Bill Bruford - 2005 Bill Bruford Japan Mini LP CD x 4 titles + Promo Box

Feels Good to Me is the first solo studio album by former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford. The band Bruford grew out of the line-up assembled for this album. The album features guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist Jeff Berlin, keyboardist Dave Stewart, and ECM stalwart Kenny Wheeler on fluegelhorn. Bruford also enlisted singer-songwriter Annette Peacock (who performs two of Bruford's lyrics, and contributes one of her own) and Brand X guitarist John Goodsall (who plays rhythm on the title track only). Dave Stewart was a pivotal figure in the music of the Canterbury scene with groups like Egg, Hatfield and the North and National Health, but despite his strong playing (and co-writing) presence, the album does not sound much like the Canterbury bands, and is instead closer to contemporaries Brand X (whose keyboardist Robin Lumley co-produced the album with Bill Bruford).

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bill Bruford, except where noted.

1. "Beelzebub" 3:16

2. "Back to the Beginning" 7:09

3. "Seems Like a Lifetime Ago (Part One)" 2:30

4. "Seems Like a Lifetime Ago (Part Two)" 4:25

5. "Sample and Hold"

BrufordDave Stewart

5:12

6. "Feels Good to Me" 3:49

7. "Either End of August" 5:27

8. "If You Can't Stand the Heat..."

BrufordStewart

3:20

9. "Springtime in Siberia"

BrufordStewart

2:43

10. "Adios a la pasada (Goodbye to the Past)"

BrufordAnnette Peacock

7:55

2005 remaster bonus track

11. "Joe Frazier" (live) Jeff Berlin 4:39

Personnel

Bill Bruford – drums, percussion, vocals (2)

Allan Holdsworth – electric guitar

Dave Stewart – keyboards

Jeff Berlin – bass

with

Kenny Wheeler – flugelhorn (on tracks 3, 7, 9)

Annette Peacock – lead vocals (2, 3, 10)

John Goodsall – rhythm guitar (6)

One of a Kind is the second solo album by the drummer Bill Bruford, and the first proper album by his band Bruford. Released in 1979 on EG Records, it is a collection of instrumentals in a style that can loosely be defined as jazz rock. Bruford features guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist Jeff Berlin, and keyboardist Dave Stewart. "Forever Until Sunday" and "The Sahara of Snow" had originally been performed at 1978 concerts by Bruford and Holdsworth’s previous band U.K. They were intended for a studio album, but were never properly recorded by U.K. as Bruford kept the pieces for himself when he and Holdsworth exited the band. U.K. bandmate Eddie Jobson co-wrote "The Sahara of Snow" and reprises his violin part on "Forever Until Sunday". Stewart's "Hell's Bells" utilizes a fragment penned by his former National Health colleague Alan Gowen (the 3-chord pattern underlying the guitar solo). Holdsworth's "The Abingdon Chasp" is the only piece he wrote for Bruford.

Track listing

Side one

No. Title Writer(s) Length

1. "Hell's Bells"

Dave StewartAlan Gowen

3:32

2. "One of a Kind, Pt. 1" Bill Bruford 2:20

3. "One of a Kind, Pt. 2"

BrufordStewart

4:00

4. "Travels with Myself – And Someone Else" Bruford 6:10

5. "Fainting in Coils" Bruford 6:33

6. "Five G"

Jeff BerlinBrufordStewart

4:41

7. "The Abingdon Chasp" Allan Holdsworth 4:50

8. "Forever Until Sunday" Bruford 5:46

9. "The Sahara of Snow, Pt. 1" Bruford 5:18

10. "The Sahara of Snow, Pt. 2"

BrufordEddie Jobson

3:23

2005 remaster bonus track

11. "Manacles" (live 1979)

BrufordStewart

7:25

Personnel

Allan Holdsworth – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (midsection of "The Abingdon Chasp")

Dave Stewart – keyboards, synthesizers, electronics

Jeff Berlin – bass guitar

Bill Bruford – drums & percussions, voice of the Mock Turtle (intro to "Fainting in Coils")

with

Eddie Jobson – violin ("Forever Until Sunday")

Anthea Norman Taylor – voice of Alice (intro to "Fainting in Coils")

Sam Alder – narrator (intro to "Fainting in Coils")

John Clark – electric guitar ("Manacles")

Gradually Going Tornado is the third and final studio album by Bruford. It was co-produced by Bruford and Ron Malo, the latter known from his work with Weather Report. The music on the album leans closer to progressive rock than the jazz fusion oriented sound of the band’s previous albums. More of Bruford's lyrics are featured as well, for the first time sung by bassist Jeff Berlin. "Land's End" incorporates music keyboardist Dave Stewart had previously composed for the National Health album Of Queues and Cures (1978). Guitarist Allan Holdsworth left the group before recording began, and recommended John Clark as his replacement. Clark was listed as “the Unknown John Clark” on the album sleeve as part of a running joke highlighting his obscurity in comparison to Holdsworth.

The title of the album was taken from the British-based Romanian artist Paul Neagu who did a performance under the name "Gradually Going Tornado" in London in 1974. Neagu created the album's cover art.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length

1. "Age Of Information" Bill Bruford, Dave Stewart 4:41

2. "Gothic 17" Bruford, Stewart 5:07

3. "Joe Frazier" Jeff Berlin 4:41

4. "Q.E.D." Bruford, Stewart 7:46

5. "The Sliding Floor" Bruford, Stewart, Berlin 4:58

6. "Palewell Park" Bruford 3:57

7. "Plans For J.D." Bruford 3:50

8. "Land's End" Stewart 10:20

2005 remaster bonus track

No. Title Writer(s) Length

9. "5g" (Live) Bruford, Stewart, Berlin 7:21

Personnel

Dave Stewart – keyboards, synthesizers

John Clark – electric guitar

Jeff Berlin – bass guitar, lead vocals

Bill Bruford – drums

Guests:

Georgie Born – cello (“Gothic 17”)

Amanda Parsons, Barbara Gaskin – backing vocals (“Land’s End”)

The Bruford Tapes is a live 1979 album by the British band Bruford, only issued in the United States, Canada and Japan. It was recorded on July 12, 1979 in Roslyn, New York State and originally broadcast on WLIR radio. Shortly before the tour, guitarist Allan Holdsworth left the band and was replaced by his student John Clark (appearing as "the unknown John Clark" on the album sleeve), who had played with the prog group Quasar. The show features extended performances of material from the group's previous two albums Feels Good to Me and One of a Kind.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length

1. "Hells Bells" Dave Stewart, Alan Gowen 4:02

2. "Sample And Hold" Bill Bruford, Stewart 6:18

3. "Fainting In Coils" Bruford 6:34

4. "Travels With Myself - And Someone Else" Bruford 4:37

5. "Beelzebub" Bruford 3:28

6. "The Sahara Of Snow (Part One)" Bruford 4:46

7. "The Sahara Of Snow (Part Two)" Bruford, Eddie Jobson 3:07

8. "One Of A Kind (Part Two)" Bruford, Stewart 8:06

9. "5g" Bruford, Stewart, Jeff Berlin 2:39

2005 remaster bonus track

10. "The Age Of Information" Bruford, Stewart

 

Personnel

Bill Bruford – drums & percussions

Dave Stewart – electric piano, synthesizer, electronics

Jeff Berlin – bass guitar, vocal on 10

John Clark – electric guitar

Bill Bruford - 1979 "One Of A Kind"

Bruford were a band that former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford formed and led in the late 1970s.
Bill Bruford had assembled a band for his debut solo album, Feels Good to Me, with Dave Stewart (keyboards), Jeff Berlin (bass), Allan Holdsworth (guitar) and Bruford (drums). That album also had Annette Peacock on vocals, and Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn. A second album was then released under the band name Bruford and was mostly instrumental, and on the live album The Bruford Tapes (a live show originally broadcast for radio station WLIR) and associated tour, guitarist The 'Unknown' John Clark replaced Holdsworth. Bass player Berlin sang the vocals on Gradually Going Tornado.

