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.

Pink Floyd - The Division Bell (1994)

Album Review

Album Details

Highlights: High Hopes, Marooned, Poles Apart, Keep Talking

As of the beginning of the 1990s, Pink Floyd had been world leaders in invention and originality through their thirteen albums of pioneering Progressive rock. But with the coming of the new decade, the long and turbulent career of the Floyd looked close to over. Having reached their pinnacle midway through the 1970s, acrimony began splitting the group apart. Bass player, primary lyricist and some-time lead vocalist Roger Waters began exerting a dominating rule over all song writing and direction of the group. While this did produce still fruitful music such as their famed 1979 concept album The Wall[1], by 1985 Waters declared Pink Floyd defunct. Guitarist and now sole frontman David Gilmour revived the group, but after a less than impressive attempt to 'prove that they could get along without Roger'[2] in their1987 album, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason[3], and a troublesome world tour in 1988, Floyd fans welcomed the new decade with a sad hint of scepticism.

It was with much anticipation and joy that the announcement of another studio album to be released in 1994 came. The distinctly 80s sound of A Momentary Lapse Of Reason showed that even a band as creative and as withdrawn from conformist musical trends as the Floyd can’t avoid but to tap into the musical stylings of the time. This comes to fruition on The Division Bell. It has a distinctly 90s sound which makes it a rather interesting enigma within their catalogue, and something relevant to the broader scope of the decade.

The album opens with Cluster One, an ambient soundscape which as a Floyd fan, frustrates me because it is so clearly and obviously a cheap attempt at replicating the old dream-like Pink Floyd sound just for the sake of it. It lacks the true beauty of most of their ambient work, however it has a touch of very pretty piano and overall is perfectly pleasant.

Cluster One segues into What Do You Want From Me? This song is the pinnacle of the overt ‘90sness’ of the album. It is a fairly simple (for Pink Floyd) driving rock ballad of the 90s. There’s not much to note of the song really, only that David Gilmour’s songwriting is sufficiently mature through all of his experience, to make this a solid pop rocker.

The next two songs on the album are two of the very best. Poles Apart is for me the most underrated song on the album. It flows from characteristically beautiful work from Gilmour on the acoustic guitar and a compelling vocal melody, through a haunting circus-style middle section, and back. Marooned has the unlikely distinctly of providing Pink Floyd with their only Grammy award, for best Rock Instrumental. It is a beautiful dreamy palette of sounds for its first two minutes and although some rather out of place 90s drums interrupt the atmosphere somewhat, it remains a highlight throughout.

The rest of the album flows through a number of different styles. A Great Day For Freedom is a soft slow ballad which is pleasant but unassuming. Wearing The Inside Out is noteworthy only for being the first compositional and vocal contribution from keyboardist Richard Wright for over twenty years. Take It Back has a wonderful atmospheric intro but from then on is a pretty standard, if enjoyable, 80s reminiscent rocker. It segues fantastically into Coming Back To Life which shows the strength of Gilmour’s voice, but for the most part is a lowlight on the album. Keep Talking has an introduction very similar to Take It Back but from then on retains its intriguing atmospheres. It suffers from some distinctly 90s production values, but the combination of a weird and wonderful solo on a 'talk box'[4] and haunting spoken word parts from famous physicist Stephen Hawking preserve its value. The penultimate track Lost For Words is only really noteworthy for it’s disturbing similarity to Floyd classic Wish You Were Here.[5]

This run of all solid but no truly brilliant tracks leads appropriately to the album’s magnum opus High Hopes. Although perhaps not to the level of some of the band’s 70s classis, High Hopes is nevertheless a fantastic song, from its beautiful early ambience, complete with a ringing bell which adds a perfect texture to the song, to the lush piano and vocals of its verses, epic choruses, a soaring guitar solo to close the song, and a profoundly disturbing but thought provoking secret message at the very end. Overall, it is the clear standout.

The Division Bell pretty much received uniformly bad reviews on its release, and it’s distinctly 90s sound alienates a great many Floyd fans; however I find the album to be quite underrated. It is easily their best work since 1979’s The Wall and while the general lack of original substance does drag it down, it is still a highly enjoyable listen. The primary criticisms of the album are mostly founded only in the context of being a wider Pink Floyd fan. It is not an inventive masterpiece which will change the world and in the Floyd catalogue is surely on the lower end of the scale, but for any fan of 90s rock, The Division Bell should present an overall appeal.

Visit Pink Floyd's official website here.

Note: A real sign of the times and reflection of the burgeoning technology of the 90s was the 'Publius Enigma.' The Publius Enigma is a mysterious riddle in connection with The Division Bell which originated on the internet from an anonymous entity names 'Publius.' It claimed to present a riddle association with the album and offered a prize to anyone who solve the riddle. Fifteen years later it remains unsolved, and has been varified as geniune.

Read about the Publius Enigma here and here.

Try and solve the Enigma for yourself here.

Radiohead

Radiohead are an English alternative rock band who came to be musical icons of the 1990s with a succession of eclectic but critically acclaimed singles and album. Although the band formed in 1985 and in my humble opinion has done their best work since the turn of the century, their most lasting impact culturally was during the 90s, spawning in particular from their 1997 classic OK Computer.

It would be foolish to even attempt to classify Radiohead’s music in any one way, even ‘alternative rock’ as they for the most part subtly did not fit in with the British alternative movement of the 90s. Some of their earliest material including the hit single Creep (1992) sound, amazingly, reminiscent of the prevalent grunge music of the time. Initially Creep was unsuccessful everywhere except the wise old nation of Israel, until the subsequent 1993 release of their debut album Pablo Honey pushed it into public consciousness worldwide. The band had yet to really break their home market though. It took their 1995 follow up album The Bends to gain them their first major UK success. This paved the way for the recording of their third album OK Computer. This would go on to be one of the most iconic and influential albums of the entire decade, and all time. Many critical and fan-based lists place it at or near the very top of their greatest albums of all time trees, and it has earned Radiohead life-long icon status, to the behest of the band themselves perhaps.

