Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

King Crimson (Music)

 King Crimson (Music)
label
 King Crimson (Music)
 King Crimson (Music)
page
 KingCrimson
 King Crimson (Music)
comment
 King Crimson is one of the earliest and most influential Progressive Rock groups. The band was formed in 1968 in London. There have been many incarnations since, despite some pretty regular break-ups and reformations (1968–74, 1981–84, 1994–2004, 2007–08, 2013–).Their music is characterised by really impressive instrumental technique, Uncommon Time signatures, Epic Rocking, pretty extreme dynamic contrasts, lots of Improv, lyrics that usually sound cooler than they read (when they appear), and a large percentage of tunes that seem specifically designed just to fuck with your head.The only constant member of the band is guitarist and mastermind Robert Fripp. King Crimson originated from the pop-rock band Giles, Giles & Fripp (comprising Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles, the three of whom released a single album of pop numbers interspersed with zany spoken-word interludes in 1968) following the departure of songwriter Peter Giles and the addition of vocalist Greg Lake, lyricist Peter Sinfield and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, enabling Fripp to fulfil his emerging ambitions of incorporating classically-influenced melodies and instrumentals into rock. This lineup subsequently produced In the Court of the Crimson King, an enormously-successful and widely-acclaimed album considered to be the main codifier of progressive rock. Nonetheless, this success did not correlate with the band's stability, with the next five years plagued by lineup changes (McDonald departed following Crimson King and Lake exited to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the midst of recording sessions for the group's second album In the Wake of Poseidon), with Fripp and Sinfield emerging as the sole consistent members. Following several albums of varyingly symphonic and jazz-influenced progressive rock, Fripp revamped the group in 1972 as an experimental hard-rock jam band featuring an entirely new lineup (including bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly of Yes). Despite maintaining relative commercial success during this era, Fripp ultimately disbanded the revamped Crimson in 1974 (following the release of Red, arguably their second-most acclaimed album after their debut), having become increasingly disenchanted with both the band and the music industry at large (even suggesting to management that he depart the group and transfer his creative roles to Ian McDonald, then ironically on the brink of rejoining Crimson, and Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett).Following years of silence on the subject, Fripp would, however, reform the band yet again in 1981, albeit as a radically-different group drawing influences from new wave, worldbeat and gamelan (akin to a more prog-influenced incarnation of the Talking Heads) and featuring the guitar work and decidedly David Byrne-esque vocals of a then up-and-coming Adrian Belew (who had also played on Remain in Light and joined Talking Heads on its supporting tour); this incarnation of the band remained largely stable until 1984. From 1994 to 1998 Crimson toured as a "double-trio" format, introducing some industrial and grunge sounds. A quartet around 2000 leaned heavily into Progressive Metal elements. The most recent iteration was a seven-piece band formed in 2013 with three (!) drummers. It contained two new members along with five previous members, including Mel Collins, who'd hadn't played with the band for nearly 30 years. This incarnation toured almost continuously through 2021, mostly playing reworked versions of the 1970s-vintage Crimson music as well as their signature improvisations.In a begrudging nod to current media consumption tastes, Fripp announced in 2019 that King Crimson's studio records would finally be available on streaming services. The 2021 tour was announced as the last King Crimson tour, but as Robert Fripp has "retired" several times in the past, fans aren't quite ready to declare the band done. Most recently the band released a 50th anniversary documentary, In the Court of the Crimson King, directed by Toby Amies.Past and present King Crimson members have created multiple side bands to showcase their own take on the band's repertoire. Some are called ProjeKcts, intended as "research and development," according to Fripp. Some, like 21st Century Schizoid Band and The Crimson ProjeKCt, are comprised of former and current members who play older Crimson material. Others, like Stick Men or Adrian Belew's Power Trio, play a mix of original material and reworked Crimson songs. While Fripp for the most part gives his blessing to these groups, his reaction to them is mixed depending on how well they represent the band's aesthetic. note An underwhelming Crimson ProjeKCt show Fripp attended in 2014 almost prompted him to retire the band again.Band members:Current band members: Robert Fripp (1968–): guitar, guitar synthesizer, etc. Mel Collins (1970–72, 2013–): saxophone, flute, Mellotron note Session musician in 1974 Tony Levin (1981–99, 2003–): Chapman