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King Crimson: THRAK

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Virgin Records
Released: 1995
Time:
 56:38
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.king-crimson.com
Appears with: Robert Fripp, Tony Levin
Purchase date: 1998.02.11
Price in €: 10,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Coda: Marine 475 (Belew/King Crimson) - 4:37
[2] Dinosaur (Belew/King Crimson) - 6:35
[3] Walking on Air (Belew/King Crimson) - 4:34
[4] B. Boom (Belew/King Crimson) - 4:11
[5] Thrak (Belew/King Crimson) - 3:58
[6] Inner Garden I (Belew/King Crimson) - 1:47
[7] People (Belew/King Crimson) - 5:53
[8] Radio I (Belew/King Crimson) - 2:43
[9] One Time (Belew/King Crimson) - 5:21
[10] Radio II (Belew/King Crimson) - 1:02
[11] Inner Garden II (Belew/King Crimson) - 1:15
[12] Vroom Vroom (Belew/King Crimson) - 5:37
[13] Vroom Vroom: Coda (Belew/King Crimson) - 3:00

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Adrian Belew - Guitar, Producer
Bill Bruford - Drums, Producer
Robert Fripp - Guitar, Producer
Tony Levin - Bass, Mixing, Producer
Trey Gunn - Bass, Producer
Pat Mastelotto - Drums, Producer
Ian McDonald - Saxophone, Producer

David Bottrill - Engineer, Producer
Richard Chadwick - Coordination
David Singleton - Digital Editing, Assistant Producer
Ian Cooper - Mastering
Noah Evens - Engineer
George Glossop - Mixing
Russell Kearney - Assistant Engineer

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


This King Crimson has been a long time in preparation and formation. The first full studio album since 1984 - THRAK - was recorded in six weeks at Peter Gabriel's Real World Recording Studios, Box, England between October 24 and December 4, 1994. All music written by King Crimson. All lyrics written by Adrian Belew. "Vrooom" was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. For guitarist-composer Robert Fripp, the visceral power of rock music has always been an inspiration. And since forming King Crimson in the late '60s, few instrumentalists have done more to extend the sonic range of the electric guitar or rock song structure than Robert Fripp. But the guitarist also counts world rhythm musics, 20th Century classical composition, modern jazz and contemporary electronics among his many interests. And with THRAK, Fripp and King Crimson have created their most compelling synthesis of art and noise, a thrashing suite made up of contrasting, interconnected motifs. This groaning beast of an album is fabricated from the roiling roar of dissonance and classic power riffs and animated by a complex series of rhythm changes, opulent lyric contrasts, heady contrapuntal interplay and stunning solo flights. In rethinking his concept of King Crimson, Fripp has reconstituted the band as a double trio, in which Fripp teams with Stick virtuoso Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelotto, while lead vocalist-guitarist Adrian Belew answers back with bassist Tony Levin and electronic percussion innovator Bill Bruford. Together they achieve a rare blend of intuitive power and formal design, from the classic King Crimson rumble of "Vrooom" to the menacing variations of "Dinosaur," on which Belew's Lennonesque vocal echoes Fripp's pride in having avoided extinction, as the band exhumes the bones of the Beatles, Hendrix, Bartok and the late Romantics from their fossil digs. But THRAK offers a wide range of textures and moods. With its bell-like arpeggios and flute-like ornaments, the ragaish "Walking On Air" is as lovely a ballad as Crimson has ever produced. "B'Boom" finds the drummers in an electro-acoustic dialogue, meshing haunting urban-industrial sounds into a ritualistic percussive web of African-styled polyrhythms. The crashing rhythmic cycles of the title tune are an avuncular nod to today's meanderings of noise, while the funky "People" and dreamy "One Time" present song structures ready-made for progressive college programmers. THRAK is a diverse, dynamic, polished recital.



