King Crimson Islands - Wowsers!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by telemike, Jul 7, 2015.

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  1. telemike

    telemike Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Greensboro, NC
    Just picked up a white label Atlantic LP. Amazing bass! Ladies of the Road kicks butt on my turntable. Super punchy mix.
     
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  2. resistanceisfutile

    resistanceisfutile Happy with what I have to be happy with.

    Location:
    California
    Underappreciated by some Crimheads. I'm a big fan of Islands. A couple tracks were performed by the current Crim on their US tour last year. Fripp likes the album too.
     
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  3. Big Swifty

    Big Swifty Forum Resident

    How good is 'Sailor's Tale'? What a track.
     
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  4. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    Great album - was seriously under-rated (almost ridiculed) until the King Crimson Collectors' Club showed that the band was under-recorded and excellent. I've always championed this album. The Island UK original is even better. The 30th remaster is excellent and the 40th remix is also good. RIP Boz Burrell.
    Don't even consider any Definitive Edition CD.
    I preferred the Atlantic cover (originally the soft unipak inside of the UK Trifid nebula dual flipback cover).
    The first time I heard this on headphones in 1971, I nearly jumped out of my chair with the high dynamic range of the track "The Letters".
     
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  5. Zach Johnson

    Zach Johnson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    Ladies of the Road might be Crimson's weakest song, but Sailor's Tale and the title track are brilliant.
     
  6. resistanceisfutile

    resistanceisfutile Happy with what I have to be happy with.

    Location:
    California
    Lyrically...perhaps. Certainly not PC by today's standards. But musically it's hot.
     
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  7. Judge Judy

    Judge Judy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    You should check out some of the live concerts from that era that are available on DMGLive.com. This lineup gets very little respect, but there's some playing on those recordings that's up there with anything else the band has done.
     
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  8. G E

    G E Senior Member

    Yes, wowsers indeed!

    I for one under-appreciated this LP coming off the first three.

    With time comes understanding. This is a gateway to what comes next:

    Larks Tongues In Aspic
    Starless and Bible Black
    Red

    Highly recommended. I have the pink rim UK islands pressing and it's a wowser

    bTW, another Frip "gateway" record is "exposure". It echoes the past (Buford/wetting/Muir) contemplates the present (at that time) and anticipates the next iteration of KC. Very highly recommended!
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2015
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  9. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    Out of all the lineups, the definitive Schizoid Man for me is on Earthbound. I'm glad to see the Boz-era reappraised.
     
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  10. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    I was surprised that they played "The Letters." I have read he doesn't like "Formentera Lady" which is a song I enjoy (particularly the opening where it seems like you've bought an Impulse label jazz album by mistake).
     
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  11. telemike

    telemike Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Greensboro, NC
    I'm underwhelmed by Poseidon. I like Cirkus. Larks, Red and Starless are my favorites
     
  12. Olias of Sunhill

    Olias of Sunhill Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jim Creek, CO, USA
    Islands is my favorite Crim recording -- which says a lot!
     
  13. lee59

    lee59 Member Envy

    Location:
    Temecula, CA
    Always been a fan of this one. Love every track. I think the Steven Wilson remix is superb too.

    'Lizard' is the other under appreciated little masterpiece in their catalog.
     
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  14. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    This'un is still my least-favorite Crim album.

    But that doesn't mean it's not world-class. It was Ladies Of The Road – played on the radio(!) – that yanked me back into KC after being off the radar briefly back in 71-2.

    By all means get the 40th Anniversary pkg if you're the least bit interested. Not expensive, but loaded.

    Sailors Tale rightfully got a standing O when it was deployed in San Francisco last October. Impeccably played by Robert Fripp, who will turn 70 any minute now.

    Stupefying what this entity has delivered over 4 decades.
     
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  15. Marvin

    Marvin Senior Member

    It's a classic.

    I don't care too much for the rest of that side, however.
     
  16. zephead

    zephead Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I have a US George Piros cut , I love the sound !
     
  17. Zach Johnson

    Zach Johnson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    For me, it just doesn't sound very original (unlike everything else by Crimson). Too Beatle-esque.
     
    Archtop likes this.
  18. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Mine too. It's got a nice punchy clarity and feels like an arty prog album. It's not overplayed to me, no burnout which a lot of good music has become to me. Original US vinyl was a bit noisy but the mastering was a hot cut stereo demo record.
     
  19. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Great album. I like all the early stuff.
     
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  20. strummer101

    strummer101 The insane on occasion aren't without their charms

    Location:
    Lakewood OH
    Islands is one of my favorite Crimson records. I think the title track is near-ambient brilliance, and is nicely paired with it's introduction, "Prelude".
    Side one is good all the way through for me, with the opening two tracks being possibly my favorite 18 consecutive minutes of Crim.
    The weak link is, of course, "Ladies of the Road", which lyrically is just stupid for such a supposedly intellectual band.

    Lots of dynamics on this album. Never understood the apathy or hatred for this compared to the love for the seminal yet tiresome debut.
     
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  21. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    "Ladies Of The Road" is probably autobiographical, a bit raunchy and celebrates human sexuality, just like the music. Not a dodgy track at all. The "High diving Chinese trender" lyric is a bit I.U. Intellectual doesn't mean devoid of sexuality.
     
  22. strummer101

    strummer101 The insane on occasion aren't without their charms

    Location:
    Lakewood OH
    Maybe it's no "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang", but it still doesn't sit well in Crims canon.
     
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  23. resistanceisfutile

    resistanceisfutile Happy with what I have to be happy with.

    Location:
    California
    I've always loved Mel Collin's raunchy (and appropriate) sax on "Ladies..."
     
  24. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    I didn't notice the odd meter stuff on "Ladies" (drums and bass playing in two different meters during the solos) until recently.
     
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  25. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    It took me a little while to really warm up to Islands, though I always loved "Sailor's Tale", but I've really grown to appreciate it, particularly side one. This was another case were the Steven Wilson remix really helped to open up the dynamic, densely layered sound--hearing "Formentera Lady" swirling around you in 5.1 is an epic experience.

    I've really grown to appreciate the Islands era, thanks in large point to all of the archival releases via the KCCC. They were a smoking hot live band, particularly young Mel Collins on sax. Sometimes, I almost wish that this line up got more of a chance to flourish, except that I love what came next even more!
     
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