One of a Kind is an album by the British band Bruford. It was released in 1979 and is a collection of progressive melodies with much jazz exploration, in style that can be defined within the limits of jazz fusion. It is also considered a classic in instrumental rock. The group led by drummer Bill Bruford features guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist Jeff Berlin and keyboardist Dave Stewart. Some of the material ("Forever Until Sunday", which features an (originally) uncredited Eddie Jobson on violin, and "The Sahara Of Snow") was originally performed live by U.K. on its 1978 tour, but taken for use on this album when Holdsworth and Bruford exited that band. Stewart's "Hell's Bells" used a fragment penned by his former National Health colleague Alan Gowen (the 3-chord pattern underlying the guitar solo).

Bill Bruford ended his brief affair with U.K. and condensed his original outfit to a quartet, releasing a second album of sinewy, celebratory jazz/rock fusion, One of a Kind. Good-humored twists and turns abound in the music, punctuated by Bruford's steadying if slightly subversive rhythms, Allan Holdsworth's flashes of fire, Jeff Berlin's insistent bass, and Dave Stewart's remarkably colorful keyboards. At the heart of many of these songs is an uplifting melody, a trait shared with fusion artists like Weather Report and Jean-Luc Ponty, though Bruford's outfit favors a faster pace than the former and pursues more musical avenues in a single song than the latter. When he takes to tuned percussion, Bruford can even sound like Frank Zappa (both bands have a funky side to them). Standout cuts this time include "Hell's Bells," "Fainting in Coils" (which, in an indirect link to his previous employers, would have felt at home on Robert Fripp's Exposure), "Five G," and "The Sahara of Snow." The remaining tracks are a little less muscular, and the band's strength would seem to lie in fusion propelled by the complex rhythmic patterns of Bruford and Berlin (i.e., when the band leans closer to the rock side of the fusion family). Those who enjoy their fusion with a healthy dose of rock will find One of a Kind a fair match for anything from Return to Forever or Brand X. Note that many of these songs also appear in live versions on the beat-the-boots release The Bruford Tapes. 

Bill Bruford ended his brief affair with U.K. and condensed his original outfit to a quartet, releasing a second album of sinewy, celebratory jazz/rock fusion, One of a Kind. Good-humored twists and turns abound in the music, punctuated by Bruford’s steadying if slightly subversive rhythms, Allan Holdsworth’s flashes of fire, Jeff Berlin’s insistent bass, and Dave Stewart’s remarkably colorful keyboards. At the heart of many of these songs is an uplifting melody, a trait shared with fusion artists like Weather Report and Jean-Luc Ponty, though Bruford’s outfit favors a faster pace than the former and pursues more musical avenues in a single song than the latter. When he takes to tuned percussion, Bruford can even sound like Frank Zappa (both bands have a funky side to them).

Track listing

    "Hell's Bells" (Alan Gowen, Dave Stewart) 3:32
    "One of a Kind, Pt. 1" (Bill Bruford) 2:20
    "One of a Kind, Pt. 2" (Bruford, Stewart) 4:00
    "Travels with Myself — And Someone Else" (Bruford) 6:10
    "Fainting in Coils" (Bruford) 6:33
    "Five G" (Jeff Berlin, Bruford, Stewart) 4:41
    "The Abingdon Chasp" (Allan Holdsworth) 4:50
    "Forever until Sunday" (Bruford) 5:46
    "The Sahara of Snow, Pt. 1" (Bruford) 5:18
    "The Sahara of Snow, Pt. 2" (Bruford, Eddie Jobson) 3:23

Personnel

    Bill Bruford – percussion, drums, speaking the role of the Mock Turtle on "Fainting In Coils"
    Allan Holdsworth – electric guitar
    Dave Stewart – keyboards, synthesizers
    Jeff Berlin – bass
with
    Eddie Jobson – violin on "Forever Until Sunday"
    Anthea Norman Taylor (currently Mrs. Brian Eno) - speaking the role of Alice on "Fainting In Coils"
    Sam Alder (of E.G. Records) - voice of the narrator on "Fainting In Coils"

Bruford Levin - 1998 "Upper Extremities"

Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (B.L.U.E.) was a musical group composed of drummer Bill Bruford, bassist Tony Levin, guitarist David Torn, and trumpeter Chris Botti.
The group's origins can be traced to David Torn's album Cloud About Mercury (1987) which featured the above-listed musicians, except with Mark Isham playing trumpet. Enjoying their musical chemistry, the performers kept in touch, and formed B.L.U.E. in the mid-1990s.
The band had very unusual sound with elements of blues, rock and ambient music. Bruford and Levin were both longtime members of King Crimson.

Bill Bruford and Tony Levin were the mainstays of the 1980s and 1990s King Crimson, one of rock's most consistently creative groups, and together are among the best rhythm sections in rock music. They played with David Torn on Torn's 1987 release Clouds About Mercury, and in 1998 they got together with him again. As on Clouds, they formed a quartet with a trumpeter, but instead of Mark Isham they enlisted Chris Botti, since Levin had worked on Botti's 1997 Midnight Without You release. On about half the tracks, Bruford, Levin and Torn display a high-energy rock music, like the opening "Cerulean Sea," with Torn and Bruford playing in polyrhythms, and "Cracking the Midnight Glass," a powerful piece with echoes of Led Zeppelin that Bruford calls "the power trio incarnate." The three also play some quiet, atmospheric music on "Thick With Thin Air," which is also one of the showpieces here for Bruford's electronic drums. Chris Botti plays on the other half, and provides them with a cool jazz feeling. His melodic work is highlighted on the jazzy Bruford composition "Original Sin" and in a lovely duet with Levin on "Fin de Siècle," but his trumpet adds coloring in the fanfares of "Presidents Day," the haunting lead of "Deeper Blue," and the reprise of an etude from Levin's solo album World Diary. There are also a number of short interludes of Bruford playing a derelict piano in Levin's garage, and both Bruford and Levin simultaneously playing a drum and bass contraption.

I saw these guys live and must say that this may be the finest moment to date of Bruford and Tony Levin. Bill Bruford's drumming was absolutely SICK and Levin was just so professional and soulful that it just wasn't real. The show prompted me to get the disc they were selling at the show and it was just as good as the live experience. Chris Botti was ultracool, with some Miles davis-like trumpet, and guitarist David Torn has some interesting textures and loops. What they played at the show is all here on the disc, and if you're into avante-jazz or King Crimson, you simply cannot pass this one up. These guys are incredible musicians, and since Bruford & Levin are no longer in Crimso, perhaps they should be doing more of this stuff. This isn't mindless noodling, but solid avante-jazz. Smart musicianship which doesn't bore. I won't go into the individual titles, it's all well executed. If you did dig this album, go to Tony Levin's website and order the double live disc of the shows too. That's another killer.

