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Area vs King Crimson
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    Posted: June 09 2023 at 10:59
For my father, nothing is better than Robert Fripp, Brian Eno and Bruford, but he dont know Area. Some think it's King Crimson that have made the link between american fusion and european prog rock, but for me Area is a better example.

As a keyboardist, I prefer Area and I think it's the best band of the 70s or the best eclectic prog band of the 70s. In the RPI category, I know that PFM could play as fast as Area, but the recording of their album is not really good. Banco have good recording and good symphonic element, but I dont like really much the singer.LOL
And I think Area is more prog and more fusion than King Crimson ( no eletric organ in King Crimson, but of course the mellotron )
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I like King Crimson, but somehow it's not quite amongst my very favourites. Area, on the other hand, is.
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Just because "nothing is better" doesn't mean that anything else isn't good.
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Originally posted by Progosopher Progosopher wrote:

Just because "nothing is better" doesn't mean that anything else isn't good.



Nothing is better than heaven.
Mutton is better than nothing.
Therefore mutton is better than heaven.

or

Nothing is better than King Crimson.
Area is is better than nothing.
Therefore Area is better than King Crimson.

Edited by Logan - June 09 2023 at 11:50
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I love King Crimson but I will have to check 'Area' out. A band I know very little about. Smile
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Love both, but King Crimson is a more important band in my life. So if I had to choose just one, I'd choose them. Fortunately for me I can have both:)

I don't consider any of them represent a link between american fusion and european prog rock. Or rather, I don't really understand what you mean by that. As I do not think of KC or Area primarely as fusion, there's literally tons of great european 1970's jazz rock ensembles better suited. The british Soft Machine (from Third and onwards) and Nucleus were the first that came to mind, as they were two of the most profilic bands. But I think that the real equivalent is the sort of fusion often associated with many artists on ECM (in the label's early days).  
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Originally posted by Octopus II Octopus II wrote:

I love King Crimson but I will have to check 'Area' out. A band I know very little about. Smile


Same here. I had Caution Radiation Area a long time ago but I haven't heard anything else by them.
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I adore Area.  If that's your taste then you can't go wrong auditioning Area's first four albums. 
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It's sure for me King Crimson, Yes and Genesis are important bands in my life because I grew up with them. But Area is important also but is less popular because it was made in Italian.

For the link between european prog rock and and american fusion : in Aera you have tow keyboardist, one of them essentialy play Fender Rhode with free jazz notes or oriental notes, and the singer sometimes play Hammond with a perfect prog sound. 
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But I agree there a lot of other bands that make this link like prog from Finland like Jukka Tolonen or FINNFOREST. Or Eiliff, Perigeo, Kornet... all really tasty. I like to listen to them with Aera. 
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Area has been one of my favorite finds since joining PA (with Magma and the whole Canterbury Scene). KC was important to my conversion to prog rock and definitely super important to my 1980s music (more due to Tony Levin, actually.)

I think both bands were replete with virtuosi and were able to work well enough together to create some masterful, genre-bending musics.
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KC for sure
I know Area but it is not buy cup of tea
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I can't compare KC and Area. But Area had a big weapon like Stratos, one of the best (and original) singer in the prog scene. I also loved the combo of the operatic voice of Banco singer (Di Giacomo) and the symphonic sound of the band in the 70s. KC are masters of the universe but if I have to choose, I'll listen Darwin or Crack instead.
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Originally posted by ProgEnStock ProgEnStock wrote:

For my father, nothing is better than Robert Fripp, Brian Eno and Bruford, but he dont know Area. Some think it's King Crimson that have made the link between american fusion and european prog rock, but for me Area is a better example.

As a keyboardist, I prefer Area and I think it's the best band of the 70s or the best eclectic prog band of the 70s. In the RPI category, I know that PFM could play as fast as Area, but the recording of their album is not really good. Banco have good recording and good symphonic element, but I dont like really much the singer.LOL
And I think Area is more prog and more fusion than King Crimson ( no eletric organ in King Crimson, but of course the mellotron )

Two bands that I love.

King Crimson's historical importance to the birth and evolution of prog rock is much more important than that of Area.

Perhaps Area members listened to early King Crimson albums before the release of their debut. We can't say that Area were influenced by King Crimson, because their jazz-avantgard-rock fusion is unique, but maybe 21st Schizoid Man gave them some ideas.




Edited by jamesbaldwin - June 09 2023 at 18:38
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Both bands are great. I guess it's a matter of personal taste if you prefer one over the other. For me, King Crimson appeals more to my taste, though I love Area very much.
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Area are very good and original but for me they don't quite match King Crimson who are one of my personal "big 5" prog bands and have excited me with so many different great albums and concerts throughout their career.
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Love both but King Crimson by a landslide. 
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Neither band does anything for me, I'm afraid. Great musicians, but their music isn't to my taste.

Edited by Hercules - June 10 2023 at 16:14
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I deeply love both but I find myself listening to King Crimson less and less as the years go by. I've never stopped being jealous of how ridiculously good Area were in their prime.
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I agree that King Crimson is more important in prog history and they have survive in the 80s and the 90s. 
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