Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2011

Well, it's over.  Got back an hour and a half ago from my new favorite yearly event, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.  In case you haven't been to this particular festival, or heard much about it, it is hardly bluegrass music at all, in the traditional Bill Monroe way.  For the most part, it is more bluegrass-y music, in various styles and genres.  To my knowledge, none of the following 2011 TBF artists have ever played anything resembling bluegrass:

• The Head and The Heart (indie folk)
• Sarah McLachlan (folk/rock)
• Joe Pug (folk)
• Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (jazz)
• The Decemberists (indie folk/rock)
• Darrell Scott (country-folk)
• Abigail Washburn (folk?)
• Mumford & Sons (folk rock)
• Robert Plant (folk rock)

That's probably like half the lineup.  And most of the remaining artists either have only played limited amounts of bluegrass but are known for other things (Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Edgar Meyer) or play progressive bluegrass.  So there you have it... A bluegrass festival that would offend bluegrass traditionalists.

Wednesday
I drove up early Wednesday, played a round of golf, and got settled into my condo, after which I turned my attention to the festival.

The festival officially started with a free show in Mountain Village on Wednesday, opened by Sarah Jarosz, and Cornmeal following.  I didn't watch Sarah (I have respect for her talent, especially at such a young age, but don't care for her music), but Cornmeal didn't disappoint.  After Cornmeal was the 10th annual kickoff party with Yonder Mountain String Band, which I attended.  In typical Yonder fashion, it featured a few bluegrass songs, a few of their bluegrassy-but-not-bluegrass tunes, some very extended jams (which is why we watch this band)... and an audience hot boxing an indoor conference center where I highly doubt smoking of any kind is allowed.

Thursday 
Thursday started off slow.  Tim O'Brien and Kevin Burke opened.  I listened, but one can only take so much of two fiddles playing Irish music.  The Head and The Heart followed... I like their record, but their show was basically just hearing their record played on stage.  I know they're young, so they have time to work on building more of a stage presence.

Cornmeal, again, did not disappoint.  This band is somewhat mysterious; it's hard to even find someone who could name a single Cornmeal studio album.  There has to be one, right?

I skipped Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper to take a short hike up Bear Creek behind the stage.  Very scenic, though a little exhausting at that elevation.

Bear Creek Falls

 I returned for Steve Earle's set, which I enjoyed.  We skipped Sarah McLachlan in favor of dinner in Telluride, and returned for the House Band.

The highlight of the day turned out to be the following event: the Trampled by Turtles nightgrass show at the high school auditorium (aka "Palm Theater").  I knew this band would be intense, but I still left amazed at the raw energy this band has (interestingly, the program blurb about TbT alleges that they used to play all their shows sitting down).

Friday
I was expecting Friday to be superb.  The lineup was solid on paper, and there was at least one new band I was interested in checking out (Stringdusters).  It started with Joe Pug, who is very talented to be sure, but gets a little dull after a few songs.  Chris Thile and Michael Daves then took the stage, and amazed everybody with their technical chops.  I have no clue who Michael Daves is, but that man is an amazing guitar player.

By the time The Infamous Stringdusters took the stage, it had begun drizzling.  Their music was OK (the only things I remember are the only songs I recognized: Danny Barnes' "Get It While You Can" and U2's "In God's Country."  Because of the rain, I ditched out to have lunch with the gang.

We all returned to watch Jerry Douglas' trio perform, which was pretty good.  I left early to hit up Elks Park, where the Punch Brothers were supposed to perform.  Unfortunately, the Troubadour contest ran late, so I was only able to hear two Punch Brothers songs before I had to make my way back for Trampled.

And again, Trampled by Turtles won the day: 

Emmylou Harris followed, and then Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.  A few of us left Flecktones early to return the condo.  I took care of some business, and then returned for Railroad Earth.  Unfortunately, my back wasn't feeling it, so I left Railroad Earth halfway through.