Track listing

 1. Cerulean Sea (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 7:03
    Interlude (Bruford) 0:23
 2. Original Sin (Bruford) 4:55
 3. Etude Revisited (Botti/Bruford/Levin/Torn) 4:57
 4. A Palace of Pearls [on a blade of grass] (Botti/Bruford/Levin/Torn) 5:33
    Interlude (Bruford) 0:19
 5. Fin de Siecle (Botti/Bruford/Levin) 5:22
 6. DrumBass (Bruford/Levin) 0:54
 7. Cracking the Midnight Glass (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 6:06
 8. Torn DrumBass (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 0:54
 9. Thick with Thin Air (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 3:28
10. Cobalt Canyons (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 3:53
    Interlude (Bruford) 0:27
11. Deeper Blue (Botti/Bruford/Levin) 4:12
12. Presidents Day (Botti/Bruford/Levin/Torn) 6:22

Personnel:

Bill Bruford (drums, percussion),
Tony Levin (bass, chapman stick),
David Torn (guitar, loops),
Chris Botti (trumpet).

Bill Bruford - 1977 "Feels Good To Me"

Feels Good to Me is the debut solo album by the British drummer Bill Bruford. The band Bruford grew out of the line-up assembled for this album. Led by drummer Bill Bruford, the album also features guitarist Allan Holdsworth and John Goodsall, bassist Jeff Berlin, keyboardist Dave Stewart, and ECM flügelhorn stalwart Kenny Wheeler. He also enlisted singer and songwriter Annette Peacock. Musically, the album does not sound like the early Canterbury sound but is more reminiscent of contemporaries Brand X, with whom they shared guitarist John Goodsall. The album, released in August 1978, is also considered a "vanguard of progressive jazz improvised music"

With a career that was first defined by his metrically-challenging work and instantly recognizable drum sound with progressive rock groups Yes and King Crimson, nothing could have prepared anyone for the surprise of drummer Bill Bruford's first solo release, Feels Good to Me. While Bruford's signature style—a mathematically-precise approach that never failed to find the innate groove in even the most complex of time signatures—was in clear evidence, the album didn't sound like a drummer's solo album. The emphasis was on composition, and while others in the group — including Hatfield and the North and National Health keyboardist Dave Stewart, on-the- ascendance guitarist Allan Holdsworth and the then-unknown electric bassist Jeff Berlin. Bruford made it clear from the get-go that his role as bandleader was to be that of an equal contributor rather than a dominant voice. And while these late-'70s releases—Feels Good to Me, One of a Kind, Gradually Going Tornado and The Bruford Tapes — clearly emerged from a progressive rock sensibility, they also demonstrated a harmonic depth that echoed Bruford's longstanding interest in jazz albeit, in the case of these recordings, more of the fusion kind.

 Track listing

• All Songs Published By E.G. Music Ltd., except where noted.

1. "Beelzebub" (Bruford) 3:22
2. "Back to the Beginning" (Bruford) 7:25
3. "Seems Like a Lifetime Ago (Part One)" (Bruford) 2:31
4. "Seems Like a Lifetime Ago (Part Two)" (Bruford) 4:29
5. "Sample and Hold" (Bruford, Stewart) 5:12 (E.G. Music, Ltd. & Virgin Music)
6. "Feels Good to Me" (Bruford) 3:53
7. "Either End of August" (Bruford) 5:24
8. "If You Can't Stand the Heat..." (Bruford, Stewart) 3:26 (E.G. Music, Ltd. & Virgin Music)
9. "Springtime in Siberia" (Bruford, Stewart) 2:44 (E.G. Music, Ltd. & Virgin Music)
10. "Adios a la Pasada (Goodbye To The Past)" (Bruford, Annette Peacock) 8:41

 Personnel

• Bill Bruford – percussion, drums
• Allan Holdsworth – electric guitar
• Dave Stewart – keyboards, synthesizers
• Jeff Berlin – bass

with

• Kenny Wheeler: Flugelhorn
• Annette Peacock: Vocals (2, 3, 10)
• John Goodsall: Additional guitar (6)
• Neil Murray: Additional bass

Bill Bruford - 2017 "Seems Like A Lifetime Ago" [6 CD Box]

Bill Bruford - 2017 "Seems Like A Lifetime Ago"

Limited eight disc (six CDs + two NTSC/Region DVDs) box set from the prog rock icon. This set contains previously unreleased, remixed, or remastered material from the Bruford band of the late 1970s, presented in a 12" box complete with 16-page color booklet and a signed, numbered certificate of authentication. Four gatefold sleeves contain two discs each: Disc 1 (DVD): Feels Good To Me: 5.1 surround sound mix and original 1978 mix remastered; Disc 2 (CD): Feels Good To Me: 2017 Jakko Jakszyk remix from original master tapes; Disc 3 (DVD): One of a Kind: 5.1 surround sound mix and original 1979 mix remastered plus additional audio; Disc 4 (CD): One of a Kind: 2017 Jakko Jakszyk remix from original master tapes; Disc 5 (CD): Gradually Going Tornado: remastered; Disc 6 (CD): The Bruford Tapes: remastered with bonus track; Disc 7 (CD): Live at the Venue: previously unreleased: recorded London 1980; Disc 8 (CD): The fourth Album Rehearsal Sessions: previously unreleased: eighteen sketches of new material recorded 1980. Also includes:16-page 12" booklet with a Sid Smith essay, new interviews with producer, engineer, band members, eyewitnesses and others, previously unseen archive visual material, and the complete band date sheet with contemporary critical reaction. Also two black and white 10" x 8" band photos, one A3 size color poster accompanying Live at the Venue, and one signed, numbered certificate of authentication. The boxed set is produced by Bill Bruford.

Superb music, but this set is for completists and audio snobs. Do the discs sound appreciably better than earlier versions? That's going to be very subjective. To my ears, probably a bit better, but not in the way that some re-masters really open things up into a very different experience with music you already know pretty well. One of a Kind and Feels Good to Me get a 5.1 Surround Sound Mix and a new 2017 non surround mix. These sound good, but it won't be comparable to something like the 50th anniversary Sgt. Pepper revelations.
Gradually Going doesn't get a new mix or 5.1 treatment. It is basically unchanged from the most recent Winterfold version. The Bruford Tapes was a 2 Track recording of a radio broadcast that never sounded that great, and it does seem here that may be a bit more listenable than it was before.
That brings us to the completist side of things. You do get the ideas for the potential 4th Bruford album and a new (to me, at least) live recording of a John Clark era show (circa Gradually Going). The 4th album set is a bunch of idea fragments that don't for the most part give a real sense of how a song might've fleshed out eventually. Jeff Berlin is only on one of the 18 tracks, so it's basically moog bass from Dave Stewart and a "let's see where this might go" kind of flavor to things. The Live at the Venue show is on a sonic par with multiple Bruford boots that might've appeared on a Highland release or a torrent site. That is to say, it's not even on a level with the Bruford Tapes recording.
Why Rock Goes to College, featuring Allan Holdsworth isn't included in this set is a bit odd, as it's probably more historically interesting than either of the live shows that are here.
The booklet and individual cd booklets are nice and have good notes. There's a poster, band photos, and a certificate signed by Bill too. These are all kind of a poor man's version of what might be familiar to those who have seen some of the King Crimson boxes.
I'm glad I've gotten this, but paid about $40 less elsewhere than the current Amazon price. Is this set in any way essential? I'd have to say no, but it is great music from a bygone era all in one place and that does have some appeal.

Containing the collected works of Bruford on one extraordinary 6cd/2dvd-v box set, Seems Like A Lifetime Ago is a magnificent testament to one of the UK's most inventive and important Progressive Fusion bands.
Featuring 2017 remastered versions of the albums Feels Good To Me (1978), One Of A Kind (1979), The Bruford Tapes (1979), and Gradually Going Tornado (1980), the set additionally includes the previously unreleased Live At The Venue, 1980 and the highly sought after 4th Album Rehearsal Sessions (also from 1980).

