The ConstrucKtion Of Light & Power To Believe = Dead Ringers?

[arabicadabra]

In revisiting the two post-Bruford KC albums, BOTH of which I like quite a bit, I am appreciative of the Power To Believe with it's somewhat warmer humanity (to my ears, anyway) - but absolutely floored by the power and stark futuristic chill of the ConstrucKtion. I was trying to find an analogy to explain the pair when I remembered the David Cronenberg film Dead Ringers with Jeremy Irons playing both roles. In my mind, TCOL is the more confident brother (surgical tubing) whereas TPTB is the one who is getting set up on dates.

[progman1975]

Killer Albums....

[Dave (in MA)]

The produKction of ConstruKction suKcs.

[Udi Koomran]

The produKction of ConstruKction suKcs.

Word

[spknoevl]

Yeah, the big reverby electronic drums totally ruin the listening experience of Construkction for me. Otherwise, I think it has some of KCs most powerful pieces on it including the title song.

[arabicadabra]

Yeah, the big reverby electronic drums totally ruin the listening experience of Construkction for me. Otherwise, I think it has some of KCs most powerful pieces on it including the title song.

Sounds like a job for Steven Wilson.....

[Dave (in MA)]

big reverby electronic drums

The e drums sound like shitty 56kbps mp3 files.

[Rael]

I don't know if it was the production of Construktion or something else, but I found it such a cold and harsh album I've never been able to make it all the way through the album. It turned me off so much I never bothered with The Power To Believe.

[NogbadTheBad]

You should try The Power To Believe. It's a much better album.

[polmico]

You should try The Power To Believe. It's a much better album.

One of my favs.

[Frumious B]

I think TCOL is sorta like a self-conscious pastiche of various Crim moves where TPTB actually carries the ball forward into new territory and fulfills some of the promise of the ProjeKCts.

[Haruspex Carnage]

I think TCOL is sorta like a self-conscious pastiche of various Crim moves where TPTB actually carries the ball forward into new territory and fulfills some of the promise of the ProjeKCts.

Thought the opposite with TCOL carrying echoes of the ProjeKcts in it...particularly the Heavy/Light Constructions in terms of the intervalic passing notes became better utilized in the title track and the ProjeKctions which became Into The Frying Pan really...overall i hardly saw the use or need for the ProjeKcts other than entities within themselves (awesome as they are) which IMO, outside of the two examples i mentioned, didn't become any more recognizable in terms of the studio cuts...TPTB gave us a pretty forgettable version of Thrush (w/o the Gunn solo? i believe making it NOT REALLY Thrush but yeah) and mostly offered its own vision.

[notallwhowander]

I don't think TCoL was all that confident. I think that TPtB was confident to the point of mastery. On TCoL the band was figuring out what they wanted to say. On TPtB they laid down the last word on what they wanted to say.

All this being said, my favorite disc from this era is Level 5. Just compare to "The ConstruKction of Light" on Level 5 to that on TCoL and tell me that they didn't launch that shit into orbit.

[Haruspex Carnage]

Mastelotto even told me that when they cut the whole CoL album they viewed all of it as demos...something about being in a rush, i forget.

[Trane]

You should try The Power To Believe. It's a much better album.

Yes, certainly is... but CoL is maybe their weakest studio album with Perfect Pair (and yes, the production on that album is a bit... unpleasant)

[ZOOL]

The Power to Believe is a much better album.

[Polska]

All this being said, my favorite disc from this era is Level 5. Just compare to "The ConstruKction of Light" on Level 5 to that on TCoL and tell me that they didn't launch that shit into orbit.

Agreed!! I bought Level 5 at their tour for Power to Believe and that is still my absolute favorite version of Construction of Light. The bass itself is killer! Also a cool version of it on the Eyes Wide Open DVD.

[mogrooves]

TPtB is something of a summa, in which the musical history of KC is recapitulated; I hear ItCKC--even some of its spirit--informing this album. A good place to knock it on the head. TCoL, on the other hand, sounded to me like a band out of ideas and determined to prove it....

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

I love both albums, but where they really knock it out of the park is Heavy ConstruKction, the live document of the tCoL European tour. Songs that sound cold and distant on the studio album leap out of the speakers and grab you by the throat.

[bRETT]

I persoanlly love TCoL's title track and it may be my single favorite piece from Belew-era Crimson. The song itself is just beautiful, and I love the way it sneaks in after the three-minute intro. (What I don't love is the way the long songs on that album are broken into two different tracks, making it impossible to play on shuffle).

[Planechant]

I love both albums, also, but haven't gotten Heavy Construckckckckcction. You may have just convinced me.

[Polska]

I love both albums, also, but haven't gotten Heavy Construckckckckcction. You may have just convinced me.

The numerous instrumental improvs on Heavy Construction alone are worth purchasing the discs for.

[Dave (in MA)]

What's the deal with parts of Level Five being in mono?

[3LockBox]

Nope, Thrak is the football jock who was a star at a mid-major college years ago, The Power To Believe is the nephew who starred at a major university and is a starter in the NFL and Construction of Light is TPtB's pugnacious limelight hungry dad who would have been as big a star as his older brother if it weren't for some jerk coaches.

Or not.

[JAMOOL]

I love both albums, but where they really knock it out of the park is Heavy ConstruKction, the live document of the tCoL European tour. Songs that sound cold and distant on the studio album leap out of the speakers and grab you by the throat.

Absolutely - that live album is amazing. If you like the TCoL material but hate the production, grab this live set. Belew even drops the dumb voice box for "ProzaKc Blues" (turns out he doesn't need it), and the improvs are some of the best they've ever done, period. To be honest I think TCoL is pretty awful all things considered. Power to Believe was a pretty good sendoff, I think. 90's Crim was weird - THRAK had awesome songs, TPtB had great instrumentals, TCoL had neither