Vibe's new King Crimson biography

 

I have repeated it in full below :

 

" When you want to hear where music is going in the future, you put on a King Crimson album."
- Bill Bruford, 1995

For all its break-ups, periods of non-existence and fluctuating methodology, King Crimson remains one of the interminably compelling bands playing within the domain of rock music to this day. Widely acknowledged as being the harbingers of the art-rock genre with their monumental 1969 album " In The Court Of The Crimson King ", they paved the way for other innovative art-rock bands such as Yes, ELP and Genesis in the early 70s as well as providing a stimulus for more recent neo-progressive bands like Tool and The Mars Volta through their post-progressive work in the early `80s and `90s. More of a frame of mind than a style, the music of King Crimson has constantly sought out sustenance through amalgamations of existing forms of music, veering away from any contemporary mould, nullifying any notions that it is necessary to adhere to proven formulas in order to create commercially feasible music.

From its formative years in Bournemouth, England in the late `60s King Crimson's unwavering guiding light has constantly emanated from the abstruse intellect of guitarist Robert Fripp ( b. May 16,1946 ). Although he maintains that he is not the band's leader per say, he attributes the band's enduring viability to the collective brilliance of its individual members even though it seems to disband and reform at the wave of his magic wand. Fripp began playing guitar at the age of eleven with Scotty Moore and Chuck Berry providing him with early inspiration. By the age of 18 he was playing with a hotel band in his hometown of Bournemouth performing at bar-mitzvahs and weddings while developing his distinctive guitar style which incorporated many classical techniques. While other early influences included such diverse sources as Bartok, Debussy and Django Reinhardt he was particularly drawn to the 1967 Beatles song " A Day In The Life " which, he claimed, affected him in similar ways as classical composers and it was around this time his designs for King Crimson began to take form. In early `67 after playing with other local pop outfits he joined two brothers, Michael and Peter Giles on drums and bass/vocals respectively and released a 7" single " One In A Million " under the working name of Brain. By June 1968, having changed their name to Giles, Giles & Fripp they found themselves in London where they recorded demos for a quirky pop album entitled " The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles Giles & Fripp " along with a collection of guest musicians which was released on the enterprising UK record label Deram Records in September `68. Despite some humorous folky musings and jazzy guitar lines by Fripp sales were dismal and no more than 600 copies were sold. Also in June `68 they hooked up with multi-instrumentalist Ian MacDonald who had received formal music instruction in the British Army along with his girlfriend, vocalist Judy Dyble who had previously been a member of Fairport Convention. Dyble stayed for only a matter of weeks before leaving for folk band Trader Horne when a former colleague of MacDonald`s, Peter Sinfield, arrived as lyricist. Although Sinfield, MacDonald and Dyble had no part in the " Cheerful Insanity " album, which has been re-released on both vinyl and CD several times, they can be heard on a 2001 CD of outtakes from this evolutionary period collectively known as the " Brondesbury Tapes ".

A disenchanted Peter Giles left in October `68 to pursue a career in computers and was almost immediately replaced by Greg Lake, a childhood friend of Fripp`s from Bournemouth, who had just quit a band called the Gods which also included Lee Kerslake and Ken Hensley who would go on to form Uriah Heep. The quartet ( plus lyricist Sinfield and later light show operator ) would soon change their name to King Crimson which was Sinfield`s idea because he wanted something which sounded more powerful than Giles, Giles & Fripp. In the accompanying booklet from the `91 box set " Frame By Frame " Fripp explains the meaning in some more depth : " The name King Crimson is a synonym for Beelzebub, which is an anglicised form of the Arab phrase Bi`l Sabab. This means literally the man with an aim and is the recognisable quality of King Crimson ". Thus King Crimson was born in October, 1968. The band rehearsed for the first time in the basement of a London Café on January 13, 1969 by which time MacDonald expanded his instrumental arsenal to include various woodwind instruments as well as a novel electronic keyboard instrument, the mellotron, which pioneered the technique of audio sampling while Greg Lake's astute tenor voice added an air of sophistication to the band's prodigal sound which would develop over the coming months.

