Coordinates	38°53′39″N77°2′54″N
Name	King Crimson
Landscape	Yes
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Dorset, England
Genre	Progressive rock, jazz fusion, experimental rock
Years active	1969–19741981–19841994–present (on hiatus)
Label	Island, Atlantic, E.G., Virgin, Warner Bros., Discipline, Caroline
Associated acts	Giles, Giles, and Fripp, ProjeKcts, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Bad Company, Yes, Fripp & Eno, UK, The League Of Gentlemen, Asia, Supertramp, Foreigner, 21st Century Schizoid Band, McDonald and Giles, The League Of Crafty Guitarists, Porcupine Tree, Liquid Tension Experiment, HoBoLeMa , Tool
Url	DGM Live
Current members	Robert FrippAdrian BelewTony LevinPat MastelottoGavin Harrison
Past members	See: King Crimson membership

King Crimson is a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Although often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band has incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during its history (including jazz and folk music, classical and experimental music, psychedelic rock, hard rock and heavy metal, new wave, gamelan, electronica and drum and bass). The band has been influential on many contemporary musical artists, and has gained a large cult following despite garnering little radio or music video airplay.

The band's lineup (centred on guitarist Robert Fripp) has persistently altered throughout its existence, with eighteen musicians and two lyricists passing through the ranks. A greater degree of stability was achieved later on in its history, with current frontman Adrian Belew having been a consistent member since 1981. Though originating in England, the band has had a mixture of English and American personnel since 1981.

The debut lineup of the band was influential, but short-lived, lasting for just over one year. Between 1970 and 1971, King Crimson was an unstable band, with many personnel changes and disjunctions between studio and live sound as the band explored elements of jazz, funk and classical chamber music. By 1972 the band had a more stable lineup and developed an improvisational sound mingling hard rock, contemporary classical music, free jazz and jazz-fusion before breaking up in 1974. The band re-formed with a new line-up in 1981 for three years (this time influenced by New Wave and gamelan music) before breaking up again for around a decade. Since reforming for the second time (in 1994), King Crimson has blended aspects of their 1980s and 1970s sound with influences from more recent musical genres such as industrial rock and grunge. The band’s efforts to blend additional elements into their music have continued into the 21st century, with more recent developments including drum and bass-styled rhythm loops and extensive use of MIDI and guitar synthesis.

King Crimson's existence has been characterised by regular periods of hiatus initiated by Robert Fripp. The current status of the band is ambiguous due to recent online diary posts from Fripp suggesting that he is not currently (or no longer) interested in working within the King Crimson context, without directly confirming the end of the band.

History

1960s

Prehistory, including Giles, Giles and Fripp (1967-1968)

In August 1967, brothers Michael Giles (drums) and Peter Giles (bass) who had been professional musicians in various jobbing bands since their mid-teens in Dorset, advertised for a singing organist to join their new project. Fellow Dorset musician Robert Fripp – a guitarist who did not sing – responded and the trio formed the band Giles, Giles and Fripp.

Based on a format of eccentric pop songs and complex instrumentals, the band recorded several unsuccessful singles and one album, The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp. One of the first songs McDonald and Sinfield wrote together was "The Court of the Crimson King".

Fripp, meanwhile, had seen the band 1-2-3 (later known as Clouds) at the Marquee. This band would later inspire some of Crimson's penchant for classical melodies and jazz-like improvisation. Feeling that he no longer wished to pursue Peter Giles' more whimsical pop style, Fripp recommended his friend Greg Lake, a singer and guitarist, for recruitment into the band, with the suggestion that Lake should replace either him or Peter Giles. At this point, Ian McDonald was King Crimson’s main composer, albeit with significant contributions from Lake and Fripp, while Sinfield not only wrote all the lyrics but designed and operated the band’s revolutionary stage lighting, and was therefore credited with "sounds and visions". McDonald suggested the new band purchase a Mellotron (the first example of the band’s persistent involvement with music technology) and they began using it to create an orchestral rock sound, inspired by The Moody Blues.

King Crimson made their live debut on 9 April 1969, The sound of In the Court of the Crimson King (specifically the track, "21st Century Schizoid Man") has also been described as setting the antecedent for alternative rock and grunge, whilst the softer tracks are described as having an "ethereal" and "almost sacred" feel. In contrast to the blues-based hard rock of the contemporary British and American scenes, King Crimson presented a more Europeanised approach that blended antiquity and modernity. The band's music drew on a wide range of influences provided by all five group members. These elements included romantic- and modernist-era classical music, the psychedelic rock spearheaded by Jimi Hendrix, folk, jazz, military music (partially inspired by McDonald’s stint as an army musician), ambient improvisation, Victoriana and British pop.

After playing shows in England, the band embarked on a tour of the United States, performing alongside many contemporary popular musicians and musical groups. Their first US show was performed at Goddard College, in Plainfield, Vermont. While their original sound astounded contemporary audiences and critics, Instead (and in exchange for receiving King Crimson's PA equipment as payment Rick Kemp was eventually selected as the new bass player but turned the band down at the last minute. many years later, he would achieve great success writing pop songs for Bucks Fizz.) The remaining band broke up acrimoniously in rehearsals shortly afterwards, due to Fripp’s refusal to incorporate other members’ compositions into the band’s repertoire. (He later cited this as "quality control" and an attempt to ensure that King Crimson was performing the "right kind" of music. This was a flagrant sign of the musical rift between Fripp and all three of the other members, the latter of whom were attempting to steer the band back towards a rootsier rhythm-and-blues style in open defiance of Fripp. Fripp also finally secured John Wetton as King Crimson’s singer and bass player, recruiting him directly from Family. The lineup was completed by David Cross, a relatively unknown violinist (doubling on keyboards) whom Fripp had encountered through work with music colleges. | width =35% | qalign =center | salign =center | align =left }} With Sinfield gone, the band recruited a new lyricist, Wetton's friend Richard Palmer-James (the former rhythm guitarist for Supertramp). This 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 as such was also the first King Crimson record to escape from the shadow of the debut album.

The band's new sound was exemplified by the album's two-part title track - a significant change from what King Crimson had done before, and featuring a whisper-to-scream dynamic that was extreme even by the band's previous standards. There were some nods to the past in the continued use of Mellotron, as well as in the inclusion of stately ballads, but the band now featured a small ensemble sound with an emphasis on instrumental music. In particular, the record was permeated by Muir’s freewheeling approach to percussion and “found” instrumentation, utilising everything from a prepared drumkit to bicycle-horn bulbs, toys, bullroarers, gongs hit with chains, foley-style sound effects and a joke laughing-bag. Wetton’s loud, crisp and overdriven playing style provided King Crimson’s most distinctive bass playing to date, while Fripp’s guitar playing had taken on a wiry and aggressive character previously seldom heard in the band’s studio recordings.

Following more touring, the group became a quartet in early 1973 when Muir suddenly departed. This was initially thought to have been due to an onstage injury – a dropped gong landing on his foot during a gig at the Marquee. Twenty-seven years later it was revealed that Muir had gone through a personal spiritual crisis and had to immediately withdraw from the band, who themselves had not been told the truth about the situation by their management. earning them a positive Rolling Stone review. The album built on the achievements of its predecessor, precariously balancing improvised material with careening heavy-metal riffs and songs that recalled both the Beatles’ White Album experiments and aspects of electric jazz fusion as performed by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miles Davis.