Saturday
On Saturday morning, there was the second ever public screening of a new documentary about Punch Brothers entitled "How To Grow A Band."  Since it was free, and because I love Punch Brothers, I decided to attend (even though it meant missing out on Nora Jane Struthers or Sara Watkins with Chris Thile (who schedules a movie that is basically about Chris Thile at the same time as a Watkins/Thile performance? seriously?)).  I watched the movie with my buddies Myke and Futureman (just kidding, I didn't watch the movie with Futureman, although he was in the 186-seat theater).  The movie began with Thile's history (notably with Nickel Creek), and then focused on the creation and evolution of his current band, Punch Brothers.  It used his 40-minute, four movement suite about his divorce as the backdrop; the movie itself was divided up into four "movements," each of which features music from the corresponding movement of the song; and significant attention is given to how the piece is presented, and how that all fits into what the band is trying to accomplish.

After the movie, I visited Elks Park (it being a block away from the theater), and noticed that "Bela & Friends" were next.  In what is very likely the most unfortunate decision in his life so far, Myke decided to head back to the main stage, whereas I decided to check out the set.  The set went like this: a banjo duet with Noam Pickelny (of Punch Brothers fame); a duet with Casey Driesson (fiddlist); a banjo duet with his wife Abigail Washburn; an improvised quintet with Victor Wooten, Futureman, Chris Thile, and Driesson (more on this); a bluegrassy sextet with the former group plus Pickelny; a sextet with the former group, sans Pickelny and with Washburn; and a song with everybody.  The highlight was the quintet, which was basically an improvised jazz number (Bela gave the other musicians directions before the song), which had an incredible duel between Victor and Bela.  I really hope this shows up on Youtube.

I then headed back to the main stage, and caught Tim O'Brien's set.  After that, Yonder put on a very solid show.

And then...The Decemberists.  This show had what was easily the most memorable moment of the festival.  Throughout the show, Colin Meloy frequently referenced a pick-off challenge he made in 2005 to Bela Fleck and Jerry Douglass, and claimed victory by forfeit.  During the last song of the main set, The Decemberists went into a jam, and Meloy once again referenced the pick-off.  Bela appeared on stage, and...well, I'll let you watch the rest:


Afterwards, Sam Bush took the stage, and was excellent as usual.

Needless to say, The Decemberists win the day.

Sunday
Sunday began with the Darrell Scott & Friends Father's Day Gospel Hour.  I like Darrell Scott, and this set was actually quite inspirational.  I think I was actually more inspired by it than I would have been at church.  Edgar Meyer followed...he was very respectable, but it was a little bit like listening to classical music.  Which isn't a good idea when you tired.  Chris Thile did join him at the end, which was quite enjoyable.

Next up was Abigail Washburn.  I have to say, I was very impressed with her set.  She gets the "Surprise Performance of the Weekend" award.

It had been a few years since I had seen Bridal Veil Falls, so I took a short jaunt up the road after Abigail's set.  I returned about halfway through Pete Rowan's set, which was hard to focus on due to the very ominous-looking clouds to the west.  And ominous was probably an appropriate way for them to come across, as they started leaking on us a little before Punch Brothers took the stage.

I like to think there are few things better than when one of your favorite artists covers another one of your favorite artists.  That's what Punch Brothers did when they played Josh Ritter's "Another New World."  Also, they did Beck's "Sexx Laws," which was also cool, in its own little way.  They say Punch Brothers are unpredictable...

Mumford & Sons followed Punch Brothers.  They put on a good show, and played several new tunes, but alas, I still left a little underwhelmed... but that's only because it's really hard to top what they did last year. After M&S, the rain finally stopped, and a clearing sky and setting sun revealed fresh snow only about 1,000 feet above Telluride.  I have to say, the only reason I was able to endure that freezing cold rain, and even effectively ignore it, was because Punch Brothers and Mumford & Sons were the two bands playing right then.

