AAJ Review: King Crimson, Radical Action (To Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind)

[jkelman]

My review of King Crimson's new live, triple-CD/single-Blu Ray box, Radical Action (To Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind), today at All About Jazz.

Plenty has already been written about King Crimson's surprise reemergence in 2014 at All About Jazz, beginning when the now 47 year-old progressive/art rock band commenced its first tour since 2008 (and its first extensive one since 2003) with a new, expanded lineup featuring a front-line of three drummers and a back-line of two guitarists (one, also, a vocalist), a bassist/stick player and a reed/woodwind multi-instrumentalist. From reviews of two nights at San Francisco's Warfield Theater in the fall of 2014 and an additional two nights (plus highlights from an hour-long lunchtime interview with three band members) at Montréal's Théâtre St-Denis in the late fall of 2015, to coverage of two live albums--the LP-length CD Live at the Orpheum (Panegyric, 2015) and complete, unadulterated document of Live In Toronto: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, November 20, 2015 (Panegyric, 2016)--nearly a novella's amount of verbiage has been written about the group nobody expected to reconvene, and which continues to tour to this day, currently in the midst of a 41-date return tour of Europe, currently scheduled to last until early December, 2016.

As well-received as this incarnation has been--even garnering a remarkable "best live show of 2014" award from journalist David Fricke, of the perennially progressive-averse Rolling Stone Magazine--this lineup, dubbed by the group's only remaining co-founder, guitarist/occasional keyboardist Robert Fripp, as the "Seven-Headed Beast of Crim," has had its share of naysayers. So, before entering into a review of Radical Action (To Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind), Crimson's lavish three-CD/single Blu Ray set--culled largely from its 2015 performance in Takamatsu, Japan, with additional material from two nights elsewhere in Japan and farther afield, as well as including three tracks ("One More Red Nightmare," a new song introduced in 2015, "Suitable Grounds for the Blues," and "The Light of Day")--a couple of responses:

"Why does this group need three drummers, when hiring ['70s, '80s and mid-'90s Crimson drummer] Bill Bruford = 1059}} would have been enough," one erstwhile fan suggested on ProgressiveEars.org, a popular discussion board for all things Prog.

The answer, if witnessing this Crimson in performance, or hearing the group's first two live releases, wasn't enough? Because that's exactly how many drummers this group needs. Between the detailed arrangements and unbridled spontaneity that combine Pat Mastelotto = 68963}}'s imaginative electro-acoustics and the frightening virtuosity of Gavin Harrison and his truly massive kit (both drummers having played in earlier Crimson incarnations), along with Bill Rieflin's sparer but ever-perfect (and no less pyrotechnic) contributions on a considerably smaller set--in addition to his handling most keyboard parts that Crimson fans haven't heard since 1974, in particular the much-loved Mellotron (or, in this case, very realistic Mellotron samples)--there's plenty to keep all three (or, when Rieflin is playing keyboards, two) actively engaged. And watching them in performance, it's not just a musical engagement, it's a very visual one as well, seeing how these three drummers' combined parts become a single, six-handed/six-footed entity.

Continue reading here...

[N_Singh]

You wrote

"Consider this: the current Crimson requires 42 tracks for the three drummers alone. The 2015 tour, from which Radical Action is culled, ran for a total of 38 shows, and so to produce a recording like Radical Action (To Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind), somebody has to listen to 1,596 individual drum tracks...and that's just the drums. In this case, as with Live at the Orpheum, Singleton was relieved of his usual task of listening to and assessing every single recorded track, as he'd done prior to this lineup, instead assumed by Harrison (the drums) and Jakszyk (everything else). From there, the final mixes were put together by Fripp, Singleton and mixing engineer Chris Porter. "

That's crazy . Wow

[tallliman]

Enjoyed reading that, thanks.

