King Crimson

[GL Respect Due]

Looking to get the scoupe on what type of gear King Crimson was using back between say... 68-73? I'm interested in consoles, pres, comps, as well as any hardware, drums, amps, etc. They're sh*t was heavy, i'm really diggin' they're sound.

[dbbubba]

I don't know about the stuff from that era, but I have a friend that recorded lot's of Fripp's stuff in the second generation of Crimson. He also did That Fripp and Summers LP and all of the League of Crafty Guitarists stuff. That was a Raindirk console and an Ampex 124 24 track.

I still have some AudioDesign active direct boxes that were built for the League of Crafty Guitarists.

Robert Fripp still has a pretty good website, but there isn't much info about the older stuff.

That stuff DOES sound good doesn't it?

Danny Brown

[Pohaku]

Yeah, I was just playing the first album for my 14 year old daughter. She allowed that 21st Century Schizoid Man was a bit odd.

[dbbubba]

We used to play 21st Century Schizoid Man in a band in 1975 and we really struggled with the middle section with all of the breaks.
It's one of those things that I never mastrered.
I even have a recording of us playing it that was recorded the first time I ever went into a real studio.
We played 21st Century Schizoid Man, ELP's version of HoeDown and Zappa's King Kong.
We were precocious little shits at 19!

I had the opertunity to join what was eventually The League of Crafty Guitarists, but I wasn't financially able to pay my air fare to England for the tour.
My friend did and as a consequence Fripp's neighbor and local studio owner Tony Arnold came back to Texas and we recorded my friend's LP.
I learned a bit about more recent Fripp stuff, but it was before Fripp moved near this guy, so he didn't know much from the earlier era.

I have met Fripp a few times, but he's a strange bird and doesn't divulge much!
He wasn't intersted in talking about music as much as our mutual friend and other existential stuff.
They were short conversations.

I did get to sit five feet from him while he played live with The Project (?) band with Trey Gunn and that Mostelotto (sp?) drummer guy.
Brilliantly, other world music.
Wierd guy though.

Danny Brown

[natpub]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

We used to play 21st Century Schizoid Man in a band in 1975 and we really struggled with the middle section with all of the breaks.
It's one of those things that I never mastrered.
I even have a recording of us playing it that was recorded the first time I ever went into a real studio.
We played 21st Century Schizoid Man, ELP's version of HoeDown and Zappa's King Kong.
We were precocious little shits at 19!

I had the opertunity to join what was eventually The League of Crafty Guitarists, but I wasn't financially able to pay my air fare to England for the tour.
My friend did and as a consequence Fripp's neighbor and local studio owner Tony Arnold came back to Texas and we recorded my friend's LP.
I learned a bit about more recent Fripp stuff, but it was before Fripp moved near this guy, so he didn't know much from the earlier era.

I have met Fripp a few times, but he's a strange bird and doesn't divulge much!
He wasn't intersted in talking about music as much as our mutual friend and other existential stuff.
They were short conversations.

I did get to sit five feet from him while he played live with The Project (?) band with Trey Gunn and that Mostelotto (sp?) drummer guy.
Brilliantly, other world music.
Wierd guy though.

Danny Brown

Yah Danny, I got to spend some chat time with RF during the Discipline tour, I concur, a most unusual and a bit to himself fellow.

Loved the show though, especially Frame-by-Frame, wow!



KT

[GL Respect Due]

See, the drumming on those early LP's are one of the primary reasons I dig the music so much. It's heavy, break oriented type stuff. The melodies were no slouch ether. The mellotron/flute sounds and guitars had a lota depth to them too. Very thought provoking music, a lot like Jazz to me. Cats like King Crimson, Vanilla Fudge, Crying Shames, etc, have influenced me quite a bit. (On a side note, that VF stuff was rough - mix wise. Real heavy and dark. Lended itself nicely to the tone of the compositions).

Keep the information coming. I'd like to get as much insider info as possible.

