King Crimson
King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London. The band drew inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, blues, industrial, electronic, experimental music and new wave. They exerted a strong influence on the early 1970s progressive rock movement, including on contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis, and continue to inspire subsequent generations of artists across multiple genres.[1] The band earned a large cult following.[2][3]
This article is about the band. For the fictional entity, see Golden Wind (manga) § Diavolo.
King Crimson
London, England
- 1968–1974
- 1981–1984
- 1994–2008
- 2013–2021
Founded by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield, the band initially focused on a dramatic sound layered with Mellotron, McDonald's saxophone and flute, and Lake's bass and powerful lead vocals. Their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), remains their most commercially successful and influential release, with a potent mixture of jazz, classical and experimental music.[4] Following the sudden simultaneous departures of McDonald and Giles, with Lake also leaving very shortly afterwards, the next two albums In the Wake of Poseidon and Lizard (both 1970) were recorded during a period of instability in the band's line-up. A settled band of Fripp, Sinfield, Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace recorded Islands in 1971, though in mid-1972, Fripp let go of this line-up and changed the group's instrumentation and approach, drawing from European free improvisation and developing ever more complex compositions. With Bill Bruford, John Wetton, David Cross and, briefly, Jamie Muir, they reached what some saw as a creative peak on Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974). King Crimson disbanded at the end of 1974.
After seven years of inactivity, King Crimson was reborn in 1981 with another change in musical direction. The new band comprised Fripp, Bruford and new members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin. They drew influence from African music, gamelan, post-punk and New York minimalism. This band lasted three years, resulting in the trio of albums Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984). Following a decade-long hiatus, they reformed in 1994, adding Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn for a sextet line-up Fripp called "The Double Trio". The double trio participated in another three-year cycle of activity that included the release of Thrak (1995), and multiple concert recordings. There was a hiatus between 1997 and 2000. Four members of the double trio reunited in 2000 as a more industrial-oriented King Crimson,[5] called "The Double Duo", releasing The Construkction of Light (2000) and The Power to Believe (2003). After a five-year hiatus, the group expanded (in the person of new second drummer Gavin Harrison) for a 2008 tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of their 1968 formation.
Following another hiatus (2009–2012), during which Fripp was thought to be retired, King Crimson came together again in 2013; this time as a septet (and, later, octet) with an unusual three-drumkit frontline, and new second guitarist and singer Jakko Jakszyk. This version of King Crimson continued to tour from 2014 to 2021, and released multiple live albums.
Influence and legacy[edit]
King Crimson have been influential both on the early 1970s progressive rock movement and numerous contemporary artists. Genesis and Yes were directly influenced by the band's usage of the mellotron,[246][1] and many King Crimson band members were involved in other notable bands: Bruford in Yes; Lake in Emerson, Lake & Palmer; McDonald in Foreigner; Burrell in Bad Company, and Wetton in U.K. and Asia. Canadian rock band Rush's drummer Neil Peart credited the adventurous and innovative style of Michael Giles as an influence on his own approach to percussion.[247]
