King Crimson's masterpiece Red was released in November of 1974 just after Robert Fripp, the guitarist and driving force, ended the band; claiming that Crimson "ceased to exist."
Red was Crimson's third album with the same line-up consisting of John Wetton on bass and vocals and Bill Bruford on drums. This incarnation of Crimson had two previous albums - Larks Tongues' In Aspic in 1973 and Starless and Bible Black in 1974.
Of the three albums with the same members, Red is musically the most concise and tight, seeming the band all had the same vision in mind for the record - at least Wetton and Bruford must have been on the same page, as Fripp was becoming seriously disillusioned with living the life of a "rock star" and consequently took the back seat during the recording and producing of the record.
The album starts off with the title track "Red", a six minute instrumental passage composed by Fripp. All throughout, the song features many guitar over-dubbs, very heavily-distorted bass, and manic drumming. With Bruford and his meticulous craft at the kit, "Red" smashes through 5/8 and 7/8 time signatures ("smashes" in a sense that he rides and crashes on an old, bent cymbal that sounds akin to a garbage can lid). The beginning starts with a climbing guitar riff and then enters into the main theme of the song. At around 2:52, a cello section enters, encumbering phased guitar chords before leading back into the main theme. Wetton's heavy and distorted bass tone makes it impossible for the casual listener to differentiate between what the bass and guitars are playing. Fripp's playing and style are both beautiful and cynical at the same time. "Red" is the perfect overture for the album.
The next track is "Fallen Angel". This song is beautifully put together musically and lyrically as well. The song's lyrics are about a boy who gets his younger brother to join a gang with him, and ends up watching him die in a knife fight. The music originated from live improvisations as early as 1972 in the Larks Tongues' era. The song starts out soft and alluring with gentle music to accommodate the sincere lyrics, and continues to the end with a seemingly angry and loud tone. Mel Collins, from an earlier incarnation of Crimson, makes an appearance, playing soprano saxophone.
Right in the middle of the album is "One More Red Nightmare". The song features a crunchy and sinister riff played throughout. Bruford rides heavily on some kind of a warped cymbal that sounds like a metal garbage can lid being thrown around. The lyrics are about a man who falls asleep on the bus and dreams he is on a plane that is about to crash. The theme of planes is even carried over to the track listing on the back of the album, which states the song is 7:07 (although actually being 7:10), possibly referencing the Boeing 707 airplane. The song also features a saxophone solo in the middle and at the end preformed by Ian McDonald, former saxophone player from the band's debut line-up in 1969. As this is the first song with lyrics written in whole by John Wetton, it is a rare glimpse of his writing style in Crimson, opposed to his usual lyrical collaborator, Richard Palmer-James.
Next up is "Providence". This improvisation was recorded live in Providence, Rhode Island in June 1974. The first half of the song is centered on Violinist David Cross's noodling which last for about five minutes before the full band comes in. Wetton's bass, similarly to the title track (as it is his trademark tone), is growlingly heavy. Bruford adds his own flair with exotic percussion and rhythms, pulling the improv together for something that seems more than an improvisation. There is also obvious chemistry and musical communication between Wetton and Bruford, as any rhythm section should. Fripp's soloing adds tension and suspense to the chaos, taking the spotlight from the violin.
"Providence" is about eight minutes long with a fade out at the end, while the full version of the song is just over ten minutes (the full version was included as a bonus track on the 40th Anniversary Edition release in 2009 along with different takes of "Red" and "Fallen Angel").
Lastly, the grand finally, "Starless". Wetton originally intended this song to be the title track to their last album, Starless and Bible Black. Instead, a different song was chosen. "Starless" was later revised and recorded for Red. As I can't think of a better way to start the album than with "Red", and I also can't think of any other way to close the album than with this song. It is an extremely well put together twelve-minute piece featuring a long and tenuous build up in 13/8 through which Bruford bangs on everything from temple blocks to a xylophone. Wetton keeps the song moving with his steady bass groove. Fripp overlays the groove with one-note guitar solos, utilizing his signature dissonance and creating an almost "creepy" mood for the music. Finally, to top it all off, the band breaks into a speedy rampage, again featuring a sax solo. The song ends with a much more haunting and moving reprise of the intro.
Interestingly, this song recalls many musical moments in KC's back catalogue. The middle section in 13/8 recalls the rhythm in "The Talking Drum" on Larks Tongues' ('72), the beginning mellotron echoes the style in "Epitapth" on In the Court of the Crimson King ('69), and the erratic jazz section at the end recalls "21st Century Schizoid Man" also on In the Court... ('69).
Because of King Crimson's ending without and before touring the album, many would feel that Red was left in the dust and forgotten about. But I think that's what makes this album so daring and legendary - that this was it for the so-called "fathers of progressive rock", the ending of an era of great exploration, experiments, and creation. Crimson would later re-emerge in 1981, but the progressive style and sound of the 1970s was already long lost. Red has influenced the likes of Tool and even Kurt Cobain (too bad the music didn't rub off on him much; in fact, I suppose the old saying "opposites attract" would fit in this senario). As Robert Fripp wrote concerning the album,
"Magic remains available. But today it doesn't walk up and bite you on the ear. That moment passed. It did not return. Question - 'Where does music come from?' Answer - 'Where was the world before it was made? Find that place and you will find Music'."
JS
A live version of "Starless"
No comments:
Post a Comment