...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...


..::OPIS::..

After I had purchased the (former Classic Rock Productions label) Inside editions of Yes, ELP, Genesis, Supertramp and Pink Floyd, I was desperately searching for the King Crimson Inside 1972-1975 DVD for years. It was so hard to get because shortly after the first edition was released, Robert Fripp hired a lawyer in order to prosecute the producers of the King Crimson Inside DVD. Then this DVD disappeared out of the records shops and was "officially no longer available". This week I was pleasantly surprised to discover the King Crimson Inside 1972-1975 DVD in one of my favorite record shops. On the back cover I read that it has been re-released in 2005 and former King Crimson member of the 'classic King Crimson 1972-1975 line-up' David Cross is involved in this project. This is a bit cynical because other King Crimson member of that classic line-up Robert Fripp is opposing against this DVD, you can read about that on Robert Fripp his website in his diary in July 2006.
While watching this DVD I got more and more excited because of the very good and inspired musical analysis (by journalists, musicians, record producers, band members, reviewers) and the amazing, sometimes very rare Seventies video footage. In this review I have created chapters that vary slightly from the DVD chapters, let's call it 'artistic freedom'.

THE BAND: It is mentioned that King Crimson "went through an awful lot of personal changes that clearly effected the band", "the new line-up made more experimental music, more based upon improvisation" and "This King Crimson is a fine example of British Art Rock" ...

THE MEMBERS: about Robert Fripp: "he is a bit like the Alec Guiness of the guitar, he has no single style", "Fripp can range from classical to soft jazz to heavy metal", "his distorted guitar sound was more close to Jeff Beck than Page or Hendrix but less bluesy" and "Fripp was not only a virtuosic guitarist but also somebody who thought what's best for the band". About Bill Bruford: "Bill was able to enhance the melodies around him" and "After Yes for Bill King Crimson was the perfect antidote, it was about art, music and expression and not about ego-mania". About John Wetton: "John was very versatile, reliable, he had a sense of power and funkyness", "his vocals were almost an instrument" and "John had an archetypical poprock vocal style". About Jamie Muir: "He was regarded as the secret weapon", "he could play everything and incorporate that in the band" and "It was beautiful organised chaos". And about David Cross: "his violinplay was great, it could be another improvised voice, from avant-garde and romantic to classical and jazz".

THE ALBUMS: the focus on this DVD is on three studio albums: Larks' Tongues In Aspic from 1973 ("King Crimson loved 5/4 and 7/4 signatures", the whole thing is very dark" and "it's never self-indulgent"), Starless And Bible Black from 1974 ("this album is more composed and less improvised than LTIA", "Wetton his singing is vastly superior than on LTIA" and "the song Fractured is Fripp at his best: jazzrock meets heavy metal meets alternative progressive!) and finally Red from 1974 ("the titletrack is the greatest ever King Crimson riff", "the song Red is heavier than Deep Purple and Black Sabbath in that time", "Starless is the finest piece of music King Crimson ever made"). I got goose bumps when an emotional and gently gesturing Robert Fripp told (1991 interview) about Starless as "a beautiful melodic line"!

THE VIDEO FOOTAGE: In comparison to the other legendary symphonic prog/Art-rock bands there is very little Seventies video footage and only the song Larks' Tongues In Aspic (on the Beatclub 1973 DVD compilation) is official. This video footage is extensively used on this Inside 1972-1975 DVD but the real excitement is delivered by the Atlantic Records Promotional Film from 1972 (unknown to me) featuring lots of great images (songs Easy Money and Improvisations On Easy Money) from all band members, especially Robert Fripp (playing fiery soli on his black Gibson Les Paul) and David Cross on his violin and on the white Mellotron M400 is breathtaking, THIS IS VISUAL PROGROCK HISTORY! Other video footage is from Yes with Bill Bruford (Beatclub 1971), Asia Live 1990 (with John Wetton on acosutic guitar), John Wetton Live 2003 (with Martin Offord on keyboards) playing captivating renditions of Starless and Red (the full versions are the two bonustracks on this DVD) and from David Cross (past and present like the song Terminal) who also gives some thrilling demonstrations on his violin and lots of interesting comments about his King Crimson period.

erik neuteboom



..::TRACK-LIST::..

Excerpts from:
Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Beatclub 1973 video footage)
Easy Money
Your's Is No Disgrace (Beatclub 1971 video footage)
Book Of Saturday (Asia Live In Moscow 1990 video footage)
Book Of Saturday
The Talking Drum
The Great Deceiver
We'll Let You Know
Lament
Fracture
Starless And Bible Black
Red (John Wetton Live 2003 video footage)
Providence
Starless
Starless (John Wetton Live 2003 video footage)



..::OBSADA::..

1973:
Bill Bruford - drums
David Cross - violin, viola, mellotron
Robert Fripp - guitar, mellotron, devices
Jamie Muir - percussion
John Wetton - bass, vocals

1974:
Bill Bruford - drums
David Cross - violin, viola, kbds
Robert Fripp - guitars
John Wetton - bass, vocals

1975:
Bill Bruford - drums
Robert Fripp - guitars
John Wetton - bass, vocals

WITH:
Mark Charig - cornet
Mel Collins - soprano saxophone
David Cross - violin
Ian McDonald - alto saxophone
Robin Miller - oboe



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bFMrTCjFdc



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