Signed to EG management ( a partnership between two entrepreneurs David Enthhoven and John Gaydon ), an association which would last until the early `90s, King Crimson played their first gig at the Speakeasy Club in London in early April 1969 followed by a tenure at the Marquee Club which quickly earned them status in London's underground music circles. Their thoughtful avant-garde music audaciously shied away from conventional pop music traits, preferring the structure and form of classical music combined with the improvisational frenzy of jazz within a rock context. However, the acid test would come when they performed as a support act at a free Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park in London in front of an audience of over half a million of London's hippest folk. Their impact was immeasurable with Jimi Hendrix shaking Fripp's hand and heavy hitting record companies vying for contracts with Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in North America emerging as the victors.

Their debut LP," In The Court Of The Crimson King ( An Observation By King Crimson )", which was released in the UK on October 10, 1969 would become one of the most devastatingly original debuts in the history of rock music. Adorned with ominous neo-gothic gatefold artwork by Barry Godber, a friend of Pete Sinfield, it would also become one of the most recognisable rock covers along with Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon and the Beatles` White Album. Tragically Godber would die of a heart attack in February of 1970 at the age of 24. The music, with its portentous lyrics, spacious mellotron passages and futuristic angular guitar lines had a very dark, orchestral sound to it. Tranquil ethereal atmospheres with baroque touches were interspersed with dramatic crescendos and decrescendos on most compositions while psychotic be-bop fuelled discharges featured prominently on the opening track , " 21st Century Schizoid Man ", which showcased the band's musical prowess. The piece would become the band's trademark over the next few decades and conjured up enough doom, gloom and confusion to rival any prototypical metal band of the day.

In November 1970 In " The Court Of The Crimson King " hit number 5 in the UK and the band embarked on a tour of the United States to support its release on Atlantic Records. Despite the enthusiastic reception the band received Fripp & Co returned to the UK just before Christmas whence drummer Michael Giles and keyboardist / reed-man Ian MacDonald tendered their resignations citing the rigours of touring and musical direction as contributing factors. In an effort to keep the band together Fripp himself offered to resign! But this was to no avail and Giles and MacDonald departed, releasing a mediocre album together in 1970. Later MacDonald would become a founding member of Foreigner as well as making a brief appearance on King Crimson's 1974 album " Red ".

This development left the future of King Crimson in doubt in early 1970 amidst rumours that Fripp was going to replace Peter Banks in Yes or Ainsley Dunbar in Blue Whale. Greg Lake also had his reservations and had already discussed the possibility of forming a band with Keith Emerson as early as December `69 when the two met backstage at a gig at Filmore West in San Francisco. Nonetheless, dame fortune smiled and Lake and Giles agreed to stay on to record parts of a new album. Over the next couple of months other musicians were recruited as guests most notably jazz pianist Keith Tippet and session man Mel Collins on woodwinds with Peter Giles returning to lay down a few bass tracks. Gordon Haskell a childhood friend of Fripp`s was also featured on vocals on one track. In March an offbeat single was released entitled " Cat Food " which used Tippet's jazz background to its advantage with Lake's vocals being very evocative of John Lennon`s singing on Beatles songs such as " Come Together " and " Helter Skelter ". A full length album, " In The Wake Of Poseidon " followed in March and sounded notoriously like its predecessor with neo-classical styling, sweeping mellotrons ( now formidably handled by Fripp ) as well as a 21st Century Schizoid man doppelganger, " Pictures Of A City ", which was previously composed by Fripp and Ian MacDonald. Hardly a rag-tag collection of musicians but obviously lacking the chemistry of their debut, "In The Wake Of Poseidon" met with criticism with the music press, but was well produced and sold well peaking at no. 4 on the UK charts.