Showcasing the prodigious talents of Bill Bruford, Dave Stewart, the late Allan Holdsworth (who the album is dedicated to), Jeff Berlin and The 'Unknown' John Clark, the set includes a 16 page colour booklet (with band interviews and an essay written by Sid Smith), a reproduction concert poster, two black and white photo prints of the band, and a signed and numbered certificate of authentication.

I personally wasn't happy with the remaster OR the $128.00 I paid for it. Crimhead420 :-(

Track listing:

Disc: 1
  1. Beelzebub (2017 Remix)
  2. Back to the Beginning (2017 Remix)
  3. Seems Like a Lifetime Ago: Part One (2017 Remix)
  4. Seems Like a Lifetime Ago: Part Two (2017 Remix)
  5. Sample and Hold (2017 Remix)
  6. Feels Good to Me (2017 Remix)
  7. Either End of August (2017 Remix)
  8. If You Can't Stand the Heat...(2017 Remix)
  9. Springtime in Siberia (2017 Remix)
  10. Adios a la Pasada (Goodbye to the Past) (2017 Remix)

Disc: 2
  1. Hell's Bells (2017 Remix)
  2. One of a Kind- Part One (2017 Remix)
  3. One of a Kind - Part Two (2017 Remix)
  4. Travels with Myself - and Someone Else (2017 Remix)
  5. Fainting in Coils (2017 Remix)
  6. Five G (2017 Remix)
  7. The Abingdon Chasp (2017 Remix)
  8. Forever Until Sunday (2017 Remix)
  9. The Sahara of Snow - Part One (2017 Remix)
  10. The Sahara of Snow - Part Two (2017 Remix)
  11. Five G Out-Take (Berlin / Stewart / Bruford) (2017 Remix)

Disc: 3
  1. Age of Information
  2. Gothic 17
  3. Joe Frazier
  4. Q.E.D
  5. The Sliding Floor
  6. Palewell Park
  7. Plans for J.D
  8. Land's End

Disc: 4
  1. Hell's Bells
  2. Sample and Hold
  3. Fainting in Coils
  4. Travels with Myself - and Someone Else
  5. Beelzebub
  6. The Sahara of Snow - Part One
  7. The Sahara of Snow - Part Two
  8. One of a Kind - Part Two
  9. Five G
  10. Manacles

Disc: 5
  1. Hell's Bells
  2. Sample and Hold
  3. Land's End
  4. Joe Frazier
  5. Gothic 17
  6. Plans for J.D
  7. Age of Information
  8. Five G

Disc: 6
  1. Hell's Midriff
  2. Sketch 1
  3. Restless Spirit
  4. Hope
  5. Consequential Circuits
  6. Matching Green
  7. Should've Been Something
  8. There Is No Reward
  9. Hooligan Juice 1
  10. Hooligan Juice 2
  11. Flat Bells, Claptrap and Trills
  12. Sketch 2
  13. Bedrock
  14. Plotting the Heavens
  15. Marrowbones and Cleavers
  16. Prophet Motive
  17. Sketch 1 [Reprise]
  18. Saturday, No School

Personnel:

Drums, Marimba, Percussion – Bill Bruford
Guitar – Allan Holdsworth (tracks: CD1 to DVD2), The Unknown John Clark* (tracks: CD3 to CD6)
Bass – Jeff Berlin (tracks: CD1 to CD5, CD6-9)
Bass [Additional] – Neil Murray (tracks: CD1, DVD1)
Bass [Minimoog Bass] – Dave Stewart (tracks: CD5, CD6)
Flugelhorn – Kenny Wheeler (tracks: CD1, DVD1)
Keyboards – Dave Stewart
Lead Vocals – Jeff Berlin (tracks: CD3)
Synthesizer [Prophet V], Electric Piano [Yamaha CP70] – Dave Stewart (tracks: CD5, CD6)
Vocals – Annette Peacock (tracks: CD1, DVD1), Jeff Berlin (tracks: CD5)
Voice [Electric Chat] – Bill Bruford (tracks: CD4)

Bill Bruford with Ralph Towner & Eddie Gomez - 1997 "If Summer Had Its Ghosts"

On If Summer Had Its Ghosts, a primarily acoustic trio recording, drummer Bill Bruford, bassist Eddie Gómez, and pianist/guitarist Ralph Towner create some lush, wondrous, spontaneous and melodic music. It has jazz roots, improvisational branches, and elfin extensions. There's no gimmickry or pretension, although Bruford does add some sampled colors, and Towner overdubs his instruments as well as throwing in a pinch of electronic keyboards. What you basically hear is Bruford's newest and freshest music, interpreted and extrapolated upon by three virtuosos in mellifluous interactive conversation. At their most swinging, as on the lively, four/four, tick-tock, light rimshot, mid-tempo swing of the title track, they are telepathic, with Towner effortlessly switching from acoustic 12-string to piano and Gómez laying down soulful, full, deep bass punctuations. In a more ethnocentric bag, Bruford samples mbira for the folk-ish "Thistledown," Indonesian bells for the minimalistic, dancing "Splendor Among Shadows," and clay pots for "Silent Pool"; Towner emulates Peruvian wooden pan flutes on his synth for "The Ballad of Vilcabamba," replete with ostinato bass and quiet electronic handclaps. The drummer pays homage to Joe Morello's classic five/four "Take Five" drum solo on "Some Other Time" (not the standard) with an accent on the fourth beat, while slowly grooving in six/eight on the ballad "Forgiveness." "Never the Same Way Once" (an old Shelly Manne adage) is the showstopper, a time-shifting, bluesy, swing to bop and back again rhythm with the spritely Chick Corea-like piano-guitar melody that is completely unpredictable and delightful. It reflects an easygoing, loose, carefree attitude that defines this entire session. If summer really does have its ghosts, they would evoke echoes of spring, full of renewal, hope, and joyful anticipation. It is that spirit with which this music is made, and it is some of greatest music, collectively or otherwise, that these three have conjured in their lengthy, storied careers.

Here's yet another excellent album among many Bill Bruford has been associated with. He's the only ex-member of Yes to have produced consistently high-quality work for the past 30 years. Bruford may not have the super-chops of a Colaiuta, Weckl or Gadd but he's more clever than all of them. Far from being "out-of-his-league" as another reviewer suggests, he creates his own league and unique field of play for his formidable accomplices. He could easily try to show off with flash or worse yet try to play like a typical jazz drummer and have this record sound like so many hundreds of others and put all the pressure on Towner to make it work. Instead he penetrates these tunes like a Swiss watch that can melt and bend as in a Dali painting. Bruford sticks firmly to his calculated and finely-tuned un-loose style but this is the restraint he needs to slowly unwind his drumming art besides providing a unique strict-timed background for Towner and Gomez, especially Towner to feed off. This makes the record sound 'one-of-a-kind,' a perfect fusion and blend of styles rather than tied to any one discipline. All that wouldn't matter if the compositions weren't excellent and here you have them. Every track is a great piece played with consummate skill by all three players with just the right amount of looseness and improvisation to maximize its potential, if not quite maximizing it to the transcendent masterpiece level you might hear on Towner's "Solstice." The last track is kind of out-of-place with the rest of the material and a bit more rock-oriented and closer to the late-70s Bruford-Band material but still a fun listen and nice way to close the album with a bit of a bang. The sound quality on the album is way above the average and on par with ECM recordings although without the often suffocating sameness of high quality recording you hear on some of the ECM albums.