[jkelman]

You wrote

"Consider this: the current Crimson requires 42 tracks for the three drummers alone. The 2015 tour, from which Radical Action is culled, ran for a total of 38 shows, and so to produce a recording like Radical Action (To Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind), somebody has to listen to 1,596 individual drum tracks...and that's just the drums. In this case, as with Live at the Orpheum, Singleton was relieved of his usual task of listening to and assessing every single recorded track, as he'd done prior to this lineup, instead assumed by Harrison (the drums) and Jakszyk (everything else). From there, the final mixes were put together by Fripp, Singleton and mixing engineer Chris Porter. "

That's crazy . Wow

I figured it was an important thing to address, as there was such outrage at the brevity of Orpheum.

But, in truth and to be fair, while I know you know a lot of people don't know the work that goes into sifting through a tours worth of recordings to create a live album like Orpheum...and, even more, Radical Action.

Wow, indeed!!

[jkelman]

Enjoyed reading that, thanks.

You're welcome...and thanks for toughing it out. I usually just start writing and am done when I'm done. Imagine my surprise, over 6,500 words later.... 😜

[per anporth]

That's a fantastic review, John - detailed, analytical, generous.

I was swithering, thinking that Toronto was enough.

Not anymore!!!

[battema]

It's a great review, John. I might actually re-read it while I give the set a first listen later.

[jkelman]

That's a fantastic review, John - detailed, analytical, generous.

I was swithering, thinking that Toronto was enough.

Not anymore!!!

I'm increasingly of the opinion that with this Crimson, there is never enough. Every show I've heard has been a killer.

Absolutely the best Crimson lineup to ever hit the road, IMHO.

[jkelman]

It's a great review, John. I might actually re-read it while I give the set a first listen later.

Thanks, man. This helps. Anyone willing to tough it out and read over 6,500 words of the kinda density I seem unable not to do (as Rottersclub will happily attest)? It's gotta be at least not half bad 😎

Seriously, thanks. That's very flattering.

[battema]

Thanks, man. This helps. Anyone willing to tough it out and read over 6,500 words of the kinda density I seem unable not to do (as Rottersclub will happily attest)? It's gotta be at least not half bad ��

Seriously, thanks. That's very flattering.

Well, it's a big set...so it needs a big review, n'est ce pas? IMHO the best reviews add color and perspective that enhances my own appreciation of the work in question. Which you tend to do rather nicely

I am enjoying this set so far. This is VERY much IMHO, but part of the appeal of past Crimsons (especially the quartet of the 00's) was that with the incarnation came a very particular repertoire; it meant they couldn't do lots of older material, but instead they had an identity that was uniquely theirs while still belonging to the KC "sound." Not that I don't dig the earlier stuff (ain't NOBODY prying these Starless/Road to Red/Larks boxes out of my hands), but I loved KC for what they were doing in the present, not for what they could do with their past.

When I first saw this new lineup they played spectacularly well, but it was strictly legacy material save for a few drum breaks. I could appreciate what they were doing, but it just didn't quite resonate with me as something with its own identity.

With this set and the inclusion of more new material, I am getting a better sense of this incarnation's musical identity, beyond their ability to slay the existing material with a hefty amount of zest. I mean, with those seven gentlemen together, there's a nearly-obscene amount of talent and creativity present...it's good to see that potential taking shape in songs like Radical Action and Meltdown.

And Bill Rieflin is just damned cool.

Anyway, that's just me. Thanks again for the enjoyable read.


(since we're talking great reviews of great releases from great reviewers...I'll be interested to hear your take on the new Atmospheres set with Henricksen/Bang/Aarset/Hamasyan. I'm making the bold assumption that it'll be one you'll be reviewing, of course)

[tormato]

Great review, particularly on the technical difficulty of putting it together. I think a lot of people, me included, think "Hey, it's already recorded, how hard can it be?"

Thanks!

[Trane]

Continue reading here...

I guess I'll never read the rest of your review, because I will not disable my addblock for no site on the web.

too bad , it was a good read.