Two-thirds of the album was instrumental, including Fripp’s climactic moto perpetuo composition "Fracture" and the atonal sound painting of the title track. For the recording of "Trio" - a hushed and wistful improvised melody featuring Wetton on bass, Cross on violin and Fripp on flute-Mellotron - Bruford notoriously contributed “admirable restraint” by sitting with his drumsticks crossed over his chest throughout the piece, understanding that the music did not require him to add anything, and was thus given compositional credit equal to the rest of his bandmates. Although most of Starless and Bible Black had been recorded at live performances, with "intensely dynamic" musical chemistry between the band members. Opening with the harsh, tritone-based instrumental that gave the album its name, the album also featured two relatively short and punchy Wetton-led songs, and a last look back at the period with David Cross via the live improvisation “Providence”, which was recorded on the preceding tour. The album finale was the majestic twelve-minute “Starless”, which acted, in effect, as a potted musical history of the band, traveling from Mellotron-driven ballad grandeur via intense improvisation to savagely structured metallic attack and back again. Red also included guest appearances by former members and collaborators. In addition to Cross’s appearance on “Providence”, Robin Miller and Marc Charig returned on oboe and cornet for the first time since Islands, and both Mel Collins and Ian McDonald played saxophones on “Starless”.

With one of their strongest albums ready to promote, King Crimson’s future prospects looked bright, and talks were underway regarding Ian McDonald rejoining the band. However, Fripp did not want to tour as he felt that the "world was coming to an end". The group formally disbanded on 25 September 1974. Technical issues with some of the original tapes rendered some of David Cross' violin parts inaudible when mixed in 1974, so Roxy Music’s Eddie Jobson was brought in to provide studio overdubs of violin and keyboards. Further edits were also necessary to allow for the time limitations of a single vinyl album. The album was reissued with two extra tracks, “Fracture” and “Starless”, in 2005.

Interim (1975-1980)

Following the assembly of USA, the band went their separate ways. While McDonald joined Foreigner, Wetton would have stints in Roxy Music and Uriah Heep before reuniting with Bruford in UK and eventually becoming frontman for Asia. Before and after his UK stint, Bruford would play with his own jazz-fusion band, also called Bruford, and drummed for Genesis on their first post-Peter Gabriel tour. Fripp, meanwhile, would toy with the idea of going into the priesthood but would ultimately opt to become a “small, mobile intelligent unit” and embrace a solo career that saw him move to New York City, where he would collaborate with Brian Eno, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Roches and Daryl Hall among others, as well as further developing his Eno-inspired tape loop system of Frippertronics. He would also make striking guitar contributions to the albums of David Bowie and Peter Gabriel, even joining the latter on tour, and hone his abilities as a producer.

In 1979, Fripp released his first solo album Exposure, sometimes described as "an art-rock Sergeant Pepper". Mixing songs with Frippertronics, and spiky instrumentals with tape cut-ups, the album featured guest performances by assorted Fripp collaborators and contemporaries including Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Darryl Hall, Peter Hammill, Terre Roche and Barry Andrews. Significantly (with regard to the future), several of the bass parts on Exposure were played by Tony Levin, who was considered to be among New York City's most sought-after studio musicians. Levin had previously played bass for Paul Simon, John Lennon/Yoko Ono and many others. Most pertinent, he was Peter Gabriel's bass player of choice and had previously worked with Fripp on Gabriel’s first two solo albums (and on tour with Gabriel in 1977). Fripp considered the American bassist to be a “master” player Fripp had never been in a band with another guitarist before, other than his stint in Peter Gabriel's 1977 touring band, so the decision to seek a second guitarist was indicative of Fripp's desire to create a sound unlike any of his previous work. supported by The Lounge Lizards. By October 1981, the four members of Discipline had made the collective decision to ditch their original name and to reactivate and use the name of King Crimson. which can be attributed in part to the work of both Belew and Fripp with Talking Heads and David Bowie, Levin's work with Peter Gabriel, and Fripp's work on Exposure and with The League of Gentlemen. With this new band, described by J. D. Considine in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide as having a "jaw-dropping technique" of "knottily rhythmic, harmonically demanding workouts", Fripp intended to create the sound of a "rock gamelan", with an interlocking rhythmic quality to the paired guitars that he found similar to Indonesian gamelan ensembles. and the first not to have been produced by a member of the group. reflected in song titles such as "Neal and Jack and Me" (inspired by Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac), "The Howler" (inspired by Allan Ginsberg’s “Howl”) and "Sartori in Tangier" (inspired by Paul Bowles). Fripp had asked Belew to read Keroauc's novel On the Road. In 1998, DGM would launch the King Crimson Collector's Club, a service that regularly releases live recordings from concerts throughout the band's career, many of which became available for download online.

1990s

King Crimson, lineup 5 (1994-1997)

Forming the Double Trio (circa early 1994)

At some point in the early 1990s, Adrian Belew visited Fripp in England and strongly expressed his interest in playing in a reformed King Crimson. Following the end of his tour with David Sylvian, Fripp began to assemble a new version of the band, bringing Belew and Levin back from the 1980s lineup while adding Trey Gunn on Chapman Stick and Jerry Marotta on drums. In the early stages of planning, Marotta was replaced by Pat Mastelotto. The last addition to the lineup was Bill Bruford as second drummer. Fripp explained the unexpected sextet arrangement by claiming to have had the vision of a “double trio” (two guitarists, two bass/Stick players and two drummers) to explore a different type of King Crimson music. Bruford, however, would later assert that he had lobbied his own way into the band, believing that King Crimson was very much “his gig”, and that Fripp had come up with the philosophical explanation later. In his 2009 autobiography, he also revealed that one of the conditions Fripp had imposed upon his rejoining was that Bruford would cede all creative control of the band to Fripp. but also involved a greater use of ambient electronic sound and ideas from industrial music. In contrast, many of the actual songs – mostly written or finalised by Belew – displayed stronger elements of 1960s pop than before – in particular, a Beatles influence (although Bruford would also refer to the band as sounding like "a dissonant Shadows on steroids" | width =30% | align =right }} King Crimson released their next full-length studio album, Thrak in April 1995. Containing revised versions of most of the tracks on Vrooom, Thrak was described by reviewers as having "jazz-scented rock structures, characterised by noisy, angular, exquisite guitar interplay" and an "athletic, ever-inventive rhythm section", whilst being in tune with the sound of alternative rock musicians in the mid-1990s. Examples of the band’s efforts to integrate their multiple elements could be heard on the complex post-prog songs “Dinosaur” and “Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream” as well as the more straightforward “One Time” and the funk-pop inspired “People”. Instrumentally, the album featured a couple of clear descendants of the driving “Red” (“VROOOM “ and “VROOOM VROOOM”), the drum duet “B’Boom”, the savagely displaced and rhythmic “THRAK” and a couple of brief solo Soundscapes from Fripp. The album also featured the brief return of Mellotron to the band’s sonic palette.

During 1995 and 1996 King Crimson continued to tour. In 1996, the band released the challenging avantgarde live album Thrakattak, which consisted entirely of concert improvisations from the midsection of performances of "THRAK", digitally combined into an hour-long extended improvisation. A more conventional live recording from the period was later made available on the 2001 double CD release Vrooom Vrooom, as was a 1995 concert on the 2003 Déjà Vrooom DVD.

The Double Trio fractures (mid-1997)

Although musically exciting, the Double Trio was expensive and cumbersome to run, which in turn led to insecurity. In mid-1997, the band gathered for rehearsals in Nashville that came to a compositional impasse in which none of the generated material appeared to satisfy Fripp. At this point, the friction between Fripp and a particularly exasperated Bruford effectively ended the latter’s time as a King Crimson member.

ProjeKct X - a studio-only rearrangement of the 2000 King Crimson lineup, with composition and ideas led by the rhythm section rather than by Fripp and Belew.

