Your favorite album by King Crimson?

[The Letter M]

Is it not possible to put all of their albums in the poll?

Yes it is.  FFS

It would be like asking "Your favorite album by Rush?" and only listing their first 8 albums followed by an "Other" option. >.>

-Marc.

[Ben_Jamin]

I only have Red, and haven't heard much else.

I wanted to check out King Crimson, so when I was at a Hastings, I remembered and saw Red as the only King Crimson album there, so I bought it. It was a good listen, but fell in love with Fallen Angel. That song has a great sound to it, that really fits the lyrics. The calm verses, and the hard hitting chorus along with the sax has a certain type of dreaded feel to it.

[Elite]

Is it not possible to put all of their albums in the poll?

Yes it is.  FFS

It would be like asking "Your favorite album by Rush?" and only listing their first 8 albums followed by an "Other" option. >.>

-Marc.

What's your favourite Dream Theater album?

Images and Words
Awake
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
Six Degree of Inner Turbulence
other (name it)

[IDontNotDoThings]

What's your favourite Pink Floyd album?

Ummagumma
Other (name it)

[Fritzinger]

I was wondering if I missed something. Weird choice to just leave out these awesome albums 

Is it possible for an admin to change this?

[Elite]

What's your favourite Pink Floyd album?

Ummagumma
Other (name it)

I think 'Other (name it)' would win with Ummagumma getting no votes. Shall I try this out?

[IDontNotDoThings]

What's your favourite Pink Floyd album?

Ummagumma
Other (name it)

I think 'Other (name it)' would win with Ummagumma getting no votes. Shall I try this out?

If you want to, go ahead, but I think you're right.

[darkshade]

Is 72-74 Crimson the 'real' King Crimson? I like the first era and all, The Power To Believe is my favorite, but the Bruford/Wetton era is just killer all the time. They are the only Crimson band where I have many live releases. What a powerhouse they were.

[Buddyhunter1]

Is 72-74 Crimson the 'real' King Crimson?

If it has Robert Fripp, it's "real" King Crimson.

[Zydar]

Okay I've spent the weekend with Red and Discipline. I really like them both. I've heard Starless before, it's such a great song with a hauntingly beautiful melody.

My favourite of them could be Discipline so far. It has that new waveish sound that I like. Adrian Belew seems to be quite an eccentric singer.

You guys were right - it sounds like they could come from two different bands.

[Fritzinger]

Okay I've spent the weekend with Red and Discipline. I really like them both. I've heard Starless before, it's such a great song with a hauntingly beautiful melody.

My favourite of them could be Discipline so far. It has that new waveish sound that I like. Adrian Belew seems to be quite an eccentric singer.

You guys were right - it sounds like they could come from two different bands.

It's good that you like Discipline, because Crimso have two more albums in this style

Beat is a little more pop-oriented but I like it just as much as Discipline (don't you guys dare to say anything against Heartbeat, that song is awesome).
Three Of A Perfect Pair features wave-/pop-like tunes on the first side and very experimental/instrumental/progressive songs on side two. And Tony Levin's performance on Sleepless is proof enough that he is one of the very best in his profession.

[Orbert]

Is 72-74 Crimson the 'real' King Crimson? I like the first era and all, The Power To Believe is my favorite, but the Bruford/Wetton era is just killer all the time. They are the only Crimson band where I have many live releases. What a powerhouse they were.

For a lot of fogies, the answer is "Yes".  Even though the debut In the Court of the Crimson King was amazing, the band seemed to change with pretty much every album until the Bruford/Wetton lineup.  At that point, they'd reached a level of stability in the lineup and an incredible tightness musically, which is important because King Crimson always featured a lot of improvisation.  So this lineup was awesome, their "final form", and then they broke up.

When we saw Discipline in the record stores years later, it was a shock.  What, they're back?  It helps to remember the times; bands did not break up and then get back together years later, or take several-year hiatuses.  They broke up and stayed broken up, and fans mourned.  The 80's band was originally going to be named Discipline because... well, just listen to the album.  But Fripp said that this band had a quality to it that made them worthy of being called King Crimson.  I don't know how much the fact that Bill Bruford was also in the band affected that decision, but it probably didn't hurt.

But the Discipline band had a very different sound.  Despite two of the four members being the same, they're a different band in everything but name.  Then the THRAK band was different again, though obviously a descendant of the 80's band.  I've kinda lost track of what they're doing now, but I saw a relatively recent video with three drummers and it was also amazing, but again a different "band" if by that you mean a different sound, different approach, different attitude.

So they're all different, yet all King Crimson, but if you had to pick one version of the band that's the "real" one, it's the 70's band for me.  But I suspect that people who grew up with the 80's band consider that lineup the real band, and folks that grew up with the 90's band think that's the real band.  (They'd be wrong, though.  Kids these days.)