[fiberman]

My Ad block did not require disabling, nor did it even suggest such a thing, just saying. and I thoroughly enjoyed your review John.

[jkelman]

Well, it's a big set...so it needs a big review, n'est ce pas? IMHO the best reviews add color and perspective that enhances my own appreciation of the work in question. Which you tend to do rather nicely

Anyway, that's just me. Thanks again for the enjoyable read.


(since we're talking great reviews of great releases from great reviewers...I'll be interested to hear your take on the new Atmospheres set with Henricksen/Bang/Aarset/Hamasyan. I'm making the bold assumption that it'll be one you'll be reviewing, of course)

hope to write the above up in next 2-3 days.....then onto the U.K. Box, the new Sco, Yes' TFTO, sounding better than ever.....

secomd, and as quickly as I can, as it's late: I think where we differ is you see a kickass band playing legacy material....I see a kickass band both able to cover every important signature that defined that legacy material while, at the same time, bringing, for the most part, a very distinct identity to it also. Because, as I said in the review, I find their treatments reverent and irreverent...faithful without being literal.

I didnt go go into great detail in the review on that front, but some of the collective grooves that the three drummers play on songs we know so well are so altered as to render the song completely fresh. I'm thinking Red, in particular, as well as the levity Collins' baritone brought to VROOOM and Level Five - two massively heavy tunes that are still plenty weighty....but nit as flat-out plodding as they could sometimes be with the original lineups. And before anyone accuses me of disrespecting them....there are times when plodding can be very, very good. But by lightien the tunes, changing grooves, Levin's totally fluid combination of signature bass lines and his own interpretation of same, and using additional instrumentation to add more than was originally there (flute in the middle of VROOOM, doubling Levin's bass melody, is wonderful).

Meeting required signatures...whole also taking great liberties? I call that reinvention rather than legacy.

i could, of course, go on about Jakszyk and Fripp's wonderful interaction...Collins the same...heck, all of 'em, individually and collectively....

but, of course, as you say, that's just me 🤓
Nice chatting ... I would love to see more discussion about my review in terms of do I say things folks agree with...disagree with....am I totally off the wall in my suggested comparison at the end of the piece?

And thanks for writing such a detailed post; it clarifies something I already knew: eerybody hears the same music differently, responds emotionally (or not) to it differemtly. I just have the good fortune of a place where I can reach a lot of people with my long-winded ramblings.....🤓

Cheers!
John

[jkelman]

My Ad block did not require disabling, nor did it even suggest such a thing, just saying. and I thoroughly enjoyed your review John.

thanks for the kind words on the writing...but you're barking up the wrong tree on the technical issue. I am not involved in the site, beyond being a writer, and have been this way since fall, 2013, when I stepped down as Manging Editor,

If you want to report it (and I'm sure it'd be appreciated), scroll to the very bottom of any page. There are four columns. Third from the left, third line down is a link, Report a Bug.

Like I said, I'm sure they'd appreciate hearing about it.

Cheers!
John

[jkelman]

I guess I'll never read the rest of your review, because I will not disable my addblock for no site on the web.

too bad , it was a good read.

I, myself, have had no problem on any device I've used....from Mac to iPhone.. If you cannot get past it, then if you want to report it (and I'm sure it'd be appreciated), scroll to the very bottom of any page. There are four columns. Third from the left, third line down is a link, Report a Bug.

But you do should not have to turn off your ad blocker; they're just asking you to, for reasons explained I believe. The site is asking you not to block ads, in a show of support (since I think you'd agree that the site provides a lot to its readers, for no fee (and it was considered at one time, and was turned down because it's counter to one of its man objectives: advocacy. So, the people who buy ads at the site (largely labels like ECM and Nonesuch, promoting current releases) can reach the full potential audience. All About Jazz does not support annoying type ads with excess (or, for the most part, any) movement, sound (if there is sound you have to make the decision to turn it on), etc. So they aren't particularly annoying, at least IMO.

