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| Robert Fripp [left] and Adrian Belew live on stage! ©Foam-O-Graph |
Most of the Four Or Five Guys© [hypothesizes Bambi - Ed.] have got records that feature Adrian Belew, but a few of you won’t of course.
Between 78 and 79 he was in Zappa's band, 79 to 80 Bowie's guitar for hire. He played guitar both studio and live with Talking Heads between 80 and 81, so this guy was a player to watch out for. He also did session work on dozens of other big albums.
In 1981 Belew joined Robert Fripp in a ‘new’ King Crimson. I didn’t knowingly hear King Crimson until about 1979, but the track I heard was rather special, 21st Century Schizoid Man from their first album. So wishing to investigate this band I cycled off to my local secondhand record shop to see what they had in. I bought USA a live album from 1974, the last track was Schizoid Man. I got home, played it and to be honest was a bit disappointed, it had a couple of rather soft songs and some weird stuff, but at least I now had Schizoid Man.
KC had split up in 1974 (after the USA album), but fast forward to 1982 and a newly reformed KC were playing at a nearby venue, so me and a couple of friends went along. Again I was slightly disappointed, they played all of their new album (Discipline) that we’d not heard yet, and I believe the track Red from 74. But was this even King Crimson? there was an American(!) fronting the band, not a beard in sight and four very smart haircuts and suits to match…AND they didn’t play Schizoid Man.
Fortunately these experiences and not knowing much about the band didn’t put me off, I grew to love the USA and Discipline albums, bought many others and started to obsess about them, I even picked up the first album eventually and wow, that first album must have fried some minds in 1969 when it came out, and I believe they blew The Stones off the stage at Hyde Park (Brian Jones Memorial Concert - not The Stones finest hour).
So in 1981 KC reformed and the Discipline album is a wonderful way into the ’new’ Adrian Belew era, it’s probably this line-ups best studio album, but plenty of fabulous live and studio albums were released from this era too.
So what loaddown are we getting? I hear you shout. Well an good old fashioned 45minutes of tracks I compiled from the first 3 King Crimson/Belew era albums - but don’t complain if it’s not got Elephant Talk, SteveShark already gave you that in January. Also a very accessible solo Belew album from 2019, and finally my favourite Laurie Anderson album Mr Heartbreak featuring Belew and a stellar cast of players.
The list of albums he has played on is much bigger than I realised (he’s even on Magic Windows by Herbie Hancock Farq) [*shudder* - Ed.] so I hope these three albums are of interest to some of the guys, and maybe you’ll check out more of his stuff.
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| Garden gnome rocks out! |
In the attached photo [above - Ed.], probably shot before the ‘new’ KC recorded Discipline, Adrian is wearing a nasty tank-top to protect himself from the English weather. I know Farq used to be fond of a tank-top and cravat combination from his days as a highly-paid catalogue model.
Here's Bambi's bumper bag o' beats!
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/c5c2pjmU4RV
Bambi, my man.
DeleteLike you I came by King Crimson on the immense power of 21st Century Schizoid Man.
I know your post is on the early AB-era King, but you didn't really mention In the Wake of Poseidon. In my opinion the title-track & "Cat Food" particularly make this one of King Crimson's finest gems. I know that a lot of KC fans disagree, but give it a try, anyone.
I only have it in FLAC as it sounds even better than mp3.
In the Wake of Poseidon:
https://mega.nz/file/exl00RiT#nOrjg8jPyINF3mh4MkL0ogyKveJdELth0e7a3CU0iYI
Thanks for that Joey, Poseidon and Lizard have long lain in my lp racks without a dusting off, unlike the Larks Tongue to Red era which I have never tired of, time to re-evaluate.
DeleteAlso have a soft spot for Islands and have just put together a themed compilation featuring one of it's ditties, which if Farq is interested in screed filler, could be let loose on the great unwashed.
Thanks Joey, this being a Belew post I concentrated on that era of KC. I too love Poseidon, but my experience with KC is that they are such a diverse band, that the casual listener will be put off by some of their albums, anyone tickled by the Belew era may check out their other stuff. My personal favorite is the Wetton era.
DeleteBtw if they tour again they are awesome live, and are doing a sort of 'best of'.
Yes, the Wetton era is my favourite, too. the axis of Fripp, Wetton and Bruford brought out the best in the other musicians playing in KC at that time.