In August 1970 King Crimson once again became a bona-fide band with Mel Collins and Gordon Haskell ( now on vocals & bass ) becoming permanent members along with drummer Andy McCulloch who was recommended by to Fripp by Keith Emerson. The resulting album " Lizard " boasted a more Canterbury-like sound and also had heavier jazz colourings partially due to Keith Tippet's continued involvement. Fripp also brought in various session musicians who made the project more intricate He also included a suite in four movements occupying a full side of the original vinyl LP which was introduced by eloquent vocals by Jon Anderson of Yes. Fripp also toned down his guitar in favour of walls of mellotrons and could be heard more often on acoustic guitars playing classically influenced passages while Sinfield`s dark lyrics reached depths of profoundness making references to the work of Lewis Carroll as well as the Beatles. However, both the musical and lyrical complexities of the completed work did not satisfy Haskell and McCulloch`s artistic aspirations and both packed it in October 1970 before King Crimson Mk. III had a chance to perform to a live audience. Haskell went solo while McCulloch joined Dave Greenslade for three Greenslade albums between `72 and `75. " Lizard " was released in December 1970 and was certainly the band's most "artsy" recording and while many regard it as a the black sheep of the King Crimson catalogue it still holds special appeal for connoisseurs of early `70s art-rock.

Fripp began almost immediately to fill the gaps left by Haskell and McCulloch. After rejecting a number of possibilities including Brian Ferry (later vocalist of Roxy Music) he eventually settled for Raymond "Boz" Burrelll as vocalist and Ian Wallace on drums. Wallace had backed a number of bands in continental Europe in the late 60s, returning to London in the early seventies where he worked with various artists on the live stage. Although Burrelll had a blues/jazz background but only a rudimentary knowledge of guitar Fripp decided to teach him bass with assistance from Wallace. Once again King Crimson was a touring unit and the new formation played their first gigs in Germany in April 1971 which included new material as well as selected pieces from the three previous albums. By December 1971 this line-up had released an album entitled " Islands " which was less focused and more "American" sounding than the previous three efforts after which lyricist Pete Sinfield was released from the band to work with ELP. Islands did have its moments though, moving into jazz fusion territory with Fripp`s incendiary guitar work on " The Sailor's Tale " while three other jazz-rock oriented songs made references to women with the track " Ladies Of The Road " making humorous gestures to groupies. The title track was probably the prettiest King Crimson vocal track ever recorded which conveys pastoral coastal images which was centred around third-time guest musician Keith Tippet's delicate piano accompaniment. This configuration continued touring America in early `72 during which time Fripp almost had a mutiny on his hands when Burrelll, Wallace and Collins became more drawn in to American blues, R&B and jazz stylings. This is quite evident on the poorly recorded 1972 live album " Earthbound " which documents some of the live performances during this period ( although a number of 1971/72 recordings have been made available more recently through the King Crimson's Collectors Club ).The band nevertheless held together until April 1972 when Burrelll, Wallace and Collins departed to join British blues legend Alexis Korner in a band called Snape ( Burrelll would later become part of Bad Company and Collins would briefly become part of Camel before going on to become a prominent session man ). King Crimson once again ground to a halt with Fripp`s heart still set on creating more challenging and pensive music. He would comment to the press in his typical Bohemian way , " Having discovered what everybody wanted to do, I found I didn't want to do it ".

Ironically, King Crimson seemed to avert the prevalent pomp & circumstance which was beginning to typify the very genre they helped shape. Their intense and serious music, as euphonious as it was, was rapidly being overshadowed by the flamboyance and animation displayed by bands like ELP, Uriah Heep and Genesis. All the instability and uncertainty didn't help the band either but Fripp was working on a remedy which would result in the next resurrection of King Crimson which, in the minds of both fans and critics alike would be the most daunting King Crimson configuration of them all. By July `72 the band would consist of Fripp on guitar and mellotron, Bill Bruford on drums who had quit a secure job with Yes to become involved, David Cross a formally educated violinist keyboard player who had played with various UK folk/rock bands, John Wetton on bass and vocals, another childhood friend of Fripp`s who had previously played with Mogul Thrash and Family as well as one of the most curious members of any King Crimson formation Jamie Muir, a Salvador Dali Look-alike who came from London's avant-garde circles, who played an assortment of percussion and other musical devices which ranged from finger cymbals, chimes, whistles and even a bowl of crushed pistashios which would add piquancy to the intimidating sound the new line-up would create. Richard Palmer-James was also added as a ghost member to provide lyrics and inspiration.