The last incarnation of art-rock pioneers King Crimson made for a rare union of power and precision, crafting three early-'80s albums -- "Discipline," "Beat" and "Three of a Perfect Pair" -- that were Promethean feats in a dreary time. With "Thrak," King Crimson have re-emerged from the interregnum with their passionate virtuosity grayed but not gone. The new-model King Crimson assume an expanded format: Spiritual leader and guitarist Robert Fripp and singer-guitarist Adrian Belew are joined by their past associates, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Bill Bruford, along with new members Trey Gunn on stick and Pat Mastellotto on percussion. Fueled by crashing rhythms and high-octane riffs, "Thrak"'s opening instrumental, "Vrooom," is a mix of melody and mayhem that proves these veterans can keep pace with young noisemakers when it comes to well-wrought sonic violence. A future Crimson manifesto can be gleaned from the barbed hooks and ominous textures of the album's third track, "Dinosaur." On the bridge, Belew pre-empts questions of continued relevance with a self-deprecating exposition on the fate of the aging but still evolving art rocker: "It's a wonder I'm not yet extinct.... Still, I've made my fossil bed, and I toss and turn." That said, King Crimson bound stylistic borders as few bands can, veering into an interlude of ambient symphonics before a searing Fripp guitar solo pins you to the wall. Throughout "Thrak," Fripp's frozen-rope leads and the band's intricate din are as potent as ever. But for the most part, Belew trades his Discipline-era notes-from-underground lyrical style for clever pop-song haiku. The lilting love paean "Walking on Air" and the pedestrian observations of "People" seem dispensable next to the industrial fusion of "Vrooom" or soundtracks for the concrete jungle like the onomatopoeic title cut. The potential of King Crimson's renewal is most fully realized with the grinding close of "Vrooom Vrooom" and its coda, in which the band twists the themes of the opening piece into so much bent metal. It's the artful abandon of these final moments that bode best for the longevity of this egghead-banging outfit.

BRADLEY BAMBARGER (RS 711)
Copyright © 1968-1998 Rolling Stone Network. All Rights Reserved.
Rolling Stone Network



In the `70s, King Crimson always at least had a sense of theatricality and drama; unlike most other prog-rockers, its music somehow evoked the weight and sadness of opera or Goethian myth while the rest of the genre was singing about Atlantis and silly sci-fi plots that no one really understood. Then in the `80s, KC was reincarnated as art-popsters, taking cues from Talking Heads and late `70s Bowie, a danceable beatnik pop band fronted by Adrian Belew's eclectic man-on-acid-about-town persona. Now, in their third lifetime in four decades, they've come back as both, or maybe neither, as something called a double trio. The idea is to have two independent, autonomous trios playing side by side on the same stage but somehow making music together. Sometimes, there's two very different things happening at once; at others, both trios lock together to give extra power and menace to the more traditional Crimsoid dramatic moments. If you already bought last year's independently released Vrooom, you probably won't be satisfied with Thrak, unless you're the sort of fanatical fan that King Crimson has long catered to (if you are, I'll trade you a soundboard tape of Denver in `69 for anything from the `74 U.S. tour). Much of the material is duplicated on both LPs, and "Walking On Air" is a very thin rewrite of Discipline's superior "Matte Kudesai." Still, at the heart of the KC of the `80s and `90s is not just Fripp's oblique persona, but the psychedelic elegance of Belew; by giving him a first-division rock band to helm, Fripp has given him a chance to shine like he hasn't in years, and Belew rises to the challenge. His warmth and humanity provide the perfect foil for Fripp's colder, darker soundscapes, and the results, if not totally successful, are usually worthy of the King Crimson name.

James Lien, Exclusive Review from CMJ New Music Report
© 1978-1998 College Media Inc. All rights reserved.



