Beat Generation
Week from Monday 30th December 2024 - I've just been watching a 1982 KING CRIMSON concert off of German TV, newly posted on That YouTube They Have Now... I've made no secret of the fact that I'm not MUCH of a fan of the 1980s KCrim, or "THE BELEW YEARS" as I like to call it. The guitar-gamelan/math-rock approach I've always found to be more an 'INTERESTING' listen than an EXCITING one. 'MY' Crimso lies elsewhere.
The repertoire of that period, while it was certainly a novel and worthy approach, which I did enjoy at the time, mostly leaves no room for SPONTANEITY, an essential ingredient for any pop music that can push my own buttons in any lasting way. For this audient, the improvisatory 'GOOD STUFF' ("Requiem", "Industry", "Nuages"...) only seemed to happen during those times when they'd failed to come up with any fresh THROUGH-COMPOSED material.
While it's always fun to be able to see closely what Bill and Tony are doing, the stage presence of the two guitarists looks slightly embarrassing these days (Belew's smug "HEY! LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!" showboating - including stagecraft largely stolen from David Byrne - and Fripp's aloof indifference). It WAS interesting to watch the band in action after all these years, but it did nothing to sway my opinion. I have no nostalgic attachment to that era of KC whatsoever...
Which is why I didn't greet the news of this year's "BEAT" projeKCt with all the blind enthusiasm shown by a lot of diehard KCrim FANatics, especially those over there beyond the pond. With Fripp's blessing, Belew and Levin have teamed up with STEVE VAI and Tool's DANNY CAREY to reproduce the music of '80s Crimson.
And I have to admit, they do "REPRODUCE" it VERY well, as a handful of naughty B***LEG recordings of their gigs will attest. The repertoire for all the shows is pretty much fixed, but the best one for audio quality is from the Keller Auditorium in Portland, Oregon. If you still enjoy grinning Belew do his Belew thing, then fair enough... but how many near-identical performances of "Frame By Frame" or "Three Of A Perfect Pair" do I really need to hear in a lifetime? Bands that play it "WOW! JUST LIKE THE RECORD!" don't do it for me anymore. {{{Dare I whisper the words 'TRIBUTE BAND' here?}}}
The repertoire of that period, while it was certainly a novel and worthy approach, which I did enjoy at the time, mostly leaves no room for SPONTANEITY, an essential ingredient for any pop music that can push my own buttons in any lasting way. For this audient, the improvisatory 'GOOD STUFF' ("Requiem", "Industry", "Nuages"...) only seemed to happen during those times when they'd failed to come up with any fresh THROUGH-COMPOSED material.
While it's always fun to be able to see closely what Bill and Tony are doing, the stage presence of the two guitarists looks slightly embarrassing these days (Belew's smug "HEY! LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!" showboating - including stagecraft largely stolen from David Byrne - and Fripp's aloof indifference). It WAS interesting to watch the band in action after all these years, but it did nothing to sway my opinion. I have no nostalgic attachment to that era of KC whatsoever...
Which is why I didn't greet the news of this year's "BEAT" projeKCt with all the blind enthusiasm shown by a lot of diehard KCrim FANatics, especially those over there beyond the pond. With Fripp's blessing, Belew and Levin have teamed up with STEVE VAI and Tool's DANNY CAREY to reproduce the music of '80s Crimson.
And I have to admit, they do "REPRODUCE" it VERY well, as a handful of naughty B***LEG recordings of their gigs will attest. The repertoire for all the shows is pretty much fixed, but the best one for audio quality is from the Keller Auditorium in Portland, Oregon. If you still enjoy grinning Belew do his Belew thing, then fair enough... but how many near-identical performances of "Frame By Frame" or "Three Of A Perfect Pair" do I really need to hear in a lifetime? Bands that play it "WOW! JUST LIKE THE RECORD!" don't do it for me anymore. {{{Dare I whisper the words 'TRIBUTE BAND' here?}}}
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