This a collection I have been looking forward to for a while. Owning his CV and making of US laserdisc, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the DVD version so I could retire my old laserdisc player (again).
This disc spans his career and features all the usual suspects including that Sledgehammer video we all know and love (even though it has probably outworn its welcome by now). The interesting thing is that all of the tracks on this DVD have been remixed for 5.1 sound.
Being someone who pooh-poohs 5.1 mixes, I was pleasantly surprised by the opening Sledehammer mix, which seemed to be based on the 12-inch remix that was done. Anyway, PG really opened up the mix on this one and you can pick out all the instruments clearly. The remixing works well for all of the tracks and breathes new life into Shaking the Tree where you can hear Yossour N’dour’s vocals much more clearly.
HOWEVER, I have a few issues with this DVD. You see, our Peter loves nothing better than to fiddle around with his material. While some tracks (Blood of Eden) sound lovely in 5.1, other tracks have been butchered at his hands. For example your honour, I put forward the case of the missing drum parts in Big Time. This punchy little number starts without any drums! Then they appear four bars into the song. Sacrilege.
In Games Without Frontiers the sliding guitar parts (provided by RF, I believe) have been removed and replaced by synths and Kate Bush’s vocals don’t sound like they used to. Also, this video has fallen victim to the politically correct, left-wing, liberal thought police. Gone are the sections of the video with PG hosting a dinner party for the children. Gone are the bizarre images of PG on all fours marching with the dolls. Instead we have more black and white images taken from the 1950s. Shame on you Peter!
Luckily, my two most favourite PG tracks, Shock the Monkey and Digging in the Dirt, come out unscathed and I was very impressed with the picture quality and knocked out by the sound. The menus are well thought-out and match the DVDs cover styling and there are some extras, including a very old video of Peter riding the escalator for the single “Modern Love”. Wow, they really knew how to make videos in those days!
So for your cash you get a load of videos you probably haven’t seen before, a pot-load of mixes you have never heard before and some good trailers for his other DVD releases. This is a must for any PG fan, though I still find it hard to deal with the savage changes to the material. But then I reckon I need to get out more.
Verdict: one for the Xmas stocking!
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Setlist
My Room
The Siren Song
A Better Time
Gone Ahead
Vision
The Comet, The Course, The Tail
If I Could
Amnesiac
Shingle Song
Patient
Easy to Slip Away
Bubble
Four Pails
Stranger Still
Traintime
Still Life
In The End
This concert was part of the “Mind Your Head 2004” season of shows on the South Bank. The last time I had seen pH was way back in 1997, but both me and The Missus were sick with the flu and were so dosed up with cold medicines that neither of us remember the show too well.
Anyway, this was a solo performance from Hammill and he came on promptly at 8.00pm to a round of applause and immediately performed “My Room”, one of my favourite VDGG numbers, at the piano. I said to the Missus, “OK, we can leave now!” when he had finished. He received raptuous applause and remarked how happy he was to be here. Of course, for those of you who don’t know, pH suffered a heart attack last winter and has only just started to return to live performance.
He then worked through a number of songs at the piano including a track from his new “Incoherence” album and the song “Vision” from “Pawn Hearts”. It was good to hear so many older songs performed such as “A Better Time”, “The Comet, the Course, the Tail”, “Shingle Song” and “So Easy to Slip Away”. It was real mixed bag.
He then moved onto the guitar and performed a couple of songs. My attention was distracted by a rather drunk fellow, who decided to descend from his seat and plonk himself in the aisle right next to me. He proceeded to lurch and falter from side to side, occasionally grunting approval at the proceedings, but most often staring wildly in space and not really “attending” the concert. Luckily, once pH returned to the piano, this drunken fool returned to his seat. Hurrah!
Other songs such “Patient”, “Stranger Still” were well performed and towards the end of the set he even had time to trot out another VDGG track in the shape of “Still Life”. He promised us one encore, which he delivered and then it was off in to the night air.