The rest of the gang left after M&S, leaving me to enjoy Robert Plant by myself.  And that I did.  He played several of the tracks from his album Band of Joy, gave the spotlight to band members Darrell Scott, Patty Griffin, and Buddy Miller to sing a song each (Darrell did "Satisfied Mind," one of the highlights of the set), and played several Led Zeppelin songs (Ramble On, What Is And What Should Never Be, Gallows Pole, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Black Country Woman (whose lyrics he admitted are "not exactly Shakespeare"), Houses of the Holy).  I left around eleven, so he could've even done more after I left (as long as he didn't do Stairway, I'm OK missing it).  

Robert Plant wins Sunday.

Monday
Woke up Monday to... snow?  Yes, it was white all over, and snow was still falling from the sky.  Unbelievable.  After loading up my car, I headed down to Telluride for one last walk through town (and two last Baked In Telluride doughnuts).  The streets were dead, and most of the people out and about appeared to be locals.  This scene captured the "festival is over" feeling of the morning: 

Disassembling the Elks Park stage

 It was a great trip.  The music was superior to last year, and I think I'll have more memories come out of it.  Plus, I got to share it with some friends this time.

T minus 366 days till Telluride 2012! 

Addendum:
I had a couple of philosophical thoughts about the festival since posting this:

• If you want to know how steeped in tradition this crowd is... Or, in other words, whether this is really a "bluegrass" crowd... Consider that a lot of people in the crowd knew the lyrics to "Sexx Laws."
• I think the thing that sets TBF apart from other popular festivals, in my mind, is the location.  I love the San Juan Mountains.  I don't love Indio, CA.  TBF is in a village of a couple thousand people, which gets completely overwhelmed by the 10,000+ people who are there for the festival.  You can walk across town in 15 minutes.  You can leave your festival chair, go on a scenic four hour hike, and sit down again, without having to get in your car and drive somewhere.  It's not about the music; it's about how the music interacts with the surrounding environs. 

Three albums I'm looking forward to this year

So far this year, there haven't been any albums I consider to be spectacular.  There has been a whole slew of good albums, but nothing I'd consider an instant classic.  This is unusual, considering we are half way into the year... By this time last year, we had three.

Not to worry, though; there are a few slated for release later this year that I'm pretty hopeful about.

The first one that comes to mind is Pain of Salvation's Road Salt Two.  This is a sort of sequel to last year's Road Salt One, which was one of my favorite albums last year.  Hopefully this builds on the new style and techniques Gildenlow utilized for RS1.

Next, there is Steven Wilson's second solo album, Grace for Drowning.  His first solo album, Insurgentes, was absolutely superb.  I love pretty much anything Wilson gets his hands on, so I have no doubt this will be good, too.  It's actually two separate albums packaged together; they are allegedly called Deform To Form A Star and Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye.

Finally is Opeth's Heritage.  Many consider Opeth to have peaked around Blackwater Park, and there are certainly some good reasons for that view.  I thought their last album, 2008's Watershed, was actually a positive step.  Heritage apparently has no death metal vocals at all, which invites both intrigue and trepidation.  Intrigue because it sounds like they're trying something they haven't done before, but trepidation because you would hate to see them lose what distinguishes them from boring, run-of-the-mill American metal.  I am optimistic, however, if only because Steven Wilson is mixing it, and his involvement has never been a bad thing.

Interestingly, all three of these albums are slated for September.  Now some of the artists I like who don't play progressive metal need to announce some new albums.

dredg - Chuckles And Mr. Squeezy

Release Date: May 3, 2011
Label: Superball Music 

Every once in awhile, an artist you once thought quite credible, maybe even accomplished, goes out and makes an album so head-scratchingly terrible that it becomes even more memorable than had he made a reasonably respectable record.  The best example is Chris Cornell's solo album, Scream, which featured a very bizarre collaboration with Timbaland, and signature Timbaland electric pop.  This was quite the surprise, considering Cornell's background (even Audioslave was tolerable, even if it wasn't great).

