5 Stars *****
Before you all reach for paper and pen, there is not a
spelling mistaKe in the title, that in Crimson-speaK is something done as
a joKe, very highbrow humor, which is also translated in their rather
quirKey music.
As King Crimson went into their third decade of maKing
music, all under the leadership of Mr Robert Fripp (now in his seventh
decade), they showed with this marvelous album that they had lost none of
their relevance in today’s progressive-rocK scene. This was the first
studio album from this lineup since losing the services of Bill Bruford on
drums and Tony Levin on bass guitar. Not that this was too much of an
inconvenience to the band. As before they had been what Fripp cheerfully
called a double trio with two drummers, two bassists and two lead
guitarists. (Get the live album “Vroom Vroom” to hear this lineup in
all its live magic). So, pairing down to a simple four piece was not much
of a problem, especially when you have the caliber of musicians that were
left.
Over the years a succession of musicians have gone
through the ranKs of King Crimson (maKing Bob Fripp the progressive rocK
equivalent of John Mayall in his BluesbreaKers), many going on to
superstardom in bands such as ‘Asia’, ‘Yes’, ‘Emerson, LaKe and
Palmer’, ‘Bad Company’, ‘U. K.’, ‘Foreigner’, and ‘Roxy
Music’. Always leaving Bob Fripp to carry on with the band in his own
style, obviously a style that fits in with Adrian Belew very well, as he
has been playing guitar, writing, and singing the lyrics for over twenty
years.
On stage Adrian Belew has the pleasure of being center
stage and focal point of attention, as the man in blacK (Robert Fripp) has
always preferred to watch over his musicians and play from a seated
position either at the side or bacK of the stage, well away from the front
lights.
As well as these two, we have two other musicians
featured on this album, Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn. Pat Mastelotto holds
down all the drum parts with renewed enthusiasm, never letting you once
yearn for the times of Bill Bruford, replacing power with power. Trey Gunn
positively relishes being left alone to hold down the complicated rhythm
bass worK that needs to Keep the music nailed down; his best worK being
heard when Belew and Fripp fly off in different tangents mid-song leaving
the rhythm section to go off in a completely different direction till all
four musicians come crashing bacK together. Although all four are now
veterans of the rocK scene, they have lost none of their love of good,
violent, eccentric, precise, exciting, adventurous music.
“The ConstruKtion of Light” starts out with the
rocKer “ProzaKc Blues” in a similar fashion to “21st Century
Schizoid Man” on King Crimson’s debut album “In the Court of the
Crimson King” way bacK in 1969, with its heavy rocK guitar tearing riffs
out in heavy metal style; with its treated vocals similar to “Iron
Man” from BlacK Sabbath; its humorous vocals a fine way to start any
album.
Next up is the title song, which comes in two pieces
and allows the guys the chance to show off their musical bangs on this
nearly nine minute long opus, before jumping out of the frying pan into
the fire with another classic piece of Crimson mastery. Then with a clever
twist Fripp delves into his own past and reconstruKs an instrumental from
Crimson’s 1974 album “Starless and Bible BlacK’’ and we get ‘FraKtured’,
the center piece of the album, in which all the musical sKills of the band
are laid out for your admiration.
Adrian Belew gets the chance to sing the superbly
ludicrous “The World’s My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum”,
which hears more tongue twisters than round ‘Superstar Table’. The Big
guns are then rolled out for nearly ten minutes of “LarK’s Tongue in
Aspic - Part 4" (Parts 1 and 2 can be heard on Crimson’s 1973 album
“LarKs Tongue in Aspic”, whilst Part 3 is on 1984’s “Three of a
Perfect Pair”), where you are privileged to hear some of the most
sensational lead guitar ever laid down in a studio as the band build to a
crescendo of musically orgasmic proportions, before the album’s properly
laid to rest with the closing “Coda: I have a Dream” a beautiful
conclusion to any collection of music.
After the recording of this album the band then went
out on the road and toured the world; the results of which can be heard on
the triple CD Collection “Heavy ConstruKtion”, which includes extended
versions of all these songs with a stunning version of Bowie’s
“Heroes” as the encore number. Fantastic Stuff.
Added on to the end of this collection is a song from
what is called ‘Project X’, which is the same band jamming on what
Crimson fans call FrippatroniKs. The band gets away from traditional song
structures and lay bacK into the music with startling results. Lately a
lot more of this Kind of music has been coming out of the Fripp mind. His
recent bacK catalogue is well worth having a gander through for the more
discerning punter, but for those of you who prefer the more traditional
King Crimson - there will be a new album in 2003.
Musicians
Robert Fripp - Guitar
Adrian Belew - Guitar and Vocals
Trey Gunn - Bass Guitar, Touch Guitar, Baritone Guitar
Pat Mastelotto - Drums
Songs
ProzaKc Blues
The ConstruKtion of Light
Into the Frying Pan
FraKtured
The World’s My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum
LarKs’ Tongue in Aspic -Part 4
Coda: I Have a Dream
Project X Heaven and Earth
by Lang Reid
Mott’s CD review: 