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Track listing:

01     If Summer Had Its Ghosts     6:20
02     Never The Same Way Once     5:04
03     Forgiveness     5:15
04     Somersaults     3:27
05     Thistledown     4:11
06     The Ballad Of Vilcabamba     5:00
07     Amethyst (For Carmen)     4:18
08     Splendour Among Shadows     4:52
09     Some Other Time     3:01
10     Silent Pool     3:35
11     Now Is The Next Time     4:03

Personnel:

    Bill Bruford - Drums, Percussion
    Eddie Gomez - Bass
    Ralph Towner - Twelve-String Guitar, Classical Guitar, Piano, Keyboards [Electronic Keyboards]

Bill Bruford - 1980 "Gradually Going Tornado"

Gradually Going Tornado is the third and final studio album by Bruford. It was co-produced by Weather Report collaborator Ron Malo and released in 1980 (see 1980 in music). In contrast to the band's previous all-instrumental effort, several songs were sung by bassist Jeff Berlin. The closing Dave Stewart composition 'Land's End' includes music previously used on the opening and closing tracks of the National Health album Of Queues and Cures (1978). This album is considered among one of the best albums in the progressive rock/fusion genre.
The name of this album was taken from the British-based Romanian artist Paul Neagu who did a performance under that name in 1974 in London.

The Bruford Tapes demonstrated a more raucous energy than Bruford's first two releases, but the follow-up studio album, Gradually Going Tornado, proved that the group was capable of generating the same kind of power in the studio. And while Berlin's singing on half of the album's eight tracks may have seemed a concerted bid for greater acceptance, it's important to note that Bruford had already featured vocals on Feels Good to Me—although the relaxed phrasing of sultry singer Annette Peacock was considerably more artful than Berlin's tighter tenor. The inclusion of vocal tracks might have appeared, on the surface, to be a calculated commercial move rather than an artistic one. Still, the fact is that Bruford and Stewart's writing— which despite the verse-chorus approach of the vocal tracks—retained its harmonic and rhythmic complexities. In that respect Gradually Going Tornado was every bit as progressive as the group's previous albums.

Writing around vocals inherently implies a different kind of structure. Episodic writing becomes a challenge when one has to continually return to predefined verse-chorus song form with its inherent hooks. Still, by this point Stewart and Bruford had proved themselves highly creative at working around such restrictions. And while Berlin may not have had the most memorable voice—adequate, but lacking the kind of quality that gives it weight—the fact is he was called upon to execute melodies that would have challenged singers possessing more appealing tone. As was the case in Hatfield and the North, Stewart was absolutely unprepared to concede any harmonic ground for the inclusion of vocals and neither, it would appear was Bruford. The result is melodies that feel a little awkward on first hearing, but feel more natural on repeated exposure. And while tunes like "Plans for J.D." and "The Sliding Floor" veer closer to the rock side of the group's breadth than anything that's come before, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting.

The addition of vocal tracks may have turned off some of the progressive intellectuals, but Gradually Going Tornado also had its share of distinctive instrumentals. Berlin's "Joe Frazier," like Bruford and Stewart's "Sample and Hold" from Feels Good to Me, revolves around a lengthy theme that would test the skills of bassists around the world. Bruford and Stewart's episodic "Q.E.D." would have sounded completely at home in the repertoire of either Hatfield and the North or National Health, featuring Stewart's bell-like electric piano work. Bruford's "Palewell Park" is an uncharacteristic duet, with Stewart's acoustic piano trading off with Berlin's bass throughout its tender changes. Stewart's "Land's End," the ten-minute closer, features wordless vocals by singers Barbara Gaskin and Amanda Parsons—last heard with Hatfield and the North and National Health—and lifts a theme directly from "The Bryden Two-Step," off the latter's Of Queues and Cures. "Lands End," in fact," is demonstrative of just how key Bruford's drumming style was to defining the overall group sound, as it takes on a completely different complexion to Pip Pyle's kit work on the National Health version.

The reissue of Gradually Going Tornado contains a live version of the Berlin/Stewart/Bruford tune "5G" from One of a Kind. While the recording quality isn't the best, it's great to hear a full version, as the take on The Bruford Tapes fades out just when they seem to be getting going.

Gradually Going Tornado would be the last recording by the group. It was around this time that Bruford rejoined guitarist Robert Fripp for a new incarnation of King Crimson that would include guitarist Adrian Belew and bassist Tony Levin, so it's uncertain whether it was the commitment to Crimson that signed the deal-knell or lack of commercial interest. Either way the four discs that Bruford recorded in the mid-to-late 1970s served as notice that he had a greater role to play as bandleader, writer and performer—a role that continues to evolve to this day and shows no sign of slowing down.

After leaving King Crimson in 1974, Bill Bruford had drifted briefly between a number of bands (Gong, National Health, Genesis, Pavlov's Dog), before recording his first solo album, the excellent Feels Good To Me (1978). He then joined UK, taking part in their first (and best) release, and then wisely leaving before John Wetton and Eddie Jobson turned the band into the prototype for Asia.

Following this, his semi-eponymous quartet recorded One Of A Kind (1979), which, if not quite at the level of Feels Good To Me, was still pretty damned close. Bruford and bassist Jeff Berlin (not yet the star virtuoso that he is today) provided for an incredible and unconventional rhythm section, while guitarist Allan Holdsworth and keyboardist Dave Stewart contributed soaring melodic passages. All told, the music was the perfect bridge between the pure progressive rock of King Crimson, and the jazz-pop sensibilities of the Canterbury scene. Bruford's career seemed poised for continued artistic success, accordingly.

So, what happened to make Gradually Going Tornado a relative disappointment?

The first blow was Allan Holdsworth's departure. Always something of a temperamental figure, Holdsworth left the band before they were able to record their live release, The Bruford Tapes (1980). Stuck for a top notch replacement, Bruford replaced him with John Clark -- who, in a nice touch of English humour, was described as "the unknown John Clark" on the album's release (were Bruford from Canada, he might've referred to him as "John Who?"). Clark subsequently proved capable of performing in much the same style as Holdsworth, but not at quite the same level. It probably isn't fair to cast all the blame on his shoulders, but there's little doubt that the band would've been better served by Holdsworth's talents.

Then, Jeff Berlin decided that he wanted to sing. Worse, Bruford (or someone at EG records) decided to let him. Bruford's albums had featured vocals before, of course -- Annette Peacock had lent her inimitable style to Feels Good To Me, and the Gaskin/Parsons duo had made an ephemeral appearance on One Of A Kind. The difference in these cases, though, is that Peacock, Gaskin and Parsons actually had voices that were worth hearing. Berlin, while possessing some technical ability, also possessed a voice that was ... well, boring and colourless. Of Berlin's four vocal parts on the album, only one ("Age Of Information") can in any respect be called a success; "Gothic 17" and "Plans For J.D." come off as flawed, and his cloying efforts at swing-jazz on "The Sliding Floor" are simply annoying.

Third (and perhaps tied in with Berlin's vocal inclinations), the material on GGT is rather more poppish than on Bruford's previous works. This isn't necessarily a strike against the album, of course -- indeed, its Canterbury roots almost necessitate some poppish touches on the work. But when the streamlined form has a direct impact on the material, it's almost invariably going to be negative, and such is the case here.

Such were the strikes against GGT before the album's recording was even finished. They weren't enough to completely sink the project, thankfully; there's a fair bit of good material on the album, which ultimately overshadows most of the bad. That said, anyone interested in exploring Bruford's solo projects would be hard-pressed to find a less appropriate introduction than this.

And such we have Gradually Going Tornado. Can it be described as a good album? Possibly, but the mere fact that the question has to be asked is a sign that something wasn't right in the band's constitution at the time. Bruford, Berlin and Stewart were musicians from related but fairly distinct backgrounds -- when they joined together, the results could be magic (and frequently were). GGT, however, suggests that the combination had run its course by 1980. It is possible that the quartet could have bounced back with a better follow-up; it's much more likely, though, that the group broke up at the right time.

