Onholiday(somemightsay)
Well-Known Member
Please can we have spoiler alerts so I don't open these sexy images in the workplace...............
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The Album Review Club - Week #126 - (page 1531) - All Mod Cons - The Jam
- Thread starter RobMCFC
- Start date
journolud
Well-Known Member
No need to play this especially for the purposes of a review as it's one of my most played albums anyway but I have given it another listen this morning.
Interesting comparison for me between this their "last" album (until it wasn't) and their first In the Court of the Crimson King as the structure is similar, three songs on what used to be known as side one and then a meandering opener to side two before the epic finale. Whereas In the Court of... though had a generally light feel to it, opener 21st Century Schizoid Man apart there is a sense of brooding menace to Red that doesn't really let up.
Red
The opener is an instrumental that immediately grabs your attention and doesn't let go, setting the tone for the rest of the album.
Fallen Angel
A menacing start before the promise of something lighter with the opening words "Tears of joy at the birth of a brother..." The clues is in the title though, the story isn't going to end well and the song is almost oppressive as the story unfolds. A far far cry from Talking to the Wind, it's equivalent on their debut album. A great song.
One More Red Nightmare
Just to remind you the tone is dark, the mood is heavy. Another great track that will grab you by the throat and beat you into submission/
Providence
It took me a long time to fully appreciate this track, it occupies the space on this album that the lightweight Moonchild does on In the Court of but is less easily dismissed although it does require a bit more effort. Apparently improvised according to the brief reading I've done this morning, this is tightly wound and draws you in and sets you up for...
Starless
Simply the best prog rock song ever (sorry Suppers fans but second place isn't bad) and if you need proof of that go back to the thread on here, wherever it is where unless my memory fails me it won the vote by a landslide. This one starts slowly, gently with a sense less of menace but of beautiful melancholy. You know the tone by now though, tension builds, not a note is wasted. Another song that holds you in it's grip yet builds to a triumphant climax that somehow manages to release you and sends you on your way to spread the word.
Not many get a 10 from me. This album is 10 out of 10. A beast.
Interesting comparison for me between this their "last" album (until it wasn't) and their first In the Court of the Crimson King as the structure is similar, three songs on what used to be known as side one and then a meandering opener to side two before the epic finale. Whereas In the Court of... though had a generally light feel to it, opener 21st Century Schizoid Man apart there is a sense of brooding menace to Red that doesn't really let up.
Red
The opener is an instrumental that immediately grabs your attention and doesn't let go, setting the tone for the rest of the album.
Fallen Angel
A menacing start before the promise of something lighter with the opening words "Tears of joy at the birth of a brother..." The clues is in the title though, the story isn't going to end well and the song is almost oppressive as the story unfolds. A far far cry from Talking to the Wind, it's equivalent on their debut album. A great song.
One More Red Nightmare
Just to remind you the tone is dark, the mood is heavy. Another great track that will grab you by the throat and beat you into submission/
Providence
It took me a long time to fully appreciate this track, it occupies the space on this album that the lightweight Moonchild does on In the Court of but is less easily dismissed although it does require a bit more effort. Apparently improvised according to the brief reading I've done this morning, this is tightly wound and draws you in and sets you up for...
Starless
Simply the best prog rock song ever (sorry Suppers fans but second place isn't bad) and if you need proof of that go back to the thread on here, wherever it is where unless my memory fails me it won the vote by a landslide. This one starts slowly, gently with a sense less of menace but of beautiful melancholy. You know the tone by now though, tension builds, not a note is wasted. Another song that holds you in it's grip yet builds to a triumphant climax that somehow manages to release you and sends you on your way to spread the word.
Not many get a 10 from me. This album is 10 out of 10. A beast.
Onholiday(somemightsay)
Well-Known Member
OK, here goes with my choice. I was going to choose my favourite Italian Prog band and their album Photos Of Ghosts but then I realised that it may not be on Spotify (I have Apple Music).....Im sure many Genesis/Yes fans wouldve loved it but I couldn't take the risk.........So....
I have chose one of my favourite UK mainstream Prog albums of the 70's (Yes back to the 70s) :)
Red by King Crimson
Studio Album, released in 1974
Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Red (6:17)
2. Fallen Angel (6:03)
3. One More Red Nightmare (7:10)
4. Providence (8:10) *
5. Starless (12:17)
Total Time 39:57
View attachment 30422
Now down to a "power" trio, Fripps band powers on still with one of the planets best drummers Bill Bruford (The drums on this are sensational). Less is more on "Red", where the trio of BRUFORD, FRIPP and WETTON execute lucid arrangements of top-shelf material. The colour red conjures up images of angst, aggression, anger. Looking at the back cover of this album and seeing a gauge where the needle is in the red,
A surrealistic & distorted atmosphere prevails along this album. (I wanted to emphasize that).
