Starless

Kestrel wrote: Anyone have a favorite live version of Starless?

Edited by HolyMoly - February 06 2012 at 18:41

I like "Starless" more and more each time I hear it.  I do think the beginning section (with the Mellotron and that soft lead guitar) is one of King Crimson's finest moments.  The vocals are the best on the album.  The dissonant bit jars the experience for me, and I think it could have been composed a bit smoother, particularly at the climax.

tamijo wrote: I hope Starless will win the 1975 best track.

That'd be quite a feat.

Snow Dog wrote: Starless is pulling way ahead in this poll  http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=84772&PN=1 and I suspect it will win the final easily. People here seem to love it. Can anyone explain what it is about this piece that is so great? I really don't get it. Maybe there is some aspect of it I am missing? What do each of you personally like about it?

Snow Dog wrote: I don't like saxophone

Kestrel wrote: Anyone have a favorite live version of Starless?

As a matter of fact, it also took me several listens to like this song... at first it was just plain boring... and then messy, but once I got the main melody, it was all pleasure. However, when I first heard this song, I heard it on a live version, and later on, when I got to hear it on it's studio version (note I say "studio version" and not "original version", for actually this song was originally played live, and then came the studio version), I found it rather disapointing, mainly because I got used to the live version, and so I feel like the main melody was made to be played with the violin, not guitar; and also because I felt the closing section was rather weak in studio compared with the live one. If you don't like saxophone, Snow Dog, then you may just as well like the live versions better, for they include violin, and don't have any sax.
Now, the live version I have liked the most, by far, is the one included on "Collectible King Crimson, Vol 1, CD 1 - Live in Mainz. Now, I made a poll about this song studio vs live, and found out that studio beat live by a long margin... some of the main complaints about the live version were that the "improv" section was too messy on the live versions, and better structured on the studio one; and also that the final climax was too weak on the live versions compared with the studio one. Now, thinking about it, I may agree with this two statements... in most of the live versions, however, on the particular live version I said I liked best, this things are not true, the improv part is perhaps even better than the studio one, much better than the other live ones, and I personally like the "crazier" part better played with violin than sax. And the climax is for me so much stronger, played with electric guitar instead of sax... once again, in the other live versions it indeed sounds weaker than on the studio one, but not the Live in Mainz one.

Best build-up of all time. 

Once again. Thank you for all the comments. It has given me more insight. 

people are sad and angry, thats why

Dellinger wrote: progprogprog wrote: people are sad and angry, thats why ???

Snow Dog wrote: richardh wrote: Dellinger wrote: progprogprog wrote: people are sad and angry, thats why ???     ''pot'' and ''kettle'' were the first words that popped into my head when I read his post Perhaps he posted in the wrong thread. It can happen I suppose.

progprogprog wrote: Snow Dog wrote: richardh wrote: Dellinger wrote: progprogprog wrote: people are sad and angry, thats why ???     ''pot'' and ''kettle'' were the first words that popped into my head when I read his post Perhaps he posted in the wrong thread. It can happen I suppose. I meant the sadness quality of the song makes it more popular compare to other KC songs.

ok fair enough  ..