And then came Discipline ...

Track listing

1.    "Age of Information" (Bruford, Stewart) – 4:41
2.    "Gothic 17" (Bruford, Stewart) – 5:07
3.    "Joe Frazier" (Berlin) – 4:41
4.    "Q.E.D." (Bruford, Stewart) – 7:46
5.    "The Sliding Floor" (Berlin, Bruford, Stewart) – 4:58
6.    "Palewell Park" (Bruford) – 3:57
7.    "Plans for J.D." (Bruford) – 3:50
8.    "Land's End" (Stewart) – 10:20

Personnel

    Bill Bruford - drums, producer
    Dave Stewart - keyboards
    Jeff Berlin - bass, vocals
    The "Unknown" John Clark - guitar

Contrary to the belief of many, John Clark is not actually Allan Holdsworth. He was a guitar student of Holdsworth's whom Allan recommended as his replacement. He is now a long-term guitar player with Cliff Richards' band.

Guests

    Georgie Born - cello (2)
    Amanda Parsons & Barbara Gaskin - choir (8)

Kazumi Watanabe - 1987 [2016] "The Spice Of Life"

The Spice of Life is an album by jazz fusion guitarist Kazumi Watanabe, with Jeff Berlin on bass and Bill Bruford on drums. It was originally released in 1987, under the PolyGram label.

This album features the power trio of K. Watanabe on all guitars & guitar synths, fantastic bassist Jeff Berlin and Bill Bruford who was the drummer for the classic rock band Yes. By the time Kazumi Watanabe expanded beyond jazz to join the fusion movement, it was the '80s and fusion had all but died in The States. It was a pure delight to see this man keep fusion alive with a mixture of rock, the hard-driving beats and rythms of the '80s which kept the music current in its time and updated the sound that had once been the property of the '70s..........and of course, the jazz influence is solid throughout this recording. Watanabe is a tremendous guitar talent who is too often overlooked. His blistering hot guitar work shines with a knowledge of American culture while he slips in a definite Japanese flavor in his music........sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant. An incredible album!!! On a scale of 1-5 stars, this album deserves 10 stars!!! I also agree with other reviewers that the sequel album "Spice of Life Too" was a weak and disappointing follow-up to this supurb album. I haven't bothered to pick it up on CD, because even with the addition of a keyboardist, the music was uninspired and lackluster.......worth 3 stars at best........but again, THIS album, the ORIGINAL "Spice of Life" deserves 10 stars on a scale of 1-5 stars!!! An excellent piece of work!!!

This album features the power trio of K. Watanabe on all guitars & guitar synths, fantastic bassist Jeff Berlin and Bill Bruford who was the drummer for the classic rock band Yes. By the time Kazumi Watanabe expanded beyond jazz to join the fusion movement, it was the '80s and fusion had all but died in The States. It was a pure delight to see this man keep fusion alive with a mixture of rock, the hard-driving beats and rythms of the '80s which kept the music current in its time and updated the sound that had once been the property of the '70s..........and of course, the jazz influence is solid throughout this recording. Watanabe is a tremendous guitar talent who is too often overlooked. His blistering hot guitar work shines with a knowledge of American culture while he slips in a definite Japanese flavor in his music........sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant. An incredible album!!! On a scale of 1-5 stars, this album deserves 10 stars!!!

For those that love Bruford and Jeff Berlin working together you will love the infuence they bring to Kazumi's style and blazing playing. I owned the vinyl version first and played it to death. But the CD has an additional track that is very dark and more like an improv than any of the other selections. Bill uses his electronic/acoustic kit set-up and it works better here than with King Crimson. Since there are only three instruments for the most part (although Kazumni is all over the place with his guitar-synthesizer)this gives Bruford and Berlin a large presence and lots of room to do what they do best. The album has the feel of having very seperate tracks, the styles vary, but is very addicting and sounds great loud. I highly recommend it, it is really heavily influenced by Bruford and Berlin and could have been called Bill Bruford with.... Just as a note, I can not say that the second effort called "The Spice of Life Too" is of the same quality.

Tracks Listing

1. Melancho (3:29)
2. Hiper K (5:38)
3. City (4:28)
4. Period (6:38)
5. Unt (5:48)
6. Na Starovia (4:43)
7. Lim-Poo (4:50)
8. J.F.K. (4:55)
9. Rage In (6:17)*
* CD Only

Total Time: 46:50

Line-up / Musicians

- Kazumi Watanabe / guitars, guitar-synthesizer
- Bill Bruford / electronic drums, drums, percussion
- Jeff Berlin / bass

Bruford Levin - 2000 "B.L.U.E. Nights"

B.L.U.E. Nights is an album by Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, recorded live in Japan and the USA during 1998 and released in 2000.

This recording chronicles the live performances of Bruford Levin Upper Extremities from 1998. The disc showcases the band's unique blend of jazzy modes with Crimson-esque textures and, occasionally, just plain weirdness. Many of the tracks become looser jams in the live performance. For those who saw this tour, the disc will be a great memento. For those who didn't, it will serve as a shining example of what they missed, and encouragement to be more careful not to pass up subsequent tours. The band is Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, Chris Botti, and David Torn. Levin is certainly one of the greatest living electric bass players, and the disc shows that fact off in fine fashion. Bill Bruford's percussion work comes across as both very creative and quite impeccable. Trumpeter Chris Botti calls to mind Miles Davis at times, while carving out his own particular style. The last link, David Torn, has a style that is nearly indefinable, combining strange guitar textures with loop work for an art form that is almost peerless. And the whole of this group, despite each member's separate abilities, is so much more than the sum of the parts. 

On this record, these guys find new ways to expand the consciousness of the listener. The combination of the poly-metric blending of time signitures between the bass/stick and drums, the weird and sometimes eerie Tornian soundscapes, and the lonely Miles inspired trumpet takes fusion somewhere I've never heard it go. While the studio record they did was interesting, this record is visceral and alive and at times totally breathtaking. I want to be in this band.

This is a 2 CD set taken from live club shows in 1998. The sound is very good and there is very little audience noise. It sounds like the audiences were very small, like the concerts were done in half filled clubs. The first disc is 48 minutes and the second disc is 58 minutes with the addition of a bonus track from the original release. The packaging is fairly cheap looking.

This is jazz fusion. Some of it is discordant, especially the opening track. Mostly the music is lively, entertaining but very rough and hard. It is along the lines of what King Crimson was doing at the time, only more accessible. With Chris Botti playing on trumpet, much of the music sounds like a harder version of Miles Davis.

This band came together right after King Crimson was in it's "Projecks" and "Thrak" stages. Both Bill Bruford and Tony Levin were in King Crimson at the time. King Crimson was a sextet at the time and doing all kinds of experimentation with different combinations of the members of the band. They put out a number of CD's where any "C" in the title was replaced with a "K". The music was hard and metallic. Much of it was pure noise with members of the group just going off in any direction. Some of it was very interesting.

I think that Bruford and Levin take all that experimentation with King Crimson and evolve it into something much better. David Torn on guitar sounds like Robert Fripp under control. And the trumpet really adds a new dimension to the music.

Levin is always a very interesting artist. Another album to check out is his Double Espresso, which is more traditional fusion and new wave jazz. I think his best album (besides the 1980's King Crimson material) is Levin, Bozzio, Stevens Blacklight Syndrome. That is a CD to search out and cherish.