2000s

King Crimson, lineup 6 (2000-2004)

Creating the Double Duo (2000)

By the time the ProjeKcts came to an end, Bruford had entirely left the King Crimson world in order to fully embrace his jazz work with Earthworks and others. Levin’s session career commitments – mostly to Peter Gabriel and Seal – were also obstructing future King Crimson activity. Fortunately, Levin's lack of availability suited Belew’s preference for working with a smaller unit following the logistical challenges of the Double Trio, and it was decided that Levin could withdraw amicably from the band for the moment. (Fripp stated that he still considered Levin to be a King Crimson member, albeit for now an inactive “fifth member”.)

The remaining four active members of King Crimson - Belew, Fripp, Gunn, and Mastelotto - continued with the band, sometimes referring to themselves as the “Double Duo” in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the previous line-up. Despite featuring two-thirds of the previous band’s personnel (and no new members), this incarnation of the band would be strongly distinct from the Double Trio and was effectively a different, rather than reduced, lineup. The altered membership and the experience of the ProjeKcts led to changes in role. Gunn began to concentrate on the bass register for his Warr Guitar playing, and added work on the baritone guitar and Ashbory silicone-string bass guitar. Mastellotto made a much greater use of electronics. Once again, new technology was employed (the electronic V-Drums and rhythm-loop machines, which had been used for the ProjeKCts), while Belew took the additional step of entirely embracing Fripp’s New Standard Tuning on guitar.

The ConstruKCtion Of Light (2000): Heavy ConstruKCtion and touring with Tool (2001)

King Crimson recorded their next album, The ConstruKction of Light,

Although the whole band contributed to arrangements, the basic material on The ConstruKction of Light was almost entirely composed by Belew (songs) and Fripp (instrumentals). To avoid creative frustration, the band recorded a parallel album at the same time under the name of ProjeKct X, called Heaven and Earth. This second album was conceived and led by Mastelotto and Gunn (with Fripp and Belew playing subsidiary roles in the band) and was a further development of the polyrhythmic/dance music approach seen earlier in the ProjeKCts. The album’s title track was also included as a bonus track on The ConstruKCtion of Light. Like The ConstruKction of Light, Heaven and Earth was criticised for an apparent lack of new ideas.

Level Five and Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With (late 2001-2002)

Later in 2001, the band released a limited edition live EP called Level Five, which featured three new pieces. A version of “The Deception of the Thrush”, a ProjeKCt track now regularly featuring in the live set, plus the new tracks “Dangerous Curves” and “Virtuous Circle” suggested that the band was heading back towards a broader dynamic including quieter, more textural work. In 2002, King Crimson released another EP Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With. This featured eleven tracks (including a live version of “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Part IV”) and confirmed that the band were moving back towards greater diversity. Half of the tracks were brief processed vocal snippets sung by Belew, and the songs themselves varied between gamelan pop, Soundscapes and slightly parodic takes on heavy metal and blues.

The Power To Believe, departure of Gunn and return of Levin (2003-2004)

The two EPs both acted as work-in-progress reveals for King Crimson’s 2003 album The Power to Believe, which Fripp described as "the culmination of three years of Crimsonising" and which was possibly the most self-referential album of the band’s career. The album incorporated reworked and/or retitled versions of “Deception of the Thrush” and four of the EP tracks, plus a 1997 Soundscape with added instrumentation and vocals, and also used lyrics from an Adrian Belew solo song (“All Her Love Is Mine”) as a linking theme across four songs. It did, however, confirm the band’s return to more diverse songwriting and instrumentation, with a greater reliance on space and Soundscapes and with Mastelotto using more ProjeKCt-style percussion textures. Songs such as “EleKtrik” fused 1970s, 1980s and 21st century Crimson styles, and the album ran the gamut from metal to ambient. Once again, the band toured to support the album, resulting in the 2003 live album , recorded in Tokyo.

In late November 2003, Trey Gunn announced his departure from King Crimson. He would continue his active association with Mastelotto in projects such as TU and KTU, as well as leading his own band. Tony Levin was subsequently reinstalled as King Crimson’s bass player, reconvening with Fripp, Belew and Mastelotto for rehearsals in early 2004. However, nothing followed on from this and while the band did not formally split, it was placed on hold for another three years.

"On hold" (2004-2007)

By this point, Fripp was continually reassessing King Crimson in view of his dislike of the music industry and what he saw as the unsympathetic side of touring. While this did not break up the band, it contributed to changes in approach. During the four years of King Crimson inactivity, Fripp continued to nurture the Discipline Global Mobile label and to tour solo Soundscapes. Levin continued with sessions and his own Tony Levin Band. Belew embarked on another round of solo career activity, including work with his new Adrian Belew Power Trio, while Mastellotto continued his side work with Trey Gunn (mostly in the band TU) and others.

King Crimson, lineup 7 (late 2007-2009)

A new King Crimson line-up was announced in late 2007, consisting of Fripp, Belew, Levin, Mastelotto, and a new second drummer – Gavin Harrison (the band’s first new British member since 1972). Although best known as the drummer for Porcupine Tree (a position he continues to hold alongside his King Crimson work), Harrison had a formidable reputation as one of the best session drummers in the music industry and had had a long career including work with Level 42, The Lodge, Jakko Jakszyk, Sam Brown and innumerable others.

The new five-man lineup began rehearsals in spring 2008. In August of the same year, the band set out on a brief four-city tour in preparation for the group's 40th Anniversary in 2009. Live, the band revealed an increasingly drum-centric direction but no new material or any extended improvisations. However, many of the pieces from the back catalogue received striking new arrangements, most notably the renditions of "Neurotica," "Sleepless," and "Level Five", all of which were given percussion-heavy overhauls, presumably to highlight the return to the dual-drummer format.

On 20 August 2008, DGMLive issued a download-only release of the 7 August 2008 concert in Chicago, with more recordings from the New York shows scheduled for availability in the near future. More rehearsals and shows had been intended for 2009, but these were cancelled following scheduling clashes with various members' other projects and developments with Fripp's own priorities.

On 8 July 2008, King Crimson members Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto played on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City in a special event under the group name The Friends of Crimson King. During the performance, they were joined by California Guitar Trio, Eric Slick, Julie Slick, Primus bassist Les Claypool, and acadian singer Kevin Parent. They played some of King Crimson most well-known songs such as Elephant Talk and Thela Hun Ginjeet.

Current hiatus (2009-present)

King Crimson is currently on hiatus pending further developments (in particular Fripp's ongoing litigation against King Crimson's outstanding debtors, as well as his attempts to settle his own financial debts and organise his personal life). During 2009 and 2010, Belew revealed in various interviews that he had discussed reactivating King Crimson with Fripp but that the band was "on leave right now for an indeterminate amount of time..." In June 2010, Belew suggested reuniting the 1980s King Crimson lineup of himself, Fripp, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford for a 30th anniversary tour (while also stating that this did not constitute a rejection of Mastelotto or Harrison as current King Crimson drummers).). The reunion idea was politely turned down by Bruford and Fripp, with the former commenting that "it’s precisely because I loved the '80s band so much that I would be highly unlikely to try to recreate the same thing, a mission I fear destined to failure." while the latter pleaded commitment to other activities (using the expression "rather than saying no, I can't say yes") and commented that he would "rather spend his energies toward new (King Crimson) music, although not in the near future."

In September 2008, a line-up called Crimson Project with Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Eddie Jobson and Eric Slick (from the Adrian Belew Power Trio) played a short set at a Russian festival.

Musical style & influences

Music sourced from outside the rock canon

As with most of the progressive rock bands with whom they're associated, King Crimson initially drew on a wide variety of music that they then synthesised into complex, ornate and ambitious original material. The band's music was initially grounded in the rock of the 1960s, especially the acid rock and psychedelic rock movements. The band played Donovan's "Get Thy Bearings" in concert, As a result of this influence, In the Court of the Crimson King is frequently viewed as the nominal starting point of the symphonic rock or progressive rock movements. Steve Reich, and Terry Riley. For its 1994 reunion, King Crimson reassessed both the mid-1970s and 1980s approaches in the light of new technology, intervening music forms such as grunge, and further developments in industrial music, as well as expanding the band's ambient textural content via Fripp's Soundscapes looping approach. More recent band phases have successfully incorporated a high-speed electronic rhythmic approach derived from techno, drum and bass and sampler culture.