Because of pH’s immense back catalogue I have missed some of the that he played out. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan, but I am useless at compiling set-lists. I leave that to the proper pH fan-boys.
And I would love to thank the loudmouth Yank whose shouts of “I love you Peter” and “You are fucking awesome, man” etc, always came during the quiet bits. I hope you had a good time.
Anyway, a great gig and I look forward to catching him again with his full band. Not exactly a fun-filled evening (pH’s work isn’t exactly a laugh-a-minute) but a worthwhile excercise in sitting still and concertrating for 1 hour 45 minutes.
So my copy of the Crimson Chronicle arrived today. To recap, this is a 208-page softback book detailing the band King Crimson from its inception as Discipline to the recording of Three of a Perfect Pair.
So how to do you review a book made up of pictures? Hmmm…well there are lots and lots of pictures and they are of the band and band members so that’s a good thing right? Anyway, some of these pics we’ve seen before in the Frame by Frame booklet or on the KCCC releases that cover this period. But there are an awful lot of new photos that I haven’t seen, which is good.
Like you get to see more of the band during its initial rehearsal phase and if you are an equipment junkie, you get to see all their luvverly guitar equipment. The book follows the band chronologically and so you see them perform as Discipline, record the album and then play as King Crimson. OK – some of the shots are repetitive, because it’s just four guys playing in a rock and roll band night after night, but if you are a fan-boy this will tickle your fancy no end.
The book is divided into sections and there are some captions with the photos but most often the images are presented as is with a separate caption list at the back of the book. This is a niggle because you have to keep turning to the back of the book to see where the photos were taken, but this is just a niggle on my part because I don’t want to crease up my nice new book.
There are clever quotes at the beginning of each section and each band member even gets their own separate chapter. For the completist or those of you who didn’t see the band during the 80s (like me) then this is a great purchase. If you don’t get much from photo books like this then this ain’t gonna float your boat either.
I was going to scan some of the pics but this seems like a defeatist action when I can send you to:
http://www.tonylevin.com/crimchron.htm
Because I was an early buyer Tony Levin even signed my copy, which means when I finally do hit the breadline, I’ll recoup some of my losses on eBay. I jest, of course! Now what would be really nice is if someone would put together a similar photobook of the 1969-74, a bit like the YPG scrapbook but without all the words. That would make a lovely companion piece to this.
Anyway, I’ll catch up with you all in 2024, by which time Tony Levin will have compiled volume two of this particular tome.
Phew…that was a tiring week. And now I have reverse jetlag and now I feel awake when I should feel tired (instead of feeling tired when I should be awake). Aha!
Managed to get my booty through the green customs channel. That’s one in the eye for the little guy, right? And so I am now the proud owner of a second-hand Fender Stratacoustic which I bought for a bargain price of $129 (which is about £70). The same guitar I saw in a shop in the UK for £270 – you go and do the math. My other purchase was for an FX pedal…the Boss RC-20XL which is a looping device that can hold up to 16 minutes of musical soup. This isn’t currently available in the UK and was again bought for a bargain price thanks to the generous exchange rate. I haven’t quite got to grips with it yet but it should be a fun toy to play with.
While I was away even more CDs have been flying off the shelves at CDBABY with “Sows’ Ears” being a particular favourite. While it isn’t enough for me to buy a Bentley (you can’t even drive, you fool) it is heartening to know that complete strangers are giving my music a home and a chance. Hurrah! If only I could perform this stuff live…that particular bugbear keeps nagging me at the back of my mind. Live…live…live…if only I could.
Anyway, my very first independant review of “Sows’ Ears & Silk Purses” goes like this.
Brian of Oregon says:
“At 4+ hours for $10, this thing is the ultimate bargain for enthusiasts of tasteful, intelligent electric guitar playing. It’s all over the map stylistically, of varying but never terrible recording quality, and all quite pleasantly listenable with moments of brilliance.”
