FF:King Crimson is Certified Funky
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Artist:
Back in the mid 80's I started reading a magazine that focused only on CD's, ICE. It was aimed at music junkies, audiophiles, and early CD adopters. I got it for the release dates they would list months in advance, so I could drool over first time on CD stuff, but I did read the articles as well, and King Crimson was often a topic.
Reviewers and Fans of King Crimson never held back on how great the musicians were in the band, no matter what incarnation, and that always appealed to me, and I listened to records like Larks Tongue in Aspic and Red with awe (not to mention a few hits of high powered blotter acid), and was blown away. I didn't get obsessive about them though, as my main focus remained on jazz,funk,hip hop, and soul.
When I read ICE, I always checked out an ad from this CD importer that focused on rare prog stuff like King Crimson, but always featured unique funk records I never saw elsewhere like The Meters, various Bootsy projects, and stuff like that. I always thought that odd, but lately (in a bit of a prog phase-thanks Viking guy), I'm starting to see the connection.
While there are whole pile of Funk records that are raw, almost amateur, there's this other pile that have a very high level of experimentation and musicianship..In fact there are many musicians who move between the two camps (Bernie,Bootsy,Tony Williams, Laswell,and many more I don't know) and as this Crimson track shows, folks who are considered Kings of Prog, who are no strangers to syncopation,groove, and bass lines to die for. Funk and Prog are not as far apart as one might think.
So in the end, the attributes you attach to genres (prog=white,nerdy,guitar;funk=black,dirty,bass) get smashed pretty often when the players start playing. It took me awhile to get over that hurdle, but I'm glad I made it. BTW-Miles Davis' - On the Corner/Bitches Brew (not funky)..King Crimson-Elephant Talk (funky)
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Comments (20)
Talk? Talk! It's ONLY talk... Burble... babble...
C'mon, Adrian Belew is pretty nerdy. Tony Levin, well, I think he knows a thing or two about laying it down.
Hmm..I don't see my song in some versions of the post, then I do in others..yup mully, just tryin' to say how I got over my hang ups..
Not sure why the song doesn't show when I click the post, but in case that's true for you..
Matte Kudasai (alternate)
But I would ad, post "Bitches Brew" Miles Davis "Dark Magus" = Funky, Dirty, and possibly illicit.
I have yet to 'get" those records CBW..maybe now that I'm in my prog phase I should revisit..
wow, that was not the Matte Kudasai I was expecting.
Some King Crimson singles are among the few 45s I still have (and now I feel certifiably nerdy for having seen Belew live, gah! Thanks mully ;) ). I never thought of them as funky either ... but come to think of it, I believe Belew helped out on Talking Heads Remain in Light, another that blurred similar lines.
This tune reminded me of another group I used to dig, A Certain Ratio..I know all Crimson isn't like this, but it is comforting to make some connections and give funk credit where it is due. Have a good weekend, Erin.
Good call, Cody, and weird you should mention it. I was listening to my old A.C.R. vinyl of "Sextet" not too long ago. It's one album I intend to rip for M when I get my hands on a USB turntable...
Cheers, you have a great one, too!
mullytron's reference to Elephant Talk is spot on for the funk department too... IMHO
Yeah, Erin: Belew has the smokin' hot guitar solo on "The Great Curve," among other things.
Cody, I hadn't heard this before, but the fink is definitely there. Have you heard any of the other two KC albums from this era, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair? Both of those albums have a good bit of funk to it. Beaet has an instrumental called "Sartori in Tangiers" which is pretty funky, and ToaPP has the great "Sleepless", which is all Tony Levin on bass laying down some serious groove.
I might have to post those, now that I think about it!
Bless you, viking king! I am ready to dig any progalicious funk you might throw my way..
your wish is my command!
With all the burble,babble about Elephant Talk, here tis
Another nice one!
BROUHAHA!!
King Crimson for FF, yo! certifiably righteous.
ain't showing up there indeed, i'm playing it from comments. the tune is marvelously swayey ... not a word.
you're on to more funk-prog connection here, my friend. lovin' it.
I saw the title of the post and IMMEDIATELY thought "Elephant Talk," so thanks for gettin' to it, C.B. I must say that, whether he was with Bowie or Zappa or K.C., Adrian often Belew me away...
This music reminds me a hell lot of some soundtracks of B-movies of the 80s (one, that I saw recently was M.A.R.K 13). For me it's funny to imagine, that this was at that time state of the art (or what else indicates the "prog" in the Prog Rock?). Today, at least to my ears, which didn't grew up to this, it sounds so incredibly old-school - in my perception much more old-school than much older stuff from the 60s and 70s at times. I wondering, why this is the case.
Thanks for sharing you newest musical insights Cody.
Thanks for brining up King Crimson. I haven't heard any Crimson in a long time. I always listened to my LP IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON, which is very spacy, as I recall, with at least one cut featuring a heavy, syncopated bass and sax line. I'd add it to this post, but I haven't learned how to add a song yet. (I just managed a post with a video on Leningrad Cowboys.) Fripp is pretty deep. I know a member of the CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO, Bert Lams, who did a residential study with Fripp. In 1995, the trio released its second recording, INVITATION, followed by a two-year world tour as opening act for King Crimson.
"Matte Kudasai" and "Elephant Talk" are wonderful.
Wow, Spike 1 and Spike! Very, very nice.