Advice: VDGG and KC

The first option first, the second, second!

I'm new to VDGG, but KC I've been a fan of for years (decades?). Crimson went through many phases. For the new listener, I would suggest getting the best from each phases. You already have Phase 1 covered.

Phase 2 - Islands (It stands alone, dismiss Earthbound, not essential and poorly recorded.... completist only)

Phase 3 - Lark's Tongues / Starless / Red / USA (live)  "Lark's Tongues" is the first of this phase and (I) consider it to be the best, however all three are incredible.

Phase 4 - Discipline / Beat / Three of a Perfect Pair "Discipline" is the one from that series which says it all. "B" and "ToaPP" are more of the same.

Phase 5 - Thraak (double trio album)

Phase 6 - Happy WWYHTBHW (EP) and  Power 2 Believe (heard both, don't own either) If you liked Thraak, you may like these also.

Summation:

ITCOTCK - You Own

Islands (Save for later, money's scarce)

Lark's Tongue (Get it)

Discipline (Buy After LTIA)

Thraak and after - (Only if you like Discipline. Belew's voice may or may not be to your taste.)

Everything of both bands!!!!!

Hurry!

Pawn Hearts was the right decision...Lark's Tongues as well...you'll love it...

kinda my opinion as well, Lucas.

Pawn Hearts is awesome, but I guess they were a quite consistent band, so any purchase might be of pleasure.

KC are more up-and-down, with HIGH peaks but some quite bad stuff as well.

danbo wrote: Phase 2 - Islands (It stands alone, dismiss Earthbound, not essential and poorly recorded.... completist only) Phase 3 - Lark's Tongues / Starless / Red / USA (live) "Lark's Tongues" is the first of this phase and (I) consider it to be the best, however all three are incredible. Phase 4 - Discipline / Beat / Three of a Perfect Pair "Discipline" is the one from that series which says it all. "B" and "ToaPP" are more of the same. Phase 5 - Thraak (double trio album) Phase 6 - Happy WWYHTBHW (EP) and Power 2 Believe (heard both, don't own either) If you liked Thraak, you may like these also.

I agree, for the most part...I think Islands is definitely to prefer to Lizard, but it's not a very enjoyable album...the tracks are, um, odd in their place. Don't know how to describe it. But, the last two tracks makes it worth a purchase! That's WONDERFUL stuff, KC at their most neo-classical.

I like Larks' Tongues In Aspic way better than I like Starless and Bible Black, LTIA is a SUCCESSFUL improv album, SABB, well, it has some high points, and is moody, and is not a bad album at all, LTIA is just better, and crrrunchier. Red is my fave of the three, though, but you might very well get LTIA before getting Red.

Discipline is indeed the best of the 80's studio records, Three Of A Perfect Pair comes second, beat comes last but is quite good anyway (it has "Heartbeat"!). All the songs comes to real life on the Absent Lovers live CD, though - that's the album I'd pick if anybody asked me for my fave live album. An awesome performance, and the songs just get better in every sense.

Thrak is the album in between the 80's minimalism and the 90's improvised Projeckts, it has some great tracks, but is rather average in my book. The latercoming Construcktion Of Light is, um, weird, and not necessarily in a good way...the vocals are odd..I don't like it yet, but it may grow on me. However, The Power To Believe is a MONSTROUS album. It's just mighty, has heavy riffs and moody tracks and cool time signatures and guitar interplays and other cool stuff, it's one of my fave Crimson albums!
Their sophomore album In The Wake Of Poseidon isn't at all as bad as some say - actually, I think it's more consistent than the debut (I'm not that big a fan of Moonchild), and I even like it a bit more. One half of it is a rip-off of the first album, but there's some new kind of music there as well. Definitely underrated.

You got my opinion about almost the entire Crimson discography there, now don't you dare forget to tell us what you think of the albums you'll get!

I don't know enough about VDGG to comment on them, but for KC you should probably go for Red (my personal favourite) or In the Wake of Poseidon (sounds more like Court... than any others they've done since).  Larks' Tongues is a good choice as well, but it can be very tough to get into.  I'd get Thrak before it.  It's a very underrated album, although it's a bit heavier than most KC.

Edited by Useful_Idiot

King Crimson, to start with:

Larks Tongues / Red / Discipline / Thrak.

If you like it:

Starless and bible black / The Power to believe

The Analog Kid wrote: Oh, AND Wake of Poseidon, it's almost as good as In The Court

I found them to be practically the same album (which is no bad thing.......), there are tracks on 'Court' which are virtually duplicated on 'Poseidon'

THANKS TO YOU ALL!

As I said before, I ordered Pawn Hearts.

I will order Godbluff, Lark's Tongues and Red as soon as possible

but I also want some albums by Mr. Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Soft Machine (Third) and Jethro Tull.

money money money!

Quote:

but I also want some albums by Mr. Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Soft Machine (Third) and Jethro Tull.

money money money!

 

Of course there are at least three Zappa albums with Don Van Vliet in residence.

 

I personal feel that is very little of Beefheart  that is NOT interesting, whether it is the deconstruct of the Howlin' Wolf type Chess blues "Gimme Dat Harp Boys" (White Stripe, eat your hearts out), the post psychedelia of "Mirrorman" through to the avante rock of the late 70's and early 80's  - "Lick My Decals..." through to "Icecream For Crow". Obviously with "TMR" sleeve as your "logo" you know about that record. One complaint: Beefheart's roadie, a young Gary Lucas does not play enough on the last couple of studio albums - although his most discernable guitar sound is  to be heard on the title track of "Icecream for Crow". Lucas has now reformed and touring the Van Vliet approved Magic Band.

And to complete connections; Gary Lucas hopes sooner or later to record some tunes from early Soft Machine, and currently is collaborating with Hugh Hopper.