Love both albums quite a bit, even if the production on TCoL isn't their strongest moment. I went and saw one of their 2000 warmup gigs at 12th and Porter right before TCoL came out. Tiny little space, and those songs sounded positively monstrous.
Greg/Mozo - the studio version of Coda is killer, with (and here comes some major geekery) the unresolved bass on the last tone. Live, Gunn switched the ending to have a different note (C instead of E) which never quite felt as gutting to me. But that ending on the album was just perfectly bleak as hell.
There is a version of Larks' IV on the Happy EP that IMHO shows the potential of the material with a different production approach.
I personally think PtB would have been just about perfect if they hadn't cut out Gunn's gorgeous solo at the end of Deception/PtB III.
My one (very minor) lament is that nothing on either TCoL or PtB quite matched the epic strength of 'Seizure' from The Roar of P4 show. Of all the output from the ProjeKcts, that tune just blew my mind.
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
I always wanted to hear epic studio versions of Seizure & Deception Of The Thrush
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Personally the ProjeKcts i thought were really underutilized...what did we get from them really but TCOL, Into The Frying Pan, DotT, and maybe Level 5? That's off the top of my head...pieces like Sustaynz, X-Chang-jiz, Hindu Fizz, Ghost, Seizure, Masque 3, Super Slow, and lots of TL riffs from P1 all could have morphed into KC songs.
^^ BINGO!
That said...the live rendition of Deception of the Thrush from the Eyes Wide Open DVD might well be the finest version they've ever released, IMHO.
I know the 2000's band tried Seizure in various forms as improvs during that tour, but nothing quite matched that dual bass assault that ProjeKct Four had going on. It was like the soundtrack to some wonderful dystopian city chase or the like...
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
Maybe Belew? His work with the ProjeKcts was mostly spent on the V-Drums, and the most out-there of the ProjeKcts for me were the ones where he wasn't present. Perhaps once KC proper got rolling, the emphasis moved away from those massive electronica-meets-metal soundscapes.
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Belew what, blew the chances of these songs making it in? Which brings me to i never really liked him in an improvisational context too much. Gunn, Mastelotto, Bruford, and Levin are fantastic though. Fripp has his moments but he was doing the Frying Pan chords or coming in with these root to minor to tritone approaches way too much.
I for one got a massive library of great listening material out of it. Those shows (from all the groups) are among the most-played things in my library by anyone. They're great in and of themselves. In addition to what you mentioned, they also gave us "Heaven and Earth" and the basis for some killer live improvs.
I'm not sure I'd want to hear epic studio renditions of those tunes, just because it's hard to imagine anything equaling the way they sounded live. IIRC that's why "Seizure" never made it onto an album to begin with, and I always thought the treatment of "Thrush" suffered immensely from losing the in-the-moment feel and Trey's solo. (Tho' I can see how it functioned as a culmination moment, bringing things back to the Double Duo's early days and reaching further back to a 1997 Soundscape.)
Every time I visit these two albums, I come back to the brilliance of the writing on TCOL - it just blows away the songs on TPTB in my opinion - especially the title track, Into The Frying Pan (outro Belew solo being my favorite thing he's ever done) and the ninja bludgeonry of Larks IV/I Have A Dream. Whereas TPTB has Happy and that's my favorite song on the whole thing. YMMV. PS - the hell with the production
I think you are right about the writing, I just think the actual songs shine more on other releases. Plus P@'s drum sounds fatigue my ears, so I can't enjoy the whole thing in one go.
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.
Would you agree this era produced the most complex music of any Crim lineup?
Nice to see this on YT!
Wasn't it some sort of bonus thing you needed a password to view before?
I've got both.. for me Power to Believe suits my ears better.. I've never heard Heavy Construktion
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
If by "complexity" is implied a level of formal intricacy and challenge in texture and structure of composition, then I'm inclined to agree with Sean. Parts of The Power to Believe certainly levitate onto something almost Present-like in density.
My primary objection towards both albums (other than the production) would be the overall incoherence at play. There's some outstanding stuff, but also passages of sheer throwaway valeur.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
I'm getting the impression that video versions of all of Heavy ConstruKction are or will soon be available on YouTube. Huzzah!
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
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