So you can imagine my glee when I read up on the new dredg album.  If you haven't heard of them, dredg is an art rock/prog rock outfit from California, with a moderately sized following, and four albums under their belt, each of them fairly unique.  The reviews I read were some of the most unfavorable I've seen in awhile; it was far more poorly received, for example, than the latest Muse album, which I considered to be credibility-destroying.  The biggest complaint, of course, was the new electronic soundscapes, this time due to an awkward collaboration with producer Dan the Automator.  Based on what I heard, this transcended "band musically evolved and the fans just couldn't handle the change," and reached "band just went batsh*t crazy."

Can you see why I was so excited to listen to this?  I thought Chris Cornell was going to have some competition.  This was going to be a truly memorable collapse by a band that at one point was making great records, and might have even been close to being in my top ten (back in my college days).

Imagine my dismay, even horror, when I listened to this, and found that it is...good?  No, I'm not prepared to say it is good just yet.  But it's not anywhere near as bad as Scream, and it might even be better than that new Arctic Monkeys album I for some reason put on afterwards.  Despite the fact that I hate electronic music, and the fact that hiring an awkward producer never works, this is not terrible.

Yes, the album title sucks.  The cover looks like the artist who made the cover of the latest Ke$ha album picked up one of his rejected album covers, did a bunch of angel dust, and went to town on the singer's face.  Most of the songs are at best pedestrian.  But it is listenable!  A couple of tracks ("The Ornament," a piece of which superbly closed their third album, Catch Without Arms; "Where I'll End Up") are actually decent.

Chuckles And Mr. Squeezy is a somewhat forgettable album from a unique band that used to write pretty good albums.  I'm at once relieved and disappointed to say that Scream is still in a league of its own.

★★☆☆

499: Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign

Original Release Year: 1967
Label: Stax

Albert King is someone I had never heard of.  I read up on him, saw that he was an influential blues guitarist, and figured that since MOG didn't have this record, I'd go ahead and purchase the vinyl version.  The copy I purchased is the 1998 reissue on the Sundazed label, and includes two bonus tracks not available on the original record.

King is notable for his style of playing, which involves playing a right-handed guitar left handed (this, of course, sounds very confusing).  Born Under A Bad Sign was considered to have modernized blues, and had a significant influence on the next generation of guitarists.

As far as the music, I really like the playing.  Albert didn't have a voice as powerful as, say, Buddy Guy, but it is still soulful.  The classic bass lines and horn and wind arrangements provide a nice backdrop for King's emotive lead guitar parts, which speak almost as clearly as his voice.  The solos take up just the amount of space; the notes aren't all crammed in there like you sometimes hear when some very technically skilled guitarists play.  In "I Almost Lost My Mind," we are even treated to flute leads during the vocal parts, instead of the standard guitar.

"Personal Manager" contains one of the most emotive guitar solos I've heard in a long time.  This song might as well be a clinic on soloing; I'd strongly recommend listening to this if you're interested in soloing (in any instrument).

King even has enough good taste to put down the guitar completely for his beautiful, somewhat jazzy rendition of Ray Noble's "The Very Thought of You."  Not only does giving the saxophone the lead suit the song well, but it also demonstrates a little diversity.

I'm not particularly educated about blues in general... In fact, I know almost nothing about blues... But I can say, this is some of the best blues I've heard.  It might be there's a whole assortment of better blues albums out there, but at this juncture, I'd say it is a welcome addition to my record collection.

Here's a video of Albert playing "Born Under A Bad Sign." I can't tell for sure, but it looks like he's even playing with an injured finger:


★★★★  

Record swap meet in Phoenix

This morning we went to the record swap meet in Phoenix.  And I would say I came back with quite the haul.

At the swap meet, I purchased the following:
Rolling Stones - Some Girls
Rolling Stones - Made in the Shade
Billy Joel - The Bridge
Billy Joel - Streetlife Serenade
Billy Joel - Piano Man
Jethro Tull - Minstrel in the Gallery
Led Zeppelin - IV
Led Zeppelin - Presence
Led Zeppelin - Coda
The Who - Tommy
Waylon Jennings - What Goes Around Comes Around
Waylon Jennings - Ol' Waylon
Waylon Jennings - Dreaming My Dreams
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Pendulum
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Deja Vu
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers

Afterwards, we stopped by Zia, Tracks in Wax, and Stinkweeds.