Eight years have passed since we last heard a squeal, polyrhythm or line of sanskrit from the Court Of Anti-Rock, yet King Crimson's reputation as one of music's most enigmatic groups endures. Without warning, the group rises like a phoenix, building upon an ever-growing fan-base and disappearing into the wings once again. These guerilla tactics bred high expectations for Thrak, a sonic mind-fuck, which maintains this 25 year old band's stature. An additional drummer and bassist join the quartet of Belew, Fripp, Levin and Bruford, intensifying the "Crimsoid" sound and complete the "double trio" of the band's fifth incarnation, which dates from the `80s. For musicians, King Crimson is an amazing circus of bass, drum and guitar pyro-technics, while universally, the band enthralls by pushing the parameters of rock to the breaking point. Reminiscent of the previous trilogy of Crimson albums, Thrak embodies the gorgeous ambient melancholy of "Walking On Air" and "One Time," the sonic warfare of "B'Boom" and the twisted (for lack of a better word) pop of "People" and "Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream." For a large helping of celebrated Fripp-a-tronics (unimaginable guitar sounds), rifle-range drumming and multi-textured bass, gorge yourself on "Vroom" (all three versions!).

STEVE SAVOCA, Exclusive Review from CMJ New Music Report
© 1978-1998 College Media Inc. All rights reserved.



After an 11-year hiatus from performing and recording, King Crimson return with last year's Vrooom EP in a self-described "double trio format," with Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford joined by Trey Gunn on Chapman stick and Pat Mastellotto on percussion. Surprisingly, in spite of such a lengthy layoff, Thrak picks up right where the band left off with sheets of sonic rain alongside pretty guitar passages followed by tantalizing improvisation. The instrumental passages, "Coda, Marine 475" and the title track, flow with the distinctive Crimson edge, traveling from pastoral quiet to reckless metallic swagger; a great deal of Thrak would not have been out of place on Lark's Tongue In Aspic (1973) or Starless And Bible Black (1974). Self-deprecating humor creeps in with Belew bellowing, "I'm a dinosaur" on "Dinosaur," an opinion many young rockers may have of today's King Crimson. Yet this record possesses enough noisy sound sculptures, along with a few genuine songs ("People" and "Sex"), to both please the band's long-time admirers and reward newcomers.

JIM CALIGIURI, Exclusive Review from CMJ New Music Report
© 1978-1998 College Media Inc. All rights reserved.



It's hard to believe that Thrak is the first new full-length release from King Crimson in more than a decade. With its progressive rock lineage, one could easily dismiss the band as irrelevant today. Yet King Crimson's combination of finely-wrought sonic sculptures and captivating, but skewed, pop songs doesn't sound overdone or old. This is not surprising when you consider the musicians involved. The last, early-'80s version of Crimson - Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford - is broadened to include Trey Gunn on stick and Pat Mastelotto on percussion, forming an unusual double trio. The results dovetail easily with the band's previous work-some of it could have been lifted from one of Crimson's albums from 20 years ago - yet it never sounds dated. The group's lengthy layoff makes Thrak's cohesiveness all the more remarkable. Adventurous programmers will jump on the trademark Crimson instrumentals, like the title track, "Vrooom," or the tongue-in-cheek "Dinosaur," with their metallic crunch and meditative interludes. Others should flock to the reflective "Walking On Air" or the hooky, Police-like "People."

Jim Caligiuri, Exclusive Review from CMJ New Music Report
(c) 1978-1998 College Media Inc. All rights reserved.



King Crimson returned with a new record in 1995. With Thrak, the group picks up right where they left off; although they incorporate a couple of new technical tricks, the heart of the album echoes back to the early '80s with its dense, guitar-dominated sonic textures.

Sara Sytsma, All-Music Guide



"...With THRAK, King Crimson have re-emerged from the interregnum with their passionate virtuosity grayed but not gone..."

3 Stars - Good - Rolling Stone 6/29/95, p.43



"...brainiac rock for those with strange urgings at other points in the body....THRAK is full of prickly textures, clench-fisted chords delivered with Glenn Branca-esque intensity, and tough attitudes more than prissy prog-rock notions..."

Musician 6/95, pp.69-70



"...THRAK expands the quartet's inventiveness with jazz-scented rock structures, characterised by noisy, angular, exquisite (gizmo-drenched) guitar interplay over an athletic, ever-inventive rhythm section."

4 Stars - Excellent - Q Magazine 5/95, pp.102-104



"...The sonic results are perfect; one gets a historic feel for the genre, yet it never sounds nostalgic or merely eclectic..."

