THE VROOOM SESSIONS 1994

In late 1999, King Crimson's collectors' club put out a compilation of outtakes recorded by the band's "double trio" lineup in 1994, titled The Vrooom Sessions. Several of these songs were later reworked or re-recorded for subsequent albums, but there are some neat cuts here. Considering these are not fully-formed songs, I won't dwell on this release for too long.

"Bass Groove" is exactly what it advertises, with the overall atmosphere being dark and moody, and "Fashionable" is funky and could have fit in on Discipline. "Monster Jam" is too long, but it's a great way for the two drummers to show off. Meanwhile, "Slow Mellow" takes its name too seriously and is an incredibly long three minutes. "Krim 3" is fantastic, with a jagged, bouncy groove. (It was later reworked for an Adrian Belew solo release.) 

"Funky Jam" is fantastic, and?wait, I've heard this before! This is the "alternative version" of "Matte Kudasai", isn't it? At least, I thought it was, based on the version of the album I've had on my hard drive since 2010 or so. Was this just mislabeled?

Yes, it was. This is how I found out wherever I got my digital copy of Discipline from had a mislabeled song on it. Well, this is embarrassing. I looked up the real alternate version of "Matte Kudasai", and it's only minimally different from the canonical version. That is to say, I'm still not nuts about it. "Funky Jam" holds up, though, and I'm happy to have some proper provenance on this matter now.

"No Questions Asked" would eventually become "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream", and an early version of "One Time" also appears here. "Calliope" is weird, bouncy, and too long; but it's fun, and another great percussion showcase. The closing "Booga Looga" has a vaguely Western vibe to it, and it's a decent enough cut. 

The Vrooom Sessions is a pleasant collection. It's far from essential, but it shows a side of King Crimson's songwriting that isn't just endless, airy improvisation.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/04/15/deep-dive-king-crimson/