similar bands to early King Crimson

I would like to advise the following bands:

Sweden: Anekdoten (especially Vemod)

Japan: Bi Kyo Ran (their guitarplayer is the Japanese Fripp), Providence (their first), Outer Lmits

France: Terpandre, Shylock , Arachnoid

Italy: PFM (their first four)

Argentina: Redd

Spain: Coto En Pel

Check out the Prog Archives reviews!

This topic was almost going unnoticed... I don't understand why very few took pains to suggest similar bands to almost everyones favorite! (I'm excluding you, Bob Greece!)

I want to share my experience: I really loved the musical style of '69-'72 King Crimson, jazzy drums, delightful flute melodies popping up every now and then, heavy emphasis on Mellotron (though played very slow), and perfect use of reeds... Not to mention master Fripp's masterfully played guitar. Last year I was looking for something similar to these, especially a symphonic band that played the hell out of saxophone! (I really hated sax before KC and several other bands I came to love later) I had a limited mp3 collection then, so I decided to check on once again a band I overlooked for some time. I decided to give a try to Van der Graaf Generator, just recalling the delightful sax and organ played on Darkness (then I had the Box version only). I was sure there was something similar to King Crimson, especially in H to He and Pawn Hearts albums, where master Fripp himself made appearance! Bingo! David Jackson's sax is what made me appreciate the use of that strange instrument in Progressive Rock...

Now I look back to the past and really can't figure out why I overlooked this magnificent band. I say every now and then that VdGG is an acquired taste, but my experience of falling in love with their music is totally an X-file!

I strongly recommend you to give a try. Especially after the first two albums (which are a transition from pure psychedelia/folk towards complex symphonic rock with somewhat jazzy textures), it is as though VdGG picked up where KC actually left! Pawn Hearts, Still Life and World Record are absolute masterpieces! And some Peter Hammill solo albums continue the same approach (though most of the time he is really "solo"): I believe Nadir's Big Chance (despite it's shorter song structure and sort of proto-punk style) is also similar, at least in the way sax is played. A couple of individual tracks (The Black Room in Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night -which was intended as a VdGG piece initially- and Gog-Magog in In Camera albums) also resemble King Crimson's early period, especially with regard to experimentalism which was evident in Moonchild in Court and The Devil's Triangle in Poseidon...

ITCOTCK infuses most of the songs on Genesis' Trespass album. 

erik neuteboom wrote: I would like to advise the following bands: Sweden: Anekdoten (especially Vemod) Japan: Bi Kyo Ran (their guitarplayer is the Japanese Fripp), Providence (their first), Outer Lmits France: Terpandre, Shylock , Arachnoid Italy: PFM (their first four) Argentina: Redd Spain: Coto En Pel Check out the Prog Archives reviews!

Excellent call Erik, (indeed Bi Kyo Ran, have released one covers album of KC material - although the last album by BKR, a late 90's release, might be considered a link between modernday KC and bands like Tool). A KC freak, once suggested to me a couple of late 80's/ealry 90's Hungarian bands as well - but names have faded from my memory.

I would add a copy of covers/tribute albums on which the artists have gone some distance to take the original KC tunes and through good arrangements and move the music in new directions:

The Letters: An Unconventional Italian Guide To King Crimson

a triple CD tribute by Italian bands, very good although (to me) most musicians are unknown.

Crimson Jazz Trio (CJ3) : King Crimson Song Book Volume 1 - out later this month fro Voiceprint. Ian Wallace developing KC's jazz creditials.

And a delightful one off on Theo Travis's 2004 album Earth To Ether, of 21st Century Schizoid Man.

Which obviously brings me round to 21st Century Schizoid Band's couple CDs and DVD, i.e. former members of KC plus Jakko of the 70's jazz rock band  64 Spoons, usually providing guitar and most lead vocals.

Eetu Pellonpää wrote: ^ Never heard of 'em! So did they have their own compositons too? Is it a Japanes band?

Madoromi is a Japanese group. When they were active in 1970s, they could not make any albums. Madoromi's 2 albums were released in 1990s and 2000s (recorded in 1976 & 1977). 1990s live album was released by Belle Antique. 2000s live albums was released by Gohan Records. Fortunately I could find this CD in my room, I write track list here.

1.Jokei 5 (�îŒi5)

2.The Great Deciever

3.Tape

4.Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part One

5.One More Red Nightmare

6.Improv

7.Easy Money

8.The Talking Drum

9.Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part Two

Album title is "The Hardest Live '76". Released on October 31, 2002

Track 2,4,5,7,8,9 are Crimson number.

Musicians are: Suma Kunio - �{–�–M—Y (guitar, lead vocal), Nagasawa Masaaki�@- ’·‘ò�³�º (drums), Yoshinaga Shinji - ‹g‰i�L“ñ (bass, vocal).

Madoromi had an aim to play the Crimson's music, so there're small original compositions in comparison with latter name Bi Kyo Ran.

Bi Kyo Ran's latest album Sakigake ~ OST 2 was released in 2004. It was composed for TV animation. Of course there's Sakigake ~ OST. Both Sakigake ~ were released by Lantis label.