Compositional approaches

Several King Crimson compositional approaches have remained constant from the earliest versions of the band to the present. These include:

the use of a gradually building rhythmic motif. These include "The Devil's Triangle" (an adaptation and variation on the Gustav Holst piece Mars played by the original King Crimson, based on a complex pulse in 5/4 time over which a skirling melody is played Mellotron), 1972's "The Talking Drum" (from Larks' Tongues in Aspic), 1984's "Industry" (from Three of a Perfect Pair) and 2003's "Dangerous Curves" (from The Power to Believe and the Level Five EP).

an instrumental piece (often embedded as a break in a song) in which the band plays an ensemble passage of considerable rhythmic and polyrhythmic complexity. An early example is the band's initial signature tune "21st Century Schizoid Man", but the Larks' Tongues in Aspic series of compositions (as well as pieces of similar intent such as "THRaK" and "Level Five") go deeper into polyrhythmic complexity, delving into rhythms that wander into and out of general synchronisation with each other, but that all 'finish' together through polyrhythmic synchronisation. These polyrhythms were particularly abundant in the band's 1980s work, which contained gamelan-like rhythmic layers and continual overlaid staccato patterns in counterpoint. the composition of difficult solo passages for individual instruments, such as the guitar break on "Fracture" on Starless and Bible Black. Most of the band's performances over the years have included at least one stand-alone improvisation where the band simply started playing and took the music wherever it went, sometimes including passages of restrained silence, as with Bill Bruford's contribution to the improvised "Trio". The earliest example of an unambiguously improvising King Crimson on record is the spacious, oft-criticised extended coda of "Moonchild" from In the Court of the Crimson King.

{{Quote box | bgcolor=#EEEEEE | quoted=true | quote =We're so different from each other that one night someone in the band will play something that the rest of us have never heard before and you just have to listen for a second. Then you react to his statement, usually in a different way than they would expect. It's the improvisation that makes the group amazing for me. You know, taking chances. There is no format really in which we fall into. We discover things while improvising and if they're really basically good ideas we try and work them in as new numbers, all the while keeping the improvisation thing alive and continually expanding. | source =King Crimson violinist David Cross on the mid-'70s band's approach to improvisation Individual soloing is largely eschewed; each musician is to listen to each other and to the group sound, to be able to react creatively within the group dynamic. A slightly similar method of continuous improvisation ("everybody solos and nobody solos") was initially used by King Crimson's jazz-fusion contemporaries Weather Report. Fripp has used the metaphor of "white magic" to describe this process, in particular when the method works particularly well.

Influence on other bands

King Crimson have been influential both on the early 1970s progressive rock movement and numerous contemporary artists.

First-wave progressive rock bands such as Genesis and Yes were directly influenced by the band's initial style of symphonic mellotron rock, Tool are widely held to have been heavily influenced by King Crimson, with their vocalist Maynard James Keenan even joking on a tour with them that "Now you know who we ripped off. Just don't tell anyone, especially the members of King Crimson."

King Crimson have frequently been cited as pioneers of progressive metal. Members of both Iron Maiden and Mudvayne have cited King Crimson as an influence. The angular, dissonant guitar patterns associated with Fripp’s distinctive approach are also evident in the music of Thrash-Metal pioneers Voivod, especially in the band’s mid-period work. Voivod also did a cover of "21st Century Schizoid Man" on their 1997 recording Phobos.

King Crimson have also provided source material and inspiration for hip-hop and dance music acts. Rap star Kanye West sampled King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" on his 2010 single "Power" and British hip-hoppers The Brotherhood used a prominent sample from "Starless" to open their debut album. British techno/house music act Opus III covered "I Talk to the Wind" on their 1992 album Mind Fruit and released the track as a single.

Membership

King Crimson has had 18 musicians pass through its ranks as full band members. Many others have collaborated with the band at various points in lyric-writing, the studio and in live performance. Most of the musicians who have been members of King Crimson had notable musical careers outside the band, to the extent that it has been calculated that there are over a thousand releases on which members and former members of King Crimson appear.

Leadership

Robert Fripp has been the sole consistent member of King Crimson throughout the group’s history. He has stated that he does not necessarily consider himself the band's leader and instead describes King Crimson as "a way of doing things". Fripp has also noted that he never originally intended to be seen as the head of the group. However, Fripp has strongly dominated the band’s musical approach and compositional approach since their second album (albeit with other members tending to write the more song-oriented elements, to the point where other members have left the band because of creative frustration – notably Ian McDonald, Gordon Haskell and Mel Collins). Trey Gunn, who played with the group between 1994 and 2003, has stated that "King Crimson is Robert’s vision. Period."

Current band

Robert Fripp — guitars, guitar synthesiser/MIDI guitar, Soundscapes, electric piano, Mellotron, keyboards, allsorts (1969–present)

Adrian Belew — lead vocals, guitars, guitar synthesiser/MIDI guitar, electronic percussion (1981–present)

Tony Levin — bass guitars, Chapman Stick, upright bass, synthesiser, backing vocals (1981–1999; 2003–present)

Pat Mastelotto — acoustic and electronic drums and percussion (1994–present)

Gavin Harrison — drums (2007–present)

Former members

Greg Lake — bass guitar, vocals and tambourine (1969–1970)

Michael Giles — drums, vocals (1969–1970)

Ian McDonald — saxophone, clarinet, flute, mellotron, vibes, vocals (1969; 1974)

Peter Sinfield — lyrics, synthesiser (1969–1971)

Mel Collins — saxophone, flute, vocals, mellotron (1970–1972; 1974)

Gordon Haskell — bass guitar, vocals (1970)

Andy McCulloch — drums (1970)

Boz Burrell — bass guitar, vocals (1971–1972)

Ian Wallace — drums, percussion, vocals (1971–1972)

John Wetton — bass guitar, vocals, occasional electric guitar and piano (1972–1974)

Jamie Muir — percussion, allsorts (1972–1973)

Bill Bruford — acoustic and electronic drums and percussion (1972–1998)

David Cross — violin, viola, flute, mellotron, electric piano, keyboards (1972–1974)

Trey Gunn — Warr guitar, Chapman Stick, baritone guitar, Ashbory silicone-string bass, "talker" (1994–2003)

Additional/guest musicians and lyricists

Peter Giles — bass guitar on In the Wake of Poseidon

Keith Tippett — acoustic and electric pianos on In The Wake Of Poseidon, Lizard and Islands

Rick Kemp — bass guitar, played for two weeks in band prior to recording of 'Islands' and Boz Burrell's hiring

Mark Charig — cornet on Lizard, Islands and Red (from Keith Tippett Sextet and Centipede)

Nick Evans — trombone on Lizard and Islands

Harry Miller — double bass on Islands

Robin Miller — oboe on Lizard, Islands and Red

Paulina Lucas—soprano vocals (Islands).

Jon Anderson — guest lead vocals on Lizard (from Yes)

Eddie Jobson — violin and electric piano studio overdubs on USA

Richard Palmer-James — lyrics on Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Starless And Bible Black and Red

Margaret Belew—source text for "Indiscipline" (on Discipline) and lyrics for "Two Hands" (on Beat). (Margaret Belew was an artist and was also Adrian Belew's wife during the time of King Crimson lineup 4).

Personnel / album chart

Deaths of former members

Former singer and bass player Boz Burrell died on 21 September 2006 following a heart attack, Five months later, on 22 February 2007, former drummer Ian Wallace died of esophageal cancer.

