Rock

The Continuing Saga of King Crimson

The reasons that older rock bands get back together probably are varied, from nostalgia to creative urges to boredom. And, by the way, there is the money. King Crimson seems to be a bit different. The band appears is a lifelong project — ProjecKCts in the band’s parlance — more or less led by Robert Fripp. It features fluid lineups and musical genres.

Here is the start of its profile at Wikipedia:

King Crimson are a progressive rock band. Formed in London in 1968 (but featuring a transatlantic lineup since 1981), they’re widely recognised as a foundational progressive rock group despite the band’s own resistance to the label.[5] The band has incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during its history (including jazz and folk musicclassical and experimental musicpsychedelic rockhard rock and heavy metal,[6] New Wavegamelan,electronica and drum and bass).

The band’s line-up has persistently altered throughout their existence, with eighteen musicians and three lyricists passing through the ranks. The only musician to appear in every line-up of the band has been founding guitarist Robert Fripp, although others’ tenures have sometimes extended for decades. Due to the number of musicians involved in King Crimson over the years (and the band’s emphasis on creativity and on recruiting high-level players) the band is at the hub of a network of other bands and projects, and has been influential to many contemporary musical artists. The band has a large following, despite garnering little radio or music video airplay.[7]  (Continue Reading…)

This fall, the band announced that it would reunite (in a configuration with three drummers). There is some confusion, however: The story said that there would be no tour until September, 2014. tour. Last week, however, a story at Noise11 said that some Australian dates slated for next month have been postponed. The article — nor the King Crimson site to which it refers — provides any reason for the delay. It is not even clear that the two stories refer to the same group of musicians.

In any case, the music and the band survive. Above is “Epitaph” and below is “Starless.”

Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

Check out is some of what we've written so far:

-- Assessing the Value of Vinyl Records: An Overview

-- 7 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Turntable Cartridge

-- Why Vinyl Records Continue to Thrive

-- Finding the Best Amplifier

-- Finding the Best Phono Preamp

-- What Speakers Do I Need for My Turntable?

Check out more articles on analog equipment and vinyl.

The site also is home to The Internet Music Mapping Project, an effort to list and describe as many music-related sites as possible.

Our Music

--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

--Indigo Girls to Queen Ida (I to Q)

--Radiohead to ZZ Top (R to Z)

Reading Music

The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

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What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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