The cover obviously a nod to The Beatles album "With The Beatles", a band that Fripp has declared the sole reason he became a musician. (Sting said the same this week).
There's a lot of original ideas here... each track is different from an other. The title track "Red" delivers a straight progressive instrumental improvisation built around a recurrent theme lead by Fripp very personal guitar playing. The whole thing is angst ridden and powerful with awesome drums and Bass, yes its repetitive but on Headphones it can literally blow your socks off.
The second track "Fallen Angel" tells a story (Yes Prog lyrics can make sense) is a more melodic rock structured song, sustained by well found sax & guitar arrangements. "Tears of joy at the birth of a Brother, never alone from now on" I really like that line. 'Fallen Angel' combines the clever hard rock ordainment with beautiful acoustic guitar based sections for the verses: there is a notable contrast between the controlled textures played by the mellotron, oboe and lead guitar during the verses and the freer lines played by the cornet during the choruses, which establish a frontal counterpoint to Fripp's minimalistic riffs.
"One More Red Nightmare" is a close contender and another excellent piece. Again there is a perfect blend of the three main members and the additional saxophones & oboes. This song tries to expand that sound furthur and it works wonderfully. One of the most emotional parts on this song, and the whole album is when the distortion comes in at around the 2 minute mark.
"Providence" is near to contemporary and dodecaphonic (another one of those words :)) music could be the most progressive track on the album.....Leading too...
The Big One.....Starless.
Finally, "Starless" which closes the album.
Red has the ability to turn on and turn up and pull back on the power where necessary and no more so than on the standout 12 minute plus opus "Starless" which starts of with a layer of mellotron augmented with some sympathetic guitar before the mood turns and brutality returns. John Wetton's raw voice brings a realism to the music, Im surprised his Bass speakers didnt pop out he plays it so hard eventually, and though "Starless" is a song of epic proportions there is no large scenes of pomposity that graced and flooded earlier King Crimson songs, and certainly no medieval grace that tarnished others.
Everything is saturated and built with layers of intense gentleness and distortion which makes Wetton's bass sound quite menacing along side Fripp's guitar but rather than thrash out big loud riffs much of the material on Red is well composed and each section is coherent and tautly conceived, I think every second of this album was meticulously planed out by Fripp, the perfectionist genius.
Starless is a strong contender for my favourite Prog opus, along with Close To The Edge.
This album hasn't aged and is a good start for Crimson as is their first album In The Court Of The Crimson King. I sincerely hope those who dont know this album come to love it as much as I do.
Starless... How menacing is that Mellotron !! 12 minutes of incredible music.
Lovely write up BW...........
Another album that I have not heard of.
While searching on Spotify I noticed the cover for In the Court of the Crimson King which has always interested me in my local library but never took out.Good old 80's.
So looking forward to listening to both if I find Red interesting enough.
While searching on Spotify I noticed the cover for In the Court of the Crimson King which has always interested me in my local library but never took out.Good old 80's.
So looking forward to listening to both if I find Red interesting enough.
KnaresboroughBlue
Well-Known Member
Not something I expect to enjoy but will give it a good listen and a fair go.
Citizen of Legoland
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- Joined
- 15 Jan 2013
- Messages
- 9,411
Had another listen to the album, although it is one I own so am already vaguely familiar with it. (I got it as a present one year so didn't acquire it by choice but have only played it a handful of times).
I think the problem with King Crimson for me, as opposed to bands like Genesis or Yes, is that I have only ever been vaguely aware of them and only relatively recently came by this album, so I don't have that connection I have with other prog acts. I knew about Yes and Genesis in the early 80s and back then I investigated their earlier work so it's familiar now, but King Crimson didn't get this chance and thus now seem very prog to me. While there are bits of it I like there's also a fair bit I don't. Sadly the vocals on this album don't do it for me in the same way as Gabriel or Anderson do on their work and I much preferred the instrumental sections as a result.
Obviously a very talented and respected band and maybe if I ever find an album of theirs that hooks me in I'll be converted, but for now it's 5 / 10 from me.
I think the problem with King Crimson for me, as opposed to bands like Genesis or Yes, is that I have only ever been vaguely aware of them and only relatively recently came by this album, so I don't have that connection I have with other prog acts. I knew about Yes and Genesis in the early 80s and back then I investigated their earlier work so it's familiar now, but King Crimson didn't get this chance and thus now seem very prog to me. While there are bits of it I like there's also a fair bit I don't. Sadly the vocals on this album don't do it for me in the same way as Gabriel or Anderson do on their work and I much preferred the instrumental sections as a result.
Obviously a very talented and respected band and maybe if I ever find an album of theirs that hooks me in I'll be converted, but for now it's 5 / 10 from me.
