“Larks’ Tongues In Aspic” by King Crimson - album review

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TJR says

Group leader Robert Fripp had a major culling in '72; all four of his new recruits make their King Crimson LP debuts right here. They line-up: Robert Fripp (guitars, Mellotron, electric piano, devices), John Wetton (bass, vocals, piano), Bill Bruford (drums, timbales, cowbell, wood block), David Cross (violin, viola, Mellotron, electric piano, flute) and Jamie Muir (percussion, drums, found items, sundry instruments). I'm reliably informed via Wikipedia that he now seeks to draw on Eastern European classical music and European free improvisation as central influences. Accomodating this, the personnel changers swapped out saxophone in favour of violin and unusual percussion. Excited by this, drummer Bill Bruford left Yes at a new commercial peak in their career in favour of the 'darker' King Crimson. The set is bookended by the two-part title-tracks both of which do their best to stimulate me, but do so only in short bursts within the combined twenty-minute sonic adventure. The 'proper' songs - “Book Of Saturday” and “Exiles” - descend to Genesis-like levels of tedium, and destroy the album's rating. “The Talking Drum” is the one-piece which jumps out and gives me music which I can get into. They channel some of that Can-like vibe, finding an actual groove and largely sticking with it, introducing variations on drum n bass rhythm, with some excellent violin work from yer man Cross. It doesn't save the album's rebel rating - but at least not all hope is lost.

The Jukebox Rebel
09–Feb–2016

Tracklist
A1 [13:36] 4.5.png King Crimson - Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Part One (David Cross, Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Jamie Muir) Prog
A2 [02:53] 2.5.png King Crimson - Book Of Saturday (Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Richard Palmer-James) Songwriter
A3 [07:40] 1.8.png King Crimson - Exiles (David Cross, Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Richard Palmer-James) Songwriter
B1 [07:54] 4.8.png King Crimson - Easy Money (Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Richard Palmer-James) Prog
B2 [07:26] 6.8.png King Crimson - The Talking Drum (David Cross, Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Jamie Muir) Trance Rock
B3 [07:07] 4.6.png King Crimson - Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Part Two (Robert Fripp) Prog

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