UK - first album
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=116341
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Topic: UK - first album
Posted By: prog4evr
Subject: UK - first album
Date Posted: September 21 2018 at 02:02
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The line-up of Allan Holdsworth, Bill Bruford, Eddie Jobson, and John Wetton (RIP) was second to NONE. The first album is a phenomenal display of their prog and virtuoso sensibilities. I am aware that some songs on their first album are "debatable" for artistic majesty, but I - for one - find none of the songs on this first album with fallible character. Rather, it is the best album the group ever produced - especially since Bruford and Holdsworth left the band to form Bruford's solo band constituency of the late 1970's and and early 1980's. Several times before Wetton passed unfortunately, Jobson & Wetton "put the band back together" (albeit without Bruford or Holdsworth) - but, nonetheless, stellar in its incarnation. Most, if not all, of the music on this first album is "timeless" (though that might be debated amongst the purists, as it were). Let us raise up a toast (of whatever beverage is best for your overall health) to the prog super-group of prog super-groups: UK! |
Replies:
Posted By: Davels666
Date Posted: September 21 2018 at 02:42
An indisputable masterpiece! pity that the group has not had a long discography!
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Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: September 21 2018 at 04:11
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I thought the debut was fantastic and I still play it a lot today. The down side was that it gave me some false hope that prog would continue in both quality and quantity during the punk/new wave explosion but that was not be! Rats. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: September 21 2018 at 16:56
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What a great description of this album! Thanks for the most excellent tribute. Wetton was always a master, but this was his best gig, and having Holdsworth in the mix was pure magic. I remember when I discovered this album, long after its release and thought "where have you been all my life?"
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: September 21 2018 at 21:21
| Given the great apreciation this band and album have in the forum, I got it with high expectations, but it really didn't measure up for me. There's just something that didn't click with me. Some nice moments, but the melodies just didn't grab me, and Wetton's singing just didn't work for me. |
Posted By: JediJoker7169
Date Posted: September 22 2018 at 02:45
| Holdsworth makes the first album really special. Very sad to lose both him and Wetton in such a short span of time, both to disease. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: September 22 2018 at 11:04
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Great band and album...I didn't discover them until several years after the album was released. I still like the first one the best due to the original line up but the second one is also excellent. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: September 22 2018 at 12:39
Indeed. I'm one of the oddballs who PREFERS Danger Money. It's a fantastic record. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
dr wu23 wrote:Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 23 2018 at 16:30
| Both studio albums are great. The second album has more 'balls' as they decided to be 'ELP Mk11' but the first is a perfect example of where symphonic prog was at in 1977. There is just enough of the jazz rock fusion influence to make it distinct without it becoming dull . My only slight criticism is that I would like it to sound a bit more punchier (production issues maybe). I would love to track down the live album they did but was never going to pay £200 for that deluxe box set which seems to be the only way you can get it nowadays. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: September 23 2018 at 21:00
| ^ I did get a live album of them along with the original one, which has got some songs from the second album, but played by the original line-up. However, I'm afraid it didn't do much for me either... yet, I guess that fans of the studio albums should like it just the same. I didn't try and listen to the newer live versions from this decade, but somehow I would have hope that they might have played to songs in a warmer way that I might have enjoyed more... yet I lost interest is confirming it given that Bruford was not in the line-up. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 24 2018 at 15:35
| Bruford is hard to replace indeed, can't think of a single drummer that was/is like him except maybe Budgie (Siouxsie and the Banshees) who was the punk equivalent (and also rather brilliant in his own way) |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: September 24 2018 at 16:29
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The live one most people know is Night After Night, a not-so-inspired performance. The better live album (though with inferior sound) is Concert Classics vol. 4 . Both may be on the box set, not sure ~  ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: September 24 2018 at 17:15
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IMO, Night After Night is a fine live album by the Jobson-Wetton-Bozzio trio. At the time, you couldn't get a much more rockin' drummer than Bozzio, at least not one who was fluent in multiple approaches. The only other guy was Stewart Copeland. If you prefer the quartet, obviously you'll like Concert Classics Vol. 4 better. But I don't think the 4tet did the Danger Money songs better than the trio. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: September 24 2018 at 17:19
