Easy Money

Another type of albums I don't include in my favorite albums are the live albums. There weren't really all that many of them that I listened to last year, but one of them was King Crimson's Live in Chicago. It was recorded June 28, 2017 and it was released October 14, not even 4 months later. And it is spectacular. Way spectacular. The band this time had 8 members - once again led by founding (and only constant) member Robert Fripp on guitar and mellotron. Original member Mel Collins was present on woodwinds and mellotron (and backing vocals), long time member Tony Levin on bass (man, I worship at this man's musical feet), Jakko Jakszyk on lead vocals and guitar, and then the four drummers: Bill Rieflin (although he now plays keyboards of just about any kind), Jeremy Stacey, long time collaborator Pat Mastellotto, and percussion hero Gavin Harrison. It is a monstrous lineup, and they play so amazingly well throughout that this is one of my absolute favorite live albums of all time. One of the classic King Crimson songs was originally released on the album Larks' Tongues In Aspic from 1973, where it opened side 2, and it has grown into one of my favorites - and this version is amazing. Easy Money.

2017 - July 22 - Heroes

Six years ago today, 69 people ages 14-51 were killed in the attack on Utøya in Norway - although the age range betrays the fact that these were predominantly youth. The average age was 20, and 33 of the 69 were 17 or 18 years old. They were at a youth camp for the Norwegian Labour Party's youth organization held at an island in the Tyrifjord lake not far away from Oslo. The perpetrator, who held islamophobic and far right views, was caught and is currently serving the maximum prison sentence in Norway, which is 21 years. However, his sentence is of such a nature that it can be extended in five year increments if he is found to be a risk to others upon release.

I am positive that there are big and long discussions that could be had regarding whether the sentence is right or not - but that is not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the 564 people who were gathered at Utøya that July day. The Workers Youth League's (AUF) summer camp is a well known political youth event in Norway, with major politicians giving speeches and holding seminars - in addition to all other possible shenanigans that tend to go on when you have that many youth from fourteen and into their twenties gathered in a relatively secluded area for a week's time.

When I heard the news six years ago, it hit me hard. I never went to Utøya - although I was a member of AUF for a while - but I did do my fair share of political youth camps. My camps were issue based, as I was a member of both DNTU and NGU, Norway's two leading youth teetotaling organizations, until they merged as Juvente 25 years ago today. The thought of idealistic youth, gathering to discuss what they believe in (as well as having fun), being attacked that way felt like an attack on MY summers. On MY values. On MY rights. And while I wasn't personally affected, it still hit me.

And so today, I want to play one of my favorite songs, written by one of my all-time favorite artists, and performed by one of my favorite bands. Robert Fripp, who has led King Crimson pretty much from the beginning, was asked by David Bowie to provide his guitar on his Heroes album from 1977. So 40 years ago, Fripp packed his guitar and travelled to Berlin, to Hansa Studios, where U2 later would return to reinvent themselves on Achtung! Baby, and teamed up with David Bowie and his producer Brian Eno. The result was pure magic. Last year, Fripp returned to Berlin with King Crimson, and they recorded this version of Heroes, and I would like to dedicate this to everyone taking a non-violent stand for everything they believe in, especially our youth. We need people to be active - because while the Washington Post rightfully claims that Democracy Dies In Darkness, democracy also dies with silence and passivity.

December 16 - Easy Money

I might have been cryptic, but it seems like the answer was possible to find... The shared musician was Tony Levin, the bass player with the well groomed mustache, also referred to (by himself) as Papa Bear. He is one of the hardest working musicians I know of, and he has lately been on tour with King Crimson, which is a band he has played with pretty much in every incarnation since the 80s. The album was Larks Tongues In Aspic (which always makes me think of the Larks Vomit flavor of chocolate in Monty Python's Crunchy Frog skit) from 1973, and the song was Easy Money, which I here am including from the video accompanying their latest live release, Radical Action To Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind, which simply is mind blowing. Watching the interplay between the three drummers up front is alone worth the entire set, but the playing throughout is superb - I would go so far as to say that this is the ultimate King Crimson.

