King Crimson - Dinosaur

Song Review

Lyrics - Live Performance on Late Night w/ Conan O'Brien

King Crimson is criminally underrated. The band members who played on this song alone, have worked with such famous and varied artists as:

-Genesis
-Frank Zappa
-Nine Inch Nails
-Talking Heads
-Brian Eno
-Blondie
-Tori Amos
-Seal
-Pink Floyd
-Cher
-Tina Arena
-Tim Finn

as well as putting out 13 albums, each one amazing. That the bassist who played on Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer", the guitarist who created the hypnotic guitar hook on David Bowie's "Heroes", the drummer who played on Mr. Mister's hit "Broken Wings", and the singer/guitarist who contributed to landmark albums "Remain in Light", "Graceland" and "The Downward Spiral", as well as appearing on Rockwiz, can be in the band that I personally (just opinion) believe is the greatest rock band ever...and yet barely anyone has even heard of them, baffles me.

But enough elitist fanboy histrionics. "Dinosaur" is a song from their 1995 album, "THRAK". This album features the "double-trio", an odd experiment involving two guitarists, two bassists, and two drummers. It's a novel idea, but when listening I don't really notice more than one drummer or bassist.

The song opens with guitarist Robert Fripp, playing an orchestral MIDI guitar line. King Crimson are no strangers to cutting-edge technology; in the 80s their drummer Bill Bruford revolutionised electronic drums, and Fripp himself devised (with Eno) a looping system involving tape machines, which seems quaint nowadays but was unheard of in 1974 (at least, in rock music).

This pensive intro gives way to crashing drums and distorted guitar. The main riff, an ever-constant alarm, is laid over crunchy chords and an inventive drum pattern. The first verse cools off, before dynamically leading into the ominous chorus.

The Adrian Belew-penned lyrics use the dinosaur as a metaphor for the protagonist's outlook on life. "Ignorance has always been something I excel in...Doesn't take a scientist to see how any clever predator could have a piece of me"; "when I look back on the past it's a wonder I'm not yet extinct". I've felt the way the song describes many a time, and in the end, emotion is the most important aspect of a song.

The middle section, a quiet ambient instrumental break with a MIDI guitar solo, this time sounding like a clarinet, allows quick respite before the main riff returns, and Fripp unleashes "a searing solo that pins you to the wall" [1]. The final chorus, where Belew howls "IIIIIII'M A DINOSAUR!" is one of those well-pulled off moments that could feel so daggy in a less impressive setting.

I may prefer King Crimson's 70s and 80s output more, but Dinosaur is a high-point for the band, and for the decade. Given Conan O'Brien's now starting at The Tonight Show, it's a happy coincidence that I discovered King Crimson performed Dinosaur on his show back in 1995.

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)

Album Review

"I think by just saying it and bringing it to light, maybe it helps. I've been so depressed about things, and then I'll hear a song, and I'll think, "Fuck, I can relate to that. Someone else feels that way." In its own way it becomes enlightening, and I feel release. ... Even though what I'm saying appears negative, the release of it becomes a positive kind of experience, I think, and provides some catharsis to other people." [1]

Official Website - Album Website

The Downward Spiral is probably the most cathartic album I've heard, and certainly the most discomforting. From samples of screaming voices and the use of noise to the myriad production techniques that alter, distort or irritate, the music reflects the protagonist's spiral into suicide. Leitmotifs, both lyrical ("Nothing can stop me now") and musical (the "Downward Spiral" melody) add a layer of cohesion. The dynamics, both within songs and the album as a whole, seem precisely crafted for maximum impact.

Mr Self Destruct, which opens the album, is a musical punch in the face, guest guitarist Adrian Belew's guitar as close to the sound of a chainsaw as imaginable. It evokes images of dystopian worlds overrun with stainless steel killing machines. Right as you'd expect Trent Reznor (who is basically Nine Inch Nails) to kick it up a notch, everything goes quiet save for a lone bass line and the repeated phrase "You let me do this to you." This only serves to make the return to sonic assault so much more vicious by contrast.

This is followed by Piggy, "a light, swinging jazz song"[1] that features the first appearance of the famed "Downward Spiral" melody and Reznor's first and only attempt at drumming. The amateurism makes it more thrilling than a professional drum solo, and an early highlight of the album.

The intensity builds, climaxing with March of the Pigs, which juxtaposes an energetic, heavy verse with a quiet piano-based chorus. Closer, perhaps the most well-known song from the album, gives the listener a break from the loud abrasiveness of the previous songs, taking a somewhat funky turn. The profanity of the chorus belies its catchiness.

One of the ways noise is used is to hide some of the vocals. There is an entire verse at the end of Closer that I didn't know existed until I saw the video. There are several other songs on the album that utilise this, as a subconscious message attached to the more audible lyric ("I am the bullet in the gun (and I control you), I am the truth from which you run (and I control you)" or to hide inflammatory phrases.

Big Man With a Gun is the most depraved song on the album, "taking phallic symbolism of guns to its brutal limit"[2]. It is the violent peak, the point of no return. A Warm Place follows, a beautiful instrumental perfectly placed. An obvious standout, proving Reznor's artistry isn't just confined to industrial, heavy music.

After the brief respite, Eraser enters, a booming drum riff somewhat reminiscent of Peter Gabriel's "Intruder" but twice as ominous. Reznor's voice recites two word sentences, at first quiet, then rising to a shout. As the song progresses the vocal is electronically disintegrated until it melts into the noisy foreground.

The title track is perhaps the most blatant demonstration of the dynamic contrast. The first half is a solitary acoustic guitar playing the Downward Spiral melody, the calm before the storm of the second half, the most disturbing music I've ever heard. Heavy metal sounds saintly by comparison. This is what I imagine hell would sound like.

The journey ends with Hurt. This is the song that confirms Trent Reznor's songwriting ability isn't just a fluke. Johnny Cash masterfully covered it a few years ago; both versions are essential. Hurt is the ultimate catharsis of the album, and a suitably depressing end.

This is Nine Inch Nails' greatest album, and one of the greatest albums of the decade.

Videos: March of the Pigs - Closer - Hurt (NIN Version) - Hurt (Johnny Cash Version)

On This Day...

1992 - In what must surely be its most ambitious and controversial move ever, The World Health Organisation removes HOMOSEXUALITY from its list of mental illnesses. Few things on this blog could more accurately reflect how much we sometimes underestimate the cultural distance between the 90s and now, amongst all the similarities.

Musical Births and Deaths

1965 - Controversial and profound 90s music pioneer (Michael) Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails fame, is born in Mercer, Pennsylvania.


1996 - American multi-instrumental musician, composer and producer Kevin Gilbert dies of suspected autoerotic asphyxiation, reportedly on the verge of joining rock legends Genesis replacing Phil Collins as frontman.