Selected Discography (studio albums)

In the Court of the Crimson King (October 1969); US #28 UK #5

In the Wake of Poseidon (May 1970); US #31 UK #4

Lizard (December 1970); US #113 UK #29

Islands (December 1971); US #76 UK #30

Larks' Tongues in Aspic (March 1973); US #61 UK #20

Starless and Bible Black (June 1974); US #64 UK #28

Red (November 1974); US #66 UK #45

Discipline (September 1981); US #45

Beat (June 1982); US #52 UK #39

Three of a Perfect Pair (March 1984); US #58 UK #30

Thrak (April 1995); US #83 UK #58

The ConstruKction of Light (May 2000)

The Power to Believe (March 2003); US #150

Reissues

In 1999, Robert Fripp collaborated with Virgin Records on a gradual reissue of the complete pre-1994 King Crimson catalogue. Various "definitive editions" followed.

DGM has announced details of the first three reissues in the revamping of the King Crimson back catalogue, to be released in September and October 2009 as CD/DVDA editions. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree has been working on these over the past year, restoring the multi-track tapes from the best possible sources, remixing the albums into 5.1 surround sound, mixing unreleased tracks and alternate takes from the master tapes for the first time, and in some cases also creating new stereo mixes that enhance the sonics of the originals significantly. All of this work has been personally overseen by Robert Fripp, who also took part in the stereo remixing. The first three titles are Red, In the Court of the Crimson King (released as close to the exact 40th anniversary of its original release as possible), and Lizard. October 2010 saw reissues of In the Wake of Poseidon and Islands.

Further reissues in the works include Thrak, with engineering by Jakko Jakszyk.

References

:*

Notes

External links

Discipline Global Mobile Live

Elephant Talk

Discography

King Crimson and The Marquee Club

Krimson News

ProjeKction

LinkedIn Group King Crimson

Category:1960s music groups Category:1970s music groups Category:1980s music groups Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups Category:Art rock musical groups Category:Island Records artists Category:British experimental musical groups Category:Free improvisation ensembles Category:Musical groups established in 1969 Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1994 Category:English progressive rock groups Category:Musical quartets Category:Musical quintets Category:Musical sextets

Coordinates	38°53′39″N77°2′54″N
Name	Robert Fripp
Landscape	yes
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Born	May 16, 1946Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England
Instrument	Guitar, keyboards
Genre	Progressive rock, psychedelic rock, jazz fusion, ambient, instrumental rock
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer
Years active	1968–present
Label	E.G., Polydor, Discipline Global Mobile
Associated acts	King Crimson, Fripp & Eno, Brian Eno, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, David Sylvian, League of Gentlemen, Van der Graaf Generator, G3, Porcupine Tree, Toyah Willcox, Andy Summers, Trey Gunn, Theo Travis, Slow Music Project
Url	Robert Fripp's Diary
Notable instruments	Gibson Les PaulRoland Synth Guitar

Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer best known for being a guitarist for, and the only constant member of, progressive rock band King Crimson. His work, spanning four decades, encompasses a variety of musical styles. Fripp was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" (published August 2003). In 2010, Fripp was ranked #47 on Gibson.com’s Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.

Career

Early career

Fripp was born in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England. His earliest professional work began in 1967, when he responded to an ad looking for a singing organist for a band being formed by bassist Peter Giles and drummer Michael Giles, despite being neither a singer nor an organist. Though unsuccessful as a live act, Giles, Giles and Fripp did manage to release two singles, as well as an album, The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp.

Early King Crimson

Following the band's break-up, Fripp, along with drummer Michael Giles, made plans for the formation of King Crimson in 1968, with Greg Lake, Peter Sinfield and Ian McDonald. Their first album, In the Court of the Crimson King, was released in late 1969 to great success, and is now known as one of the most influential albums in the history of progressive rock. Because of musical differences with Giles and McDonald, King Crimson broke up shortly after the release of the first album, to be re-formed again several times over the years. Initially Fripp offered to leave the group; however, Giles and McDonald announced that they were going to leave regardless, and so Fripp remained instead in order to keep Crimson going. He has remained the only consistent member of the band since. Crimson went through a number of line-ups before Fripp disbanded the group for the first time in 1974.

Side projects and collaborations

During King Crimson's less active periods, Fripp has pursued a number of side-projects. He worked with Keith Tippett (and others who appeared on King Crimson records) on projects far from rock music, producing Centipede's Septober Energy in 1971 and Ovary Lodge in 1973. During this period he also worked with Van der Graaf Generator, playing on the 1970 album H to He, Who Am the Only One, and in 1971, on Pawn Hearts. Collaborating with Brian Eno, he recorded (No Pussyfooting) in 1972, and Evening Star in 1974. These two albums featured experimentation with several novel musical techniques, including a tape delay system utilising dual reel to reel Revox tape machines that would come to play a central role in Fripp's later work. This system came to be known as "Frippertronics". Also in 1974, Fripp performed the blistering guitar solo on "Baby's on Fire," perhaps the best-known track on Eno's debut solo album Here Come the Warm Jets. In 1975, Fripp and Eno played several live shows in Europe, and Fripp also contributed melodic and soaring guitar solos throughout Eno's groundbreaking Another Green World album.

Fripp spent some time away from the music industry in the later 1970s, during which he cultivated an interest in the teachings of Gurdjieff via J. G. Bennett (studies which would later be influential in his work with Guitar Craft). He returned to musical work as a studio guitarist on Peter Gabriel's first self-titled album in 1976, released the following year. Fripp toured with Gabriel to support the album, but remained out of sight (either in the wings or behind a curtain) and used the pseudonym "Dusty Rhodes."

In 1977, Fripp received a phone call from Eno, who was working on David Bowie's album "Heroes". Fripp agreed to play guitar for the album, a move that initiated a series of collaborations with other musicians. Fripp soon contributed his musical and production talents to Peter Gabriel's second album, and collaborated with Daryl Hall on Sacred Songs. During this period, Fripp began working on solo material, with contributions from poet/lyricist Joanna Walton and several other musicians, including Eno, Gabriel, and Hall, as well as Peter Hammill, Jerry Marotta, Phil Collins, Tony Levin and Terre Roche. This material eventually became his first solo album, Exposure, released in 1979, followed by the Frippertronics tour in the same year. While living in New York, Fripp contributed to albums and live performances by Blondie and Talking Heads (Fear of Music), and produced The Roches' first album, which featured several of Fripp's characteristic guitar solos. A second set of creative sessions with David Bowie produced distinctive guitar parts on Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980).

Fripp's collaboration with bassist Busta Jones, drummer Paul Duskin, and vocals by David Byrne (Byrne credited as Absalm el Habib) produced God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners in the following year. He simultaneously assembled what he called a "second-division touring new wave instrumental dance band" under the name League of Gentlemen, with bassist Sara Lee, keyboardist Barry Andrews and drummer Johnny Toobad (later replaced by Kevin Wilkinson). The LOG toured for the duration of 1980.

In the early and mid 1990s Fripp contributed guitar/soundscapes to Lifeforms (1994) by The Future Sound of London and Cydonia (released 2001) by The Orb, as well as FFWD, a collaborative effort with the latter's members. In addition, Fripp worked with Brian Eno co-writing and supplying guitar to two tracks for a CD-ROM project released in 1994 entitled Headcandy created by Chris Juul and Doug Jipson. Eno thought the visual aspects of the disc (video feedback effects) were very disappointing upon completion, and regretted participation. During this period, Fripp also contributed to albums by No-Man (a band featuring Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson) and The Beloved (1994's Flowermouth and 1996's X, respectively). He also contributed soundscapes and guitar to two albums by the UK band Iona: 1993's Beyond These Shores and 1996's Journey into the Morn. He also provided guitar and soundscapes for Porcupine Tree's album Fear of a Blank Planet

King Crimson again

1981 saw the formation of King Crimson's fourth incarnation, along with Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, and Tony Levin. The group was conceptualised under the name Discipline, but it came to Fripp's attention that the members thought the name King Crimson was more appropriate. For Fripp, King Crimson had always been a way of doing things, rather than a particular group of musicians, and the group felt that their music captured that methodology. After releasing three albums (Discipline, Beat, Three of a Perfect Pair), this new King Crimson broke up in 1984.