Stick, bass, backing vocals Pat Mastelotto (1994–): drums, percussion Gavin Harrison (2007–): drums Jakko Jakkszyk (2013–): guitars, lead vocals Jeremy Stacey (2016-): drums, keyboards note Recruited by Jakkszyk & Harrison when Bill Rieflin decided to take a sabbatical in 2016, but not released when Rieflin returned in 2017.Former band members: Ian McDonald (1968–69; died 2022): saxophone, flute, Mellotron, backing vocals note Session musician in 1974 Greg Lake (1968–70; died 2016): bass, lead vocals Michael Giles (1968–69): drums, backing vocals Peter Sinfield (1968–72): VCS 3 synthesizer, lyrics, light show Gordon Haskell (1970; died 2020): bass, vocals Andy McCulloch (1970): drums Boz Burrell (1971–72; died 2006): bass, lead vocals Ian Wallace (1971–72; died 2007): drums, backing vocals John Wetton (1972–74; died 2017): bass, lead vocals, piano Jamie Muir (1972–73): percussion, drums Bill Bruford (1972–97): drums, percussion David Cross note No, not that David Cross (1972–74): violin, Mellotron, piano Richard Palmer-James (1973–74): lyrics Adrian Belew (1981–2013): guitar, lead vocals note The door has been left open for Belew to rejoin the band if an opportunity arises. Trey Gunn (1994–2003): Warr Guitar, Chapman Stick, fretless bass, backing vocals Bill Rieflin (2013–2016, 2017-2020, died 2020): drums, keyboardsAdditional musicians: Peter Giles (1970): bass Keith Tippett (1970–71; died 2020): piano Jon Anderson (1970): vocals Nick Evans (1970): trombone Robin Miller (1970–71, 1974; died 2014): oboe, cor anglais Mark Charig (1970–71, 1974): cornetnote Misspelt as "Marc" in the credits of Red. Harry Miller (1971; died 1983): double bass Paulina Lucas (1971; died 2010): vocals Eddie Jobson (1975): violin, piano; recruited to add violin to the live album USA whenever Cross' contributions were muffled due to technical issues.note The 2005 and 2013 mixes of the show remove the overdubs and restore Cross' original parts. Chris Gibson (2017) : keyboards note Recruited when Bill Rieflin was unable to take part in the Fall 2017 tour. Theo Travis (2019): keyboards note Was briefly set to play during the 2019 tours as Bill Rieflin took a second sabbatical for cancer treatments. However, after one day of rehearsal, the band decided to instead perform as a seven-piece for the tour, with no musician taking Rieflin's place.DiscographyStudio album discography and notable songs: In the Court of the Crimson King (LP, 1969) - "21st Century Schizoid Man", "Epitaph", "The Court of the Crimson King" In the Wake of Poseidon (LP, 1970) - "Pictures of a City", "Cat Food", "The Devil's Triangle" Lizard (LP, 1970) - "Cirkus", "Lizard" Islands (LP, 1971) - "Ladies of the Road" Larks' Tongues in Aspic (LP, 1973) - "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One", "Easy Money", "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two" Starless and Bible Black (LP, 1974) - "The Great Deceiver", "The Night Watch", "Fracture" note While technically a studio album, nearly all of the album was recorded live during the 1973 tour, with crowd noise later removed and certain pieces enhanced with studio overdubs. Red (LP, 1974) - "Red", "Starless" note The song "Providence" was recorded live in Providence, RI (natch) during the tour for Starless And Bible Black. Discipline (LP, 1981) - "Elephant Talk", "Matte Kudasai", "Thela Hun Ginjeet" Beat (LP, 1982) - "Heartbeat", "Sartori in Tangier" Three of a Perfect Pair (LP, 1984) - "Three of a Perfect Pair", "Sleepless", "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part III" VROOOM (EP, 1994) - "Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream" THRAK (LP, 1995) - "Dinosaur", "Walking on Air" The ConstruKction of Light (LP, 2000) - "FraKctured", "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part IV"note This album was re-released in 2019 with a new percussion track and other production changes, under the title The ReConstruKction of Light. Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With (EP, 2002) - "Eyes Wide Open", the title track note The EP also includes a live version of Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part IV recorded during the 2001 tour. The Power to Believe (LP, 2003) - studio versions of "Level Five" & "Dangerous Curves" note Songs initially developed during the ProjeKct years; "Level Five" has since been deemed by Fripp as the latest installment of the "Larks' Tongues" series, new versions of "Eyes Wide Open" and "Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With""ProjeKct" studio album discography: (as "ProjeKct Two") Space Groove (LP) - 1997 (as "ProjeKct X") Heaven and Earth (LP) - 2000 (as "Jakko Jakszyk, Robert Fripp, and Mel Collins - A King Crimson ProjeKct") A Scarcity of Miracles (LP) - 2011
 King Crimson (Music)
fetched
 2024-04-10T11:46:51Z
 King Crimson (Music)
parsed
 2024-04-10T11:46:51Z
 King Crimson (Music)
processingComment
 Page marked to be ignored, dropping links (106).
 King Crimson (Music)
isPartOf
 DBTropes

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Free
seeAlso
 King Crimson (Music)
 GordianKnot
seeAlso
 King Crimson (Music)
 Iron Maiden (Music)
seeAlso
 King Crimson (Music)
 Parallel Lines (Music)
seeAlso
 King Crimson (Music)