King Crimson
Red
Couple more weeks of this and I'll be well versed in all things Prog rock
Fair play to you
@Bill Walker , you've nominated yet another crowd splitter - great pick. :-)
On first listen, I didn't get it at all. I'm pretty open on my struggles with Prog Rock but I couldn't find a common ground or a communion with the music.*
As I mentioned on another post, the drumming is really really good and stands out from the rest of the music to me (although I also think the bass player produces some great sounds and
unbelievable depth). BW was right, I imagine he blew through a few speakers trying to force out some of those very very powerful depths.
There are so many elements to each of the songs that I never really get chance to settle on the overall movements of the song (whilst this is listed down as 5 songs, it definitely feels more like 10+ songs that have been reinvented and intertwined).
The overall tone doesn't seem as dark as I was potentially envisaging, they have some heavy elements but they kind of play in an up-tempo tone and beat which kind of keeps it relatively light to a point.
This is also heightened by some of the brass and woodwind instruments utilised throughout the album (some of these I struggle to find place in a band set up).
I am still a little thrown by the lack of overall vocals on the album - do they usually sing more or are they always this instrumental?
I made a couple of notes on one bit to hopefully give you a slight insight as to how I hear it and potentially how my brain ticks;
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One more red Nightmare (approximate timings)
Start through to 2 mins
Why is the drummer occasionally hitting a baking tray?
Why is there a noise resembling a jungle cat?
Shifts on
Don't like the hand clap
What is the guy singing about?
2 mins through to 4 mins
What a great break in the music!!!
Nice arpeggio, lovely sound, nice change of pace
Now don't mind the hand clap - it fits
Don't particularly like sax, but sits alright in this
4 mins through to 5 mins
Why does the original riff now sound so much better (very clever)!?!
It works........
Baking tray is back
Don't like the re-break into handclap again
5 mins through to end of track
The lovely arpeggio has returned!!!!!!!!!
Can still live with the sax
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I have asked this a few times on various artists and albums,
do I enjoy these breaks so much because I don't really like the initial song element or is that just a great gift from hindsight. Is the artist that self aware and daring to test us on the bit on bold? Answers on a postcard BlueMooners.
Sooooooooooooo yet again, I have managed to write a fair bit without saying much. I'm plucking at a
5/10 but without too much of a foothold on reason. There are parts that I do enjoy, there are parts that I completely don't understand why they are on the album. This effectively still leaves me distanced from the music.
Is this just the nature of prog rock - fucking hell BlueMooners what have you got me into...................? :-)
* I really did stick with this BW after your post the other day, it's had about 4 full run throughs and a fair amount of shuffles