The first performances the new band gave in Germany in October 1972 were mesmerising and even though they contained elements of previous Crimsons they traded in the orchestrations for the raw intensity each individual instrument could offer with frantic guitar runs, overdriven fuzzed out bass lines, screaming violins, concise drumming with Jamie Muir prowling his array of musical devices like some sort of a half crazed primordial creature. Menacing improvisations which would also become a staple of the bands live sets would also come into the fore during these early shows. Although the music had more emphasis on instrumental performance, John Wetton's delivery of Richard-Palmer James' surreal lyrics equalled that of Greg Lake's and were much more powerful than either Haskell`s or Burrelll`s vocals. In early 1973 the first of three albums, Lark's Tongues in Aspic (a title suggested by Muir), was released which would follow this framework over the next 18 months. Unceremoniously, Muir would quit the band in early `73 by sending Fripp a note explaining his intentions to live a life of spirituality in a monastery in Scotland writing that King Crimson was, " an overall enlarging of possibilities and many aural delights ". It was accepted unconditionally with the band gleaning much from his brief but precious contributions.

Meanwhile the album itself charted almost immediately and King Crimson was finally being taken more seriously by the music press receiving encouraging reviews in major rock journals. Its unorthodox concepts and structure didn't sound like anything being produced by any other band at the time although inevitable comparisons were being made to the Mahavishnu Orchestra because of its similar instrumentation. Truth be told, the only thing the new King Crimson shared in common with McLaughlin`s equally ambitious project, which contained more "razzle dazzle", was the improvisational potential of the music. Although its subdued avant-garde sound had explosive moments which featured wailing guitars and power chords these sections were carefully thought out dynamically and were approached with cautionary discipline and restraint. This was true to form on the title track, " Lark's Tongues In Aspic ", which cleverly opened and closed the album in two parts with the vocal pieces being strategically located at the core of the work. They themselves contained intricate instrumental accompaniments with the mellotron being featured prominently on the cynical " Easy Money " but more as an instrument in itself rather than a substitute for a string section which was how many contemporary bands such as the Moody Blues were employing it.

Over the next year the group toured relentlessly in both Europe and the United States which was the way in which Fripp believed that the band should be experienced. On stage the band was a monstrosity of chaos, volume and unpredictable possibilities as they never played each composition in quite the same manner which resulted in dozens illegal bootleg recordings being produced during this period. Many of their live improvisations also became prototypes for studio recordings or even became the recordings themselves! Consequently the next album " Starless & Bible Black ", released in January `74, contained only two tracks recorded entirely in the studio with the title track itself being taken straight from an improvisation recorded during a concert in Amsterdam along with the tricky instrumental " Fracture" with the audience noise being edited out. Other tracks were treated in the studio and the vocal tracks, particularly the catchy " The Great Deceiver " and the sombre " Lament " continued to distance themselves from the pomp of their art-rock peers at the same time steering clear of any top forty notions. King Crimson stood alone, masters of their own creation.

Although King Crimson would play their last UK gig in October of `73 they continued to tour the United States and Canada where they were worshipped by a fanatical following who elevated them to mythical-like status. Towards June of that year the band had developed a louder and even heavier sound through their on-stage improvisations and often could not hear each other amidst the unmitigated cacophony. The player who was perhaps the most affected by this was violinist David Cross who was finding it increasingly difficult to compete with Wetton's thundering bass and Fripp's ear-splitting guitar licks. Consequently he ceased performing with the band in mid-`74 after a concert in Central Park in NYC with the remainder of the band completing the tour as a trio. A new album was also in the works by mid-summer which Cross also participated on along with other former Crimson members Mel Collins and Ian MacDonald on soprano and tenor saxophones respectively. Although the album, Red, featured two of the band's most intense and critically acclaimed compositions ever, the heavy instrumental title track, " Red " and " Starless" with its majestic mellotron driven intro and resplendent saxophone conclusion, Red was to be the last King Crimson album for the better part of a decade.

