R.I.P. Gordon Haskell

[Progatron]

https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Gordon%20Haskell%20RIP

I only just recently listened to his delightful album It Is And It Isn't... always loved that one, hard to find nowadays. R.I.P.

[moecurlythanu]

Sad to read this.

[spellbound]

Rest in peace, Gordon.

[Aquatarkus]

https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Gordon%...JBmVhMakng8m-M

Saddened by this news. I love the work he did on King Crimson's Lizard for one and his vocal performance on Cadence and Cascade is perfect for the song.

[Progatron]

[arturs]

https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Gordon%...JBmVhMakng8m-M

Saddened by this news. I love the work he did on King Crimson's Lizard for one and his vocal performance on Cadence and Cascade is perfect for the song.

Very sad news. A truly talented guy who finally got some well-deserved mainstream recognition as a solo artist with the wonderfully retro "How Wonderful You Are".

I had the pleasure of buying dinner and a few pints for Gordon after one of his shows in California in 1998. There were about 10 people in the audience. Everyone else left except for me and a friend, and Gordon, who seemed in no hurry to leave. So I invited him over to our table and he regaled us with an evening of you-couldn't-make-this-stuff-up musician stories. As a memento he gave me a homemade CD-R of demos he had been shopping around to labels while in Los Angeles.

I misplaced the CD-R for many years but found it last month and I uploaded it to Dime. It's great; better than the polished versions of the songs on his subsequent big budget studio discs. Please download if you like.

Also, Gordon recorded a new CD "The Cat Who's Got the Cream" just this year. I only found out and ordered it a few weeks ago, directly from him. It has arrived but I haven't given it a spin yet.

[Jones the Jug]

Sad news. He had a sporadic yet rewarding career. His late-period homeland comeuppance (a UK #2 in 2001) is a rarity in rock.

[chalkpie]

Oh no. LIZARD on the hifi today. RIP Mr Haskell

[Mythos]

https://www.dgmlive.com/news/Gordon%...JBmVhMakng8m-M

Saddened by this news. I love the work he did on King Crimson's Lizard for one and his vocal performance on Cadence and Cascade is perfect for the song.

Except for living on a Greek island for a few years, it does not sound like he had a very happy life, seems like he did not get along well when it came to bands..

I have a SEALED copy of his 1971 LP It Is & It Isn't (for sale) if anyone is interested...

[Progatron]

Sad news. He had a sporadic yet rewarding career. His late-period homeland comeuppance (a UK #2 in 2001) is a rarity in rock.

Indeed! A Facebook friend is a huge collector and has all his 7" singles, etc. - very interesting to see.

[moecurlythanu]

Any chance the demos CDR could be uploaded to WeTransfer for those of us who don't do Bitorrent?

[calyx]

Sad. I too have been listening to Gordon-era KC today - Sailors’ Tales box set... RIP

[dnieper]

I read his autobiography 10 years ago. He was much more of a singer-songwriter and was not proud of his time in King Crimson, and seemed to really not like that that's what he's often remembered for. "How Wonderful You Are" becoming such a big hit has to be one of the unlikeliest events in the history of music.

[dpt3]

I really like this song, later recorded by Stackridge.

[erosblue]

Very sad news.Playing Cadence and Cascade right now.

[neuroticdog]

So sorry to hear this.

Gordon did an acoustic gig in Chicago years ago that a friend of mine organized. He was supposed to be the opening act of a two act show, but the headliner (another solo acoustic act but was the lead singer of a popular prog band that you probably all know from the 70's) who I won't mention because he was a total prick and decided at the very last minute he didnt feel like doing the show and cancelled on him.

Anyway, Gordon was kind of enough to perform for 2-3 hours to make up for the other dude who did a runner on us. He was quite entertaining and had a alot of material to draw from. Of course he played his "hits" Cadence and Worms but he kept the criminally small but dedicated and appreciative audience entertained throughout the night. Lots of great stories and songs...very pleasant and down to earth guy!

RIP Mr. Haskell!

best
Michael

[pb2015]

Listened today to a side of It Is And It Isn't, good melancholy singer/songwriter album with nothing to do with Crimson although both Haskell (vocals/acoustic guitar) and John Wetton (bass) are on it.

[arturs]

Any chance the demos CDR could be uploaded to WeTransfer for those of us who don't do Bitorrent?

I'd be happy to if you explain how to do it. I'm not familiar with the platform.
thx

[Steve983]

Sorry to hear this. RIP Gordon.

[starless and bible black]

Truly sorry to hear about Gordon Haskell. RIP.

[strawberrybrick]

Sad news. Sounds like he had a tough go of it, even with his substantial latter-day success. RIP, your memory is secure.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Sad.

He may have written some rather dubious stuff on FB, but he was musically talented - and one of the reasons why Lizard works so well as a "dark" album is arguably the fact that the vocals sound somewhat unwillingly cynical, possibly due to the singer not being truly overtaken or convinced by the contents of the material.

I think It Is And It Isn't is fairly alright, but I never really dwelled into his later work.

[arturs]

and one of the reasons why Lizard works so well as a "dark" album is arguably the fact that the vocals sound somewhat unwillingly cynical, possibly due to the singer not being truly overtaken or convinced by the contents of the material.

When I met him (see post #2) he was very down on Lizard and thought the lyrics, and his vocals, were an embarrassment. I told him that Lizard had an appealing, dark atmosphere and his "spitting out" the lyrics, I think I said, contributed to the effect. He seemed to give this some serious thought and said that he had never looked at it that way.

I think It Is And It Isn't is fairly alright, but I never really dwelled into his later work.

If you enjoy what I would call "soulful singer/songwriter" music, there are some true gems in his catalogue that go far beyond the fun oddity of II&II. This song (and the Butterfly in China album it is on) are my personal favorites.

[Rajaz]

Very sad news. A truly talented guy who finally got some well-deserved mainstream recognition as a solo artist with the wonderfully retro "How Wonderful You Are".

I had the pleasure of buying dinner and a few pints for Gordon after one of his shows in California in 1998. There were about 10 people in the audience. Everyone else left except for me and a friend, and Gordon, who seemed in no hurry to leave. So I invited him over to our table and he regaled us with an evening of you-couldn't-make-this-stuff-up musician stories. As a memento he gave me a homemade CD-R of demos he had been shopping around to labels while in Los Angeles.

Seems like you were very close to Gordon. Nice.

What I immediately noticed reading the DGM article is how they played him down starting with stating that he left KC under acronimous circumstances and later making him look like a faded musician "who played on cruises".
And there was no need to break down his financial woes about his album not making the Top 30 in the UK and leaving him in debt with the record company.

Such lack of sympathy is totally uncalled for in a memoriam note for a King Crimson alumni and out of respect for his family.
RIP Gordon Haskell

[soundsweird]

Like many here, I thought his all of his vocal contributions to KC fit the music perfectly. Lake's voice certainly wouldn't have fit, nor Wetton's, though I think Boz would've been a pretty good fit. RIP