So what's your favorite Krim side project and why?
For the purposes of this question, I'd say include all the solo albums of the various members. and albums where they were on most of the tracks and were the most famous member of the band. So exclude things like Fripp's work with Bowie or Belew (and Fripp's) work with Talking Heads, and Bruford's with Yes.
I'd have to say mine is Sunday all over the world. I like it because of the interesting interplay between Fripp and Gunn for the most part. Toyah's vocals work for me, though I know that they drive some people nuts. If you recall that band that got a lot of indie radio play a few years ago, Life Without Buildings, it's amazing how much that Sue Tompkins of LWB took from Toyah's vocals on the SOATW disc.
honorable mentions:
Trey Gunn-- third star. the songwriting is a step up from Trey's thousand Years album, and the playing is tight.
League of Gentlemen -- Sara Lee (later of B52s) and Barry Andrews (previously of XTC) help create a bouyant new wave backdrop to Fripp's angular guitar. There are some missteps, but overall, it pays off.
Adrian Belew-- Mr. Music Head -- I haven't heard all of Belew's albums, but of the ones I've hear, this is the most enjoyable. His minor hit of "Oh Daddy" is a pretty well crafted pop song, and there are some other gems on here, but like all of Belew's work, it's uneven.
League of Crafty Guitarists-- Show of hands -- this may actually violate the standards I set above, since fripp is not on most tracks, though his name is on the cover. It does showcase a nice range of songs and approaches to the crafty style, and the eerie acapella singing. it's a great album.
For the purposes of this question, I'd say include all the solo albums of the various members. and albums where they were on most of the tracks and were the most famous member of the band. So exclude things like Fripp's work with Bowie or Belew (and Fripp's) work with Talking Heads, and Bruford's with Yes.
I'd have to say mine is Sunday all over the world. I like it because of the interesting interplay between Fripp and Gunn for the most part. Toyah's vocals work for me, though I know that they drive some people nuts. If you recall that band that got a lot of indie radio play a few years ago, Life Without Buildings, it's amazing how much that Sue Tompkins of LWB took from Toyah's vocals on the SOATW disc.
honorable mentions:
Trey Gunn-- third star. the songwriting is a step up from Trey's thousand Years album, and the playing is tight.
League of Gentlemen -- Sara Lee (later of B52s) and Barry Andrews (previously of XTC) help create a bouyant new wave backdrop to Fripp's angular guitar. There are some missteps, but overall, it pays off.
Adrian Belew-- Mr. Music Head -- I haven't heard all of Belew's albums, but of the ones I've hear, this is the most enjoyable. His minor hit of "Oh Daddy" is a pretty well crafted pop song, and there are some other gems on here, but like all of Belew's work, it's uneven.
League of Crafty Guitarists-- Show of hands -- this may actually violate the standards I set above, since fripp is not on most tracks, though his name is on the cover. It does showcase a nice range of songs and approaches to the crafty style, and the eerie acapella singing. it's a great album.
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Seattle
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Sat, August 27, 2005 - 3:57 PMI'd have to agree with League Of Crafty.... I saw them live and the show definitely bordered on a religious experience. There is a decent "live"-in the studio cd that is worth getting.
It's the closest thing to a King Crimson acoustic album you'll get. -
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Sat, August 27, 2005 - 7:56 PMThe live one, if we're thinking the same thing is the performance that capped the original Guitar Craft school. it came out in 1986 and had the amber cover with a picture of Fripp. it had Fripp material that I believe was written as excercises for the school, to showcase the themes of Guitar Craft. There's a lot to like about the album, and it's certainly more thematically consistent than "Show of Hands".
But I like the quirkiness of Show of Hands, and the fact that it was written by the members of the League, rather than Fripp (who does have one song on there). And Patricia Levitt's vocals are great. Unfortunately, i don't think she recorded anything else, and the last time I talked to Steve Ball, 6 or 7 years ago, she wasn't planning on it.
I never did pick up the 1991 live album that was one of the first releases on Discipline. Perhaps I should check that out.
Guitar Craft has a strong presence in Seattle. Ball and Tony Geballe and Trey Gunn all live here. Geballe and Ball both give lessons, and particularly in the mid to late 90s, they were very active, offering classes, and bringing Fripp out to do a weekend workshop.
I was trying to learn the guitar at the time and i figured what the hell, why not learn NST. But I was a terrible guitarist, not even able to play punk songs, and I have a shitty sense of time and ear. So i wasn't going to do the Fripp thing. But I wasn't available the weekend he was here anyhow. The class I signed up for turned out to be cancelled becaues only one other person signed up.
I soon shelved the guitar. But I do try to turn out and see the crafties when they play, which is less and less frequently. Steve Ball has his "travelling roadshow" of crafty related projects.
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Sat, August 27, 2005 - 9:00 PMApple and oranges, both yummy:
--Fripp's Blessing of Tears soundscapes, for moments of transcendant, and sometimes painful, beauty.
