Your favorite King Crimson era
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Topic: Your favorite King Crimson era
Posted By: thief
Subject: Your favorite King Crimson era
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 01:42
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It's not another albums comparison, I'm rather asking what vision / version of King Crimson is your favorite, the definitive, go-to incarnation? On a sidenote, when was the band the most cutting-edge and revolutionary, a true leader of prog rock movement? early 1969 - late 1972 In the Court of the Crimson King through Islands, two touring bands (the former with Lake, McDonald and Giles, the latter with Burell, Collins and Wallace), Pete Sinfield writing lyrics late 1972 - late 1974 Larks' Tongues in Aspic through Red, originally featuring Cross, Muir, Wetton and Bruford, later reduced to quartet and trio, heavily touring (The Great Deceiver stuff, lots of KCCC records), Richard Palmer-James writing lyrics 1981-1984 Discipline through Three of a Perfect Pair, Levin-Belew-Bruford, electronic drums, Chapman Stick, Frippertronics, bits of New Wave 1994-2003 Thrak through The Power to Believe, 80s lineup reinvigorated with Gunn and Mastelotto, double trio/duo, ProjeKcts, THRaKaTTaK, heavier sound and industrial themes 2014-now King Crimson finally appreciating the former eras, touring with long forgotten material, 3-4 drummers, Mel Collins comeback, DGM site tidied up, Crimson material on Spotify
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Replies:
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 01:56
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Wetton years for me. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 02:03
Overall favourite period is actually 69 - 72. There are more albums I like from that period than from the Wetton era, BUT my overall favourite KC album is Red!  Vote goes to 69 - 72. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 02:15
My favourite King Crimson era has to be the first era because "In the Court of the Crimson King" (1969) is the only King Crimson album that I really like. 
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Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 05:00
| I know its unpopular among hardcore fans to think the first era was the best cause it’s the easy pick, and true fans will swear that they did better several times. But court is the greatest thing they ever did so I’m going with the first line up. |
Posted By: Mormegil
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 05:18
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69-72 does it for me. ------------- Welcome to the middle of the film. |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 06:29
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81-84, for me probably the best period of any band ever. May have something to do with the fact I got into music around 1980, so I loved prog but also much post punk/new wave stuff that came out at the time, and KC (different from some other prog giants) did something that was fresh, sharp and timely, but still top level progressive, and it left a huge mark on my musical taste.
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Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 06:41
| It's a toss up for me between the first two listed. I'll have to think about it(or flip a coin). |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 06:49
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Wetton era for me. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Argo2112
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 07:13
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Wetton Years. My Three favorite KC albums are LTIA , SABB & Red for me it's really no contest.
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Posted By: wiz_d_kidd
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 07:30
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The Wetton era IS King Crimson for me. All other eras were just experiments or side projects. |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 08:04
| Not a huge fan but am aware of their importance/influence---I like the first album---listened to Belew line up the most---so I'd vote for one of those two periods. |
Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 08:11
| I guess it would be the Wetton years for me, though the Sinfield period was also very good. |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 08:47
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Wetton era! ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: tamijo_II
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 09:43
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One of those that is impossible for me, whatever i take will vote against just as great but just different music. (no vote) ------------- Same person as this profile: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/member_profile.asp?PF=22524" rel="nofollow - Tamijo |
Posted By: tboyd1802
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 12:12
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72 to 74 - the Wetton years... ------------- He neither drank, smoked, nor rode a bicycle. Living frugally, saving his money, he died early, surrounded by greedy relatives. It was a great lesson to me -- John Barrymore |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 13:04
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I'll go with the Wetton era, but the ProjeKcts era comes close 2nd for me. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow">  |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 13:12
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Double trio. ------------- |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 13:17
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Wetton years for me as well. ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 13:19
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The first era for me. Unlike the majority, my vote is especially for Lizard and Islands -- I'd say that Islands is the King Crimson album I tend to turn to the most these days. At one time I would have voted for the second era. Love both of those eras. I'm not nearly as familiar with the later eras. ------------- Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me. |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 13:26
I'm not that familiar with the later stuff either. I know the 80's albums pretty well but not so much the ones after those. I never even bought Thrak. Anyway, I voted for the Bruford/Wetton era since one of my favorite albums of all time(LTIA)was a part of that.