[Musiclab]

69-74 Crimso Bob Fripp played a Les Paul Custom and a Hiwatt 100 with ev speakers
He used a wah pedal and a fuzz box called a Burns Buzzaround. He also played mellotron. I saw Crimso starting in 73, the Larks Tongue Band, with John Wetton, David Cross and Bill Bruford. I saw them every time they played in NY for the next few years including their last gig at Central Park which Bob Fripp had said was the most powerful since 69. Absolutely an amazing live band, you could see them 3 times and every show would be different, great improvisations going on.Most of the records were done at a place called Command which BF said was pretty terrible. That was a wild time for music, them and Mahavishnu, Gentle Giant, Return To Forever, and alot more. I met BF at a Frippertronics show in the late 70's, yep he's a strange guy. I asked him if he ever planned to teach, he told me yes and mentioned a date a year or two later in Virginia. I forgot about it but sure enough around the time he mentioned
he had a school in virginia! To this day I still own a black Les Paul Custom due to my KC infatuation. Years later I was buying an ARX 6 channel DI from a guy who lived in the city, as I was in his house I saw a Crimson logo on some of his road cases, I asked him if he was in that band he said yes, He was Trey Gunn, really nice guy. Thats a great bunch of players in that band, Pat Masteletto is a monster.
I just miss the improvisational spirit of the Larks Tongue band.

[dbbubba]

To each his own, but my frind who did play with the The Crafties said that when Fripp was with his wife (Toyah Wilcox) he was an almost regular guy. On the otherhand he'd do things like meditate on a fork....
Some of the conversations they had as a group were a bit spacey.

Well.... it takes someone on a different plane to play like he does.
Kind of a Miles Davis thing.

What I admire is how he can play in his style and maintain the level of intensity.
Discipline is an understatement!

I watched him play two hour ses and his GTR only sounded lke a fuzz tone GTR for about :90 seconds! His rig was amazing!

I'm not sure that his personna isn't a bit of a put on.
Either that or he has a complex of some type.

When I saw him at a small club there were about two hundred devoted fans and he stood outside of the dressing room near the restroom for a while. He was 100% un-approachable until I broke the ice by talking about his neighbor. We talked about my friend and how I didn't want to pay to play with him and the group. He studied every word I said, but never commented on anything directly. I was wondering if he thought I was really saying that it wasn't worth it to pay to be part of his deal. Actually, I guess it wasn't as far as I was concerned!

I also met him when he toured in 1979 playing Frippertronics stuff.
I was already doing the same stuff, but we used two Ampex AG440s and had the console in the "loop."
He was politely interested, but he wasn't going to show any interest beyond saying, "Really? How interesting. I need to try that." beat beat beat.... "Next question?"

I've met a few of my heros briefly, but Fripp was the most detatched.
Zappa was genuinely interested and wrote me a nice note when he signed his book for me.
Mostly he appreciated that I said, "Thank you for your music and the education."
I was almost trembling because he was actually listening and digesting what I was saying.
I didn't expect that!
I drank with Keith Emerson one night and met him again him a few months later.
Quite a cool guy, but he wanted to talk about my "amazing" drummer friend.
I've sat in a rehearsal with both Philip Glass and Steve Reich and they were nice almost regular guys.

I can't figure Mr. Fripp....
Gotta' admire him though!

danny Brown

[OctaveDr]

Link to Crimson mellotron info...

http://www-dcrp.ced.berkeley.edu/Cervero/crimtron.htm

[eligit]

one of the real highlights of the 73 live era crim is the fuzz bass. so good. check it on that live box set from that period...

[ProPower]

The Fripp "school" still lives... see www.guitarcraft.com (lots of good info there :-)). The Seattle area is lucky to have quite a few people who were members of the original League of Crafty Guitarists and have a long history in GuitarCraft. I studied with the local circle here for around 2 years and had the pleasure of meeting RF about a year and a half ago when he visited the group. A very interesting man ( You can check out his online diary, http://www.dgmlive.com/diaries.htm?a...r=3&entry=1242 ). For me he was quite approachable and pleasant to talk with.