DeleteRobert Fripp says King Crimson have 'moved from sound to silence'
DeleteWhich sounds like he's retiring the band. So the attached could be the last song wot they ever performed in Japan last December. Although I'll neved get used to anyone but John Wetton singing it, it's still a fantastic version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laKt80x0E4k&t=862s
Yes although the current line-up is great, you can't better Wettons vocals or bass playing.
DeleteThis is the version for you then, Bambi...Bruford's expressions are amazing!
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6qXyC__vdA
Yep, that did it for me SteveShark.
DeleteMy friend saw the short lived Bruford and Jamie Muir line-up, I bet that would have been spectacular.
Just found this. never seen it before.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq5XjPfWw7w
"Big Electric Cat" off of _Lone Rhino_ (1980 or so) is kinda brillig...
ReplyDeleteand thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of the Belew era of King Crimson, but I started with the violin histrionics of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic." Still one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Bambi & Joey for sharing
ReplyDeleteThanks Bambi, just what I wanted to introduce myself to this KC era.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Bambi. Excellent post and really great to find someone else who likes his 2019 album - the track "Although" is as fine a piece of power pop as anyone could wish to hear.
ReplyDeleteThe Crims are a bit like Zappa - it's as if there are several different versions of them and whilst you might dig one, you may not dig another.
If anyone has any requests, I have a vast Crims collection.
ReplyDeleteFineOld/SS, I always recommend Discipline as a good introduction to the band, so the KC comp is half from that album.
DeleteBelews solo album Pop Sided is so good, many conventional tunes and some great left field stuff - would probably appeal to XTC fans.
The Laurie Anderson album I love, but again she can be a bit Marmite, so approach with caution, Belew is showing off on that one. Peter Gabriel sings on a couple of tracks too.
Thank you, good selection, makes me rediscovering some of his other work.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, just found this solo live performance, awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEj5Ln6vdSA
Bam-Bam-Bambi - thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteNobody likes The Bears? Too pop for the progsters?
ReplyDeleteNot a proggy, tho I've noticed that I've liked debut albums by prog acts: My first three album purchases included ELP's debut, and I have Crimson's first, FM's first, and Kansas' first. Yes? No thanks.
C in California
I bought the first Bears album for a pittance in a cut out bin. I hated the cover and played it once.
DeleteI missed a lot. I especially like "Rise and Shine" - great pop album and Belew has some superb guitar sounds..
Very nice, Bambi!
ReplyDeleteVery enjoyable Crimson picks, and I say that as not a big fan.
I've seen Adrian, with Zappa, Talking Heads and Laurie Anderson here in Manhattan. Arguably the best "Rock Sideman" in the business.
I was a bit late getting into Talking Heads, by the time I got them they were finished. I love the Stop Making Sense film.
Delete"Robert Fripp [left] and Adrian Belew live on stage! ©Foam-O-Graph"
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification, I thought it was Noddy Holder...
No they did not blow the Stones off the stage. They were pretty good, as were Family, and the Stones took a long time to get going - Jagger wasn't nearly in tune until about 45 minutes, and those 45 were what were filmed. But they played for 2 hours and it got better and better.
ReplyDeleteFantastic "I was there" account here:
Deletehttps://andnowitsallthis.blogspot.com/2021/07/high-times-and-green-grass-stones-in.html
Here's the gig - official KC recording.
DeleteNow you can be there. too.
https://workupload.com/file/HgXTAE2Kr65
Thanks Steve, just read the reviews document so far, who would have thought back in 1973ish when I first heard Crimson that I'ld get the chance to hear this and all the stuff on youtube.
DeleteJust showed the 1974 and 2021 videos of Starless to Mrs Nobby last night ( I told her girlies weren't meant to like it, but she would have none of it). She was gobsmacked, as the youth of today might say, by all of it, but Bill Bruford's drumming in particular. She compared the performances to an orchestral piece and "I thought King Crimson was bloody prog rock, I'm not sure what it is but it's definutely not that twiddly diddly rubbish".
I think I might have made a convert.
I suppose some of KC is a bit proggy - especially the pre-Bruford stuff. After he joined, and up to their first dissolution, it was very improvisatory in a way no-one in prog was like back then. It wasn't jazz, so what was it? I guess that's the trouble with labels - not everything fits them.
DeleteThanks Bambi -- big fan of Adrian Belew! Discipline is definitely a MrDaveFave™ as is the Talking Heads Remain in Light. Very jealous you got to see that era of the band live. Great Laurie Anderson album as well! Takes me back to my college days where I once hi-jacked the turntable at a party where I found the music boring and put on "Indiscipline" at a high volume (alcohol was involved).
ReplyDelete