Although in reality you would no doubt have and adore this album already, if you’re a fan of the burgeoning 90s alternative scene, you would surely enjoy OK Computer. Following the album and its success however, the band went into a tense and difficult period of fighting and came to close to spitting up. The eventual result in 2000 was Kid A, a far more ambitious and mature effort than anything they’d previously produced. Kid A and its 2001 follow up Amnesiac present an experimental side of the band that could bode well with any fan of avant-garde and experimental music, as well as more traditional progressive rock perhaps. Certainly to me, Kid A is a masterpiece that far surpasses any of their other work, before and after. But in the grand scheme it’s just another example of their diversity. Since that time they have released material which musically is arguably more back-to-basics, but have remained inventive pioneers in a variety of ways.

Radiohead may be musical icons of the 1990s, but a far more important factor of the band is their displeasure with the musical industry, and the way it operates in a modern cultural environment, both in the 90s and 00s. The peak of this came in 2007 when Radiohead chose not to associate with a record label and offered their new album In Rainbows for download from their website for whatever price the fan saw fit. [1] The members of Radiohead have never been afraid to show their true colours to the world (just take a look at the recent controversy over their ‘Grammy’s snub’.[2]) Their music is diverse and usually good so take a look, but always should be appreciated with their sometimes confusing and difficult to understand, but always interesting and inventive philosophies.

Artist Details

Visit Radiohead's official website here

Radiohead videos...(seems someone doesn't like embedding youtube videos :P)

Creep

Karma Police

Everything In Its Right Place

Pyramid Song

There There

Kevin Gilbert – A Forgotten Enigma

The story of the late great Kevin Gilbert is one that has been unjustly absent from the public consciousness in the thirteen years that have passed since his untimely and undignified death. It is ironic that the frustrating habit of anonymity that prevailed in Gilbert’s life has extended into his death, most unusual in a world where tales of tragedy are so often romanticized and dramatized into public awareness.

Gilbert was an indecently talented multi-instrumentalist from San Mateo, California, who grew up to the sounds of the classic 1970s progressive rock bands like Genesis, Yes and King Crimson and who, if not for his premature death, would surely have breathed life into the movement which had all but declined by the 90s. He managed to overcome his small town upbringing, and his own dark psyche, through his prodigious musical skill and intellect. He ascended quickly through the musical ranks in the 80s, eventually winning an international music competition as a twenty-one year old in 1988 with his band Giraffe. His exploits caught the attention of producer and keyboardist Patrick Leonard who invited Gilbert to work with him. Leonard and Gilbert’s new band Toy Matinee, which included Leonard's fellow Pink Floyd alumnus Guy Pratt, released a self-titled debut album in 1990 which faded into obscurity through a combination of bad management and bad luck.

Unfulfilled promise would become the unending theme of Gilbert’s career. From Toy Matinee, to his eclectic and powerful solo records Thud [1] and The Shaming of the True [2], to the re-forming of Giraffe to play a historic and brilliant concert at Progfest 94, covering the Genesis masterpiece The Lamb Lies down on Broadway, to many other minor musical exploits the theme remained the same. The only album on which Gilbert was involved that ever achieved any semblance of commercial success, was Tuesday Night Music Club by Sheryl Crow, and therein lays the tragedy of Gilbert’s life. Crow was involved in with Gilbert in the early 90s and was brought along by her boyfriend to a session of the Tuesday Music Club in Los Angeles. This club was a collection of fabulous musicians who gathered every Tuesday to collaborate partially for their own kicks, and partially as a way of drowning out their sorrows and dissention at the music business. As a singer-songwriter who perhaps lacked much of the natural talent of her many contemporaries, Crow was struggling to get anything of note created and so the ever-loyal GIlbert felt compelled to take her under the wings of the Music Club, who essentially on their own created the iconic songs that would come to be Crow’s debut Tuesday Night Music Club, credit for which they, particularly Gilbert, were robbed.

Barely two years later Gilbert was found dead in the middle of a bizarre fetishist ritual. His manager found his body when coming to tell him that he had achieved an audition to join Genesis as their new front man. With his passing the band instead opted for a far less accomplished or naturally fitting Irishman by the name of Ray Wilson, and after one album the band split. It is unknown if his death was an accident or suicide. There is enough on the internet on this fantastically soap-opera worthy story for you to draw your own opinions [3][4], but what is undisputed is the huge loss to the musical world suffered thirteen years ago yesterday. Although it is not without precedent, I make no claim that Crow was responsible for Gilbert’s death somehow. In all likelihood his passing was a horrible accident, and even if not, he had long had a history of self destructive insecurity and depression, as so often happens with the most genius of people. But the story of this injustice is necessary to tell so as to raise awareness of some of the vagaries of commercial culture in the 90s as a whole, and particularly to raise awareness of the man himself. The fact that Gilbert never saw success in his own right means it is only the famous tunes such as All I Wanna Do, Leaving Las Vegas and Run, Baby, Run on that album that will ever be encountered by a majority of people amongst all his work.

Next time you hear any of these [5] songs on the radio, cast a small thought the way of Kevin Gilbert, the rock ‘n’ roll hero that should have been.

Visit Kevin Gilbert's official website here.

Kevin Gilbert Videos...