The Album Review Club - Week #193 (page 1300) - East Side Story - Squeeze

Red – King Crimson

Another prog album to review, but at least in this case, they have kept the album running time to a respectable sub-hour and their opus is a mere 12 minutes!

There’s a lot I like about this album. It’s very dramatic and features lots of subtle and some not-so-subtle shifts in tone. The woodwind and sax is also welcome. “Red” and “One More Red Nightmare” feature some dynamic guitars. “Fallen Angel” has an epic feel and the melody that opens “Starless” is superb, as is most of the rest of the song. It could do with an edit, of course, because I don’t think that what happens justifies its running time. I don’t think John Wetton is an amazing vocalist, but I preferred his style to Peter Gabriel’s’ theatrics.

Then there’s “Providence”. Whilst it does eventually get going, I didn’t really appreciate listening to them all tuning their instruments. This phrase has been mentioned several times, including very recently, but it seems to be becoming a bit of a theme and is very fitting here. I appreciate some good instrumental passages but in this case, it feels overindulgent and there’s no forward or even sideways momentum whilst it’s going on. You’d think that somebody would have walked into the studio and coughed politely on the two-minute mark. Then after another two minutes of skull-crushing tedium, you’d have expected some less patient soul to deliver a swift kick in the knackers to get them bloody playing.

A comparison with Genesis is mandatory as we are listening back-to-back. King Crimson have a less annoying vocalist and I like their sound more, but these prog rock bands are exposing a flaw in my own scoring system. I like them enough to enjoy repeat listens but there’s nothing here that puts them on the level of the Led Zeppelin or Oasis offerings (which I scored at 8) let alone my favourites (which would be 9 and 10).

Therefore, just like Genesis, I’ll give them a 7.
 
Red is fantastic!

For whatever reason I missed this classic when growing up - only to discover it 2 years or so ago.

I first experienced the band when listening - also about 2 years ago - "In the Court of the Crimson King" - another fantastic album.

Anyhow - I love "Red" - and recommend that those who have not listened to the album yet - do so.

Edit - I rate this album as 9.5/10
 
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RobMCFC said:
A comparison with Genesis is mandatory as we are listening back-to-back. King Crimson have a less annoying vocalist and I like their sound more,
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I think Yes is a more apt comparison musically. Bruford and Wetton both had spells with them in fact I think Bruford is my favourite Yes drummer. Musically you can certainly see some similarities, in fact listening to the track Red reminds me a little of 'heart of the sunrise' in terms of its musical construction.

'Dont worry Peter, its Phil the nasty man is talking about' ;-)
 
Saddleworth2 said:
'Dont worry Peter, its Phil the nasty man is talking about' ;-)
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Unfortunately, it isn't. Think I've mentioned this before but as a "newbie" music fan in 1986, I was suckered into buying So on the strength of "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time". I don't know what it is, but generally, I don't like Mr Gabriel, the odd track aside. "Solsbury Hill" was OK.
 
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RobMCFC said:
Unfortunately, it isn't. Think I've mentioned this before but as a "newbie" music fan in 1986, I was suckered into buying So on the strength of "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time". I don't know what it is, but generally, I don't like Mr Gabriel, the odd track aside. "Solsberry Hill" was OK.
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I know it wasn't mate. He has done some lovely stuff in his solo career and also some dross.

MY favourite PG song is this, and I offer it up to you in case you like it :-)

 
Saddleworth2 said:
I know it wasn't mate. He has done some lovely stuff in his solo career and also some dross.

MY favourite PG song is this, and I offer it up to you in case you like it :-)

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Just had a listen and I like that a lot. Cheers. On that track he just sings without any theatrics and he sounds much better for it. The music is really good as well. Some nice acoustic guitar and builds up with some great keyboard backing.
 
RobMCFC said:
Just had a listen and I like that a lot. Cheers. On that track he just sings without any theatrics and he sounds much better for it. The music is really good as well. Some nice acoustic guitar and builds up with some great keyboard backing.
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The boy wrote some lovely stuff but its hard to take the theatre rock out of him and he has returned to it a number of times in his career including some of the more bombastic stuff on So. If you have the inclination check out Up which has some nice stuff on it and also 'scratch my back' where he does some covers of artists he respects. I'm confident you will find stuff you enjoy because in reality he does have a very good emotive voice when he puts his mind to it.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
I know it wasn't mate. He has done some lovely stuff in his solo career and also some dross.