So to speak, it's a double live version of B.L.U.E. Including some other & a bonus track, of course. As for me, I'm fond of studio version more rather than this live one. But it's great that some tracks from studio are extended for live play. & some tracks are improvs or jams. Higly recommended for guys & girls who like each or at least one of Bill Bruford,Tony Levin and David Torn. These three good performers gathered once before at Torn's excellent work "Cloud about mercury". Though I haven't experienced any other Chris Botti, he is good especially at "Original Sin". By the way, Torn doesn't play impressively in this project to me. 

Tracks Listing

Disc One:
1. Piercing Glances (7:54)
2. Etude Revisited (5:24)
3. A Palace Of Pearls (5:58)
4. Original Sin (8:14)
5. Dentures Of The Gods (6:25)
6. Deeper Blue (6:32)
7. Cobalt Canyons (7:30)

Disc Two:
1. Fin De Siècle (5:46)
2. Picnic On Vesuvius (9:28)
3. Cerulean Sea (7:03)
4. Bent Taqasim
5. Torn Drumbass (5:40)
6. Cracking The Midnight Glass (6:53)
7. Presidents Day (6:47)
8. 3 Minutes Of Pure Entertainment (10:54)
9. Outer Blue (6:06)

Total Time: 103:14

Line-up / Musicians

- Bill Bruford / drums, percussion
- Tony Levin / basses, stick
- David Torn / guitars, loops, oud
- Chris Botti / trumpet

King Crimson - 1992 "The Great Deceiver" (Live 1973-1974) [4 CD Box]

The Great Deceiver is a live 4CD box set by the band King Crimson, released on Virgin Records in 1992. In 2007, it was reissued as two volumes of 2 CDs each. The track listing on the volume 1 CD 1 lists 11 tracks, incorrectly listing The Talking Drum and the abbreviated "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two" from the Pittsburgh show from CD 1 of the volume 2 set.
The box set features live recordings of the band from 1973 and 1974. All recordings feature the lineup of Robert Fripp, John Wetton, David Cross and Bill Bruford. Jamie Muir, who left the band in early 1973, is not featured on the set. The band's 1974 concert from Providence, Rhode Island is presented in its entirety on CDs One and Two; this was the second-to-last live concert ever performed by this incarnation of King Crimson.
King Crimson's "Walk On" music in 1973-74 was an excerpt of "The Heavenly Music Corporation," from the album (No Pussyfooting) by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. These "walk-ons" are reproduced here, and indexed as separate tracks.
Three recordings from this box set were previously available on other King Crimson albums, albeit in slightly altered forms. An abbreviated version of "We'll Let You Know" appears on the Starless and Bible Black album, released in 1974. Similarly, an abbreviated version of "Providence" was included on the Red album, also released in 1974. The live performance of "21st Century Schizoid Man" on CD Two was issued in 1975 as part of the album USA, featuring overdubbed violin from Eddie Jobson.
Many of the recordings on this album are band improvisations. "The Law of Maximum Distress" appears in two sections, as the tape ran out in the middle of the song. Much of the missing material seems to be used on "The Mincer" from Starless and Bible Black. As Robert Fripp notes in the CD jacket, "Most live recording follows the policy of two machines in use simultaneously to meet an eventuality such as this. We learn."
The liner notes to The Great Deceiver run to 68 pages. These notes feature comments from Fripp, Wetton and Cross, annotated excerpts from Fripp's 1974 diary, reviews of the previous King Crimson box set, Frame by Frame: The Essential King Crimson (1991), and a complete listing of all concerts performed by the band in 1973 and 1974.
The track "Exiles" is credited to Fripp/Wetton/Palmer-James on this box set. The correct credit, as listed on Larks' Tongues in Aspic and confirmed by BMI's records, is Cross/Fripp/Palmer-James. Despite having no legal co-writing credit for the song, John Wetton has indicated in interviews that he wrote the bridge for "Exiles.

In King Crimson's extensive catalog of archival recordings and box sets, The Great Deceiver (Live 1973-1974) is the undisputed winner, the item truly worth acquiring. The four-CD set Frame by Frame, released 18 months earlier, was light on material previously unavailable and included a few edits and overdubs on classic King Crimson tracks that shocked the fans. Epitaph, another four-CD collection culled from the group's first live shows in 1969, boasted understandably flawed sound and more repetitive content. But The Great Deceiver has it all. Over four discs, the set chronicles the on-stage activity between October 1973 and June 1974 of the most powerful King Crimson lineup. Robert Fripp, John Wetton, David Cross, and Bill Bruford were mostly performing material from their previous two LPs (Larks Tongues in Aspic and Starless and Bible Black). Yes, the track list remains pretty much the same from one show to another, but the group approaches each night from a different angle, changing the arrangements on the fly to suit the prevailing mood -- check out the chameleon-esque "Easy Money," presented in four guises, for tangible proof. Most importantly, the group performed unpredictable improvisations that embodied the struggle between order and chaos that Fripp thrived to express in penned songs like "Starless" and "Fracture." The live tapes have been beautifully mastered so that the music hits hard without losing the subtle nuances of Cross' violin. At the time of its release, The Great Deceiver filled a gap in the group's discography (the live album USA had not been officially reissued yet), but even after tons of additional concerts from that period were released by Fripp's label, Discipline, this box set still stands as the definitive argument to consecrate the 1973-1974 Crimson as its most exciting incarnation.

The Great Deceiver (Live 1973-1974). A four-CD box set that brings together excerpts and complete shows from six dates beginning in October, 1973 and ending in June, 1974, it demonstrates just how much of an improvising band this incarnation of King Crimson was—perhaps the greatest improvising line-up in the group's long career.

The version of King Crimson that released Larks' Tongues In Aspic (DGM, 1973) was by far the heaviest and most guitar-centric version of Crimson to date. The previous band, featuring recently-deceased bassist/singer Boz Burrell, reedman/mellotronist Mel Collins and drummer Ian Wallace, had fallen apart on tour, with everyone except Fripp hell-bent on moving towards a more rock and blues-centric approach. Fripp's new version of Crimson would bring together a group of players from diverse backgrounds, but who demonstrated almost instantaneous chemistry.

Drummer Bill Bruford had departed from progressive rockers Yes as the group edged towards superstardom on the heels of Close To The Edge (Atlantic, 1972). While it seemed a curious choice at the time, anyone familiar with Bruford's subsequent career knows that in many ways he's a perpetual student, making the majority of his career choices based on art rather than commerce. Bassist/vocalist John Wetton was a member of Family, a curious but distinctive group that never achieved the success it deserved. Violinist David Cross was the new name, but lent the group a new texture and classicism combined with an edgy approach to soloing. Those familiar with the free improv community would have found the inclusion of percussionist Jamie Muir—who left shortly after recording Larks' Tongues In Aspic—an odd choice. But, interestingly enough, Muir would prove to be the most extroverted showman the group ever had; leaping around the stage with chains, dressed in an animal skin and spewing fake blood.

While even the earliest Crimson from 1969 would include improvisations that went well-beyond mere extended soloing, the 1973-1974 edition of the group would allow composed tunes to break down into lengthy free pieces that might magically find their way into the next structured song. Or, perhaps, not. While a four-CD set of material culled from performances of songs from only three studio albums is bound to have some repetition, does anyone really need to hear four versions of "Easy Money"?

The answer is an unequivocal yes. Even twenty-four hours represent a significant difference in how this group approached form-based material. The June 29, 1974 version of "Easy Money" breaks down from its aggressive edge into a softer solo section that, unlike the studio version, never returns to a final verse. Instead, it gradually evolves into a vamp that pairs warm chordal work from Fripp and a mellotron flute solo from Cross. The following night—Crimson's second-to-last show of its final tour before Fripp would dissolve the band (something nobody was aware of that point)—manages to find its way back to the final verse, but not before some frenzied high-octane soloing from Fripp threatens to completely unhinge the proceedings. The group was clearly in high spirits, and Fripp— considered by most at the time to be a serious, reserved type—manages to break Wetton up during the first verse by responding to the bassist's vocal line with one of the most extreme note bends in guitar history.