Fripp, who was growing more and more disgruntled with the music business in both professional and personal ways also had mixed feelings regarding the direction of art/rock in particular. He referred to bands in this category as " dinosaurs " that had run their course and on October 18, 1974 he announced to the music press that King Crimson itself " was over for ever and ever ". The Red line-up never toured although " Starless " had been performed live quite often during the final US tour drawing enthusiastic audience response. Interestingly, the title track " Red " would be integrated into future Crimson live sets both in the 80s and 90s where it sounded just as revolutionary as it did when first heard on record in 1974. A live album was posthumously released in early `75 entitled USA, which featured material from the `74 tour as well as the compilation album, A Young Person's Guide To King Crimson, released in `76.

Dismayed somewhat, individual members went their separate ways with Bill Bruford making brief contributions to Gong and Pavlov's Dog as well as touring with Genesis. He also helped form the fusion band UK before forming his own successful solo group which included Alan Holdsworth and bassist Jeff Berlin. David Cross went solo and leads his own Band to this day with John Wetton joining Uriah Heep as well as UK before participating in supergroup Asia in addition to success as a solo artist. Fripp, who had previous associations with Brian Eno, Matching Mole and Van Der Graaf Generator while still with King Crimson, took a introspective sabbatical before returning to music to work as "a small mobile , intelligent, self sufficient unit " collaborating with such artists as David Bowie, Blondie, Peter Gabriel and The Talking Heads. Further partnerships with Brian Eno resulted in two albums, No Pussyfooting and Evening Star, during which time he would develop a guitar method he referred to as " Frippertronics ". This involved the playing of sampled tapes over which he would lay down improvised minimilistic guitar lines to achieve esoteric sound sculptures which he would also incorporate into future King Crimson work . In addition to two solo albums in the late seventies he also returned to live performing with a futuristic new wave band The League of Gentlemen in 1980.

In 1981 Fripp formed a band called Discipline which followed the art/rock framework in the sense that it drew ideas from foreign sources which included rhythmical elements of Javanese music combined with rock and pop stylings. In order to achieve a contrast with his own unique guitar technique he asked Adrian Belew who was touring with The Talking Heads at the time to join him and former King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford along with master bassist Tony Levin in his latest musical endeavour. Not only were fresh musical ideas sought out but innovations in technology were also exploited with the use of guitar synthesisers, electric drums and Levin`s use of the Chapman Stick, a multi stringed instrument on which bass lines and chords could be played simultaneously by means of a tapping technique. The resulting sound was "decidedly dangerous" and occupied a grey area somewhere between the Talking Heads and the new metal derived grunge and industrial music which was also beginning to surface in the early `80s. It embodied many aspects of the previous 1974 King Crimson entity as well, including improvisation with heavy emphasis on intricate instrumental ability in addition to, perhaps most importantly, artistic freedom within the concept of a collective group effort. Prior to the release of the group's first album it was decided to change the name to King Crimson thus ushering in a new era of music that would continue to devastate.

The new album was appropriately entitled Discipline which accurately reflected the mindset which was required in order to execute the demanding nature of the various compositions. Their impossible time signatures, polyrhythms and hypnotic guitar phrasings would also set the norm for the two succeeding works Beat and Three Of A Perfect Pair along with Belew`s charismatic vocals and stage presence which would also recall Jamie Muir`s antics from the early `70s. A more pop oriented attitude along with world beat ingredients was evident on the new album and at first they didn't sit too well with some older fans who were expecting a re-emergence of the darker more foreboding Crimson creature of `72-`74. But times had changed considerably and the Crims quickly found an audience both young and old. Some ghosts of the past did indeed linger within the new music as exemplified in the title track's evil twin , "Indiscipline". With its overdriven power guitar chords, it was by far the heaviest track recorded by the band to date ( its meaning was deceptively simple being only about a sculpture Belew`s wife had created ! ). Their fiery live performances continued to outshine the studio albums with improvisations as well as updated interpretations of earlier material.

The album which followed in June 1982, Beat, which was largely influenced by the writings of Beatnick visionary Jack Kerouac, featured more technology and artistically went even further beyond musical comprehension. In March `84 Three Of A Perfect Pair was released with more " accessible " tracks being presented on one side of the original vinyl and the more " excessive " ones on the other. An alternative six minute dance mix was made out of one of the catchier " tunes " on the album , the bass driven " Sleepless " but it also offered a satisfying dose of murkiness in the form of two more experimental abstract pieces, " Nuages " and " No Warning " which no doubt contained more input from Fripp.