During this period Fripp made two records with his old friend Andy Summers of The Police. On I Advance Masked, Fripp and Summers played all the instruments. Bewitched was dominated more by Summers, who produced the record and collaborated with other musicians in addition to Fripp.

In 1982 Fripp produced and played guitar on Keep On Doing by The Roches. As in his previous guesting on David Bowie's Scary Monsters (which also boasted Pete Townshend and Chuck Hammer on infinite sustain guitar), the "skysaw" guitar style that characterised this period of Fripp's pedagogy is featured alongside the sisters' songs and harmony.

Guitar Craft

Fripp was offered a teaching position at the American Society for Continuous Education (ASCE) in Claymont Court, West Virginia in 1984. He had been involved with the ASCE since 1978, eventually serving on its board of directors, and had long been considering the idea of teaching guitar. His course, Guitar Craft, was begun in 1985, an offshoot of which was a performance group, "The League of Crafty Guitarists", which has released several albums. In 1986, he released the first of two collaborations with his wife, Toyah Willcox. The members of the California Guitar Trio are former members of The League of Crafty Guitarists, and Gitbox Rebellion includes several former Guitar Craft students. The California Guitar Trio has also toured with King Crimson.

In February 2009, Fripp recommended that Guitar Craft cease to exist on its 25th anniversary in 2010.

Soundscapes

Fripp returned to recording solo in 1994, using an updated version of the Frippertronics technique that creates loops employing digital technology instead of analogue tapes. Fripp has released a number of records that he called "Soundscapes", including 1999, Radiophonics, A Blessing of Tears, That Which Passes, November Suite, The Gates of Paradise, Love Cannot Bear and At the End of Time, as well as numerous download-only live recordings. (The sampler Pie Jesu consists of material compiled from A Blessing of Tears and The Gates of Paradise.) On the Soundscapes recordings, the inner workings of the music are not as clearly laid bare as they are on Let the Power Fall, perhaps because of the greater possibilities offered by the new technology.

Sylvian / Fripp

Fripp's collaborations with David Sylvian feature some of his most exuberant guitar playing. Fripp contributed to Sylvian's twenty minute track "Steel Cathedrals" from his album of 1985. Then Fripp performed on several tracks from Sylvian's 1986 release, Gone to Earth.

At some point in late 1991, Fripp had asked Sylvian to become the vocalist for the reforming King Crimson. Sylvian declined the invitation, but proposed a possible collaboration between the two that would eventually become a tour of Japan and Italy in the spring of 1992. In July 1993, Sylvian and Fripp released the collaborative effort The First Day. Other contributors were soon-to-be King Crimson member Trey Gunn on stick and nearly-was King Crimson member Jerry Marotta on drums. When the group toured to promote the CD, future King Crimson member Pat Mastelotto took over the drumming spot. The live document Damage was released in 1994, as was the joint venture, Redemption - Approaching Silence, which featured Sylvian's ambient sound sculptures (Approaching Silence) accompanying Fripp reading his own text (Redemption).

King Crimson redux

In late 1994, Fripp re-formed the 1981 lineup of King Crimson for its fifth incarnation, adding Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelotto in a configuration known as the "double trio" (the lineup included two guitars, two bass/Stick players and two drummers). This lineup released the VROOOM EP in 1994, and the Thrak full album in 1995; also in 1994 he supplied guitar textures on the track Flak on The Future Sound of London's album Lifeforms.

From 1997 to 1999, and again in 2006, the band King Crimson "fraKctalised" into five sub-groups known as ProjeKcts.

2000 saw the release of a studio album, The ConstruKction of Light, from a sixth lineup of King Crimson (Fripp, Adrian Belew, Trey Gunn, Pat Mastelotto) with The Power to Believe following in 2003. At the end of the year Gunn decided to leave the band. In March 2004, a seventh lineup had been formulated and practised with Tony Levin returning to replace Trey Gunn, although nothing happened beyond a few studio rehearsals and the band remained inactive again until 2007.

In 2007 Gavin Harrison joined the group to perform as a second drummer, and this new lineup played a short tour in the eastern US in August 2008. As yet there has been no definite word on anything further.

Recent work

During 2004, Fripp toured with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as the guitar trio G3.

Robert Fripp worked at Microsoft's studios to record new sounds and atmospheres for Windows Vista.

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In late 2005 and early 2006, Fripp joined Bill Rieflin's improvisational Slow Music project, along with guitarist Peter Buck, Fred Chalenor (acoustic bass), Matt Chamberlain (drums) and Hector Zazou (electronics). This collective of musicians toured the west coast in May 2006.

In October 2006, ProjeKct Six (Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew) played at select venues on the east coast of the U.S., opening for Porcupine Tree.

Throughout 2006, Fripp performed many solo concerts of soundscapes in intimate settings, especially in churches around the West Midlands in England, where he lives.

Fripp has contributed soundscapes to two songs for Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet. He is featured on the tracks "Way Out Of Here" and "Nil Recurring," the second of which was released in September 2007 as part of the "Nil Recurring" EP. Robert has also sporadically performed Soundscapes as an opening act for Porcupine Tree on various tours from 2006 through 2009.

In 2008, he collaborated with Theo Travis on 'Thread', an album of guitar & flute or saxophone duets. They also did some live concerts in England in mid-2009 in support of that album.

Fripp also played a 2009 concert with the band The Humans, which consists of his wife Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong. The performance in Tartu marked the release of The Humans's first album We Are the Humans.

Fripp (along with Pat Mastelotto and others) appears on Judy Dyble's (Giles, Giles & Fripp; Fairport Convention; Trader Horne) album Talking With Strangers released August 2009. Fripp also played on two tracks on Jakko M. Jakszyk's album The Bruised Romantic Glee Club and has been collaborating, casually, with Jakszyk and former Crimson member Mel Collins. Jakszyk is married to Michael Giles' younger daughter Amanda.

Equipment

During the early years of King Crimson (1969–1974), Fripp used two Gibson Les Paul from years '57 and '59, the 57' guitar featuring three humbucker pickups (with one volume control on the pickguard controlling the middle pickup). A signature model named for the guitarist (Crimson Guitars Robert Fripp Signature) features Fernandes Sustainer and MIDI elements, with a Les Paul Model Body. Another difference from the Gibson Les Paul is that Fripp´s guitar is built in one piece, not with the set-in neck.

Guitar technique

Fripp began playing guitar at the age of eleven. He says he was tone deaf with no sense of rhythm when he started. His comment on dealing with the obstacle is "Music so wishes to be heard that it sometimes calls on unlikely characters to give it voice."

While being taught guitar basics by his teacher Don Strike (who Fripp described as "a very good player in the thirties style"), he began to develop the technique of crosspicking, which would later become a significant technique taught in Guitar Craft.

In 1985, Fripp began using a tuning he called "New Standard tuning", which would also become the official tuning of Guitar Craft.

