not a track here I don't really enjoy. If you've only heard THRAK, do yourself a favor and check this effort out.

6. "One Time" – 4:25
This one is actually longer on the LP, but I might still prefer this one, it's hard to tell. The VROOM mini-LP has been considered a taster for the upcoming LP in '95 over the years, but I think it's just as good in its own way.

"A series of instrumental improvisations recorded during the studio rehearsals for this album, were released five years later as The Vrooom Sessions." - Wikipedia

[Matt Wilson]

THRAK 1995
Yeah, this is better than Beat or even Three of a Perfect Pair in my never-less-than-humble estimation. The six musicians make quite a racket, and the songs are mostly all good. After touring this album Fripp and Buford had their usual falling out and the double trio version of KC was never to record again. Pity, as Genesis or Yes didn't make an album as good as this in the '90s, not to mention Emerson, Lake and Palmer, or any other golden era prog band I can think of. The quality control of Crimso's catalog is fairly consistent - and this is the reason I reviewed their CDs past the '80s; something I haven't done for any other band so far.

All lyrics are written by Adrian Belew, except "Coda: Marine 475" by Robert Fripp; all music is composed by Belew, Bill Bruford, Fripp, Trey Gunn, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto.

King Crimson
Robert Fripp – electric guitar, Mellotron, soundscapes
Adrian Belew – electric and acoustic guitars, lead vocals
Tony Levin – bass guitar, Chapman Stick, electric upright bass, backing vocals
Trey Gunn – Chapman Stick, Warr guitar, backing vocals
Bill Bruford – drums, percussion
Pat Mastelotto – drums, percussion

1. "Vrooom" (instrumental) 4:38
Same great tune as the one on VROOM, only a few minutes shorter. Two guitars (Fripp and Belew), two basses (Levin and Gunn), and two drummers (Bruford and Mastelotto), and I still say this sounds like something from the Red LP.

Wiki - "Recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, U.K. with producer David Bottrill, the recording presents the group in a series of unique ways. With the band consisting of two guitarists, two bassists and two drummers, the opening track begins with all six musicians in the center of the audio mix. As the album progresses, they are split into two trios, with one guitarist, bassist and drummer heard in the left channel and the other guitarist, bassist and drummer heard coming from the right channel."

2. "Coda: Marine 475" 2:42
This sounds like something from 1974 as well. Does anybody know what the numbers sung here are supposed to represent?

Wiki: "Thrak (stylised in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by the band King Crimson released in 1995 through Virgin Records. It was preceded by the mini-album Vrooom in 1994. It is their first full-length studio album since Three of a Perfect Pair eleven years earlier, and the only full album to feature the 1994-1997 lineup of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Trey Gunn, Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto.

3. "Dinosaur" 6:37
Awesome, hard-rockin' tune where Adrian gets to resurrect his Byrne voice (sorta). Blast this one, because it's as proggy as anything here.

Allmusic - The only progressive rock band from the '60s to be making new, vital, progressive music in the '90s, King Crimson returned from a ten-year exile in 1995 with THRAK, their first album since 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair. As with the '80s band, guitarist/ringleader Robert Fripp recruited singer/guitarist Adrian Belew, bassist Tony Levin, and drummer Bill Bruford for this incarnation of his classic band. However, he added to this familiar quartet two new members: Chapman Stick player Trey Gunn and ex-Mr. Mister drummer Pat Mastelotto. Effectively, Fripp created a "double trio," and the six musicians combine their instruments in extremely unique ways. The mix is very dense, overpoweringly so at times, but careful listens will reveal that each musician has his own place in each song; the denseness of the sound is by design, not the accidental result of too many cooks in the kitchen. Sometimes, as in "THRAK," the two trios are set against each other, in some sort of musical faux combat. In others, they just combine their respective sounds to massive effect. On "Dinosaur," perhaps the strongest track on the record, Mastelotto and Bruford set up an ominous tom-tom groove that supports an even more ominous guitar figure. The vocal, the musings of a long-dead sauropod, are vintage Belew, just as the freaky, falling-down-the-stairs solo in the middle is vintage Fripp.

4. "Walking on Air" 4:38
There's a more sedate approach here as a counterpoint to the controlled chaos of the previous tracks. Perhaps a "Matte Kudasai" vibe? Another highlight to me.

"Allusions to earlier Crimson abounds, such as the form of "VROOM," for example, which is suspiciously reminiscent of "Red" (from the 1974 album of the same name), or the shout-out to "The Sheltering Sky" (from 1981's Discipline) in "Walking on Air." Thankfully, this never gets annoying, but instead acts as a subtle nudge and a wink to faithful fans. King Crimson came back in a major way with THRAK, and proved that, even in its fourth major incarnation, Fripp and company still had something to say. High-quality prog." - Allmusic



5. "B'Boom" (instrumental) 4:11
Drum duet which serves as an interesting break from the proceedings. Pat usually provided the foundation while Bill was able to solo on top. A good deal of this disc is instrumental, as a lot of great KC albums are.

