Not everything old and outdated is worth revisiting – and even some things old and outdated are worth admiring, if not bringing back. There’s much I admire in the following King Crimson performance from 1973.
Let’s start with John Wetton’s Look. His hair and sideburns are perfect! Why can’t someone in a critically acclaimed band I’m supposed to love, like Wilco or White Stripes have hair like that? I also dig his floppy jacket and the excusable fashion faux pas of wearing his own band’s t-shirt onstage. Someone had to be the frontman for this nearly amelodic, seemingly asexual collective. Wetton lays it on the line.
Bill Bruford‘s sporting some good ‘burns himself, although they’re not quite matched. The right sideburn seems to be coming out further and it not as thick. That’s OK. As you’ll see toward the end of this clip, it’s not a tank top he’s wearing but some kind of stylized overall/jumpsuit. I guess lots of drummers don’t bother dressing up because they don’t get to jump off their throne and bang a rack of gongs.
Bruford excels at the Attentive Drummer technique as the foundation of his Rock Facework. Is there a drummer in the house? Do you ever make sure to look over your shoulder at the singer, like the fate of the song in play depends on your coordination with his next move, the way Bruford does at the 1:35 mark? Wettton must have felt like a god with the knowledge that his drummer was at least pretending to pay his so much respect as a frontman. Bruford continues with this sign of respect at the 2:08 mark, flashes Wetton his Patience of a Saint expression during David Cross and Robert Fripp‘s mellotron/guitar interlude at 2:53, and works into a pre-ejaculatory porn grimmace at 3:15. At the 4:29 mark, the camera catches Bruford in a brief, final flicker of delight. I will give props to Meg White for having studied Bruford’s facial work.
The jam continues…
It goes without saying that Cross needs to do something about those split ends, but for a prog-rock multi-instrumentalist he could do worse.
Fripp in his simple black ensemble and seated on a stool is always a treat. The bushier-than-usual hair and beard work for him. Of all the fashion options offered in this clip, this is probably the one Look that was most influential on modern-day indie rock musicians. As for the stool, though, I don’t think anyone else has made that work while playing triplets on a Les Paul.
wow…prog rock thursday is back with a vengeance (and a painter pants / overalls jumpsuit).
mod, i only post to commend you for posting these youtubes. great winter music.
but i also would like to suggest that if the white stripes or wilcos of the world sported burns like these, you’d probably think them not worthy of the look they’re trying to put over on us.
Mmmm, I see what you’re saying, Sat, but I’d love to be tested on that someday.
it IS a hypothetical, i’ll admit, an untested hypothesis to be sure.
i’m EVEN willing to admit to projecting my own tendencies on you in making this hypothesis.
but are we not often like-minded on matters of Look?
not a big deal.
by the way i’d like to thank you for your taxonomy of the various great moments in these youtubes. it enhanced my enjoyment of it!
You’re welcome, Sat. I encourage all Townspeople to take the time some day to share your own analyses with us.
Perhaps you would like to also see this performance of 21st Century Schizoid Man:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0VHyeDsOrM&feature=related
Not King Crimson, but the “21st Century Schzioid Band”, all alums of Crimson, save the guitarist/singer (kind of a key person, I think!) I will withhold comment whilst you all take it in.
The vets don’t look and sound too bad for the years. The lead guy does his job, despite his hair. Feel free to fill us in on details after we’ve had a chance to digest this clip. Thanks!
A few comments on the new video:
One sax solo would have been plenty. As the singer from Def Leppard says on VH-1 repeatedly, “You’re not a fooking jaazz baand.”
Extra points (off?) for the Parker guitar.
The main thing this performance lacks is Ray Cooper on Percussion.
Well if this is about the “Look” then George Lucas is pretty good on guitar there…
I was going to go with Russ Tamblyn as Dr. Jacoby on Twin Peaks, but Lucas would definitely explain Wetton’s jacket from the Empire Strikes Back collection.
Thanks to the excellent play-by-play, I’m kind of fascinated by Bruford’s reactions now. There should be an alternate cut of this just showing him the whole time. Though I do also enjoy the series of cuts that create a Wetton vs. Fripp’s Guitar battle for dominance at 50 seconds in, especially with the sound off. In fact, while I don’t really have it in for King Crimson or anything, the whole video is definitely superior with the sound off, since it seems like they might be doing something much cooler than it turns out they actually are.
alexmagic wrote:
How true that is, not only with this clip but with many other fine performance clips we run across.
I think Bruford leans up and cuts one at about 4:30. I couldn’t tell if everyone took a step away from the drums to confirm it, and I’m not going to watch that again. That more than fulfills my minimum daily King Crimson requirement.
Is that Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin? I saw him play with someone else. Not someone I’m proud of, either.
I think it’s David Cross, not Jobson, 2K. Jobson was a rare prog-rocker who never passed through King Crimson, if my rock nerd knowledge is correct. I did include a link to a tasty image of Jobson, for our most attentive readers. Thanks for your observation re: Bruford. I see what you’re saying.
that’s not bruford. it’s michael giles, the original drummer on the “court of the crimson king” album.
the snare is mixed way too high. it’s like…lead snare or something.
this is really icky…i mean, i wouldn’t even know where to begin.
2k, i’ll email ya later…
oh…woops…you’re talking about the *real* king crimson video, not the “schizoid band” vid.
While Jobson didn’t actually join Crimson, I’m pretty sure he recut a lot of Cross’ violin on the USA live album because Fripp felt Cross played out of tune live.
Oh, didn’t mean to imply that I have any inside skinny on the Schizoid band, only my opinions – and I was curious to see what others thought. Not surprisingly, the things that bothered me bothered others also – the Parker Fly, the snare, and the general “ick” factor.
This is “quackenbush5”, btw! Finally dropping in some comments around the joint.