Fripp's guitar technique, unlike most rock guitarists of his era, is not blues-based but rather influenced by avant-garde jazz and European classical music, combining rapid alternate picking with motifs employing whole-tone or diminished pitch structures, continuous cross-picked (and polka-influenced) sixteenth-note patterns for long stretches in a form called moto perpetuo (perpetual motion). From December 1987 until July 1999 they lived at and renovated Reddish House, the former home of Cecil Beaton, in Broad Chalke Wiltshire. At present his home is in Pershore, Worcestershire. He also participates in public speaking events with his sister Patricia, who herself is a highly reputable keynote speaker and speech coach.

Discography

1968 The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp

1973 (No Pussyfooting) (with Brian Eno)

1975 Evening Star (with Brian Eno)

1979 Exposure

1980 God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners

1981 The League of Gentlemen (with the League of Gentlemen)

1981

1982 I Advance Masked (with Andy Summers)

1984 Bewitched (with Andy Summers)

1985 Network

1985 God Save The King (with the League of Gentlemen)

1986 The League of Crafty Guitarists Live!

1986 The Lady or the Tiger (with Toyah Willcox)

1990 Show of Hands (with The League of Crafty Guitarists)

1991 Kneeling at the Shrine (with Sunday All Over The World)

1993 The First Day (with David Sylvian)

1993 Darshan (The Road To Graceland) (with David Sylvian)

1993 The Bridge Between (as 'Robert Fripp String Quintet' with Trey Gunn and the California Guitar Trio)

1994

1994 (with David Sylvian)

1994 Redemption-Approaching Silence (with David Sylvian)

1994 FFWD (with The Orb)

1995

1995 (live)

1995 (live)

1996 (live)

1996 Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx (with the League of Gentlemen)

1997

1997 Pie Jesu

1998 The Gates of Paradise

1998 Lightness: for the Marble Palace (for Brian Eno)

1999 The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior (with Bill Rieflin and Trey Gunn)

2000 A Temple in the Clouds (with Jeffrey Fayman)

2004 The Equatorial Stars (with Brian Eno)

2005 Love Cannot Bear (Soundscapes - Live In The USA)

2006 The Cotswold Gnomes (with Brian Eno)

2007 At the End of Time (Churchscapes Live in England and Estonia)

2007 Beyond Even (1992 - 2006) (with Brian Eno)

2008 Thread (with Theo Travis)

Notes

References

Robert Fripp: From King Crimson to Guitar Craft, Eric Tamm, Faber and Faber, 1990, ISBN 0-571-12912-9 (online version of book)

In the Court of King Crimson, Sid Smith, Helter Skelter Publishing, 2001, ISBN 1-900924-26-9

External links

Robert Fripp's Diary

Discipline Global Mobile - An independent record label founded by Fripp.

Robert Fripp Speaking Engagements

Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:English experimental musicians Category:English rock guitarists Category:G3 Category:Progressive rock guitarists Category:King Crimson members Category:Lead guitarists Category:People from Wimborne Minster

Coordinates	38°53′39″N77°2′54″N
Name	John Wetton
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	John Kenneth Wetton
Born	June 12, 1949Willington, Derby, England
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, producer
Genre	Progressive rock, hard rock, pop rock, AOR, jazz fusion
Instrument	Bass, vocals, guitar, keyboards
Associated acts	Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, UK, Wishbone Ash, Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash, Asia, Phenomena, Renaissance, Qango, Brian Eno
Years active	1965–present
Label	E.G. RecordsMesa RecordsEclipse RecordsEagle RecordsAvalon RecordsGiant Electric PeaFrontiers RecordsVoiceprint Records
Url	Official website
Notable instruments	Fender Precision BassZon Legacy

John Kenneth Wetton (born 12 June 1949) is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s. He initially rose to fame in progressive rock with bands such as Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry, Uriah Heep, UK, and Wishbone Ash. His biggest commercial success was as the frontman and principal songwriter of the supergroup Asia. Their self-titled debut album sold 8 million copies worldwide and was Billboard magazine's #1 album of 1982.

Career

Wetton achieved his bass guitar sound utilising a 1961 Fender Precision Bass, amplified through tubes. This style and approach was particularly evident during his stint with King Crimson from 1972 until 1974. Known initially for his bass guitar sound, Wetton's vocal and songwriting abilities garnered attention with his work in the band Asia in the early 1980s. Recorded highlights of Wetton's career include King Crimson's Larks' Tongues In Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), Red (1974), UK's self-titled debut (1978) (reuniting the King Crimson rhythm section of Wetton and Bill Bruford) and Asia's self-titled debut (1982), the last being the biggest seller of his career. In 1986 he also contributed to Phenomena II and had a #1 hit with the single "Did It All For Love" in South America. Since the early 1990s, Wetton has released several solo albums, including studio albums Voice Mail/Battle Lines, Arkangel, Sinister/Welcome to Heaven and Rock of Faith, and a number of live recordings from his solo tours around the world. Wetton also created the Icon project with fellow Asia bandmate Geoff Downes. The duo have recorded three studio albums of original material (ICON, ICON II/Rubicon and Icon 3) and live releases.

Wetton has done extensive work as a session musician with acts such as Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera. Through his connection with George Martin, Wetton also played bass on Only Visiting This Planet by Larry Norman, recorded in 1972 and produced by Martin. The album has been voted "The Best Contemporary Christian Album of All Time" by Contemporary Christian Music magazine. He also played bass on the 1973 Malcolm and Alwyn gospel beat music album Fool's Wisdom, another Larry Norman connection.

Wetton rejoined the other original members of Asia (Downes, Steve Howe and Carl Palmer) in early 2006 to announce a 25th anniversary world tour. This line-up performed a series of dates in the United States in September 2006, and in the United Kingdom in November/December 2006. The band also spent much of 2007 on the road, with shows in North and South America, Europe and Asia. A new Asia studio album titled Phoenix, the original band's first since 1983's Alpha, was released in April 2008 and peaked at #73 on the North American Top 200 albums charts.

Personal life

Wetton has struggled with alcoholism in the past. While on tour in 1983, Asia replaced him with bassist and vocalist Greg Lake (previously of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and also a King Crimson alumnus), because of his drinking problem. Wetton has been sober since June 2005.

In August 2007 Wetton underwent heart surgery which placed the remainder of Asia's 2007 tour and recording plans on hold until he recovered. The band, including Wetton, released their new album entitled Phoenix worldwide in April 2008. Artist Roger Dean was commissioned to create the cover art. This release was followed by a world tour.

Wetton is left-handed but plays bass and guitar right-handed.

Discography

;With Mogul Thrash

Mogul Thrash, 1971

;With Gordon Haskell

It Is and It Isn't, 1971

;With Family

Fearless, 1971

Bandstand, 1972

;With Larry Norman

Only Visiting This Planet, 1972

;With Malcolm and Alwyn

Fool's Wisdom, 1973

;With Peter Banks

Two Sides of Peter Banks, 1973

;With King Crimson

Larks' Tongues in Aspic, April 1973; US #61 UK #20

Starless and Bible Black, June 1974; US #64 UK #28

Red, October 1974; US #66 UK #45

USA, (Recorded live June 1974, released 1975, expanded edition 2002)