And yeh, whoever that was who saw all the Larks Tounges shows in New YorK, I was there too........ The first time I saw KC, Yes was the warm up act (all good people tour), KC was next (Islands tour) with Prcol Harum was top bill.....

I wax poetic......
-Lee

[RKrizman]

Originally Posted by ProPower

KC was next (Islands tour) with Prcol Harum was top bill.....

I wax poetic......
-Lee

Ah yes, Islands. That's the band I loved, along with all the previous versions. Those early albums had the great cinematic vistas and the loose improvisatory feels. Lots of space, laid back drumming, interesting colors, cool sax and flutes, early mellotron. More bizarre, less achievement oriented.

Lizard, Poseidon, Islands.

How about Devil's Triangle, which takes Holst's Planets (Mars) and turns it on its head, and in the midst of the chaos you hear the chorus of Court of the Crimson King beckoning from another time and place.

Don't even get me started.....
-R

[allencollins]

The opening track on 'lizard' has the phattest acoustic gtr ever.
I think I remember Jon Anderson sang a track on that lp??
Biggest 3D sound ever.

I always thought the bass player from Bad Company was King Crimsons
best singer. Greg Lake was great too. Actually Wetton Was good
Ah they were all good

Bruford was the best drummer they had though. Love the rimshots

'Health-food faggot with a bartered bride
Likes to comb his hair with a dipper ride'.........

[RCM - Ronan]

I have worked on over a dozen King Crimson records, but seeing as I was 2 years old when Court of the Crimson King came out, I did not get to be a part of the any of the early recordings. There is a recent book by Sid Smith that is said to be the most comprehensive record of Crimson to date and there may be some good info in there. I was interviewed for the book but I have not had a chance to read it yet.

Fripp is a cool guy with a wicked sense of humor.

My label just released a compilation with some Crimson guys in other projects. Its on sale for only $5 this month!!

http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product818

[littledoodler]

the drums on 'court of the crimson king' rip. sounds like there is a slapback on there or something.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by ProPower

T
And yeh, whoever that was who saw all the Larks Tounges shows in New YorK, I was there too........ The first time I saw KC, Yes was the warm up act (all good people tour), KC was next (Islands tour) with Prcol Harum was top bill.....

I wax poetic......
-Lee

Actually I used to have a bootleg of that show, the opener was Yes then Crimson, but not the larks tongue band it was the Islands Band with Boz Burrell, Ian Wallace, and Mel Collins. They did an interesting version of a Sailors Tale which sequed into Nola The headliner was indeed Procul Harum, all at the old Academy, wild huh.

[Rader Ranch]

doesn't get any better than the build on "Starless and Bible Black". Fripp is one of those fairly timeless and very adaptable artists. also very rare.

[octatonic]

I am a Crimson fiend...

Really love Starless and Bible Black (the album)
Great Deceiver is wonderful...
Red is my favourite of the early stuff - Starless is an incredibly emotional piece.
Discipline is an ass kicking album.... Vroom and Thrak are great too.
B'boom is the only live album I listen to regularly.

Fripp is a deeply weird guy- but so am I in my own way... I'd rather have Fripp and Belew as my major influences (and they are) than any other guitarists on the planet.

I don't love everything - Islands is pretty rubbish, but it was a transitional period.

RF's solo album Exposure is excellent.
I even love Adrian Belew's solo material.

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by OctaveDr

Link to Crimson mellotron info...

http://www-dcrp.ced.berkeley.edu/Cervero/crimtron.htm

Thanks

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[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by rcm

I have worked on over a dozen King Crimson records... (snip)....
Fripp is a cool guy with a wicked sense of humor.

My label just released a compilation with some Crimson guys in other projects. Its on sale for only $5 this month!!

http://www.nexternal.com/dgm/Product818

Dude - that is totally awesome! Wow - that must be an amazing band to work with!! You are officially 'bad ass'!

Any good stories? Any good tales from the studio that you can repeat?

[20to20]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

On the other hand, he'd do things like meditate on a fork...!

...Owwch...

That's no pussyfooting, indeed...