A Sneak Peek...
And today, on an album released on April 3, 1995, featuring two different lineups of the same band.
Confused? So we'll explain.
Today in 1995 "King Crimson" released their 11th album - "Thrak".
For this album, Robert Fripp, the genius and undisputed leader of the band, devised the "Double Trio" concept.
What does it mean? The lineup on the album is made up of the band's two trio ensembles, two guitarists, two bassists, two drummers, and one singer.
Each track of the album has a trio that plays the main theme, with the second trio accompanying, adding, developing, improvising, and decorating.
The first track of the album - "Vrooom", opens with all six players in the center of the mix, when later they are split into two trios, one trio routed to the right channel and a second trio to the left channel.
In this way, Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, whose contribution to the album is invaluable, share the roles of rhythm and guitar, solos. Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto shared the roles of drums and percussion similar to what worked so beautifully with Jamie Muir in the days of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic", so each one of them performs all the drum and percussion parts. Tony Levin and Trey Gunn divided the work a little differently, with the experienced Tony Levin getting the more intricate parts, while Trey Gunn focused on the decoration and additions, but he made it so beautiful and clever.
(Photo: DGM)
This album is also a mini-comeback of the band after 11 years with no studio album.
The material includes a combination of sound and style reminiscent of the band's seventies, some even remind us of the album “Red” like in the instrumental track “Vrooom Vrooom”, and excerpts that are more reminiscent of the band’s sound and style of the 1980s.
What is certain, is that this album is not boring for a moment, it has all the elements of genius that this amazing band has. Wild improvisations, hallucinatory chords, rhythm changes, erupting distortions, experimental sounds, avant-garde, psychedelia, and more.
The variety of instruments that the band uses is also amazing and unconventional, and it undoubtedly enriches the amazing sound that this album has. "Chapman Stick", "Warr guitar", mellotron, and guitars with synth guitar effect.
And yet, despite all the sophistication, complexity, and genius, this amazing band manages to incorporate some hits. Yes, yes, we used the word "hits" in the context of "King Crimson" and this does not diminish the greatness of this one-time band. Listen to "Walking on Air" and "Dinosaur" and learn how to produce a cliché-free "hit" with no commercialization intent.
In short, this album is recommended for Prog-Rock lovers and especially for "King Crimson" fans, but not only!
And now Click Play the sound of this album is really special.