* Cross-posted from somewhere else in the Fidonet ether in the hopes of
 * generating some discussion on Robert Fripp and King Crimson:
 -=> Quoting Martin Ridgley to Rick Mcbroom <=-
 MR> I'm a big Robert Fripp/King Crimson fan and this fellow (I met) had 
 MR> some amazing live shows and rare video footage of KC.
 RM> Cool!  You know, I've never really got into King Crimson, for
 RM> some odd reason.
   Well, I guess it's pretty derivative stuff - arguably not the most
 accessible material for pure musical enjoyment.  ;-)
 RM> The only album that I have is _In the Court of the Crimson King_, and
 RM> that is certainly a great one.
   Yeah, probably their most accessible album....
 RM> But beyond that, the only other KC albums that have made a real
 RM> impression on me are _Larks Toungues In Aspic_....
   Yeah, that's a superb album (from 1973), but quite `progressive' and
 probably not to most people's tastes.  I also like _Red_ (1974) a lot.
 Robert Fripp disbanded the group in 1975....
 RM> ....and _Three of A Perfect Pair_.
   That's the 3rd of a sort of trilogy (_Discipline_ 1981; _Beat_ 1982;
 and _Three of a Perfect Pair_ 1984) by the reformed 1980s incarnation
 of KC that featured `new' recruits, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin.  I
 love all three albums and would probably say that's my favourite
 period in the bands' career.  The over all level of musicianship is
 astonishing.
   I've always been a big fan of Tony Levin's playing, whether it was
 with KC, Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, or Paul Simon.  I love Bill Bruford
 as well.  I've various albums he appears on including his work with Yes,
 a couple of solo albums, and a couple of great albums he did with
 keyboardist Patrick Moraz amongst others.
   I've gone on and off Adrian Belew.  Even though his style and musical
 background might not seem to mesh with Fripp's, I think he really suited 
 KC.  Heck, Fripp asked him to be in the band, so.... ;-)  Anyway, I've
 got about four of solo albums, but some of it doesn't do much for me.
 He seems to be better focused when he can add his unique sounds to other 
 people's work.  I enjoyed the period when he was with Talking Heads.  
 RM> I DO like Fripp's playing, but.. I dunno.  Progrock has just never
 RM> been my thing.
   In the early 70s, I got into `progressive rock' quite heavily because
 it challenged my musical mind and abilities more than basic rock'n'roll.
   Fripp is certainly an amazing guitarist - he's not always easy on the
 ears, but he frequently challenges my musical senses.  Besides the KC
 albums, and _The League of Gentlemen_, his playing shows up on various
 albums I've got by people like Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads,
 the Roches, David Sylvian, etc.  I'd really love to hear more of his
 work - especially his recent `League of Crafty Guitarists' stuff.  ;-)
 If anybody reading this has heard any of that stuff, please write back 
 and give me your impressions.
   Cheers,
            Martin
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