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Larks' Tongues in Aspic

 
Album Review: Larks' Tongues in Aspic

  • Artist: King Crimson
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1973
  • Total Time: 46:37
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

King Crimson reborn yet again -- the newly configured band makes its debut with a violin (courtesy of David Cross) sharing center stage with Robert Fripp's guitars and his Mellotron, which is pushed into the background. The music is the most experimental of Fripp's career up to this time -- though some of it actually dated (in embryonic form) back to the tail end of the Boz Burrell-Ian Wallace-Mel Collins lineup. And John Wetton was the group's strongest singer/bassist since Greg Lake's departure three years earlier. What's more, this lineup quickly established itself as a powerful performing unit working in a more purely experimental, less jazz-oriented vein than its immediate predecessor. "Outer Limits music" was how one reviewer referred to it, mixing Cross' demonic fiddling with shrieking electronics, Bill Bruford's astounding dexterity at the drum kit, Jamie Muir's melodic and usually understated percussion, Wetton's thundering (yet melodic) bass, and Fripp's guitar, which generated sounds ranging from traditional classical and soft pop-jazz licks to hair-curling electric flourishes. [The remastered edition, which appeared in the summer of 2000 in Europe and slightly later in America, features beautifully remastered sound -- among other advantages, it moves the finger cymbals opening the first section of the title track into sharp focus, with minimal hiss or noise to obscure them, exposes the multiple percussion instruments used on the opening of "Easy Money," and gives far more clarity to "The Talking Drum." This version is superior to any prior CD release of Larks' Tongues in Aspic, and contains a booklet reprinting period press clippings, session information, and production background on the album.] ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1 Bill Bruford, Jamie Muir, John Wetton, David Cross, Robert Fripp King Crimson (13:35)
Book of Saturday (Lyrics) Robert Fripp, Richard Palmer-James, John Wetton King Crimson (2:55)
Exiles David Cross, Robert Fripp, Richard Palmer-James King Crimson (7:40)
Easy Money (Lyrics) Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Richard Palmer-James King Crimson (7:53)
The Talking Drum John Wetton, Bill Bruford, David Cross, Robert Fripp, Jamie Muir King Crimson (7:25)
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 2 Richard Palmer-James, Robert Fripp King Crimson (7:07)

Credits

Nick Ryan (Engineer), Jamie Muir (Percussion), John Wetton (Bass), David Cross (Violin), Robert Fripp (Remastering), David Cross (Keyboards), Robert Fripp (Guitar), Tony Arnold (Remastering), Robert Fripp (Devices), David Cross (Viola), John Wetton (Vocals), Robert Fripp (Keyboards), Robert Fripp (?), Hugh O'Donnell (Design), Jamie Muir (Performer), David Cross (Mellotron), Simon Heyworth (Remastering), King Crimson (Producer), Robert Fripp (Mellotron), Bill Bruford (Drums)
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Wikipedia: Larks' Tongues in Aspic
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Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
Studio album by King Crimson
Released March 23, 1973
Recorded January-February 1973 at Command Studios, London, engineered by Nick Ryan.
Genre Progressive rock

Experimental rock

Hard rock
Length 46:37
Label Island Records
Atlantic Records
Polydor Records
E.G. Records
Virgin Records
Producer King Crimson
Professional reviews
King Crimson chronology
Earthbound
(1972)
Larks' Tongues in Aspic
(1973)
Starless and Bible Black
(1974)

Larks' Tongues in Aspic is a 1973 album by the British progressive rock group King Crimson. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, and features original member and guitarist Robert Fripp and new members John Wetton (vocals, bass), David Cross (violin, mellotron), Jamie Muir (percussion), and Bill Bruford (drums), as well as lyricist Richard Palmer-James. The album sees the band incorporate into its sound violin and also various exotic percussion instruments, including sheet metal and mbiras. It was the first King Crimson record to demonstrate Fripp’s dominant compositional vision (without either the template of Ian McDonald's songwriting and arrangements or the influence of Sinfield’s elaborate conceptual lyrics and references) and in that sense was the first King Crimson record to escape from the shadow of the debut album.

The album opens with a long experimental instrumental piece titled "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One." After that there are three vocal pieces, "Book of Saturday", "Exiles" and "Easy Money." These are followed by two more instrumentals, "The Talking Drum" and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two." The instrumental pieces on this album have strong jazz fusion influences, and portions have an almost heavy metal feel. The angry, angular mood of this album is largely credited to the influence of Béla Bartók.[1] Also clearly evident is the influence of Miles Davis controversial 1972 album On the Corner.

The album spawned the concert staple "Exiles", whose mellotron introduction has been adapted from an instrumental piece called "Mantra" the band's original line up performed throughout 1969. At that time, as well as in late 1972, the melody was played by Fripp on guitar.

Track listing

Side one
  1. "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One" (D. Cross/R. Fripp/J. Wetton/B. Bruford/J. Muir) – 13:36
  2. "Book of Saturday" (R. Fripp/J. Wetton/R. Palmer-James) – 2:49
  3. "Exiles" (D. Cross/R. Fripp/R. Palmer-James) – 7:40
Side two
  1. "Easy Money" (R. Fripp/J. Wetton/R. Palmer-James) – 7:54
  2. "The Talking Drum" (D. Cross/R. Fripp/J. Wetton/B. Bruford/J. Muir) – 7:26
  3. "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two" (R. Fripp) – 7:12

Personnel

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Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" Read more