;With Bryan Ferry

Another Time, Another Place, July 1974; UK #4

Let's Stick Together, September 1976; UK #19, US #160

In Your Mind, February 1977; UK #5, US #126, Aust #1

The Bride Stripped Bare, September 1978

;With Roxy Music

Viva!, July 1976

;With Uriah Heep

Return To Fantasy, 1975; UK #7, US #85

High and Mighty, 1976; UK #56, US #161

;With UK

U.K., 1978

Danger Money, 1979

Night After Night, 1979 - Live

Concert Classics, Vol. 4, 1999 - Live, unauthorized

;With Roger Chapman

Mail Order Magic, 1980

Hyenas Only Laugh for Fun, 1981

;With Wishbone Ash

Number the Brave, 1981, MCA Records

;With Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash

Argus Through The Looking Glass, 2008, Mystic Records

;With Asia

Asia, 1982; #1 US, #15 JP

Alpha, 1983; #6 US, #4 JP

Astra, 1985; #67 US, #15 JP

Then & Now, 1990; #114 US, #24 JP

Live in Moscow, 1990

The Very Best of Asia: Heat of the Moment (1982–1990), 2000

Definitive Collection, 2006; #183 US

Fantasia: Live in Tokyo, 2007

Phoenix, 2008 #73 US #28 JP

Omega, 2010

;With Steve Hackett

1997

The Tokyo Tapes 1998

;Solo albums

Caught in the Crossfire, 1980, E'G/Polydor Records

King's Road, 1972-1980, 1987, E'G/Virgin Records

Voice Mail / Battle Lines, 1992 / 1995, Pony Canyon/JWL

Arkangel, 1997, Eagle Records

Chasing the Deer (film soundtrack), 1998, Blueprint Records

Monkey Business (with Richard Palmer-James), 1998, Blueprint Records

Welcome to Heaven / Sinister, 2000, Avalon Records

Rock of Faith, 2003, Giant Electric Pea Records

;With Phil Manzanera

Diamond Head, 1975

K Scope, 1978

Wetton Manzanera, 1987, Geffen Records

;With Daniele Liverani

Genius A Rock Opera - Episode 1, 2002

;With Alan Simon

''Excalibur - The Celtic Ring"

;With Geoff Downes

Wetton Downes (Demo Collection), 2001, Stallion Records/E1 Music

Icon, 2005, Frontiers Records/UMe Digital (US)

Acoustic TV Broadcast, 2006, Frontiers Records

, 2006, Frontiers Records

Icon 3, 2009, Frontiers Records

;EPs

Heat of the Moment '05 (with Geoff Downes), 2005, Frontiers Records

;Live albums

Chasing the Dragon, 1995, Eclipse Records

Akustika, 1996, Blueprint Records

Hazy Monet Live in New York, 1998, Blueprint Records

Live in Tokyo, 1998, Blueprint Records

Sub Rosa Live in Milan Italy, 1998, Blueprint Records

Nomansland Live in Poland, 1999, Giant Electric Pea Records

Live in Argentina, 2002, Blueprint Records

Live in Stockholm 1998, 2003, Blueprint Records

Live in Osaka, 2003, Blueprint Records

Live in the Underworld, 2003, Classic Rock Legends

One Way or Another (with Ken Hensley), 2003, Classic Rock Legends

Amata, 2004, Metal Mind Records

References

External links

Official site

Official Asia Reunion Website

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:English rock bass guitarists Category:English male singers Category:English baritones Category:English rock singers Category:Asia (band) members Category:King Crimson members Category:Uriah Heep members Category:Wishbone Ash members Category:Family (band) members Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People from Bournemouth Category:People from Derbyshire Category:Alumni of Bournemouth School

Coordinates	38°53′39″N77°2′54″N
Alt	Christian Bale in a black suit at a movie premiere.
Caption	Bale in June 2009
Birth name	Christian Charles Philip Bale
Birth date	January 30, 1974
Birth place	Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom In addition to starring roles in big budget Hollywood films, he has long been heavily involved in films produced by independent producers and art houses.

In The Prestige, an adaptation of the Christopher Priest novel about a rivalry between two Victorian stage magicians, Bale was reunited with Batman Begins Michael Caine and director Christopher Nolan. The cast of The Prestige also included Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, and David Bowie. I'm Not There, a film in which Bale again worked alongside Todd Haynes and Heath Ledger (who would go on to play The Joker in The Dark Knight), is an artistic reflection of the life of Bob Dylan. He starred opposite Russell Crowe in a commercially and critically successful Western film, .

Bale was originally cast to play George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's film W., but dropped out due to the prosthetics involved. Bale played John Connor in Terminator Salvation and FBI agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.

Terminator Salvation incident

In July 2008, Bale had an angry tirade on the sets of Terminator Salvation, while filming in New Mexico. In February 2009, the audio recording of the incident was released. The tirade was directed at Shane Hurlbut, director of photography for the film. According to Bale, Hurlbut had, for the second time, ruined his concentration by walking onto the set during a scene. The recording is of a highly agitated Bale directing profanities at Hurlbut, threatening and belittling him, and finally threatening to quit the film if Hurlbut repeated his offence without being fired for it. It was reported that Warner film executives sent the tape to the insurer of the film in case Bale decided to quit the movie. In an interview with E! Online, assistant director and producer of Terminator Salvation, Bruce Franklin, said it was an isolated incident. "If you are working in a very intense scene and someone takes you out of your groove ... It was the most emotional scene in the movie ... [A]nd for him to get stopped in the middle of it. He is very intensely involved in his character. He didn't walk around like that all day long. It was just a moment and it passed", Franklin said.

Actors Whoopi Goldberg and Terry Crews, directors Darren Aronofsky and Ron Howard, as well as Ain't It Cool News website creator Harry Knowles have also publicly defended Bale's actions, some of them citing the practice that crew members are to remain still while the camera is rolling. The incident also inspired experimental band The Mae Shi to write the song, "R U Professional", which features samples from the recording. Stephen Colbert parodied the incident on the 4 February 2009 episode of The Colbert Report, in which guest Steve Martin repeatedly walked in front of the camera and was berated by Colbert. The incident was re-enacted on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, with Inside the Actor's Studio host James Lipton giving performances of both Bale and the crewmember. An episode of the animated comedy series Family Guy also mixed in the voice of Peter Griffin interacting with Bale and reacting to Bale's comments as if they were directed at him to comedic effect.

After remaining silent for most of the week, Bale gave a public apology on 6 February 2009, to a Los Angeles radio station, KROQ. He stated that the outburst was "inexcusable" and that it was motivated by the day's shooting intensity. Bale said he "acted like a punk", and that he and Hurlbut talked after the incident and "resolved this completely". Bale acknowledged that the two worked together for several hours after the incident, and "at least a month after that... I've seen a rough cut of the movie and he has done a wonderful job. It looks fantastic".

Writer/director Joe Carnahan confirmed in November 2007 that Bale is also involved in the upcoming movie Killing Pablo in which he is to play Major Steve Jacoby. According to a Nuts magazine interview, Bale stated that he will be in the running to play the role of Solid Snake in a film adaptation of Metal Gear Solid. In early 2010, Bale was confirmed to be starring in a romantic love story that will be directed by Terrence Malick and will also star Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams and Olga Kurylenko. Niels Arden Oplev, director of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, is to have Bale as lead in his current project The Last Photograph, which Oplev hopes to start filming early 2011.

Personal life

On 29 January 2000, Bale married Sandra "Sibi" Blažić (born 1970), former model, make-up artist and personal assistant to Winona Ryder; the couple have a daughter, Emmeline, who was born on 27 March 2005 in Santa Monica, California. Since 1992, Bale has resided in Los Angeles.

Bale has three elder sisters – Erin Bale, a musician; Sharon Bale, a computer professional; and Louise Bale, a theatre actress and director. The Bale family is deeply rooted in show business, especially theatre. Bale is a distant relative of British actress Lillie Langtry, while his uncle, Rex Bale, and maternal grandfather were actors as well. it was Steinem's first marriage (at the age of 66), and the couple were together until David Bale's death in 2003, aged 62.

Bale has stated that he is a big fan of late comedian Chris Farley and of Farley's film Beverly Hills Ninja.

Film and television credits

Other awards and nominations

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Award category ! Title of work ! Result |- | 2009 | West Point Cadet Choice Awards | Best Exemplification of Leadership | | Won |}

References

External links

Category:1974 births Category:Alumni of Bournemouth School Category:English child actors Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English film actors Category:Living people Category:People from Haverfordwest Category:People from Bournemouth Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area