King Crimson - Beat Review by Gary Hill Of the trio of studio albums originally released by this version of King Crimson, this was the middle child. It was also a little less adventurous than either of the other two. More...
Fripp & Eno - Beyond Even (1992-2006) Review by Artcle msjtemp This is a collection of previously unreleased collaborations between Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. As one might imagine the majority of this music is firmly rooted in atmospheric territory.
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The Tangent - COMM Review by Alison Henderson The Tangent is one of the current cornerstones in British prog rock whose roots can be traced back to 1999 when Parallel or 90 Degrees supported The Flower Kings at a Classic Rock Society gig. More...
King Crimson - Discipline Review by Steve Alspach These were interesting times for Robert Fripp, ye olde scholastic of the progressive rock scene. In 1978 he had released Exposure, an album that he described as "A Day in the Life" for that period. More...
Anyone looking for the powerhouse music that you tend to expect from King Crimson here will be disappointed. This is an atmospheric work, but there is still plenty of Fripp to be found within.
Robert Fripp - Exposure Review by Steve Alspach Robert Fripp's first solo album (not counting the side projects with Brian Eno) was considered "A Day in the Life" for the 1970s. Fripp proves himself to be the "21st Century Schizoid Man" because this album runs the gamut from harsh metal to more ambient dreamscapes. More...
King Crimson - Eyes Wide Open DVD Review by Bill Knispel Following two plus years as a “double trio,” and nearly two years of fractionalization through a series of ProjeKCts, King Crimson returned to active duty in 2000 as a streamlined quartet with the album TheConstruKCtion of Light. A second album in this newer “double duo” format titled The Power to Believe, followed in 2003. More...
King Crimson - Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With Review by Bill Knispel Happy With What you Have to be Happy With was the second consecutive EP release from King Crimson, and presented a look at additional material that would, along with the instrumentals presented on the Level Five EP, form the majority of the band’s (at the time) forthcoming studio album The Power To Believe.
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King Crimson - In the Court of King Crimson written by Sid Smith Review by Steve Alspach Few bands in progressive rock have a more colorful past than King Crimson. As Sid Smith says in the preface, the history of King Crimson is the "triumph of spirit over adversity. And sometimes the triumph of adversity."
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King Crimson - Islands Review by Bill Knispel King Crimson’s Islands album (1971) marked two milestones. On one hand, it was the band’s return to live performance, as Crimson had not played any live shows since December of 1969. On the other hand, it marked the end of the first phase of the band’s career, as stresses and interpersonal conflict would cause the group to break with lyricist Peter Sinfield (who had been with them since their founding) before finally imploding from differing musical directions and influences prior to a final US tour (which the band did out of contractual obligation).
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King Crimson - Level Five Review by Bill Knispel Following the “research and development” phase that was the ProjeKCts, King Crimson resumed its most recent return to recording and performance. Having jettisoned Bill Bruford (who returned to primarily jazz playing via Earthworks) and Tony Levin (who returned to live work with long time collaborator Peter Gabriel), Crimson recorded and released the more electronic album The ConstruKCtion of Light in 2000.
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King Crimson - Neal and Jack and Me DVD Review by Bill Knispel King Crimson’s ‘return to the throne’ in the 1980’s must have been viewed with a degree of skepticism. The band made a name for themselves in the 1970’s with their dark blend of symphonic grandeur and intense heaviness, mixed with an improvisational spirit that would drive them to push every song and performance into parts unknown. More...
Gong - NEARfest 2009, Bethlehem PA Review by Bill Knispel The announcement of Gong as Saturday night headliner for NEARfest may have caught a lot of people off guard. Certainly Gong has a history and importance level great enough to merit headliner status.
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King Crimson - Red Review by Gary Hill For my money, Red is King Crimson's most consistent and powerful album. The disc combines the hard edged sound that I think works the best for Crimson with both highly accessible and very creative song writing to produce an album that holds up exceptionally well. More...
For me Red has always been King Crimson’s ultimate album. I know, there are those who will point to Larks’ Tongues…, but personally I think this one is more cohesive and to the point.
King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black Review by Gary Hill King Crimson have always been one of the most creative and innovative bands out there. When you expect them to jab they dodge and when you think they are going to dodge you’d better duck. More...
Jakko M. Jakszyk - The Bruised Romantic Glee Club Review by Bill Knispel Jakko M. Jakszyk has had a long and diverse career, careening wildly from pop/funk band Level 42 to Canterbury bands featuring Dave Stewart (Rapid Eye Movement), David Jackson, Peter Blegvad and John Greaves (The Lodge) and countless others. During the first few years of the 21st century he effectively replaced both Robert Fripp and any of a number of past vocalists in the 21st Century Schizoid Band, a group which reunited former members of King Crimson to recreate the band’s earlier material, with an eye toward future, newer compositions.
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King Crimson - The Power To Believe Review by Gary Hill Since its formation in the late 1960's King Crimson has never been content to stay in one musical place. They were one of the pioneers of progressive rock, and under the guidance of band leader Robert Fripp they have gone through many changes, both in terms of musical style and lineup. I More...
King Crimson - Three Of A Perfect Pair Review by Gary Hill When King Crimson reformed in the 1980’s to create the Discipline album the sound they presented was quite different from the classic Crimson of the 1970’s. While I liked all of the discs from this Belew, Bruford, Fripp and Levin lineup, I still preferred the “old school” stuff.
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King Crimson - VROOOM Review by Bill Knispel 10 years following the dissolution of King Crimson following a trilogy of world and gamelan influenced albums, the band quietly rejoined forces in a small studio in Woodstock New York to create a new band and a new sound. Expanding beyond the quartet that created those 1980’s albums, the core group (Robert Fripp. Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford) was joined by new members Pat Mastelotto (drums, formerly of Mister Mister) and Trey Gunn (Stick) to create what founding member Robert Fripp called a “double trio.”
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