But it's your choice. If you don't want to turn of your ad blocker you shouldn't have to. If it will not allow you, then something is wrong and I'll strike you a deal: in exchange for agreeing to report the potential big, if you pm me your email address I'll send you a copy of the article, ok?

I won't do this often because this should not be a problem, and is not for many of All About Jazz's readers. But if you're experiencing a problem there may be something specific and I'd love to see it reported. So do that and rill shoot you one by email, ok?

Cheers!
John

[jkelman]

Great review, particularly on the technical difficulty of putting it together. I think a lot of people, me included, think "Hey, it's already recorded, how hard can it be?"

Thanks!

Thanks for the kind words. Having spent time in studios I knew about this and suspected as much with Orpheum...but with actual hard numbers provided...and knowing that people don't always know what goes into a properly produced record (rather than just a loosely mixed ..if at all..soundboard recording), I thought: now this is he time!!

Glad you agree...
Cheers!
John

[Dave (in MA)]

In Chrome with ABP running, AAJ won't let me in unless I whitelist the site. I don't mind doing so because AAJ isn't one of those sites that are infested with intrusive ads.

Great review, John. Just finishing the end of CD3 now.

[Trane]

I, myself, have had no problem on any device I've used....from Mac to iPhone.. If you cannot get past it, then if you want to report it (and I'm sure it'd be appreciated), scroll to the very bottom of any page. There are four columns. Third from the left, third line down is a link, Report a Bug.

But you do should not have to turn off your ad blocker; they're just asking you to, for reasons explained I believe. The site is asking you not to block ads, in a show of support (since I think you'd agree that the site provides a lot to its readers, for no fee (and it was considered at one time, and was turned down because it's counter to one of its man objectives: advocacy. So, the people who buy ads at the site (largely labels like ECM and Nonesuch, promoting current releases) can reach the full potential audience. All About Jazz does not support annoying type ads with excess (or, for the most part, any) movement, sound (if there is sound you have to make the decision to turn it on), etc. So they aren't particularly annoying, at least IMO.

But it's your choice. If you don't want to turn of your ad blocker you shouldn't have to. If it will not allow you, then something is wrong and I'll strike you a deal: in exchange for agreeing to report the potential big, if you pm me your email address I'll send you a copy of the article, ok?

I won't do this often because this should not be a problem, and is not for many of All About Jazz's readers. But if you're experiencing a problem there may be something specific and I'd love to see it reported. So do that and rill shoot you one by email, ok?

Cheers!
John

Please tell me how to get rid of that huge centered window that shades the rest of your page and stops me from scrolling down, without clicking on "view with adds", then

[The Crimson King]

Good review, but the shot at John Wetton was unnecessary and wrong, in my opinion. Can't wait to get the Blu-Ray. I hope it changes my opinion about the 3 drummers, which I have never liked. Will never like Jakko's vocals, but I can live with them.

[battema]

hope to write the above up in next 2-3 days.....then onto the U.K. Box, the new Sco, Yes' TFTO, sounding better than ever.....

secomd, and as quickly as I can, as it's late: I think where we differ is you see a kickass band playing legacy material....I see a kickass band both able to cover every important signature that defined that legacy material while, at the same time, bringing, for the most part, a very distinct identity to it also. Because, as I said in the review, I find their treatments reverent and irreverent...faithful without being literal.

I didnt go go into great detail in the review on that front, but some of the collective grooves that the three drummers play on songs we know so well are so altered as to render the song completely fresh. I'm thinking Red, in particular, as well as the levity Collins' baritone brought to VROOOM and Level Five - two massively heavy tunes that are still plenty weighty....but nit as flat-out plodding as they could sometimes be with the original lineups. And before anyone accuses me of disrespecting them....there are times when plodding can be very, very good. But by lightien the tunes, changing grooves, Levin's totally fluid combination of signature bass lines and his own interpretation of same, and using additional instrumentation to add more than was originally there (flute in the middle of VROOOM, doubling Levin's bass melody, is wonderful).