This truly makes it all worthwhile. And, of course, you can grab your copy by paying a visit to…
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/darrenlock3
Each copy of this has been lovingly rubbed against my codlings before they were sealed into the box.
Shameless self-promoting son-of-a-bitch, ain’t I?
At the moment, I am typing this using the hotel room’s “Internet TV” service – so please excuse typos. Yesterday, I spent fifteen minutes writing a diary entry only for it to disappear into the ether courtesy of this service. Oh well…cheap ‘n’ cheerful, I guess.
Last week, left for USA. Hardest part of the journey was getting stuck in traffic for 30 minutes on the M25 as soon as we entered it from our locale. Not good. The flight was a breeze – though I was shocked by the amount of babies travelling on the flight. When the plane began its descent, they all started bawling as their little ears popped. Poor little mites….their parents should be strung up by their codlings for making them suffer so.
Arrived in the afteroon. The Missus advised me to keep going rather than nap. So I kept going and we mooched around and got something to eat. Went over 24 hours without sleep. When I slept I woke at 5am in the morning (jetlag rules OK). This pattern continued for the next three days.
Hired a car, made the Missus drive immediately onto the freeway in order to conquer her fear of driving on the wrong side of the road. It worked (almost). Had little gas and so we pulled off in some run down part of LA. Nice hispanic man at the gas station showed us how to use the pump. Different from the UK. He was helpful and laughed with us at our British incompentence.
Carried on driving. Got to Irvine. Checked in, went out. Headed for the South Coast Plaza for shopping and snacks. Good fun. Bought Talking Heads CD. Went back to the hotel. The Missus had a nap while I tried to remain cold, stone awake. Went down for the concert. Arrived at the desk but there was no record of me on the computer and so I used my English accent to convince the guy that I had travelled all the way from England for this show. Got a pair of entry bands. Thanks, BarryK. Checked out the “art”.
“Like shooting fish in a barrel,” says cynical me. Though we did chortle at the paper mache dog complete with postman’s hand in its mouth. It reminded us of Rumpus Meridius Maximus who is probably rumping on the sofa 5000+ miles away in Blighty.
Watched gigs. Went back to room. Slept. Left early. Headed to Fashion Island near Newport. Mooched around here for a couple of hours. Headed off again along the Pacific Coast Highway – stopping off here and there. Sat on a bench overlooking Rendondo Beach for 45 minutes – doing our thing, people watching. Do we dare join the good-looking, tanned locals? No, who wants to see our pale flesh exposed? So we shuffled back to the car and continued our journey.
Parked near Santa Monica Beach and had some grub. The turkey and coleslaw sandwich sounded nice on the menu. Went it arrived it was deep fried! Jeez, I felt like Elvis. Afterwards, a walk along the sea front up to Marina del Ray (though not all the way there, I am afraid) was enough to get the greasy sandwich through my digestive system. Walked there and back – stopping to sit and enjoy the evening sunshine and the sand. Back to hotel for deep sleep and waking at five in the morning.
Sunday began with us walking to the Guitar Centre on Sunset. Nice to look around but the staff are just a little too keen to introduce themselves. Let me browse in peace, dagnammit!
Walked back to the hotel in the mid-day heat and went out driving to the Santa Monica shopping complex on Third St. Good mooching. Had tea and a scone in one of the “English” tea rooms around there. The tea was good but the scone was a bit floury for my pallette.
Walking down to the coast and down to the pier. To the end of the pier for photos and staring out to see. Naturally more impressive than Clacton Pier which I had visited in July, but what do you expect. Walked slowly back to the car. Hotel and bed.
Monday morning was my first morning without waking at five am. No more jetlag, hurrah! Went out driving stopped here and there. Visited my favourite Sam Ash music store and bought some musical goodies. Drove around Beverly Hills and the Palisades. Good driving. The Missus made a motoring faux pas and we nearly got squished by a very big juggernaut. Not bad going. One honk the whole weeked. Well done, The Missus.