FogBlueInSanFran
Well-Known Member
Phew! Just spent that last 15 minutes catching up on the thread. Well, I was hoping for a move away from songs that are longer than 5 minutes, but this record will be a fun one — it’s one of the few by KC I don’t remember well. I owned their three early 80s ones and Crimson King and Larks’ Tongue, I think, and I still have my League of Crafty Guitarists t-shirt from college. Fripp always seemed better in concept than execution but he also contributed to and even produced some of my favo(u)rite 80s records. Well done Bill!
Onholiday(somemightsay)
Well-Known Member
Been doing a bit of reading in prep for our latest venture, I feel like this genre has completely passed me by (obviously until you guys continuously keep dragging me into the long grass) but that I'm also not getting it's origins or the driving force for it;
Wiki
Progressive rock is varied and is based on fusions of styles, approaches and genres, tapping into broader cultural resonances that connect to avant-garde art, classical music and folk music, performance and the moving image.[17] Although a unidirectional English "progressive" style emerged in the late 1960s, by 1967, progressive rock had come to constitute a diversity of loosely associated style codes.[18] When the "progressive" label arrived, the music was dubbed "progressive pop" before it was called "progressive rock",[19][nb 2] with the term "progressive" referring to the wide range of attempts to break with standard pop music formula.[21] A number of additional factors contributed to the acquired "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic; technology was harnessed for new sounds; music approached the condition of "art"; some harmonic language was imported from jazz and 19th-century classical music; the album format overtook singles; and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening, not dancing.[22]
Critics of the genre often limit its scope to a stereotype of long solos, overlong albums, fantasy lyrics, grandiose stage sets and costumes, and an obsessive dedication to technical skill (Hi @Bill Walker ;-) ).[23] While progressive rock is often cited for its merging of high culture and low culture, few artists incorporated literal classical themes in their work to any great degree,[24] and only a handful of groups purposely emulated or referenced classical music.
Did these artists effectively start pushing the boundaries of possibility on the back of something like a Quadraphenia or similar (rock on a bigger scale and production), and trying to pursue an almost theatre like output or am I missing the mark as usual?
BW, not remotely looking to de-rail the thread on your pick but I thought it best placed as it ties in..............
Wiki
Progressive rock is varied and is based on fusions of styles, approaches and genres, tapping into broader cultural resonances that connect to avant-garde art, classical music and folk music, performance and the moving image.[17] Although a unidirectional English "progressive" style emerged in the late 1960s, by 1967, progressive rock had come to constitute a diversity of loosely associated style codes.[18] When the "progressive" label arrived, the music was dubbed "progressive pop" before it was called "progressive rock",[19][nb 2] with the term "progressive" referring to the wide range of attempts to break with standard pop music formula.[21] A number of additional factors contributed to the acquired "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic; technology was harnessed for new sounds; music approached the condition of "art"; some harmonic language was imported from jazz and 19th-century classical music; the album format overtook singles; and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening, not dancing.[22]
Critics of the genre often limit its scope to a stereotype of long solos, overlong albums, fantasy lyrics, grandiose stage sets and costumes, and an obsessive dedication to technical skill (Hi @Bill Walker ;-) ).[23] While progressive rock is often cited for its merging of high culture and low culture, few artists incorporated literal classical themes in their work to any great degree,[24] and only a handful of groups purposely emulated or referenced classical music.
Did these artists effectively start pushing the boundaries of possibility on the back of something like a Quadraphenia or similar (rock on a bigger scale and production), and trying to pursue an almost theatre like output or am I missing the mark as usual?
BW, not remotely looking to de-rail the thread on your pick but I thought it best placed as it ties in..............
Saddleworth2
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- 27 Jan 2014
- Messages
- 20,773
The reference to classical music is everywhere. Genesis, ELP in particular, Caravan, Yes, you can here its influence everywhere. Bloody hell ELP reworked Pictures at an Exhibition.While progressive rock is often cited for its merging of high culture and low culture, few artists incorporated literal classical themes in their work to any great degree,[24] and only a handful of groups purposely emulated or referenced classical music.
Hart of the Matter
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 23 Jul 2011
- Messages
- 5,180
More like it.... Real prog... 10 and then 10 again and again and again.
Awesome, powerful, beautiful, brutal, tender and gripping. No other album comes as close to capturing the essence of Prog. More concise and focussed than Court, more tuneful than Larks. This has it all. Best listened to loud and out of it. Let it thump and pulverise and the release and lull.
Introduced this to my metal head son. Couldn't believe it was a mid seventies record. All of a sudden Nine Inch Nails and Tool made sense to him in a historical context. Starless an obvious highlight among many.
Awesome, powerful, beautiful, brutal, tender and gripping. No other album comes as close to capturing the essence of Prog. More concise and focussed than Court, more tuneful than Larks. This has it all. Best listened to loud and out of it. Let it thump and pulverise and the release and lull.
Introduced this to my metal head son. Couldn't believe it was a mid seventies record. All of a sudden Nine Inch Nails and Tool made sense to him in a historical context. Starless an obvious highlight among many.