21st Century Schizoid Band reactivization?

I enjoyed the two previous Schizoid Band lineups and live show swings so much, I really hope the concept is reactivated somewhere down the line. Depending on availability and enthusiasm, of course, I wouldn't mind one of these combos assembling:

Jakszyk/Lake/Cross/McDonald/Bruford.
or
Jakszyk/Wetton/Collins/McDonald/M. Giles.

I interviewed Jakko - the main driving force of the band - around the time their Live In New York City DVD was issued. The band made a large loss from that USA tour (apart from NYC) which Jakko largely carried, and with the band members spread over the UK and the States, there are some communication difficulties, but most definitely rehearsal difficulties. Jakko was also promting his first solo album in a number of years, at the time of the interview - that double CD The Bruised Romantic Glee Club, had a who's who of the prog industry playing on it and strongly recommended - but the CD company Iceni (who issue dthe 21st Century stuff too) went bust apparently: now The Bruised Romantic is only available as 2nd hand CDs or MP3 downloads. One 21st Century drummers has alas subsequently died, and the earlier drummer, one of the Giles brothers, lives in LA  and has had a falling out with Jakko (and happens to be Jakko's father-in-law). Hence 2 years ago Jakko was adamant unless he did something, there would not be a 21st Century Schizoid Band reunion.

Edited by Dick Heath - November 19 2008 at 13:22

Not so much a matter as to whether Jakko "needs" a Wetton or Lake - I'm sure he doesn't. I was just taken by the concept of an assembly of Crimson alumni from different eras celebrating the work they helped create. Who is "better than the other guy" doesn't really apply.

Plus experiencing those powerful '70s works in a live setting was quite a moving experience for me - one that I feel I wouldn't be nearly as effective with a simple "tribute" band, no matter how accomplished.

Of course, the financial/geographic/familial pressures do seem to win out in these matters, unfortunately.

Perhaps, but with hopefully much better results!

Now that was exquisite. With Tim Landers on bass and a guy that virtually came out of nowhere Jody Nardone on piano. Just smokin`I gave it a 5 star rating. Even God Fripp wrote some nice things on the cover. I`ve heard that despite the passing of Ian Wallace that there might be some new stuff coming.
I don`t know whether Bruford`s book is out yet ( I never get to read these things because they`re only available over the damn web ) but I think Crimson is pretty much a thing of the past with him.

Steven in Atlanta wrote: Bill still has a fondness and respect for most of the KC material, although very little of either for his Frippness. I can't imagine Bruford and Fripp ever being in the same zip code again, much less the same band. Still it would be nice seeing Bruford revisit the KC catalog in some way, other than the drum clinics he participates in these days.

What I liked so much about the Schizoid Band concept is it was '70s Crimson alumni where at least one of whom played on the original recording, but not the others. That said, I'd love to hear Bruford and crew tackle Islands, Lizard and Poseidon tunes, with "Sailor's Tale" wielding the most intrigue on this end. Or a lineup with Lake singing some of the '73-'74 material. Oh well, it's all probably just a pipe dream.

When I heard about 21st.CSB , I must confess I was quite excited. Getting such a line up together, performing live and recording was a major coup that went surprisingly unnoticed without the fanfare such a reunion really deserved imo. The likes of Mel Collins, the Giles brothers and Ian McDonald are of legendary status imo. I was not disappointed when I got the DVD of their live performance in Japan . I think it's oustanding with so many of the band members having ' matured' as players from the heady days of the late 60s early 70s.

I was also roundly impressed with Jakko's contribution with his precise vocals and guitar playing . This band possessed an extra 'edge' imo. I was therefore sad that they were unable to progress.

Consequently, I would be happy with any further incarnation of the band, but for the reasons outlined by Dick [ always the font of all knowledge in this sphere ], sadly it's not likely to happen.

However, following up on the Crimson Jazz Trio [CJ3] and Jakko's solo release, the excellent ' Bruised Romantic Glee Club' has provided some wonderful and fulfilling listening experiences for this enthusiast. Both albums are highly recommended for those who have a propensity for challenging Jazz trio arrangements of KC classics { CJ3} and reinvigorated Canterbury influenced sounds tastefully played and presented { BRGC}.

For those interested in CJ3, Jakko himself advised by email that Vol II will be released at a later stage . It was all but completed as at the date of Ian Wallace's sad passing . I believe Jakko has made some contributions , either by playing or in the production of it and Mel Collins has apparently added some sax to a couple of tunes. As it was an Ian Wallace driven project, his passing has not surprisingly held up it's completion as someone else would no doubt have to pick up the reins to complete the project. I hope they do as a testiment to the great player IW was. Here's hoping.

Vibrationbaby wrote: So there`s a feud . They were even better than the first lineup if you ask me.

I wish Fripp could just do something nostalgic. I`ve heard the new stuff through the DGM website and I, of all people, and I hate to say it, find it getting a bit stale and running out of some steam. These guys aren`t getting any younger.
 I see Amon Duul II is going out on tour with the early seventies lineup in 2009. I`m not comparing apples and oranges here but that was the golden age of Amon Duul II  and there`s onviously still a lot of fans of that music still around as well as newer fans and from all reports the band is very enthusiastic about playing the older material. But I guess it`s up to Bob to initiate such an undertaking for Crimson . I think he has to aknowlege the fact that there are a lot of us out here who would pull our hair out to see a KC minus the 80s,90s & 00s concert. There`s no doubt that they`re in the position to do it unlike others we`d like to see such as Gentle Giant. Jethro Tull hasn`t forgotten it`s past and Ian Anderson makes it a point to stay connected regardless of how many times we have to sit through Aqualung. They nevertheless always have some sort of suprise for the audience. I mean the original band even got together for a gig in a small pub in the Midlands a few years back and played  old stuff off This Was and Benefit and made some of it available on CD and DVD. C`mon Bob stop being a party pooper.