Speaking of Fripp...

[Doctor Jeff]

King Crimson--have been binging on their records the last week.

What a group. IMO there hasn't been any more complex yet affecting music in the field of "rock" music.

I started off with the trio of albums from the early 80's featuring Adrian Belew. The interplay between Belew and Fripp is outstanding, and rather unique in the rock world. Yes there were Verlaine and Lloyd and before them Jones and Richards and Reed and Morrison, but the complexity of what Fripp and Belew were doing was off the charts. Add in the fact that Levin is practically a 3rd lead instrument on many songs, and you have one of the most singular guitar styles in rock music. Some of their stuff was very heavy and presaged the industrial trends of the 90's/00's.

Then I went back to the first 4 albums. Of course ITCOTCK is a masterpiece, and rightfully so, but the next several albums are excellent and have not gotten the recognition they deserve. I would call this music "chamber rock", highly orchestrated and complex. Fripp is the only constant from these years, but there is so much input from the other musicians--a real collaborative process. It veers toward jazz and classical on occasion, especially with the influence of Keith Tippetts on piano and Mel Collins on sax and flute.

However, by Lark's Tongue in Aspic (what a great album name) KC had moved away from fusiony stuff and was clearly making music in the vein of heavy though highly experimental art rock. John Wetton and Bill Bruford fit perfectly into this phase.

Out of all the "progressive" groups of the late '60s/early '70s Crimson has aged the best and had the most consistent quality in their work, varied though it has been.

I regret that I have only seen them once, in 1981. It was a very intense show that I have fond memories of, in part because it was also my first date with a girl who was very important to me at the time.

[A. Kingstone]

The live Red stuff with Wetton Bruford and Cross is stellar.

[Rob MacKillop]

I tend to like his work as a hired hand, such as with Bowie and Eno, not so much KC. ITCOTCK is great in places, and I love Greg Lake’s bass playing and singing. But I haven’t gotten into much else he’s been involved in. Not sure why.