King Crimson's influence extends to many bands from diverse genres, especially of the 1990s and 2000s. Kurt Cobain, the frontman of the grunge band Nirvana, had stated that the album Red had a major influence on the sound of their final studio album In Utero.[24] Tool are known to be heavily influenced by King Crimson,[157][248] with vocalist Maynard James Keenan joking on a tour with them: "Now you know who we ripped off. Just don't tell anyone, especially the members of King Crimson."[249] Modern progressive, experimental, psychedelic and indie rock bands have cited them as an influence as well, including the Mars Volta,[250][251] Primus,[252][253] Mystery Jets,[254][255] Fanfarlo,[256] Phish,[257] and Anekdoten, who first practiced together playing King Crimson songs.[258] Steven Wilson, the leader of Porcupine Tree, was responsible for remixing King Crimson's back catalogue in surround sound and said that the process had an enormous influence on his solo albums,[259] and his band was influenced by King Crimson.[260] In November 2012 the Flaming Lips in collaboration with Stardeath and White Dwarfs released a track-by-track reinterpretation of In the Court of the Crimson King entitled Playing Hide and Seek with the Ghosts of Dawn.[261] Colin Newman, of Wire, said he saw King Crimson perform many times, and that they influenced him deeply.[262] The seminal hardcore punk group Black Flag acknowledge Wetton-era King Crimson as an influence on their experimental period in the mid-1980s.[263] Melvin Gibbs said that the Rollins Band was influenced most by King Crimson, using similar chords.[264][265] Bad Religion cites the lyrics of "21st Century Schizoid Man" on their single "21st Century (Digital Boy)" and the name of their record label, Epitaph (founded by their guitarist Brett Gurewitz), comes from the song of the same name on Crimson's debut album.[266] Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid considered Robert Fripp as one of his guitar influences.[267]
King Crimson have frequently been cited as pioneers of progressive metal[268][269] and as an influence on bands of this genre, including Opeth,[270] Mastodon,[271][272] Between the Buried and Me,[273][274] Leprous,[275][276] Haken,[277] the Ocean,[278] Caligula's Horse,[279] Last Chance to Reason,[280] and Indukti.[281] Members of metal bands Mudvayne,[282] Voivod,[283] Enslaved,[284][285] Yob,[286] Pyrrhon,[287] and Pallbearer[288] have cited King Crimson as an influence. Heavy experimental and avant-garde acts like the Dillinger Escape Plan,[289] Neurosis,[290] Zeni Geva,[291] Ancestors,[292] and Oranssi Pazuzu[293] all cite King Crimson's influence.
Other artists affected by King Crimson include video game composer Nobuo Uematsu,[294][295] noise music artist Masami Akita of Merzbow,[296] jazz guitarist Dennis Rea of Land,[297] folktronica exponent Juana Molina,[298] hip hop producer RJD2,[299] hip hop and soul composer Adrian Younge,[300] film director Hal Hartley,[301] and folk-pop singer Ian Kelly.[302]
Related legacy/cover bands featuring former King Crimson members[edit]
Since the early 2000s, several bands containing former, recent or current King Crimson members have toured and recorded, performing King Crimson music.
Active between 2002 and 2005, the 21st Century Schizoid Band reunited several former King Crimson members who had played on the band's first four albums. The band featured Ian McDonald, Mel Collins, Peter Giles and Michael Giles (the latter subsequently replaced by Ian Wallace),[303] and was fronted by Jakko Jakszyk, a decade prior to his own recruitment into King Crimson. The band engaged in several tours, played material from King Crimson's '60s and '70s catalogue, and recorded several live albums. The band disbanded upon Wallace's death in 2007.[304][305]
Since 2007, Tony Levin has led the trio Stick Men, which also features Pat Mastelotto. The band was initially completed by Chapman Stick player Michael Bernier, replaced in 2010 by touch guitarist and former Fripp student Markus Reuter.[306][307] This band includes (and reinterprets) King Crimson compositions in their live sets.[308] Reuter and Mastelotto also play together as a duo (previously called "Tuner"), within which they have been known to rework the mid-1980s King Crimson instrumental "Industry" live.[309]
Between 2011 and 2014, Stick Men and Adrian Belew's Power Trio band (Belew plus drummer Tobias Ralph and bass player Julie Slick)[310] joined forces to play and tour as The Crimson ProjeKCt, covering the music made during the '80s and '90s.[174][311] Following the return of King Crimson in 2014, the Crimson ProjeKct name has been formally abandoned, but the Stick Men and the Power Trio have still performed together from time to time, usually under names like "Belew, Levin, Mastelotto and friends".[312]
During his solo career, including performances with the Power Trio, Adrian Belew has performed various versions of King Crimson songs.[313][314][315]
In March 2024, a new group performing the 1980's King Crimson repertoire was announced featuring former members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin along with guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Danny Carey. The band is named "Beat" after the 1982 album of the same name.[316]
Final lineup
Former members