MY favourite PG song is this, and I offer it up to you in case you like it :-)

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I like the version on PG’s first record better than this one with the Frippertronics personally, but this is on my list of top 20 tunes that bring a tear no doubt.
 
Whenever I think of King Crimson an image flashes into my head

The Fast Show - Just A Load Of Blooming Catchphrases


Nice............

Don't get me wrong, I do like the Band and when I'm in the mood, they are the only fix because there is nobody quite like them. I hear comparisons with Genesis but musically they are really different. Yes? Perhaps a little with some of their stuff. Red reminds me just a little of a track like 'Heart of the Sunrise' but you really have to look for it in both tracks dynamic build and changes of gear. I loved CotCK when I was younger and still play it when I want a 'completely stoned' vibe, Moonchild does the job just right.

So to Red. There is a great deal on this album to like. The musicianship is wonderful and Fripp, John Wetton and Bruford at the top of their game. I particularly love Bruford - his drumming is as easy to identify as Bonhams (although in a very different way). This is not an album I have listened to much other than Starless which has one of the most beautiful opening five minutes in prog rock. I really liked the two 'red' tracks and their dynamic build. Their noodling track not as much although I will add it to my 'moonchild' play list. Starless is flawed perfection - the opening theme is just gorgeous but then I lose interest a little and then they bring it back. It reminds me a little of a track by the Dutch prog rock Focus I cant remember the name (maybe eruption?) but it had a similarly beautiful dream like guitar passage.

It doesn't make my top ten prog albums but I did like it and simply because of Starless I'll give it 7.
Thanks for proposing it @Bill Walker .
 
urban genie said:
Nowt wrong with a bit of jazz/classical/rock fusion in your collection and to produce what is agreat musically and lyric album when they were in the beginings of spliting up makes it even more fascinating

A solid 8/10
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I know absolutely nothing about King Crimson but I’m certainly into listening to a bit of ‘jazz/classical/rock fusion’! The reviews on here also make we want to find out more.
 
Bill Walker said:
Give it a couple or more spins mate, it is indeed a "grower" it probably took me 6 months to fully appreciate this album.
I think some posters condemn things too early. Its only been posted today and there wont be another for a week !!
You cant really "get" this music in a day. (well maybe some can LoL)

Time surely to have a few listens to see if it grabs you, if it does I can assure you it will give you pleasure for years to come, it IS quality music. But give it the week out. There is a reason why it is voted so highly by critics and fans.
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Ok. I had an afternoon on my own to blast it out again.
Like I said it’s not a completely new album to me anyway, I’ve heard it in bits and pieces before.

I’ll try to do it justice by giving it proper analysis but to be honest any criticisms I have of it have been covered probably more eloquently by OB1 Foggy and Rob, than what I may repeat here.

Do I like it?
Nearly! Probably, almost, well parts.
Do I like them?
Yes, but I think that COTCK and perhaps Lizard and most definitely Larks Tongue for the same lineup are far more pleasant, cohesive, enjoyable albums.

I’m listening to Lark’s Tongue now as I type and to me it is a far superior album. Everything about it.
Wetton is no Greg Lake when it comes to lead vocals but the comparison of emotion between the two albums is stark. You don’t have to be an excellent singer to be a good vocalist and on Lark’s Tongue his strained and angst ridden vocals suit the album down to a tee.
With Red, it doesn’t strike me as an album with a cohesive theme holding it together and without that theme, Wetton sounds bland.
The first three tunes are good grooves but ultimately never take off like they promise to, and to my ear those three and Starless sound like they are cobbled together from tracks that never made it onto Lark’s Tongue, and Starless and Bible Black.
As for Providence. It just doesn’t belong here. It sounds better than first listen but someone described it as noodling and I must confess that’s the word that first came to mind on my first listen. Fripp aficionados can justify it anyway they like, but it’s just self indulgence of experimental jazz type proportions, that doesn’t fit into any framework of an album at all.

Starless is a lovely melody and starts to go somewhere but even with the nice sax piece by the end I felt cheated again.
Listen Bill, I love the band but it all comes down to taste again and for me I would have ‘In The Wake of Poseidon’ any day over it.

I’ll give it a 6/10 in recognition of the individual bits of genius and the technical excellence but in my book it comes nowhere near Lark’s Tongue in Aspic. Now that is a truly brilliant album.
 
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