At Zia:
The Decemberists - The Tain / 5 Songs EPs
The Decemberists -  Castaways and Cutouts

At Tracks in Wax:
Neil Young - Trans
Neil Young - Everybody's Rockin'
Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain
Billy Joel - Glass Houses
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Billy Joel - 52nd Street
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You

Finally, at Stinkweeds:
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Adrian Belew - Lone Rhino
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Okkervil River - "The President's Dead"
Okkervil River - Down the River of Golden Dreams

That's a total of 32 records.  Wow.  The price tag was considerably less than on Record Store Day, however.

498: ZZ Top - Tres Hombres

Well, I didn't have anything to do tonight (for some reason, my Friday evenings tend to be the most boring), so I decided to listen to another one of the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums.  MOG didn't have Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign, so I had to skip it and move to the next (I'll get back to Mr. King eventually; I ordered the album on vinyl).  That would be ZZ Top's third album, Tres Hombres.

Release Date: July 26, 1973
Label: London


I'm not real familiar with ZZ Top, but I have heard a couple of their hits on classic rock radio over the years.  They also made an appearance on The Simpsons, when Bart runs into them and says, "Hey, you're ZZ Top! You guys rock!" One of the band members replies, "Eh, maybe a little."

Three songs in, I agree with them.  They do rock...a little.  They have a bit of a hard rock sound, with strong rhythm, and somewhat of a blues influence.  The first four tracks are all upbeat blues rock songs, with what I would call a typical ZZ Top sound.  There were no surprises there.  "Master of Sparks" was the first I really liked.

"Hot, Blue and Righteous," the last track on the front side, is the first ballad.  It is a typical, pedestrian ballad, and at just over three minutes, is not given nearly enough to develop like a ballad properly should.

The back side starts well, with "Move Me On Down The Line."  This is a driving rock song, with an excellent lead guitar part and the type of riffs you would expect from a good 70s hard rock song.  Again, at two and a half minutes, this song could have been so much more.

The overall sound of this album is a bit too muddy for my tastes.  The vocals are fairly low in the mix, and the rhythm guitar has a very low tone, muddled tone.  This seems to be fairly common in this type of music.

The middle track on the back, "La Grange," is an excellent track, and one of the aforementioned hits.  This song never had much of a melody, but it does have excellent drumming, and, in my opinion, one of the greatest riffs in rock music.  You know the one: bahda da da da da d daah daah....

The album ends with "Sheik," a lighter song with a fairly loose feel and a little bit of jamming, and a straight-up blues song, "Have You Heard?"

This is a record that I consider very listenable, but unessential.  They are a very typical blues rock band, without any major innovation or creative genius.  The singing is nothing to write home about, but they have proven that they can come up with some great riffs.  The back side is far superior to the front, so if you check it out, focus your energy on that.

Tracklist:

1	Waitin' for the Bus	2:59
2	Jesus Just Left Chicago	3:29
3	Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers	3:23
4	Master of Sparks	3:33
5	Hot, Blue and Righteous	3:14
6	Move Me on Down the Line	2:30
7	Precious and Grace	3:09
8	La Grange	3:51
9	Sheik	4:04
10	Have You Heard?	3:14

Two stars.  I am really temped to give them an extra star or two, just because of those awesome beards.



★★☆☆

Let's talk about King Crimson

A couple years ago, it was revealed that many older King Crimson albums would be remixed and reissued, with Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree fame) creating the remixes as well as 5.1 surround sound mixes, and Robert Fripp overseeing the whole project. I am a huge fan of both Wilson and Crimson, so it is a little odd that I waited until a month ago to finally purchase these (it probably coincides with my recent purchase of a surround sound system).

And boy am I glad I did. Surround sound takes these albums to a whole new level, especially the first four albums, with their rich textures, subtle complexions, and varied (and sometimes crowded) instrumentation. You start to notice the horns, strings, keyboards, and other instruments that sometimes get lost behind the guitars or vocals in the stereo mixes. Wilson managed to place you right in the middle of the room with the band, and the only word to describe it is "transcendent."

