Reviews for King Crimson
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Learning to expand horizons. | Reviewer: Greg Wotton | 12/10/08
I'm a long time metal head, always have been ever since I first heard Black Sabbath at the neigbours place. But my true love was music as a whole, and especially the guiter.
I must have been about twelve when I first heard King Crimson. My uncle had a cassette of "Three of a Perfect Pair". It blew my mind. I had to have it. Things were being done that I'd never heard before! A few months later, at a garage sale I found "A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson". WOW. Here was everything from Epitaph and Cadence and Cascade to Red laid out for me. I think I wore down grooves in those records (it's a 2 LP set). This was a band to sink your teeth into.
King Crimson is one of those few bands that can actually teach you something by listening to it. You can learn about instrumental interactions and how to keep a piece moving along. It's hard to be "bored" with King Crimson. I often find people who say "Oh, I heard 'x' by them and I don't like them. Then I laugh, and laugh, and laugh... there is NO single piece that 'quantifies' King Crimson. You don't like "Red"? Try "Cadence and Cascade" or "Epitaph" or if you're more Occult in temperment then "Moonchild". Basically whether you want something hard, jazzy, soft, thoughtful or disharmonic, King Crimson can provide it for you. I don't think it's possible to hate all of it, it's too eclectic. It's also not easy to love all of it, especially if you're in love with modern musical trends. (Trends which they often make fun of like in "How to be Happy with what you have to be happy with".
King Crimson taught me never to be TOO repetative, to expand my horizons and to try new things musically. I may not like something like "Techno" but why not try my hand at it? Fripp of all people played in a Dance band! Explore, seek, try. Sure, things may come out that sound like a cat puking... but that might be useful somewhere as well :)
Keep it interesting, keep it fresh. If you had a hit album 20 years ago... it's still a great album, there's no reason to re-create it today. Try something new. If it fails.. it fails. If it works it will be great.
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