[darkshade]

Is 72-74 Crimson the 'real' King Crimson? I like the first era and all, The Power To Believe is my favorite, but the Bruford/Wetton era is just killer all the time. They are the only Crimson band where I have many live releases. What a powerhouse they were.

For a lot of fogies, the answer is "Yes".  Even though the debut In the Court of the Crimson King was amazing, the band seemed to change with pretty much every album until the Bruford/Wetton lineup.  At that point, they'd reached a level of stability in the lineup and an incredible tightness musically, which is important because King Crimson always featured a lot of improvisation.  So this lineup was awesome, their "final form", and then they broke up.

When we saw Discipline in the record stores years later, it was a shock.  What, they're back?  It helps to remember the times; bands did not break up and then get back together years later, or take several-year hiatuses.  They broke up and stayed broken up, and fans mourned.  The 80's band was originally going to be named Discipline because... well, just listen to the album.  But Fripp said that this band had a quality to it that made them worthy of being called King Crimson.  I don't know how much the fact that Bill Bruford was also in the band affected that decision, but it probably didn't hurt.

But the Discipline band had a very different sound.  Despite two of the four members being the same, they're a different band in everything but name.  Then the THRAK band was different again, though obviously a descendant of the 80's band.  I've kinda lost track of what they're doing now, but I saw a relatively recent video with three drummers and it was also amazing, but again a different "band" if by that you mean a different sound, different approach, different attitude.

So they're all different, yet all King Crimson, but if you had to pick one version of the band that's the "real" one, it's the 70's band for me.  But I suspect that people who grew up with the 80's band consider that lineup the real band, and folks that grew up with the 90's band think that's the real band.  (They'd be wrong, though.  Kids these days.)

Maybe 'real' wasn't the right description. Fripp is the Crimson King so obviously it's all King Crimson, even some of his work outside KC has that Crimson vibe. A lot of what you said is what I was getting at. I enjoy every incarnation of the band immensely, but I feel like the mid 70s band got things just right. Just the right amount of evil, mixed with beauty, there's mellotron, a little bit of funky groove, experimentation, pre-digital, none of the 80s drums or production, the industrial electronic sounds of 90s/00s.

I like the recent versions of the band, I saw them live in 2014, it was an amazing show with an amazing set list. I only wish they would release new material, but I don't see that happening, I think Fripp is satisfied with his band called King Crimson having 13 studio albums.

[HOF]

Okay I've spent the weekend with Red and Discipline. I really like them both. I've heard Starless before, it's such a great song with a hauntingly beautiful melody.

My favourite of them could be Discipline so far. It has that new waveish sound that I like. Adrian Belew seems to be quite an eccentric singer.

You guys were right - it sounds like they could come from two different bands.

It's good that you like Discipline, because Crimso have two more albums in this style

Beat is a little more pop-oriented but I like it just as much as Discipline (don't you guys dare to say anything against Heartbeat, that song is awesome).
Three Of A Perfect Pair features wave-/pop-like tunes on the first side and very experimental/instrumental/progressive songs on side two. And Tony Levin's performance on Sleepless is proof enough that he is one of the very best in his profession.

I actually rank Beat above Discipline (both are great). Heartbeat is just fine, and songs like Waiting Man and Sartori in Tangier are among my favorite KC songs. It does have a bit more of a pop vibe maybe with Heartbeat and Two Hands, but then you have Neal and Jack and Me, Neurotica, The Howler, and Requiem which are more of the chaotic type of prog only KC comes up with.

Three of a Perfect Pair I don’t revisit very often, but there are some really cool songs on it. Sleepless is the real standout, along with Larks Tongues pt. 2, a few others. That whole trio of albums is very cool though.

[Zydar]

Sounds like Beat will be my next stop then

[darkshade]

I actually like Three Of A Perfect Pair, underrated. Title track, Sleepless, LTIA3, lots of good stuff. I always prefer Discipline but the other two 80s KC albums are just as strong. I've grown to like the 80s sound more as time goes on. The interesting thing about the 90s/00s is the fusion of the twin guitar stuff they were doing in the 80s and bringing back the heavy guitars as well, along with more complex textures and industrial sounds and electronica.

[HOF]

So I revisited Three of a Perfect Pair just now. I’ve always liked the first side just fine, but the second side I don’t care for as much outside of Larks Tongues III (I’ve been calling it II because I forgot both I and II are on Larks Tongues in Aspic!). The second side was a little better than I remembered it though. Dig Me has a cool chorus at least. Nuages is also pretty cool. There are also some extra tracks on the remastered reissue that I don’t care for so much, but The King Crimson Barber Shop is fun.