This has, of course, managed to rekindle my love for the King Crimson way of doing things (this is a reference to something Fripp once said: to paraphrase, "King Crimson is not so much a band, as it is a way of doing things").

King Crimson has had countless lineups, and relative stability was only achieved once the 80s incarnation began. In fact, every member of the original lineup besides Fripp had departed by the time the second album was recorded. Fripp has been the only constant (though Adrian Belew has been in every lineup since the 80s incarnation).

I first heard King Crimson at their concert in 2001. Yes, I went to their concert without having heard them. This is because my friend was a Led Zeppelin fanatic, and John Paul Jones was the opening act. I had heard nothing but good things about The Crimso, and was not disappointed. I still remember the concert fairly well (it was just the second concert I ever went to). I actually have a recording of it somewhere in my closet. The lineup was Fripp, Belew, Trey Gunn (on Warr guitar), and Pat Mastelotto (drums). I believe they opened with "Dangerous Curves." They played several tracks which would in time become favorites... "Dinosaur." "Frame By Frame." "Into The Frying Pan." "Three of a Perfect Pair." "Thela Hun Ginjeet." "Elephant Talk." It was a great show. I don't recall any pre-Belew material being performed, but I liked it.

King Crimson might be the most unique and eclectic band ever to achieve mainstream success. Audiences were just more open to that sort of the thing in the 70s; I don't think anything they did would fly nowadays.

With all of that said, I would like to use this as a venue in which to rank all of King Crimson's albums. This is always a difficult task when you have a band with several great albums.

Lizard (1970)
Lizard was King Crimson's third album, and their second in 1970.  Only Fripp remained from the recording of Poseidon (though a couple session musicians from those sessions joined as full time band members for Lizard).  In a way, the band that recorded Lizard did not exist prior to this, and it would cease to exist afterwards when everybody but Fripp and Collins subsequently quit.  Lizard has the most jazz influence of any Crimson album, and might also be the most bizarre.  The front side has four normal-length songs, all of which are weird.  My favorite is "Happy Family," a strange, coded song about the dissolution of The Beatles.  The entire back side is a 20+ minute epic divided into four movements (one of which is further divided into three sections), and featuring my favorite english horn solo ever.  Lizard is an album you either hate or can't live without.

Islands (1971)
This is one I would've had a lot lower before hearing the surround sound version.  Islands is King Crimson's most mellow album, and most delicate.  Boz Burrell had taken over lead vocal and bass duties, and again, we have a new lineup that would never record another album.  The highlight here is the second track, Sailor's Tale, which builds persistently throughout the song.  Due to its soft nature, Islands is probably not for everyone, but along with Lizard, it is one of King Crimson's most distinct albums.

Red (1974)
For awhile, Red was my favorite King Crimson album.  It is one of their most focused, and heaviest, of any era.  For this album, King Crimson had been reduced to a trio of just Fripp, John Whetton, and Bill Bruford.  It is the first album to feature almost no acoustic guitar, and only "Providence" is improvised (and it is one of their best improvised tracks).  "One More Red Nightmare" and the instrumental "Red" are two of the loudest tracks they've done.  I will say, however, that of the five albums that have been remixed in 5.1, this is the one that benefits least (although the DVD does come with a cool half hour 70s video of a radio show the band did).

In The Court of the Crimson King (1969)
This is King Crimson's first, and possibly most popular, album.  The four composed tracks, "21st Century Schizoid Man," "Epitaph," "I Talk to the Wind," and the title track, are all excellent.  What brings the album down for me is "Moonchild," most of which is a free-form improvisation that really falls apart before too long. It really is a chore to listen to.