Option 7-8/95, p.114



"King Crimson setzen die Linie der 80er Jahre nahtlos fort. Trotz des experimentellen Charakters vieler Stücke musiziert die Band ungemein kraftvoll und konzentriert, jeder Ton hat seinen Platz. "Thrak" ist gewiß keine leichtverdauliche Kost, aber eine Fundgrube an raffinierten Sounds und vertrackten Rhythmen."

M. Inhoffen in stereoplay 5/95
 

 L y r i c s


VROOOM

(instrumental)


Coda: Marine 475

Marine
475, 410,
400,062,
1009,
1097,65,
Non-
Marine 10,
190,510,
1148
Motor 254
Aviation
545


Dinosaur

long ago and far away in a different age
when i was a dumb young guy
fossilized photos of my life then
illustrate what an easy prey i must have been
standing in the sun, idiot savant
something like a monument
i'm a dinosaur, somebody is digging my bones

ignorance has alway been something i excel in
followed by naivete and pride
doesn't take a scientist to see how
any clever predator could have a piece of me
standing in the sun, idiot savant
something like a monument
i'm a dinosaur, somebody is digging my bones

when i look back on the past
it's a wonder i'm not yet extinct
all the mistakes and bad judgements i made
nearly pushed me to the brink
it doesn't pay to be too nice
it's the one thing i have learned
still, i made my fossil bed
now i toss and turn

i'm a dinosaur, somebody is digging my bones


Walking On Air

close your eyes and look at me
i'll be standing by your side
in between the deep blue sea
and the sheltering sky
if we find no words to say
to the rhythm of the waves
then we'll both surrender there
walking on air

and the worries of the day lie down
under cover of the fading clouds
the secrets of the night
come alive in your eyes
you don't have to hurry
you don't have to try
cause you don't have a care
you're walking on air


B'Boom

(instrumental)


THRAK

(instrumental)


Inner Garden I

autumn has come to rest
in her garden
come to paint the trees with emptiness
and no pardon
so many things have come undone
like the leaves on the ground
and suddenly she begins to cry
but she doesn't know why
heavy are the words that fall through the air
to burden her shoulders
caught up in the trees
her soliloguy,
"don't leave me alone"


People

people fly people flee
people clam and say "it wasn't me"
people fish people beef
people arm to teeth
yes, you've got people on the tube
walking on the moon
people at the bottom of the sea
people in tombs
people in igloos
even a tribe of pygmies

people are the main spring
turning the world around
people, they're the main spring
spinning this world upside down

people sun people toast
people tire shile other people smoke
people bowl people rock
people pay to see two people box

watch me face me
dress me baby me
phone me wire me
house me bug me fire me

people are the main spring
spinning the world around
people, they're the main spring
turning this world inside out


Radio I

(instrumental)


One Time

one eye goes laughing,
one eye goes crying
through the trials and trying of one life
one hand is tied,
one step gets behind
in one breath we're dying

i've been waiting for the sun to come up
waiting for the showers to stop
waiting for the penny to drop
one time
and i've been standing in a cloud of plans
standing on the shifting sands
hoping for an open hand
one time


Radio II

(instrumental)


Inner Garden II

Rome now comes to sit
in her garden
mingling the breeze with memories
of a time when
there was a room in pale yellow hues
her room with a view
where love made a bed of happiness
in muslin and lace
sweet is the voice from far away
that speaks sotto voce and
is lingering there in the golden air
to quiet the day.


Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream

sex sleep eat drink dream
primal tribal aplle egg vegetable eel
i have a new canoe but it does not have a wheel

private velvet animal oldsmobile mind
i'm sitting in the fireplace burning up my time

private velvet animal empty t.v.
they're fishing in the kitchen
but they haven't caught up to me

primal tribal chemical digital night
i've got to get dressed to go out of my mind

sex sleep eat drink dream


VROOOM VROOOM

(instrumental)


VROOOM VROOOM: Coda

(instrumental)

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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