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^ Agreed: Bozzio is a demon, but NAN is just boring ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: September 24 2018 at 20:07
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Not sure why you think it's boring. "Nothing To Lose" is worth the price of admission. EDIT: Sorry, I should have connected your username to the absence of a certain guitarist.  ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: September 27 2018 at 06:42
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Strangely I have both vinyl albums in mint condition. But have never listened to them. I have just bought them both on CD. I have been looking for a while but they were both very expensive until I found them both for 27 quid... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: September 27 2018 at 14:41
| Love both UK albums but Danger Money gets more play at my crib. |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: September 28 2018 at 02:17
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You a vinyl spinner Scot?^ ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: October 01 2018 at 13:49
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Just spun both cd's. Both 5 star on first spin! How the fook have I not listened to these for 40 years....how many more hidden gems are there for me to garner? ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 06:14
Me too. The self-titled never did much for me though, aside from "In the Dead of Night". ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: The.Crimson.King
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 08:30
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Took a long time to grow on me, but the 1st album is a classic. The great tension between the jazzers and rockers created a wonderful hybrid - though I bought it as soon as it came out and was generally disappointed that it wasn't more "Crimson-like" ------------- https://wytchcrypt.wixsite.com/mutiny-in-jonestown" rel="nofollow - Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987 |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 10:53
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^I was also hoping for more of a Crimson sound...... ;) ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 12:04
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Perhaps I should get more king crimson....if that's what uk is like...I have the first two so what's next ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: The.Crimson.King
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 12:21
I wouldn't say UK sounds like any King Crimson, others mileage may vary, but if you want to keep exploring the Crimson world, I'd look at a couple options: 1) I you really like the 1st 2, then I'd keep going in order of release of the 70's studio albums. Be prepared...next up is Lizard which I found the hardest, yet most rewarding of all the Crimson albums to dig deep into. I loved Cirkus on first listen, but it took me quite awhile to fully appreciate the rest of it, but once reaching that stage...prog nirvana  2) If you're not that crazy about the 1st 2 and want as similar to UK as possible, start with Larks Tongues and move in order through the Wetton/Bruford era ------------- https://wytchcrypt.wixsite.com/mutiny-in-jonestown" rel="nofollow - Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987 |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 12:22
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Yeah they're two different animals, which is what was so cool. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 12:24
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Thanks for that, I like the first two...so I will go with chronological order probs... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 12:28
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I think that electric violin batters saxophone all day long. Sax has ruined some songs that would be far better with a guitar or synth solo instead... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 21:43
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The excitement in the prog community when this album came out was very high! This was a true super-group that introduced Allan Holdsworth to a very large audience, and it led to other prog supergroups that were fashionable at the time (GTR, Asia etc.) I saw them in concert for their first tour, it was an electrifying performance.
------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: October 02 2018 at 21:51
| I say get "Collectable King Crimson Vol. 1", Vroom Vroom, and one of the live albums from the current line-up (the one I have and do like is Live in Toronto, though the one that is about to be released from their nights in Mexico City seems bound to be great too). |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: October 05 2018 at 11:44
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The last track on Danger Money is sublime. The best prog track of 1979? ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: October 07 2018 at 17:08
| I was 14 when I heard the band, back in 2001, in provincial industrial region of Eastern Ukraine. They blown my mind completely, a prog fan ever since |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: October 08 2018 at 00:32
Carrying No Cross YES!