And, it features a link to more modern prog. One of the members in this lineup of King Crimson is the drummer in one of my favorite "new" prog band - although it's leader has put the band on hold as he is focusing on his solo career. The musician I am looking for also released a cd with big band arrangements of this band's music last year. So we are looking for a progressive rock band that ventured a little bit towards progressive metal, although it never got too heavy, who is currently on hiatus (may or may not be a permanent hiatus). The song I am looking for was recorded twice, once with this band's previous member in this spot of the line-up (the only line-up change in this band's history from when it first was assembled to be a full band and not just a name for the front-man's musical project) and once more on the American edition of an album where this member in particular plays. It is this last version I am looking for. Who is this musician that is shared between King Crimson and this band, what is the name of the band, what is the song I am looking for, and what is the album and year?

April 14 - In The Court Of The Crimson King

When it comes to King Crimson, I have two album closers that really stand out. One I already have shared is Starless from the album Red. The other is the title track from their debut album, In The Court of the Crimson King. Their debut is a monster of an album. Opening with 21st Century Schizoid man, it is a tour-de-force all the way through the title track. The instrumentation is also intriguing - musically they were a four-piece let by master guitarist Robert Fripp (although King Crimson was a lot more democratic back then than they were in subsequent lineups). On bass and vocals they had Greg Lake, who went on to great fame with Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Michael Giles was their drummer, while Ian McDonald played woodwinds and keyboards. Their fifth member was Peter Sinfield, who wrote their lyrics and helped with production. While his role was nebulous, to say the least, Robert Fripp has stated that he was invaluable.

The album In the Court of the Crimson King sounds like it is recorded by an army of musicians, and not just four. The wall of sound on 21st Century Schizoid Man is filled with barbed wire and more brutal than just about anything else I have heard from 1969. While it is possible to assume that it is due to production techniques, live recordings from the time shows just how powerful they were as a four-piece. The rest of the album is softer - and when the title track closes the album, there is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the greatest debut albums in the history of rock music.

When King Crimson got together to get on the road last year, Robert Fripp had brought Ian McDonald back, along with three drummers with very distinct styles. And the second live document from the tour, Live in Toronto, features three tracks from In the Court of the Crimson King: Epitaph, In the Court of the Crimson King, and the show closer 21st Century Schizoid Man. It is an album well worth purchasing - it is adventurous and grand, and the three drummers keep every track very interesting. But for today, please enjoy In the Court of the Crimson King the way it originally was recorded!

February 12 - Starless

King Crimson offers many challenges to listeners. Although their earliest incarnations are pretty traditional progressive rock, the early to mid-seventies incarnation of the group started experimenting quite heavily. Led by Robert Fripp on guitar and mellotron, he is joined by Bill Bruford on drums, John Wetton on bass and vocals, and David Cross on violin and keyboards - and this is really a spectacular collection of musicians creating very new and different music.

Today's song, Starless, starts out as a ballad with a beautiful, haunting melody. Robert Fripp plays the mellotron initially, an instrument that really is the precursor to the sampled keyboards of today. Every time you hit a key, the mellotron plays a tape - just like a cassette player would - for that specific note. If you wanted to change instrument sounds, you needed to replace the cartridge, which was a pretty massive thing - there is a great video of this in the Making of Heritage film that came with Opeth's Heritage album. It is also one of the main instruments of early progressive rock - and it was all over King Crimson's music.

Anyway, the melody is hauntingly beautiful, as I said. The first time I heard it was actually in a concert recording of Motorpsycho performing it back in 96 or thereabout. I also had heard an edited version of the song, but that version took away the truly challenging part of this song, which is the guitar part. Robert Fripp holds one note, played on two alternating strings. He holds that one note while the bass plays a pretty heavy and groove laden riff, creating really strong tension between the two instruments that the listener keep waiting for a resolution to, but it goes on for almost 4 minutes - from about 4'15" to about 8'00 - yet it is still not completely resolved as the band enters a full free form sounding mode (although I suspect Robert Fripp has it carefully planned out). There is eventually resolution, and after the long build-up of tension, the release the resolution brings is immensely powerful. I know the instrumental part of this song gives me goosebumps every time - and it needs to be played loud for maximum effect!