Allmusic - "Other high points include the drum duet "B'Boom" and the two Belew/Fripp "Inner Garden" pieces."

6. "Thrak" (instrumental) 3:59
More classic '90s Crimson. I probably prefer the VROOM versions of these songs, but one day I'm going to have to really play them side by side to determine once and for all.

7. "Inner Garden I" 1:47
Another gentle option to the fury of the other cuts. There's two versions of this song here, with this one making a stronger impression.

"Fashionable" was another instrumental from The Vrooom Sessions that was re-recorded at Real World Studios during the recording of Thrak. It features a guitar line reminiscent of David Bowie’s song, on which Fripp played in 1980. Despite being reworked with various additions and refinements by the band members, the upbeat piece ended up being dropped off the final album." - Wikipedia

8. "People" 5:53
Another major track on the disc. They don't sound like Talking Heads anymore, but rather have progressed into a kind of post-punk, prog band with elements of both. This could have been played on the radio.




9. "Radio I" (instrumental) 0:44
Sound effects piece serving as a bridge to the next track.

10. "One Time" 5:21
Slower number continuing the "People" vibe. Slightly less effective to these ears, but others love it, so there's that.

Wiki - "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" and "One Time" were developed at studio rehearsals for the 1994 Vrooom mini-album in Woodstock, New York during April and May 1994, shortly after the reformation of King Crimson. Instrumental outtakes and improvisations from these sessions would later be released as The Vrooom Sessions in 1999. "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" developed from the instrumental outtake "No Questions Asked", with a riff that differs significantly from the finished song later recorded at Real World Studios."

11. "Radio II" (instrumental) 1:03
Continuation of the earlier track. Filler, mostly.

12. "Inner Garden II" 1:16
And another continuation, or part II of a previous number. This is the slowest part of the album.




13. "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" 4:50
Charges of a lack of ideas are not usually heard when discussing THRAK, but it is weird that the band chose to rerecord so many songs which were released only the year before. Nonetheless, these versions are all good, and if you never bothered to check out VROOM, then...

14. "Vrooom Vrooom" (instrumental) 5:50
Another exciting display of pyrotechnics from our boys. I could listen to them play this viscous stuff all day.

15. "Vrooom Vrooom: Coda" (instrumental) 3:01
Exactly what it says, the coda, or end-piece to the previous cut and a fine way to end a great album.

[C]

Great work Matt.

Sorry I can't contribute





.

[Matt Wilson]

Not a fan of '90s Crimson?

[ConnyOlivetti]

Great album.
The next one is sadly really bad, but they come back with
possible their best album, ”The Power to Believe”

[Matt Wilson]

Great album.
The next one is sadly really bad, but they come back with
possible their best album, ”The Power to Believe”

The Power to Believe is "possibly their best album" ever?

Hmmmm, well, I guess I've got to hear it now. I need to hear Yes' Magnification too.

[C]

Not a fan of '90s Crimson?

No. Nothing post-Red




.

[Snarfyguy]

Another great write up.
Sadly I dont care for Beat or this one, the magic was gone.

I saw them around this time and I thought it was dismal.

Rote performance of not-that-good material with crappy outdoor sound.

[Matt Wilson]

Okay, I've been meaning to add to this thread for months now, but hadn't heard any of the post Thrak material. I picked up a copy of the Heaven & Earth box set, which has everything (I think) up through 2008 or thereabouts. It looks like this:



Aside from the two albums (ConstruKction of Light and The Power to Believe) and the two EPs (Happy with What You Have to be Happy With and Level Five), the live stuff and all the ProjeKcts (I'm not gonna even try to list them), there's various videos and other ephemera. Frankly, the box is exhausting. Just getting through the ProjeKcts and live discs would be over 60 hours of your life (it's two blu rays. I didn't even know blu rays could contain that much music). So what I'm gonna do is review the studio stuff (albums and EPs - though one is live) in my usual track-by-track masturbatory manner, and just pay lip service to everything else.

After Thrak, Fripp began to break the six-man KC into splinter groups he called "ProjeKcts" whereupon any combination of the group (but always with Robert, of course) could perform mostly improvisational material in a live setting.

Allow Wiki to take over: "ProjeKct One (1997)
(Robert Fripp - Guitar, Trey Gunn - Warr Guitar, Tony Levin - Bass, Bill Bruford - Drums)

ProjeKct One began as a suggestion by Bruford to Robert Fripp that they do some improvisational shows together. Fripp suggested adding Gunn, while Bruford suggested adding Tony Levin — four of the six members of King Crimson were now involved.