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Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: October 08 2018 at 09:33
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Like I said...it's really weird how I bought the vinyl when it was released and didn't play it! Then 40 years later I get the cd's and play and I am blown away....considering the dearth of good prog in the late 70's how did I overlook such Gems....I blame puberty and sex.... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: October 09 2018 at 23:46
| I remember the buzz surrounding the first album release as Alan Freeman was still hosting the Saturday afternoon show dedicated to Prog on BBC. The second album passed me by completely and I only became aware of it about 10 years on an ELP discussion forum. Breakneck speed drumming and keyboards at the front. OK I'll check that out! |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: October 10 2018 at 02:43
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I obviously decided to buy both on release. Obviously prog news was obtained mainly through the music periodicals before t'internet and mobile phones....The second CD is very much like ELP..The last track is up there with the best that ELP recorded. And unlike ELP output no dud tracks to spoil the listening experience as you press the skip button... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: October 10 2018 at 03:15
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Absolutely love it. My most played UK record far and away. Perfection IMHO! ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: Ruby900
Date Posted: January 23 2019 at 12:56
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I have never got on with it - I should love it. Bruford, Wetton and Holdsworth on paper is the dream team. It just leaves me cold. Maybe it is time for me to give it another spin...... ------------- "I always say that it’s about breaking the rules. But the secret of breaking rules in a way that works is understanding what the rules are in the first place". Rick Wakeman |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: January 23 2019 at 14:18
The only rival could be the last track of side 1 of the same album. UK's debut is excellent (4.5 stars), but Danger Money belongs to the highest top of the prog catalog. ------------- 
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 23 2019 at 17:48
I had this one paired up on cassette with Bruford One Of A Kind.  ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: jamesbaldwin
Date Posted: January 23 2019 at 19:15
I miss this album. Nothing can ever replace Fripp, but I love Bruford and Jobson, and Wetton is a good composer ... now I look for him. ------------- Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion. |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 24 2019 at 00:54
Maybe you should, I love it. And if you can check the DVD "Reunion Live in Tokio", Holdsworth is not there anymore and was replaced by Alex Machazek but it's a terrific concert.
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Posted By: LAM-SGC
Date Posted: January 24 2019 at 02:03
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I don't have a copy of this album, but as a result of this thread, I am now listening to it on Youtube, AND IT IS MY VERY FIRST TIME LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM, and I must say I'm liking it. Among other things, apart from KC, I'm hearing touches of Zappa. And for Cardiacs fans I can hear where some influences for Jon Poole's Ad Nauseum came from. Little touches of Mike Batt in there too. I've only got the Night After Night live album (on vinyl), which I must admit I haven't listened to more than 2 or 3 times. Maybe I should dig it out again. |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 24 2019 at 04:00
Night After Night is rather weak compared to the 2 studio albums.
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Posted By: LAM-SGC
Date Posted: January 24 2019 at 05:09
I can't remember a single thing about it, but I figured it would be weak, in my experience most live albums are weaker than studio albums.
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Posted By: wiz_d_kidd
Date Posted: January 24 2019 at 09:32
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I saw UK back in their prime at a small club in Boston when I was going to school there. I sat at a small high-top bar immediately adjacent to the stage -- right over Holdsworth's shoulder. He was smoking cigarettes, and after one or two puffs during lulls in his guitar playing, he would wedge the cigarette butt between the strings and neck up around the tuners where it would slowly burn itself out. Next lull in the guitar action, he would light up again and repeat the sequence over and over until he ran out of matches. I was a smoker, too, so I gave him a spare book of matches. I felt like I was on stage. I could literally reach out and tap him on the head if I so dared! Many years later, I saw UK again on Cruise to the Edge 2014 with Wetton and Jobson. It was so exciting to hear them rip through those old tunes live (from both albums). Truly one of the best supergroups ever formed. I enjoy both incarnations of UK, with a slight edge to the original. CTTE 2014 UK Setlist: Violin Intro - Eddie Jobson Starless (KC cover) In the Dead of Night By the Light of Day Presto Vivace and Reprise Thirty Years Alaska Time to Kill Nevermore Mental Medication Carrying No Cross The Only Thing She Needs Caesar's Palace Blues Forever Until Sunday (Bruford cover) |