Fripp let it be known that King Crimson would once again sent indefinitely into suspended animation by announcing , " when the aim has been served or commitment discharged , any group worthy of the name disbands." They played their last 2 concerts at the Spectrum in Montréal, Canada on July 11, 1984, segments of which were finally released in 1998 as a live CD entitled Absent Lovers. During these 3½ years King Crimson toured Europe, Japan and North America and was the first identical line-up to survive more than one studio album. During the ten years of inactivity which would ensue before the next King Crimson resurrection all of the band's members devoted time to individual solo projects and session work unrelated to King Crimson while Fripp devoted time to musical education. He also set up an independent record company he called Digital Global Mobile to cater to King Crimson releases as well as other related projects. Many King Crimson live recordings from all eras of its existence have been made available through special free membership in The King Crimson Collector's Club via DGMs official website www.dgmlive.com.

In late 1994 Fripp woke King Crimson from the netherworld once more, this time with a new double trio concept for the band which would include the pairing of each instrument. The previous band would return along with Trey Gunn, a student of Fripp`s Guitar Craft seminars on the WARR guitar as well as Pat Mastellotto on drums who had previously worked as a session drummer as well as a playing in The pop band Mister Mister. Both had also played with Fripp in a collaboration with avant-garde artist David Sylvain. A forerunner to an upcoming full length album was released in late `94 in the form of the mini - CD VROOOM which was dominated by Beatle-esque pop songs but also contained some heavy instrumentals which Bill Bruford compared to the music of Megadeth, Pantera and Metallica.

Fripp himself likened the new marque of heavy instrumental music which displayed more musical maturity and finer execution over mainstream heavy metal to " 117 guitars almost hitting the same chord simultaneously ". Expansive arrhythmic soundscapes which drew from Fripp`s " Frippertronics " concepts gave the full album, Thrak, released in march `96 imposing auras which were generated by the mellotron in the Crimsons of the early `70s. As in the past the live stage presented the Crims with a bottomless pit of opportunities which resulted in mind-blowing chaotic improvisations that one critic referred to as " controlled anarchy ". In addition players would detach themselves from the double trio to perform and record in smaller groups or " fractals " collectively known as " projekts " that would serve as research and development vehicles nourishing the King Crimson creature as a whole with a constant flow of fresh ideas. This became the standard operating procedure up until `99 when Bill Bruford decided to leave in order to concentrate on his neo-jazz project Earthworks. Tony Levin also departed to focus on his own solo band in addition to session work once again reducing King Crimson to a quartet to face the challenges of new millennium.

Many long-time Crimson aficionados considered the next album, 2000`s The Construktion Of Light, to be the band's weakest work since the `72 album Islands. Nonetheless, it contained some of Adrian Belew`s most imaginative vocal work since the Discipline album. Other instrumental tracks most notably the guitar driven " Fraktured ", a distant cousin of the earlier " Fracture " from `73`s Starless and Bible Black, continued to propel the band on a more or less even keel until 2003`s Power To Believe arrived with a vengeance. As the title suggested, a more powerful sound was sought out which leaned more towards the more sinister double trio sound on Thrak with all the guitars brought up to code for maximum output ! Belew`s vocals got cynical and outright strange at times reflecting some of the band's contemporary philosophies through their forward-looking music. Shortly after the release of The Power To Believe, Trey Gunn stepped down to pursue solo endeavours with Tony Levin reportedly to return to the King Crimson fold on bass and Stick along with Porcupine Tree Drummer Gavin Harrison fulfilling a percussion role.

As Robert Fripp stated in 1994 upon its reconstitution as a double trio, "King Crimson lives in different bodies at different times and the particular form which the group takes changes. When music appears which only King Crimson can play, King Crimson appears to play the music." It seems that as this brief chronicle of King Crimson's mercurial career is being written in the autumn of 2007 some music has indeed " appeared " and will be played more sooner than later as the Crims prepare to unleash yet another fearless creature sometime in the year 2008.

Once again, the future becomes a most devious proposition.

Ian Gledhill ("Vibration baby"), Canada. November 2007