King Crimson 13 Albums [vinyl]{24-192} 1969-1984

Albumlist:

1969 King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King
1970 King Crimson - In The Wake Of Poseidon
1970 King Crimson - Lizard
1971 King Crimson - Islands
1972 King Crimson - Earthbound
1973 King Crimson - Larks' Tongues In Aspic
1974 King Crimson - Red
1974 King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black
1975 King Crimson - The Young Persons' Guide To King Crimson
1975 King Crimson - USA
1981 King Crimson - Discipline
1982 King Crimson - Beat
1984 King Crimson - Three Of A Perfect Pair

King Crimson are a progressive rock band. Formed in London in 1968 (but featuring a transatlantic lineup since 1981), the band are widely recognised as a foundational progressive rock group (although the group members resist the label).[5] The band have incorporated diverse influences and approaches during their five-decade history (including jazz and folk music, classical and experimental music, psychedelic rock, hard rock and heavy metal,[6] new wave, gamelan, electronica and drum and bass) as well as balancing highly structured compositions against abstract improvisational sections and an interest in pop songs. The band have a large following, despite garnering little radio or music video airplay.[7]

With guitarist Robert Fripp (considered to be the band's leader and motive force) as the only consistent member, King Crimson's line-up has persistently altered throughout its existence. Eighteen musicians and three lyricists have passed through the ranks, although the tenure of certain members has sometimes extended for decades. King Crimson's sound has varied according to its instrumentation - earlier lineups featured prominent saxophone and keyboards, while subsequent lineups replaced this with (variously) violin, innovative acoustic or electronic percussion, interlocking guitars or touch-style instruments. The band are notable for continuous engagement with contemporary music technology - in addition to Fripp's extensive work in loop music both in and out of the band, King Crimson pioneered the use of Mellotrons in 1968; Roland guitar synthesizers, Simmons electronic drums and the Chapman Stick in the 1980s; dense MIDI processing and the Warr Guitar in the 1990s, and Roland V-Drums in the 21st century. King Crimson's existence has been characterised by regular periods of hiatus (each of which have been initiated and concluded by Fripp). From 1997 until the present day, various subdivisions of King Crimson have continued to pursue aspects of the band's work and approaches via a series of related bands collectively referred to as "ProjeKCts".
The debut line-up of King Crimson was influential but short-lived: lasting for just over one year, it established several of the ground rules of British progressive rock (a high standard of instrumental expertise, active technological engagement, complex multi-part compositions and the fusion of then-current psychedelic rock forms with classical, jazz and folk idioms). During 1970 and 1971 a second and unstable line-up struggled to unite disjunctions between increasingly formalized studio work and rougher live incarnations, going through numerous personnel changes while further exploring elements of jazz, funk and chamber music. Establishing a third, stable lineup in 1972, King Crimson developed a European-influenced improvisational sound with elements of hard rock, jazz fusion and a distinctly harsher classical component (mainly inspired by Béla Bartók) before breaking up in 1974. A fourth lineup of King Crimson was active between 1981 and 1984 - an Anglo/American quartet with new wave pop and gamelan influences. A fifth lineup (the '80s quartet expanded to a six-piece) appeared in 1994, blending aspects of the band's 1980s and 1970s sound with fresh influences from genres such as industrial rock, grunge and loop music. Further lineups of King Crimson have continued to work up until the present day, with the band continuing to incorporate new elements (such as drum and bass) into their music. The current lineup is a seven-piece band (Fripp, Jakko Jakszyk, Tony Levin, Mel Collins, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison and Bill Rieflin) with three drummers, a saxophonist/flautist, paired guitars, bass and assorted electronic devices. Due to the number of musicians involved in King Crimson over the years (plus the band's emphasis on creativity and on recruiting high-level players) the band is at the hub of a network of other bands and projects, and has been influential to many contemporary musical artists

Background information


Origin
London, England, United Kingdom

Genres
Progressive rock, jazz fusion, experimental rock, heavy metal, hard rock, new wave[1][2][3]

Years active
1968–1974
1981–1984
1994–2004
2007–2008
2013–Present[4]

Labels
Island, Atlantic, Polydor, E.G., Virgin, Warner Bros., Caroline, Discipline Global Mobile

Associated acts
Giles, Giles, and Fripp, McDonald and Giles, UK, ProjeKcts, 21st Century Schizoid Band, Porcupine Tree, HoBoLeMa, Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins, Crimson Jazz Trio

Website
www.dgmlive.com



Members
Robert Fripp
Mel Collins
Tony Levin
Pat Mastelotto
Gavin Harrison
Jakko Jakszyk
Bill Rieflin