Meeting required signatures...whole also taking great liberties? I call that reinvention rather than legacy.

i could, of course, go on about Jakszyk and Fripp's wonderful interaction...Collins the same...heck, all of 'em, individually and collectively....

but, of course, as you say, that's just me ��
Nice chatting ... I would love to see more discussion about my review in terms of do I say things folks agree with...disagree with....am I totally off the wall in my suggested comparison at the end of the piece?

And thanks for writing such a detailed post; it clarifies something I already knew: eerybody hears the same music differently, responds emotionally (or not) to it differemtly. I just have the good fortune of a place where I can reach a lot of people with my long-winded ramblings.....��

Cheers!
John

Hi John!

WE MUST AGREE NOT TO DISAGREE THAT IS THE PE WAY

Sure, I do appreciate your points. You mention 'Red' and that's one song where the revamping by the new lineup doesn't quite win me over. It is absolutely appropriate for the 7-head band, but I suppose I prefer the smaller/tighter unit approach (the trio version on the remixed Red is pretty amazing).

And in all truth, the only track that I just end up skipping is 'Level Five.' That's on me though...that piece is so near/dear to my little heart that I simply can't appreciate a different take on the song. Without Belew's "my guitar is crashing in flames yet I will still pull off a solo in freefall" riffing near the end it loses too much for me. Again though...not that they're wrong or doing something bad at all; I definitely respect not being too beholden to one's past (it's the reason I love the first Genesis Revisited far more than the second). Sometimes, a particular work is just so special/specific that it is damned hard to let go of personal preconceptions. Nobody's perfect

As to your comparison at the end? Ho boy...it's probably good that not as many folks read all the way through, as I can see one or two emotional retorts on that one Personally? I guess the only distinction I draw is that MD didn't just reinvent himself, but with Bitches he literally created a new genre of music. RF is easily one of the most fluid and risk-taking heavy movers of the 70's/80's/90's progressive scene, but I don't think at any point he created an entirely new genre. He stretched genres and certainly pushed KC (and his own work) WAY beyond what many folks were willing to accept.

One other note...the three drummers is something I think works great. Not every track lands for me (again, Red/Level Five) but some of those songs are absolutely monstrous from a rhythmic standpoint. Good god, Larks 1, Starless, Sailor's. Even the new tracks hold some definite potential.

Going totally into IMHO territory here...I'd like to hear them tackle some other interesting choices with this lineup: THRAK, Eyes Wide Open (IMHO this is a track Jakszyk could really make his own), and Power to Believe II (Virtuous CirKcles...imaging what the drumming trio could do with that).

But...as you were writing late last night, so am I writing rather early, and before my morning coffee has been greedily ingested Still...I'm enjoying the conversation John, glad you are too. Not always about the agreeing/disagreeing in the end, but the chat along the way.

[jkelman]

In Chrome with ABP running, AAJ won't let me in unless I whitelist the site. I don't mind doing so because AAJ isn't one of those sites that are infested with intrusive ads.

Great review, John. Just finishing the end of CD3 now.

Thanks, Dave...but folks can let the publisher know with "Report a bug," if they would like....and absolutely true..All About Jazz doesn't go for intrusive, annoying ads, so I don't see the big woop...,but still, you should be able to keep ad blocking on...unless there've been changes about which I'm unaware..or perhaps it's a chrome thing. I use Safari

Anyway, so glad you're liking the review, thanks (as ever) for the kind words!!
J

[jkelman]

WE MUST AGREE NOT TO DISAGREE THAT IS THE PE WAY

Thanks for a good early morning larf....

Sure, I do appreciate your points. You mention 'Red' and that's one song where the revamping by the new lineup doesn't quite win me over. It is absolutely appropriate for the 7-head band, but I suppose I prefer the smaller/tighter unit approach (the trio version on the remixed Red is pretty amazing).

Fair enough, of course, as the rest of what you wrote.

As to your comparison at the end? Ho boy...it's probably good that not as many folks read all the way through, as I can see one or two emotional retorts on that one Personally? I guess the only distinction I draw is that MD didn't just reinvent himself, but with Bitches he literally created a new genre of music. RF is easily one of the most fluid and risk-taking heavy movers of the 70's/80's/90's progressive scene, but I don't think at any point he created an entirely new genre. He stretched genres and certainly pushed KC (and his own work) WAY beyond what many folks were willing to accept.

Well, so far, barring this, it's been met with (surprisingly) deafening silence. Which surprises me. It was just a thought that crossed my mind as I was writing this lengthy piece and so I thought..."why not throw it out there and see if it creates a little controversy and, more to the point, discussion. If it ruffles some feathers? Well, it goes with the territory but I'll say this: if folks are as mutually respectful as you and I have been about our disagreements, there could really be some very, very good, informative and provocative discussions here, around that single point alone!

But back to the point: I realize it's not a totally apt fit, but I do think arguments could be made for it. Do you not think Frippertronics/Fripp & Eno and Soundscapes have created new genres? Do you not think ITCOTCK fit the same? Or the '80s band, especially Discipline? Or an album like Lizard...or Islands (can you think of any other album ever released that resembles either?).

See, I think Fripp has create new genres (or sub-genres, more to the point...like Miles); and, for that matter, as great as Bitches Brew is, if you are considering him to be the godfather of fusion/jazz-rock, I must remind you that this is really more myth than reality. Beyond Tony Williams' Emergency!, which predates BB by a number of months (and should have gotten way more attention, but labels just didn't know what to do with it ... and famous as Williama was by then, he wasn't Miles...didn't havens cachet.

But looking farther back, Gary Burton was fusing jazz and rock as early as 1967 with Duster; Mike Mainieri's collective, White Elephant (including, amongst other notables, a young Tony Levin!), while not releasing anything until 1972, was experimenting with jazz-rock as early as 1965 and especially 1969-1972; The Fourth Way, with keyboardist Mike Nock, violinist Michael White, bassist Ron McClure and drummer Eddie Marshall, was doing it far more decidedly, and considerably before Miles, releasing three true proto-jazz-rock albums between 1968 and 1970: The Sun and the Moon Have Come Together; The Fourth Way; and Werewolf, recorded live at Montreux. Nock was using a ring modulator long before Zawinul and Hammer, to name two, amongst other experiments in expanding the sound of his Rhodes (even that an instrument he was using considerably earlier than most. John McLaughlin was fusing jazz with R&ab with Georgie Fame in the early '60s. And from the flip side of the coin, Colosseum, Spirit and Zappa were experimenting concurrently with Miles' first semi-jazz rock album, 1968's Miles in the Sky, though concensus has it that In a Silent Way was his first flat-out jazz-rock album.

And that's just a few examples. So, and don't get me wrong..I'm a massive Miles fan..he did not so much invent jazz-rock as put it a much larger audience's radar. Still, his version has it's own innovations, and he is absolutely deserving of every accolade he ever got (well, except inventing jazz-rock). But my comparison was most clearly about artists who shift gears in their careers as a basis for comparison; and while it's more commonplace today, in both Miles and Fripp's earlier days, they were doing it when few others were, at least with the same frequency and radical nature. Last, it would be difficult to suggest that Miles' '80s music was anything more than gear-shifting, since it wasn't particularly innovative (with the exception,it could be argued, of Tutu and Amandla...except Tutu was really a Marcus Miller album with Miles as guest soloist, since he recorded the entire album and then brought Miles in to solo over it...and Aura, except that was really a Palle Mikkelbotg commission, with Miles as featured soloist.

[quote = Battema]One other note...the three drummers is something I think works great. Not every track lands for me (again, Red/Level Five) but some of those songs are absolutely monstrous from a rhythmic standpoint. Good god, Larks 1, Starless, Sailor's. Even the new tracks hold some definite potential.

Going totally into IMHO territory here...I'd like to hear them tackle some other interesting choices with this lineup: THRAK, Eyes Wide Open (IMHO this is a track Jakszyk could really make his own), and Power to Believe II (Virtuous CirKcles...imaging what the drumming trio could do with that).

But...as you were writing late last night, so am I writing rather early, and before my morning coffee has been greedily ingested Still...I'm enjoying the conversation John, glad you are too. Not always about the agreeing/disagreeing in the end, but the chat along the way.[/QUOTE]
Absolutely...and when done with mutual respect, as is clearly the case here? I couldn't have hoped for anything more...or better...

So thanks, man, for engaging in some debate about this. Obviously there are no rights and wrongs with taste...only differences I how we hear, in our personal expectations, etc.

It's been fun!
Enjoy your Sunday!
John

[jkelman]

Good review, but the shot at John Wetton was unnecessary and wrong, in my opinion. Can't wait to get the Blu-Ray. I hope it changes my opinion about the 3 drummers, which I have never liked. Will never like Jakko's vocals, but I can live with them.

It wasn't a shot, I beg to differ. Unlike others, I always felt he was the band"s weak link. A force of nature, to be sure, but one who's harmonic language was far less sophisticated than his band mates, and while great at creating massive grooves, when it came to improvising he simply didn't have the tools Fripp or Cross had (or Bruford). Not that he was bad, far from it. But he can't hold a candle to Levin, who has played just about anything with everyone, from pop sessions with Paul Simon to jazz records with Gary Burton to the progressive music of which we're probably most familiar.

But hey, it really wasn't a shot..that suggests something superfluous, intended only to 'score points' against artists. My comments were objectively critical...and while you can certainly disagree with me, let's call it for what it was: an opinion that was raised in specific context to why I think this band supersedes any prior Crimsons.

You may not agree, but please don't call it "a shot." I can show you writers who take shots at artists, and they're far different from what I do. I simply rendered a long-held criticism (and if you've read my Crimson musings, you'd know it was not the first time). While the chemistry of the LTIA band is undeniable, and I'm not about to suggest "what if another bassist had been there" because it wouldn't have been the same band...and I loved that band. But harmonically, rhythmically, in terms of instrumental depth and breadth, he just doesn't hold a candle to Levin (few do), and I happen to really like how Levin has taken Wetton's work and reshaped it with his own, much more sophisticated knowledge and approach.

And heck, am I not allowed to be critical about anything... Even something as relatively small, in the context of the article, as that? 😳

I suspect you might be convinced about the three drummers when you watch them at work. This is marvellously orchestrated stuff...not just three drummers going at it. There's a lot of method behind their madness 😎

Cheers!
John

[jkelman]

Please tell me how to get rid of that huge centered window that shades the rest of your page and stops me from scrolling down, without clicking on "view with adds", then

I've no idea; I repeat: I don't get it. But aside from being long gone as Managing Editor, I never had anything to do with the technical side of the site, beyond big picture discussions.

I've given you an offer and an option: report it as a bug (because I don't get what you do) and I'll send you copy of the article by email. Why is that such a problem, rather than continuing to gripe about something I don't experience and have no idea how to resolve? If you're not interested in doing that, well then, there's nothing more I can do, so there's no point at bitching about it to me: I simply cannot help you; but I've (kindly, I think) offered an alternative that would allow you to finish the article.

I'm a writer, Jim...not technical support!!

Every site has occasional technical issues, and they always hope that, rather than just bitching about them, people will actually report 'em. The time you've spent writing your second post, more or less, could have been used to file that bug report...and you'd have had a copy of the article in your inbox.
John