Radio Days: Resurrection

My last stint in radio was another spectacularly great one - at least for me. In 1995, I finally packed my bags and record collection and left Hustad Leir (see earlier blogposts here and here for more about that time) for Bergen, where I joined Studentradioen i Bergen. I started as an engineer mainly for the shows Skumma Kultur hosted by Svein Tore Bergestuen, Høydepunktum, and Plog. Three very different shows with very different demands: Skumma Kultur was a cultural program in a magazine format, but with Svein Tore, they covered quite a bit of breaking news, and he had high technical standards, which in turn made me a better engineer. Høydepunktum was probably my favorite show to work on - a highlight show of the week that was. As an engineer, I was challenged in reediting a lot of the pieces so they were shorter and fit a new flow. This was also in the days of reel-to-reel tape editing, so I had to physically manipulate the tapes. I loved every minute of it. And I had the fortune of working with great young women (they would probably say girls at that time): Line Hegna, Tonje Aursland, Kathrine Synnes, and, I believe, Vibecke Spjeld. Some of them have gone on to careers in NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Company. The last show, Plog, was the music magazine dedicated to "roots" music, artists like The Louvin Brothers, Tom Waits, and Richard Thompson were among Thomas Ekrene's favorites, and he was the host of the show. Johan Ludvig Brattås was also involved, and he brought his eclectic taste for international traditional music to the show as well. I was introduced to Mongolian throat singing and Finnish traditional music - and I actually started liking it.

While Mongolian throat singing surely is interesting, I have to confess that Hedningarna is higher on my list of favorites. I got a chance to see them live in 1999, not too long before I moved to the US. They are a Finnish/Swedish band, and their last studio album, Karelia Visa, explores traditional music from Karelia, a historical Finnish region that largely now is part of Russia following the Winter War of 1940. The liner notes are extremely interesting - describing their experiences researching this music in a region that appears not to have changed much at all. The following song, Mitä Minä, is from Karelia Visa (Karelian Songs).

However, I started getting restless being in the control room at all times, so I asked if there was any chance that I could start a show of my own. I had a name and a concept for it that I really liked. The name was Undertoner (undertones), and it was about all the unsung heroes of music - the producers and session musicians. The people in charge liked the concept and I got my half-hour time slot. I remember shows about Rick Rubin, Daniel Lanois, Tessa Niles, and Tony Levin. However, I also remember being chastised for having one half-hour show featuring one song only, with my voice in the intro and in the middle, hovering over the effects. The song was Echoes by Pink Floyd. It was and remains my favorite Pink Floyd composition, and it showcases so many of the elements I like in music. It is droning, it is dissonant at times, yet it has dreamy, ethereal beauty in the vocal harmonies, it is slow building, and it uses dynamics effectively. "And I am you and what I see is me." However, playing one song for close to 30 minutes is not the most radio friendly thing to do...

I worked in Studentradioen until I left Bergen in 1996, then again from fall of 1997 until I left Bergen in the fall of 1998; however, I had one final ambitious project: I wanted to create a series about the history of rock music. Coda was the name of the series, and I had close to 30 parts, each at about 30 minutes (I have to check the number of episodes, but it was scheduled for the full year). When I left Bergen, I was around week 10 or so of the series, so the final 20 episodes or so were made at a high pace, trying to get it all wrapped up so they could keep broadcasting the show. It was a great project for me, and while I wish that I could have spent more time on the last episodes, I am incredibly proud that I did create it. I tried making copies of the show for myself when I recorded all of them onto DATs (they had been recorded on a computer workstation at this point - we finally had one), but I messed up a few of them - but I believe I have them on MiniDisc still.

When I left Bergen for the second time, I also left my radio days behind. However, I met a lot of great people that way, both in Radio Ung and in Studentradioen. I learned a lot about sound and music, and my musical tastes were significantly expanded. The final song this time is one that I believe I played during the Undertoner show about Tony Levin, a spectacular bass player, here with King Crimson. This six-piece version of King Crimson was spectacular - and the use of Midi with Adrian Belew's guitar is interesting. But listen to Tony Levin's deep bass singing (he is the bald bass player with a mustache) and pay attention to his bass. Robert Fripp's tritonus is creating a spectacular dissonance throughout the song, and having two drummers in Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto and then Trey Gunn on the Chapman stick (which also really is Tony Levin's instrument)... The double trio created very interesting music!