Even two versions of "Fracture"—Fripp's most convoluted composition to date and still a challenge for aspiring guitarists—end up being different enough to justify inclusion. Despite the detailed structure of the song, the shades of color added by everyone- -and the open-ended section that immediately precedes the propulsive final third—illustrates just how open-minded this group was, even with the most regimented material. The equally constructed but initially balladic "Starless" is given the same treatment, also on two versions. Fripp's introductory "one note" solo gives way to two very different approaches once the dynamics and energy pick up—including a sadly under-mixed electric piano solo from Cross on the June 30th show.

Bruford's decision to leave Yes couldn't have come at a more opportune time. The opportunity to work with Muir, if even only for a few months, opened up his mind to possibilities felt in his work to this day. While he had a ways to go in terms of loosening up as he has in recent years, the chance to play in a group that, unlike his old cohorts in Yes, didn't believe in faithful reproduction of the studio recordings night after night, gave him an opportunity to evolve rapidly. He also began playing a host of tuned and untuned percussion, and worked hand-in-glove with Wetton to create some of the most thunderous grooves ever heard.

The improvs that regularly found their way into 1973-1974 Crimson sets sometimes emerged from songs, sometimes evolved into them, or sometimes stood alone. And while many began abstractly but ultimately found their way to powerfully funky grooves courtesy of Bruford and Wetton, there were exceptions. "Improv-Daniel Dust" begins as a delicate guitar/violin duet that ebbs and flows, only to find its way into "The Night Watch." "Improv-Wilton Carpet" proves this Crimson could be be adept at more abstract free play, patterns emerging only to disappear again as Wetton develops a repeated riff over Bruford's military-style drumming. That seamlessly segues into "The Talking Drum," a pattern-based vehicle for soloing that almost inevitably led to the metal-edged "Lark's Tongues In Aspic, Part Two," albeit in this instance an abbreviated version.

In many ways The Great Deceiver is this quartet's finest work, saying everything it had to say. Red (DGM, 1974), would find Crimson pared down to a trio, with the fired Cross appearing on only a couple of tracks, and the return of other guests including original Crimson co-founder Ian McDonald on saxophone. As a studio release it's a high point of Crimson's 37-year on-again/off-again career and signals, with the title track, "Fallen Angel" and "One More Red Nightmare," a shift that might have been worth exploring further had Fripp not become so disillusioned with touring and the harsh economic realities of the music industry in general.

Subsequent Crimsons would include some improvisation in performance, but never again to the same degree as the 1973-1974 line-up. And while future members Tony Levin, Adrian Belew, Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelotto would be on more equal technical footings with Fripp and Bruford (who would return to Crimson for the early-1980s version and the mid-1990s double trio), none of the later incarnations could match this Crimson for its energy, unfettered sense of exploration and ability to just let things happen in a completely unconsidered way. Characteristics that made 1973-1974 Crimson the band that, if only remembered for a handful of enduring compositions, is fondly looked at as, perhaps, the most viscerally exciting version of this longstanding and continually reinvented group.

Track listing:

Disc 1: Things Are Not as They Seem...

    Recorded at the Palace Theatre, Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 30 June 1974.

01  "Walk On ... No Pussyfooting" (Robert Fripp, Brian Eno) – 0:52
02  "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two" (Fripp) – 6:12
03  "Lament" (Fripp, John Wetton, Richard Palmer-James) – 4:04
04  "Exiles" (David Cross, Fripp, Palmer-James) – 7:00
05  "Improv - A Voyage to the Centre of the Cosmos" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bill Bruford) – 14:41
06  "Easy Money" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 7:14
07  "Providence" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 9:47
08  "Fracture" (Fripp) – 10:47
09  "Starless" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Palmer-James) – 11:56

Disc 2: Sleight of Hand (or Now You Don't See It Again) and...

    Tracks 1-2 recorded at the Palace Theatre, Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 30 June 1974.
    Tracks 3-11 recorded at the Glasgow Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, 23 October 1973.
    Tracks 12-13 recorded at Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States, 29 June 1974.

(Note: Only the first half of "The Night Watch" is taken from the Glasgow performance; the second half was taken from the Zurich show featured on CD Four. The liner notes indicate that there were technical problems with both recordings, and that the splice was done "to honour the spirit and sense of Glasgow's performance".)

 01  "21st Century Schizoid Man" (Fripp, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake, Michael Giles, Peter Sinfield) – 7:32
 02  "Walk off from Providence ... No Pussyfooting" (Fripp, Eno) – 1:15
 03  "Sharks' Lungs in Lemsip" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 2:30
 04  "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Jamie Muir) – 7:25
 05  "Book of Saturday" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 2:49
 06  "Easy Money" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 6:43
 07  "We'll Let You Know" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 4:54
 08  "The Night Watch" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 4:54
 09  "Improv - Tight Scrummy" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 8:27
 10  "Peace - A Theme" (Fripp) – 1:01
 11  "Cat Food" (Fripp, Sinfield, McDonald) – 4:14
 12  "Easy Money..." (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 2:19
 13  "...It is for You, but Not for Us" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 7:25

Disc 3: ...Acts of Deception (the Magic Circus, or Weasels Stole Our Fruit)

    Tracks 1-11 recorded at the Stanley Warner Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania United States, 29 April 1974.
    Tracks 12-13 recorded at Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States, 29 June 1974.

  01  "Walk On ... No Pussyfooting" (Fripp, Eno) – 1:15
  02  "The Great Deceiver" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 3:32
  03  "Improv - Bartley Butsfordd" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 3:13
  04  "Exiles" (Cross, Fripp, Palmer-James) – 6:23
  05  "Improv - Daniel Dust" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 4:40
  06  "The Night Watch" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 4:18
  07  "Doctor Diamond" (Cross, Wetton, Fripp, Bruford, Palmer-James) – 4:52
  08  "Starless" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford Palmer-James) – 11:36
  09  "Improv - Wilton Carpet" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 5:52
  10  "The Talking Drum" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Muir) – 5:29
  11  "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two" (abbreviated) (Fripp) – 2:22
  12  "Applause and announcement" – 2:19
  13  "Improv - Is There Life Out There?" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 11:50

Disc 4: ...But Neither Are They Otherwise

    Tracks 1-4 recorded at Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada, 24 June 1974.
    Tracks 5-12 recorded at the Volkshaus, Zürich, Switzerland, 15 November 1973.

  01  "Improv - The Golden Walnut" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 11:14
  02  "The Night Watch" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 4:22
  03  "Fracture" (Fripp) – 10:48
  04  "Improv - Clueless and Slightly Slack" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 8:36
  05  "Walk On ... No Pussyfooting" (Fripp, Eno) – 1:00
  06  "Improv - Some Pussyfooting" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 2:23
  07  "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Muir) – 7:41
  08  "Improv - The Law of Maximum Distress, Part One" (Bruford, Cross, Fripp, Wetton) – 6:31
  09  "Improv - The Law of Maximum Distress, Part Two" (Bruford, Cross, Fripp, Wetton) – 2:17
  10  "Easy Money" (Fripp, Wetton, Palmer-James) – 6:57
  11  "Improv - Some More Pussyfooting" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) – 5:50
  12  "The Talking Drum" (Cross, Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Muir) – 6:05

Personnel:

    Robert Fripp - guitar, mellotron, electric piano
    John Wetton - bass guitar, vocals
    David Cross - violin, mellotron, electric piano
    Bill Bruford - drums, percussion