[Lupton]

Well for me "Industry" is my favorite thing the band ever did. And I think "No Warning" is just awesome! Strange. As I'm typically not a fan of KC's more dissonant improvisations. Probably why I don't hold the '72-'74 in such high esteem as everyone else. I got the Great Deceiver box set when it came out in the early nineties and I had spent a lot of time listening to it. There's probably only about 1 or 2 improvs from that line-up that I'd ever care to listen to again. For me, that band's improvs always sound like a group of musically frustrated guys struggling to come up anything they can all be happy playing together. Cross endlessly playing aimless pentatonic licks on the violin whenever he's not noodling around on the mellotron. Every now and Wetton/Bruford come up with a nice groove, but that's about it. Not really much else worth checking out, other than the actual song compositions....which are awesome!

[Stadler]

Okay I've spent the weekend with Red and Discipline. I really like them both. I've heard Starless before, it's such a great song with a hauntingly beautiful melody.

My favourite of them could be Discipline so far. It has that new waveish sound that I like. Adrian Belew seems to be quite an eccentric singer.

You guys were right - it sounds like they could come from two different bands.

It's not my favorite record, it's not even my favorite Crimson record, but it is top three in best SOUNDING records.   That recording is crystal clear and well-balanced.

[HOF]

Okay I've spent the weekend with Red and Discipline. I really like them both. I've heard Starless before, it's such a great song with a hauntingly beautiful melody.

My favourite of them could be Discipline so far. It has that new waveish sound that I like. Adrian Belew seems to be quite an eccentric singer.

You guys were right - it sounds like they could come from two different bands.

It's not my favorite record, it's not even my favorite Crimson record, but it is top three in best SOUNDING records.   That recording is crystal clear and well-balanced.

No cymbals (or relatively few at least)!

*There’s definitely a crash on Frame by Frame, but I’m pretty sure there’s at least no high hat on the album.

[Stadler]

But the Discipline band had a very different sound.  Despite two of the four members being the same, they're a different band in everything but name.  Then the THRAK band was different again, though obviously a descendant of the 80's band.  I've kinda lost track of what they're doing now, but I saw a relatively recent video with three drummers and it was also amazing, but again a different "band" if by that you mean a different sound, different approach, different attitude.

I agree with almost all of what you wrote here, except for the THRAK part; AT THE TIME (it's grown on me a lot since) I was a '72-'74 guy, and the '80's Crimson was "meh", as it struck me as too much like (what I thought was) the shitty art-pop of Talking Heads, etc.   So THRAK was, to me, a nod back to the '70's.   It was like the perfect amalgam of the two eras, and it really hit home.  (You'll note that the THRAK band incorporated "Red" as the core of the set for live shows.)   It also led, as I just wrote, to a new appreciation of the '80's material for me.

EDIT:  I think darkshade is saying the same thing.

[Orbert]

Maybe I should give THRAK another chance.  I never got a 70's vibe from that band at all; it sounded like a continuation of the Discipline direction, but louder and less restrained.  Hmm, now that I think about it, that could be a description for moving more towards the 70's sound.  But it's not the vibe I got at the time.

[HOF]

Maybe I should give THRAK another chance.  I never got a 70's vibe from that band at all; it sounded like a continuation of the Discipline direction, but louder and less restrained.  Hmm, now that I think about it, that could be a description for moving more towards the 70's sound.  But it's not the vibe I got at the time.

FWIW while it is a continuation of the 80s band to an extent, I’ve always thought it had a decidedly 70s KC feel at times too. There are some very clear Belew pieces though that don’t fit that mold (People, Walking on Air, One Time), and those are the tracks I actually enjoy from that album. I would say Thrak is one of my least favorite KC albums as the instrumental songs really grate.

[romdrums]

Sounds like Beat will be my next stop then

Once you grab the studio albums, you absolutely have to pick up the Absent Lovers live set.  It's the final show of the Discipline era, and the band is on fire!  They even add Red and Larks Part II in there as well, and those are killer.  I think it rivals any of the live work of the 72-74 incarnation of the band.

[Orbert]

Wow.

Somehow, I had managed to completely forget that my favorite DVD in 2000 was easily Déjà Vrooom.  Probably because we'd just bought a house, lots of other shit happened, and my life was completely upside-down for a while.  Anyway, I fell deeply in love with that DVD and the Double Trio.  What a band!  I think my explorations of the studio work from this period paled a bit compared to the live video, and maybe I was a little turned off by names like THRAK and VROOOM and VROOOM VROOOM!  Mostly, though, I think my memory of that time is just cloudy and incomplete, and by the the time my life had resumed something close to normal, I had moved on, musically speaking.  I remember collecting the various ProjeKcts, and found some of it to be pretty cool.  Next thing I remember was that Crimson had three drummers, and apparently Fripp's idea was to create as much musical cacaphony as possible, yet somehow make it melodic.  Such a wacky guy!