Thrak (1994)

Thrak was the first album in KC's third major incarnation.  This was the era of the "double trio", with Belew and Fripp on guitar, Trey Gunn and Tony Levin on bass, and Mastelotto and Bill Bruford on drums.  This lineup would prove too much to handle, but they did create one heck of an album, before "fraKctalizing" into several improvisational subgroups, and then being pared down a bit.  Thrak has what I consider to be King Crimson's best "normal" songs ("Dinosaur," "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream," "One Time," "People," and "Walking On Air"). Some of these are catchy, and some of them have awesome bass grooves.

Starless and Bible Black (1974)
Starless and Bible Black was the second to last album of the 70s incarnation, and most of it was recorded live.  It has some great songs in "The Great Deceiver," "Lament," and "The Night Watch," and one of Fripp's most impressive guitar parts (the one he said was his most difficult to play) in "Fractured."


Discipline (1981)
Discipline was the first album after a six year hiatus, and the first with Adrian Belew as lead singer.  This new King Crimson fully incorporated the 80s new wave style.  In general, I'm not a huge fan of 80s King Crimson, but it's hard not to appreciate an album with "Elephant Talk," "Frame By Frame," and "Thela Hun Ginjeet."  Definitely my favorite 80s King Crimson.


In The Wake of Poseidon (1970)
This was King Crimson's second album, and at this time, the band still consisted of most of the original members.  It is stylistically similar to its predecessor; as such, it doesn't really stand out amongst the rest of the King Crimson albums.  The music is quality, though.


The Power To Believe (2003)
The Power To Believe is, as of right now, King Crimson's most recent album.  A few of the songs were found on the Level 5 Tour CD ("Dangerous Curves" and "Level Five") and Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With EP ("Happy..." and "Eyes Wide Open").  That just leaves "The Facts of Life" and some instrumental tracks as the only real new material here.  The album is solid, and flows well.


The ConstruKction of Light (2000)
TCoL is an album that should be better.  All of the songs are good, and the instrumentals ("FraKctured" and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic IV") are excellent.  However, the sounds seems a little muddy, and the album comes across a little flat.  The version of the title track found on Level Five is superior to the one here.


Beat (1982)
Beat was inspired by the beat poetry movement.  I haven't gotten deep enough into the lyrics to really appreciate that fact, but needless to say, this is another 80s album, and like Discipline, it has that 80s feel.  Still, there are some good songs.  "Neal and Jack and Me" is good, "Heartbeat" is one of their more popular songs from the era, and "Neurotica" is nice and frenzied.  "Requiem" is a nice, long jam that works pretty well for me.  It's a solid album, but the 80s was, for me, the worst era.


Three of a Perfect Pair (1984)
The last of the 80s albums, TPP is probably my least favorite of the era.  The title track is top notch, "Man With An Open Heart" is one of my favorite 80s KC songs, and "Industry" is an interesting, and quite original, instrumental.  Out of the 80s albums, this is, however, the one I get least excited about.


Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973)
This is where I get controversial.  Most people like Larks' Tongues in Aspic, it was one of King Crimson's most successful albums, and many people consider it their favorite.  I actually find this one difficult to digest.  The thirteen-and-a-half minute opening track, "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Pt. I," seems to completely lack direction.  It has the feel of a loosely improvised studio jam (though it may have been composed).  I like a good jam, but this one just doesn't do much for me.  The second track, "Book of Saturdays," is a nice little tune, but not special.  The fourth track, "Easy Money," is good, but is more loud than textured.  The last two tracks, both instrumental, are both pretty good.  "Exiles," the third track, is really the only track here that I consider spectacular; this one would have to be included among King Crimson's best.  When I'm actually listening to Larks' Tongues, I almost always enjoy it, but I rarely get the urge to listen to it instead of one of the other 70s albums.

Really, all of these albums are good, and about half of them are spectacular.  King Crimson is one of the most creative and interesting rock bands ever to achieve mainstream success, and that is best exemplified by their body of work in the 1970s.  The 80s, 90s, and 00s still gave us quality King Crimson, but it wasn't the same band, and it wasn't as special.  Whether you are totally unfamiliar with their brand of progressive rock, or you are an ardent fan, these albums will always provide you with new discoveries.