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Logan wrote:Posted By: Snicolette
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 13:30
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Hard for me to choose between 1st and 2nd incarnation, but since I was lucky enough to see every tour of the 2nd, going with that. ------------- "Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 16:20
| 1972-74 (Wetton years) |
Posted By: AZF
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 16:53
And the victory lap of USA! The pinnacle of King Crimson for me. Although of course it was ITCOTCK I began with. |
Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: October 18 2019 at 23:26
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It's not hard at all, the Wetton era. That's the only era I actually like a good chunk ------------- “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” ― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four "Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: October 19 2019 at 01:07
| I hardly ever listen to ITCOTKC although I do like In The Wake Of Poseidon. I voted for the Wetton years and for Red especially. There is something about the magic of a 3 piece clicking that never goes away for me. |
Posted By: judahbenkenobi
Date Posted: October 19 2019 at 08:18
| Wetton years. Always |
Posted By: tdfloyd
Date Posted: October 19 2019 at 08:28
| Got to go with the first incarnation because the first album is so stunning. Only the 'Colors' era is more miss than hit. Really like what they are doing now |
Posted By: patrickq
Date Posted: October 19 2019 at 08:44
it’s lonely in the 1980s!
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Posted By: micky
Date Posted: October 19 2019 at 09:44
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never lonely man... far and away their best era ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: October 19 2019 at 09:47
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Another vote for the Colors era. As much as I love the Wetton-era albums, I think the '80s is when the band really came into its own and single-handedly changed the approach to progressive rock. |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: October 19 2019 at 09:48
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amen sista lova... ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: October 19 2019 at 11:14
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As much as I love the first one...went with Wetton era...........the 80's?, Discipline was a good lp but the next two were very weak.
------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: October 20 2019 at 14:29
qft...enjoyable but rather weak. ------------- |
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: October 21 2019 at 05:42
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I like all of their eras, but for some odd reason, I really get a kick out of their 1980s era. ------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: October 21 2019 at 10:42
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Absent Lovers is amazing though. ------------- |
Posted By: socrates17
Date Posted: October 21 2019 at 18:01
| I am unable to vote. I think it was a serious mistake to lump the double trio era (w/Bruford) in with the quartet of the early 2000s (w/o Bruford). The double trio is my favorite era (followed by the 1980s "colors" era), while the early 2000s quartet without Bruford is my least favorite KC period of all. I was tempted to vote for the '80s colors era, but that wouldn't have felt right because it really does take a backseat to the double trio. I really wanted to vote for the double trio, but refuse to signify any affection at all for the Construktion of Light era, which I actively disliked. I didn't even bother to see that lineup live, the only one that I've missed since the Islands tour. The Wetton era would be my 3rd, btw, after the Discipline quartet and the double trio. My reaction to the current era is kinda meh. It was nice to hear the Lizard material again, but the absence of Belew's songs is a real problem. |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: October 21 2019 at 18:19
Belew is absent, and I miss him, but they have played Indiscipline, Frame by Frame, The Sheltering Sky, Two Hands (or Matte Kudasai, don't remember exactly anymore) etc. That era is well represented.
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: October 22 2019 at 22:15
| My favourite album is the debut... but as an era, I must choose the Wetton years. If only the first era had kept the original line-up, I might have been warmer to it, just because of consistency. |
Posted By: Braka1
Date Posted: October 24 2019 at 08:12
Yeah, exactly the same here.
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Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: October 24 2019 at 08:50
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Fripp-Wetton-Bruford Best trio ever?
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: October 24 2019 at 09:00
Clapton, Baker & Bruce Hendric, Mitchell & Redding |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: October 24 2019 at 10:56
The same for me too, word to word. ------------- A curse upon the heads of those who seek their fortunes in a lie. The truth is always waiting when there's nothing left to try. - Colin Henson, Jade Warrior (Now) |
Posted By: Magnum Vaeltaja
Date Posted: November 02 2019 at 19:01
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Sinfield years on the strength of Lizard alone, plus Wake and Islands as good support. ------------- when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents |
Posted By: Scorpius
Date Posted: November 03 2019 at 20:21
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Wetton Era all the way. The live performances were great and improvisational and the studio albums are all KC classics. ------------- The most dangerous man in America. |
Posted By: thief
Date Posted: November 04 2019 at 01:15
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I personally think that King Crimson, as a whole, reached most of its potential during Wetton years. In fact, they were so good of a unit that Robert Fripp decided to disband ;) Jokes aside, I think that Great Deceiver box set proves that King Crimson was extremely focused and potent in live environment; it's a shame we have almost no recordings of Jamie Muir lineup. But my pick is the "Sinfield Era". I sorely miss the saxophone runs, trombones, oboes and cornets; the eeriness of mellotron, cryptic lyrics, mythology and archetypal references, potent album covers and nocturnal side of King Crimson. My biggest gripe is that 2 out 4 lineups didn't tour - In the Wake of Poseidon group (understandable) and Lizard team (oh God oh why?). On a sidenote, Robert Fripp 73-74 look with a beard is the Definitive one
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