Fripp then developed the idea of "fraKctals": multiple different subsets of the band working separately as a way of developing new material for King Crimson, the band having been at something of a compositional impasse.

ProjeKct One performed four consecutive shows at the Jazz Cafe from 1 through 4 December 1997. All four concerts have been made available for download through DGMLive. These performances marked the end of Bruford's involvement with King Crimson in any form."


Live at the Jazz Cafe 1999


Jazz Cafe Suite 2003


London, Jazz Cafe, England, December 4, 1997 2005

This is the most difficult music any of the ProjeKcts performed. Purely improvisational - I mean the musicians didn't even know what they were going to play when they walked on stage. It's also the last Bruford-era of KC - as he and Robert simply couldn't get along after this.

Wiki again - "ProjeKct Two (1997–1998)
(Fripp, Gunn, Adrian Belew - V-Drums)

While ProjeKct One was the first of the sub-groups planned, ProjeKct Two actually convened and recorded first. It featured Fripp, Gunn and Adrian Belew on drums rather than guitar (his usual instrument with King Crimson). This configuration was unplanned, but when the group gathered at Belew's home studio to record, he had recently taken possession of the V-drums and Fripp was keen to experiment with their use. The group enjoyed the results enough that it was decided to keep this configuration for the whole course of the project.

They released the studio album Space Groove in 1998. Additionally, they performed thirty-five concerts between February and July 1998. As of 2 May 2011, twenty-six of these shows have been made available for download through DGMLive."


Space Groove 1998


Live Groove 1999


Live in Northampton, MA 2001


I.C. Light Music Tent, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2005


Live in Chicago, IL 2006

Easier to digest than the first ProjeKct, this is the one with Adrian on drums. Space Groove is a studio concoction, and the rest are live. Live Groove might actually be better than Space Groove, come to think of it. But honestly, after listening to this kind of music for a few hours, it all starts to sound the same...

Wikipedia: "ProjeKct Three (1999, 2003)
(Fripp, Gunn, Pat Mastelotto - drums).

ProjeKct Three (P3) performed five shows from 21 March through 25 March 1999 in Texas. In May 2014 all five shows were made available for download from DGMLive.

On 3 March 2003, P3 performed instead of King Crimson at the Birchmere in the Washington, DC, area, as Adrian Belew was taken ill that night. Following their impromptu performance, the three band members interacted with the audience in the form of a question and answer session. This is the only other full concert appearance of P3 other than the tour of Texas in March 1999. The performance is available on CD (ProjeKct Three – Live in Alexandria, VA, 2003), however, the Q&A session on the CD is incomplete. The complete Q&A is available separately as a download at the DGMLive web site."


Masque 1999


Live in Austin, TX 2004


Live in Alexandria, VA 2007

This is where I begin to be confused. Without listening to this stuff on youtube (I'm at school writing this), I can't recall what the third ProjeKct sounds like. You can see why I'm not doing a track-by-track analysis. I also don't remember the question-and-answer stuff, so it either isn't on the box set, or I haven't got around to listening to it yet.

Wiki - "ProjeKct Four (1998)
(Fripp, Gunn, Levin, Mastelotto)

ProjeKct Four performed a seven-show tour of the United States from 23 October – 2 November 1998. These shows consisted of improvised material, as well as expanded upon material developed by earlier ProjeKcts.

All seven of these shows have been made available for download through DGMLive."


West Coast Live 1999


Live in San Francisco/The Roar of P4 1999

Still live, still improv - although these performances seem to have a lot more structure. All of the in-concert ProjeKcts discs/downloads are extremely well-recorded. You really can't tell it's live in my estimation. How much of a stomach you have for this kind of thing depends on how much of a fan you are of course. I make it a point to play this stuff at least once because I shelled out for the box, but I never would have paid for each of these shows individually - I can tell you that.

ProjeKct X (2000)

"ProjeKct X was not a group as such, but an alter ego to the Fripp/Belew/Mastelotto/Gunn King Crimson lineup that produced a CD based on material recorded during the construKction of light sessions and remixed and re-assembled by the band, particularly Mastelotto and Gunn. The resulting album, Heaven and Earth, was released in 2000 alongside the construKction of light. Additionally, when the 2000-2003 group performed improvised pieces during their live shows, they would use the name ProjeKct X to differentiate themselves from the regular King Crimson, thus freeing up their talents to stray beyond the usual repertoire." - Wiki


Heaven and Earth 2000

Kinda more of the same, but this time another studio album like Space Groove. I dunno, I guess it was easier for the band to improvise interesting music using all kinds of gadgets rather than actually write new 'songs.' Better than Space Groove, but still not top-notch KC.