Stopped by the beach again and walked around before sitting in the sun for 45 minutes. People watching. Police arresting bums. Dogs in the heat. The odd British accent. Had to return early as the Missus begins her professional life for the next couple of days. She spent the night out at some DVD awards (I declined to go, preferring to stay in the room and play with my new musical toys). Watched my first proper evening of American TV and then to bed.
And that brings me up to this moment. Tuesday morning. The Missus is working and I’ve got to figure out what I am doing with myself. Might take in a movie or just mooch around the locale. Some drummer is playing in a musical at a theatre that is part of my hotel complex. Everywhere I go Val Kilmer is staring at me. I don’t likes it.
REVIEW
The California Guitar Trio + Tony Levin
TU+4
At the Third Eye Gathering, Irvine, CA. USA
27 August 2004
This is done from memory, so it is a bit feeble. I should have made notes on the day, but what the fuck, I was just lucky to be there.
There was hardly a mad rush to the front of the stage, so The Missus and myself stood smack dead centre of the performance area. I hadn’t seen the California Guitar Trio since they last opened for King Crimson in the UK in1996. I am not a particular follower of their music, but I’ve always enjoyed their live performances and this night was no exception. There was a mix of old and new (as far as I know, but I am no CGT expert) tunes on show including an excellent rendition of Heart of the Sunrise, complete with Tony Levin on funk fingers – though the song was held up slightly by the loss of the aforementioned funk fingers. They are under the case, Tony!
With Pat Mastelotto on drums and TL on bass, the trio was expanded and I really enjoyed the more rhythmic stuff. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the new tracks from the band’s new “Whitewater” album. I had downloaded a track “Atlantis” from their website to familiarise myself with the material and so I recognised this one when it appeared on the setlist. My only quibble was that the sound mix was a little muddy and I even though I was standing at the front of the stage, it was hard to tell who was playing what lines – such was the cruddy sound mix.
The band finished with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and the mic was lowered right above our heads – so if there are any recordings of this, the two voices at the front were the Brits, doing their best to remember the words!
TU came on shortly afterwards and two vocal loops taken from Queen were used as a backdrop to some early noodling. It was quite weird to have Freddie Mercury in the room with us, but it made for an interesting experience. The TU band, made up from drummer Pat Mastelotto and Warr guitarist Trey Gunn, play improvised, rhythmic electronica. It is reminiscent in places to some of the KC improves, but is more for the hips. While you can’t necessarily dance to it, you can have a good jiggle if so inclined. It became a very intense experience and I felt a part of this music. Every so often PM and TG would begin to spar with each other, deliberately trying to catch the other performer out. This interplay was good fun to watch and lifted the performance. It’s hard to describe the music. It is quite different from the TU album. It is heavy in places. It will hit you in the chest if you let it.
At the end, the special guests came on and it turned out to be Tony Levin and the California Guitar Trio. The trio began with a circulation and the rest of the players joined in. This was a bit messy in terms of sound because when the electric players hit their stride, the poor CGT were wiped out of the mix. Luckily, someone decided to push the CGT to the max.
Overall, it was a good evening of music and something I would not be able to see in the UK. I came away very satisfied, but I couldn’t believe that more of the so-called hardcore fans didn’t make an effort to see this event. But hey, you guys are the losers. I travelled 5000 miles and it was worth the fucking jetlag and the expense.
Not much doing.
Been spending time with The Missus. Getting drunk and generally being naughty.
Decided to retire my bass of 12 years and buy a new one. Went to the Guitar Centre in E1 and bought a lovely red Fender Precision Bass Special Deluxe. When I got it home, I took the router and hammer drill to it and made loads of holes in the body to accommodate an internal MIDI pickup. Now I have a wonderfully playable MIDI bass…yum.
To pay for such doings, my old bass, an acoustic guitar and some other crap I no longer need will be going up on eBay. It is good to binge and purge, binge and purge…