I just listened to VROOOM VROOOM start to finish.  It definitely is as you guys have described it.  Somewhere between the 70's and 80's bands in terms of sound and sensibility.  I kinda feel like I missed out on something by not embracing it at the time.  Hearing tunes like "Dinosaur", "One Time" and "Walking on Air" makes me want to break out the DVD again.  For me, King Crimson is best served live.  Also, Adrian Belew is fucking awesome.

[Stadler]

I think I saw three or four shows during that period and they were all INCREDIBLE.

Side story; during the show I saw in New Haven, Adrian, for his solo spot, said "So there's this new Beatles song coming out in a month or so ("Free As A Bird") and I thought I'd blow the surprise for you" (or something like that; I'm paraphrasing, though I have the boot) and he played this cute little song unaccompanied on guitar.

My friend, who I went with and who hates the Beatles, called me up about a month later and said "DID YOU HEAR THE NEW BEATLES SONG?"   It was exactly what Belew played in the concert.   I thought that was pretty cool.

[HOF]

I will say, though I’m not a huge fan of live albums generally, the Live in Chicago set is really really good, and Fripp’s decision to keep the band going primarily as a touring entity with the ability to reimagine their vast catalog seems to have been a brilliant one. Somehow it all comes together and it really can be mesmerizing to hear/watch.

[darkshade]

I'm listened to Discipline earlier, and it is one that I didn't like at first, because I had heard most of the 70s albums and the last 2 albums before checking out the 80s stuff. I wasn't into it, though I did like the opening track Elephant Talk right away, but not really the rest, it was so radically different to me and I saw a lot of people online didn't like 80s KC either, like on progarchives. This album has grown on me ever since. It's like every time I listen to it I enjoy it more than the previous time. The other two 80s albums took a little longer to get into, but I enjoy them now as well. Discipline is the best one, but Beat is even more underrated and I like the Talking Heads vibe it has.

[millahh]

I'm listened to Discipline earlier, and it is one that I didn't like at first, because I had heard most of the 70s albums and the last 2 albums before checking out the 80s stuff. I wasn't into it, though I did like the opening track Elephant Talk right away, but not really the rest, it was so radically different to me and I saw a lot of people online didn't like 80s KC either, like on progarchives. This album has grown on me ever since. It's like every time I listen to it I enjoy it more than the previous time. The other two 80s albums took a little longer to get into, but I enjoy them now as well. Discipline is the best one, but Beat is even more underrated and I like the Talking Heads vibe it has.

I carried it around with me for days and days..
Playing little games
Like not listening at it for a whole day
And then... listening to it.
To see if I still liked it.
I did.

[darkshade]

I need to dig into their new releases. What are your guys' opinions on the new stuff?
I've read that there's roughly 40 minutes of new music spread out across the different releases.
That intrigues me as I'm always hoping for a new King Crimson album proper. The only album I have is the Live in Toronto album from a few years back, I haven't listened in a while.

I'm listened to Discipline earlier, and it is one that I didn't like at first, because I had heard most of the 70s albums and the last 2 albums before checking out the 80s stuff. I wasn't into it, though I did like the opening track Elephant Talk right away, but not really the rest, it was so radically different to me and I saw a lot of people online didn't like 80s KC either, like on progarchives. This album has grown on me ever since. It's like every time I listen to it I enjoy it more than the previous time. The other two 80s albums took a little longer to get into, but I enjoy them now as well. Discipline is the best one, but Beat is even more underrated and I like the Talking Heads vibe it has.

I carried it around with me for days and days..
Playing little games
Like not listening at it for a whole day
And then... listening to it.
To see if I still liked it.
I did.

lol that's what it is.

[Zydar]

I still walk around having Frame By Frame stuck in my head. Such a good song.

[HOF]

I’ve got the Live in Chicago one, and it’s very good. The version of Islands on it is amazing. I’ve heard bits of the Mexico one and it sounds good too. I’d say just compare the set lists to see which ones have the songs you like, though there is a good bit of overlap.

[ytserush]

Probably in a minority, but I really love 3 of a Perfect Pair

As do I.

[ytserush]

Can I cheat and select a live album?

I don't think that's cheating. I'd easily take a live album.

[ytserush]

Is 72-74 Crimson the 'real' King Crimson?

If it has Robert Fripp, it's "real" King Crimson.

It's real even it doesn't have Fripp. Totally OK with a band of members and ex-members and no Fripp. This is bigger than Fripp. He may have even admitted that at one point.