--Levin's World Diary, for being very diverse yet still consistent in quality, highlighted by some one-on-one with Bruford. -
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Sun, August 28, 2005 - 9:55 PMI'm really liking SideOne, by Adrian Belew!
I also recently got the Essential Fripp & Eno and it's experimental heaven!
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Mon, August 29, 2005 - 11:40 AMFor me it's the Robert Fripp String Quintet, "The Bridge Between"...
Fripp, Gunn, and the CGT sounding for all the world like the Chamber Ensemble from HELL's foyer...how CAN you go wrong? :-) -
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Mon, August 29, 2005 - 7:32 PMThat sounds interesting Sony!
My only experience with any of the Crimson-clan folks outside the group were in 2003,a solo-concert in Milwaukee of all places.
And I remember Belew with John Cale Amsterdam and Bowie in Rotterdam in the 1970's.
The Fripp was like a concert in a living room.The second in Paradiso, a church and a totally out of bound concert .
And the last was in the Ahoy stadium in the Thin white Duke Tour.
As far as recordings the Eno/Bowie recordings still get me going.Scary Monsters anyone? -
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Tue, August 30, 2005 - 1:38 AMOne of the side projects I forgot to mention was Fripp/sylvian. I can't believe I forgot that one. The studio album is impressive. most notably for the way that the fripp/gunn sensability molded into Sylvian's. First Day was a sleek and sexy piece of Euro funk that recalled Roxy Music and was quite a bit better than the stuff that Ferry had been doing since Eno left the Roxy back in the day.
Damage was even better There was that infinite guitar guy, and the mix was actually better, which is rare for a live album, emphasizing the instruments. I probably forgot fripp/sylvian mainly because a friend had it for about 5 months, and I really only listen to Damage. I haven't heard the re-release that has a different song or two. just the original box thing with the gold CD.
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Tue, August 30, 2005 - 3:22 PMThat does sound great!Any title of the CD(the Fripp/Sylvian?),that must have been a long time ago and I missed it. -
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Tue, August 30, 2005 - 10:01 PMStudio Sylvian/Fripp project is "The First Day," live CD is "Damage." Think my favorite track on there is "Darshan" for the long groove, tho' "Jean the Birdman" is fine too; heck, whole album.
www.amazon.com/exec/obido...699-6751062
www.amazon.com/exec/obido...699-6751062
All sorts of interesting tales of that collaboration, as Fripp and Sylvian, in spite of previous collabs (eg, Sylvian's Gone to Earth) had all sorts of issues to work out, the personal bumping up against the creative. IMO, that's what gives the project its drive.
Also, gotta brag that I saw that live (Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley), with Michael "Infinite Guitar" Brook opening and then backing Sylvian and Fripp. -
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Tue, August 30, 2005 - 10:10 PMseeing the covers i realized "have it",don't ever move,it' somewere in a box....
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Thu, September 1, 2005 - 9:39 PMI apologize for being confusing in the first post about Fripp/Sylvian. thanks to Lou for the clarification.
One thing that Lou didn't bring up that I want to clarify is that there are actually two versions of Damage. the 1994 version was a limited release with a gold disc and box set. At the time Damage came out, the scuttlebutt on usenet was that The First Day was Sylvian's take on the songs, while Damage was more Frippy. That seems a little strange to me, as Fripp brought in Gunn his "teacher's pet" from Craft, and Fripp and Sylvian co-produced with David Botrill, who handed the Crimson reunion stuff, for the studio album. Still, the story was that they fought a lot during the studio album, and Fripp gave way with regards to certain choices about the songs. Then Fripp got more say in the arrangement of the live show, and then got more control about the release of the live album.
I was very lucky to get a copy of Damage-- I was at the CD store when a guy sold it. I was buying some other stuff, and the guy was selling to a different clerk, and when I saw it, I said that I'd like to take it to a listening station when they were done processing it. So I browsed, they probably slapped a few bucks on the price knowing it was a hot item, and picked it up for a reasonable $25.
I really liked the studio album, but I may have only listened to it two or three times since I picked up Damage. The guitars just sound so much more forceful, the songs more compact. great sound.
Come 2002, Sylvian re-released Damage, supposedly supporting a different mix. and he subbed in "Jean the birdman" for "Darshan", which seems odd, as Darshan was one of my favorite tunes on Damage. Though Jean the Birdman was a great song on the First Day. It would have been better if both were on the disc and one of the weaker Sylvian solo tracks that were on Damage were subbed out.
I haven't heard the new version of Damage. It might be interesting to hear the difference, but since I rarely even play First Day (though writing about it now makes me want to hear Jean). I am glad that it's available to everyone, even if it might chip into the value of that record store find. I'm not going to sell Damage. -
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Re: Favorite King Crimson side project survey
Wed, November 23, 2005 - 5:24 PMNobody's mentioned David Cross yet. His violin playing always has a King Crimson edge and his album Exiles is fantastic.
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