King Crimson: Red - Progressive Rock Music Forum

^ That could be, It's definitely the weak link on that album.

The.Crimson.King wrote:

[QUOTE=Argo2112][QUOTE=Dellinger]However, still the weak part of the album (as seems to be the case with many) is Providence... .

Anyone who thinks Providence is weak just hasn't "got it".

I fully sympathise. I used to skip this track for many many years. I thought it was a jumbled mess and I couldn't make and sense of it. I thought it was weak and ill conceived.

But one day I didn't skip it and everything just connected for me when I played it and I understood it.

I love Providence now, and, rather than skipping it, I skip straight to it. I regard it as the second best track on the album, behind Starless..

I think of the track as lots of individual strands of music that sit in opposition to each other until they are drawn together by John Wetton's bassline, which is the key to the whole track.

Here the bass guitar, rather than being a backing instrument, comes to the fore and brings the whole piece together. The other instruments then assemble around Wetton's bassline and disharmony is transformed into harmony as the instruments start to play in unison.

Wetton's strong bass line rift dominates the track as it comes to a close taking the other instruments with it.

Love this track now and its definitely not the weak link on Red.

Songs cast a light on you

Chaser wrote:

Love this track now and its definitely not the weak link on Red.

There are no weak tracks on Red. That's a myth.

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Red is their best imo. I love every single second of it and bought the Road To Red box set which is my most expensive music purchase. One the best prog albums and makes my top ten easily.

HackettFan wrote:

My least favorite from my most favorite period. I like Lark's Tongues and Starless and Bible Black so much better. I particularly love the live improvs on SABB. Of the tracks on Red, the most brilliant I think is Providence, once again a live improv.

I agree with everything you said up until Providence. That's my least favorite. I much prefer the improv on SABB. I'll admit "starless" is one of their best tracks ever but other than that the album doesn't go beyond the first two or LTIA in my opinion. I'll never really understand the appeal of "red" in particular. I like the intro part but most of the track is just way too repetitive(not to mention too long). It's a six minute song that should have been three minutes imo.

Yes its all great and I can understand how Providence isn't a standout-track on its own but it certainly works perfectly within the album-context. To me it does. Apart from King Crimson there's not a whole lot of bands I can think of that really nails "free rock improvs". A lot of times it comes across like the directionless amateur-jams it often is.

I don´t think King Crimson can be called accessible at all. There is not a single accessible crimso rec. Except for the first one maybe.

Yeah you´re right I was excluding the later ones. Just till Red. That was a really wild phase.

King Crimson is just the best. That's what I think. Even their lower rated albums are better than most band's best. Beat gets a bum wrap because it's a bit misunderstood, but since I figured out it had to do with The Beat Generation, it makes more sense. Thrak is definitely rated too low as it is one of my favorites. But Red is also always one of my favorites all around along with Lark's Tongue.

But I just love them all. Even the projekcts.

^ Similar...not very similar imho...they are both mellotron drenched slow ballads for the most part.....and

many Procol Harum tracks are also slow keyboard drenched ballads. So the cadence (no pun intended...) is bound to be similar at times.

One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin