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Thread: AAJ Review: Sid Smith, In the Court of King Crimson: An Observation Over 50 Years

  1. #1

    AAJ Review: Sid Smith, In the Court of King Crimson: An Observation Over 50 Years


    My review of Smith’s revised and expanded In the Court of King Crimson: An Observation Over 50 Years, published today at All About Jazz, along with an exclusive book excerpt.

    When it was first released in 2001, British scribe Sid Smith's In the Court of King Crimson (Helter Skelter Publishing) filled a major need for a band that was, at that time, touring in its double duo format, responsible for the some of the music reissued, earlier this year, in the Heaven & Earth: Live And In The Studio 1997-2008 (Panegyric, 2019) set. That mega-box was but one of a number of 50th Anniversary celebratory events, which also saw the release of King Crimson’s 1969 debut, with new stereo and surround mixes and a bevy of bonus material, in the three-CD/Blu Ray edition of In the Court of the Crimson King (50th Anniversary) (Panegyric, 2019), not to mention a three-continent, globe-trotting tour by the current seven-piece incarnation that touched down for a couple of characteristically exceptional performances in Toronto and Montréal back in September.

    But it's been almost twenty years since the release of Smith's detailed, exceptionally well-researched and thoroughly entertaining look at a band that may have helped to define the term "progressive rock" back in 1969 but, through its various lineups and albums in the ensuing years, has gone well past that now-reductionist definition of the genre to become something far greater.
    As good as In the Court of King Crimson was, and as much as it absolutely filled that need when it was first published, nearly twenty years on it has been in serious need of, at the very least, an update to cover them many things that have transpired during that time. And so, perfectly timed with the band's 50th anniversary, Smith has finally done just that with the aptly titled In the Court of King Crimson: An Observation Over 50 Years.

    Continue reading here...


    Exclusive book excerpt here...
    John Kelman
    Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
    Freelance writer/photographer

  2. #2
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Nice review John, can't wait to get the book.
    Ian

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  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by NogbadTheBad View Post
    Nice review John, can't wait to get the book.
    Thanks, man!

    But me too..! I got a digital advance (for which I am/was grateful, of course!), so I cannot wait to get my hands on the actual book. I should have it by end of the week, if all goes well.
    John Kelman
    Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
    Freelance writer/photographer

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    Member Gizmotron's Avatar
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    A WONDERFUL review, John!
    Thank you!

    I too look forward to my copy.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Gizmotron View Post
    A WONDERFUL review, John!
    Thank you!

    I too look forward to my copy.
    THANKS!
    John Kelman
    Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
    Freelance writer/photographer

  6. #6
    Ooh! - my copy just landed with a (hefty) thump on my front door step, moments ago.

    This looks like a *serious* piece of reading...that's my weekend done for!

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    I'm seriously thinking of buying this thanks to John's review even though I have the first edition.
    I'm still interested in knowing if it includes color pictures now that people are starting to receive their physical copies. The black and white low resolution pics in the first edition weren't very good but probably due to a rather low budget back then.
    Thanks in advance.

  8. #8
    No, there are no colour pictures, & only a limited number of black & white pics. But there are 600 pages full of quite closely set type, in a handsomely bound book.

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    Quote Originally Posted by per anporth View Post
    No, there are no colour pictures, & only a limited number of black & white pics. But there are 600 pages full of quite closely set type, in a handsomely bound book.
    Thanks. It's still likely that the b&w pics are of better quality than in the first edition where they looked like photocopies.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by LeFrog View Post
    I'm seriously thinking of buying this thanks to John's review even though I have the first edition.
    I'm still interested in knowing if it includes color pictures now that people are starting to receive their physical copies. The black and white low resolution pics in the first edition weren't very good but probably due to a rather low budget back then.
    Thanks in advance.
    My digital advance (waiting on the real book, which is in-transit) only has B&W photos, but in a separate section and better than the originals.

    But more to the point:even if you have the original, this is a new book, as I’ve written, rather than just having material tacked on. I can not recommend this highly enough...Sid has truly outdone himself...so don’t sit on the fence on this; if you enjoyed the original, you’ll find the new one even more captivating.
    John Kelman
    Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
    Freelance writer/photographer

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    Quote Originally Posted by jkelman View Post
    My digital advance (waiting on the real book, which is in-transit) only has B&W photos, but in a separate section and better than the originals.

    But more to the point:even if you have the original, this is a new book, as I’ve written, rather than just having material tacked on. I can not recommend this highly enough...Sid has truly outdone himself...so don’t sit on the fence on this; if you enjoyed the original, you’ll find the new one even more captivating.
    Don't worry about it, your review has fully convinced me to buy it! I was just curious about the pics.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by per anporth View Post
    No, there are no colour pictures, & only a limited number of black & white pics. But there are 600 pages full of quite closely set type, in a handsomely bound book.
    For some that might be a deal-breaker. For me, that is a welcome development.

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    Member Mascodagama's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LeFrog View Post
    Thanks. It's still likely that the b&w pics are of better quality than in the first edition where they looked like photocopies.
    I missed out on the first edition, but the B&W reproduction of the photos in the new edition is perfectly fine (and done on glossy paper stock, as it should be). Of course some of the early pictures are a little grainy due to limitations of the source material, but that's only to be expected,
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  14. #14
    My copy just arrived! After some cursory reading, I say it's much better than it's predecessor from 2001 (which is an achievement since the original ITCOKC was a excellent book). Will dig into it more during the next few days. Thanks John K. for your detailed review.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by starless and bible black View Post
    My copy just arrived! After some cursory reading, I say it's much better than it's predecessor from 2001 (which is an achievement since the original ITCOKC was a excellent book). Will dig into it more during the next few days. Thanks John K. for your detailed review.
    I hope you will agree it’s not just better....it’s a complete rewrite!

    Oh...and thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated!
    Last edited by jkelman; 11-22-2019 at 07:53 PM.
    John Kelman
    Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
    Freelance writer/photographer

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by jkelman View Post
    I hope you will agree it’s not just better....it’s a complete rewrite!
    You're right about that John! Not only is ITCOKC a complete rewrite, it's also reorganized (with the track-by-track album reviews in their own chapter).

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    Member Gizmotron's Avatar
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    Ahh...mine arrived last night. I liked the Sid Smith autograph on the postcard.

    The book is satisfyingly meaty. I'll have to measure it but I think it just might be the right size to fill the gaping hole in my heart that has existed since Crimson played the last note at the concert I saw in early September.

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    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Still waiting on them showing up on Wayside to order mine.
    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.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Gizmotron View Post
    Ahh...mine arrived last night. I liked the Sid Smith autograph on the postcard.

    The book is satisfyingly meaty. I'll have to measure it but I think it just might be the right size to fill the gaping hole in my heart that has existed since Crimson played the last note at the concert I saw in early September.
    I think you’ll find Sid fills a great many holes in KC’s history...
    John Kelman
    Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
    Freelance writer/photographer

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by starless and bible black View Post
    You're right about that John! Not only is ITCOKC a complete rewrite, it's also reorganized (with the track-by-track album reviews in their own chapter).
    Yup. I mention that in the review because I actually heard from a couple of people who were disappointed that Sid had moved them to a separate section. I think it was the right decision, as I always felt it broke up the flow of the historical/biographical narrative in the original...and with Sid’s prose that much better now, having the track-by-tracks in-line would, at least IMO, really blown the terrific flow of his narrative.
    John Kelman
    Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
    Freelance writer/photographer

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