the coolest street on earth?

Actual street sign in Medina, Ohio -- someone on the zoning board must be a prog fan.

the raven has landed

Steven Wilson -- The Raven That Refused To Sing
Buy it -- fantastic.

prog memories

A souvenir from Marillion's This Strange Convention gig in Pittsburgh on August 30, 1997.

a mixed bag

Took advantage of a $5 blow-out sale at the Rollins site and picked up:

8. Henry Rollins -- Talk Is Cheap, Vol. 3
9. Henry Rollins -- Talk Is Cheap, Vol. 4

Did some used CD hunting with my friend Harry last weekend and aquired:

10. Iron & Wine -- The Sea & The Rhythm
11. Eels -- End Times
12. Grateful Dead -- Anthem of the Sun
13. John Zorn -- Filmworks I: 1986 - 1990
14. John Zorn -- The Unknown Masada

But the big score of the week was how I spent my Xmas bonus:

15. King Crimson -- Red (5.1 remaster)
16. King Crimson -- In the Court of the Crimson King
(5.1 remaster, limited edition box set)

Life is good.

misheard lyrics

The battle flags are flown
At the feet of a garden gnome

the return of the crimson king

62. King Crimson -- Park West, Chicago, August 7, 2008

Last August, Devastator and I drove eight hours to Nashville to see King Crimson as they returned to active duty for a four-city anniversary tour. The above double-disc release is from a concert one week after the Nashville gig, sonic confirmation of why Henry Rollins said that there is Sabbath-heavy and Crimson-heavy. This music pummels you with precision, like a professional boxer.

The highlight of the concert for me is the double drumming, especially on Neurotica and Thela Hun Ginjeet. These two songs sounded cluttered when performed by the double trio formation of Crimson in 1995-96. Not anymore: Pat and Gavin have created rhythm parts that only add power and clarity. I'm a frustrated drummer (thinking of unretiring and buying a drum kit again), so I tend to key in on the drum performances. These guys are kicking my ass in a good way. Intense.

This concert is available as a download-only from the Crimson/DGM site. You can listen to some snippets there too.

progging out like a mofo

Alex, I'll take "Used Prog CD's" for under $10.00:

36. Yes -- Yessongs
37. Yes -- Yesshows
38. Yes -- The Word Is Live

The first two are double-discs, and the third is a triple set. Damn, that's a lot of squiggly Moog solos. I discovered Yes in seventh grade when a friend played me his older brother's copy of Fragile, and another friend let me borrow Close to the Edge. At the time these albums were only about ten years old: to a teenager, though, they were ancient but in a cool, Frodoesque way (nerd alert!). And so began my fascination/obsession with side-long songs, concept albums, meandering solos, and all things prog.

Side note: I last saw Yes live in 2002. During the first half of the concert, the assholes seated behind my brother and I would not stop talking. They had obviously won tickets from the local classic-rock station ($60 seats) and were not interested in the music at all, choosing instead to yammer brainlessly. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer--without turning around, I just bellowed "Man, shut the fuck up!" They remained quiet for the rest of the show. Zack was right: sometimes anger is a gift.

playing catch-up

I'm way behind in my CD-tallying, so in no particular order, here are some of the latest acquisitions from the past month:

29. Judas Priest -- British Steel
30. Judas Priest -- Screaming for Vengeance

Both remastered, these blasts from my past have been blasting from my speakers on heavy rotation for the last week. Rob Halford is probably my favorite metal vocalist of all time--no one else is that fierce and melodic at once. My co-workers must think I'm insane, regressing, or having a mid-life crisis. While they're talking about mortgages, children, and divorces, I'm cranking Priest tunes in the warehouse, singing along maniacally with Rob. What can I say? Life is short, so rock out.

31. Pole -- CD 1

This disc crackles, hisses, and pops like radio broadcasts from deep space. Subsonic frequencies mutate into ghostly basslines as whistles and sirens echo from within ancient black holes. Call it dub or glitch or whatever: Pole creates late-night music that gives my heebiejeebies the creeps. And that's a good thing.

32. Jethro Tull -- Catfish Rising
33. Jethro Tull -- Roots to Branches
34. Jethro Tull -- J-Tull Dot Com

Can you tell that I've been on a Tull kick? These are their three most recent studio releases, and I bought them all used for a combined price of ten dollars. Roots to Branches is my current fave of the three, having the longest, proggiest tunes; but the other two discs are just as solid.

35. Genesis -- Trespass

Speaking of prog, this disc gets snubbed by many fanboys as not quite being up to snuff with the other Gabriel-era releases. Bunk, drivel, and piffle, I say! Trespass holds its own in a raw and ramshackle way, lurching and lunging with a genteel malevolence. Naysayers who whine that prog has no balls have never heard The Knife, eight minutes of menace and agitprop, rallying earnest young men with beards to take to the streets. Killer stuff.

Much more to come--stay tuned...

turning up the heat and the volume

Damn, it is frigid here in Cleveland this weekend, with the temperature in single digits and negative wind chill factors. So what's a guy to do but stay indoors, crank the furnace, and play cool tunes?

I started the day with Arcadia Son by IEM, yet another project by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree. IEM is possibly SW at his most self-indulgent, and I mean that as a compliment. The second release under the IEM name, Arcadia Son mixes psychedelia, Krautrock, electronica, and Miles-70's-era-jazz, creating a sonic atmosphere both trippy and menacing. Flutes, saxophones, and guitars whirl from speaker to speaker, battling for solo supremacy. This disc achieves what all of my favorite music does: it takes me someplace different with every listen.

Next I played Les elephants carillonneurs by Philharmonie (the title translates as the elephant bell-ringers--no, I don't know what that means either). Philharmonie are a French guitar trio very much in the vein of Robert Fripp's work with the Leauge of Crafty Guitarists and the RF String Quintet. Their music is intricate yet accessible, not showy or coldly academic. Chamber music that rocks? Maybe.

I just finished watching the first hour of the 1970 Albert Hall concert from the live Led Zeppelin DVD released in 2003. Damn, does this rock! Zeppelin had only been together for about a year at this point, but you wouldn't know it from this intense performance. Every crappy mall-punk band should be forced to watch this DVD until they cry with shame and admit that their fake rebellious posing is no substitute for musicianship.

Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder, and the Super Bowl is a non-event for me. So once again I will be kicking out the jams. Look out!

11 & 12

Went to Border's in Westlake last night and picked up the following discs:

11. King Crimson -- The Collectable King Crimson: Volume One
12. Bill Bruford's Earthworks -- Random Acts of Happiness

The Crimson set contains two killer concerts from the 1974 lineup of Cross/Fripp/Wetton/Bruford. To me, this version of Crim could do no wrong, able to downshift on a dime from brutal to delicate. I already have many live versions of all of the songs featured on these two discs, yet I never tire of hearing more. There are always subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) variations that stroke my organ of Corti, such as the distorted electric-piano chords at the ten-minute mark of Starless from the Mainz performance--plaintive stabs that echo grainily like the sinister dub of Pole. To hear snippets from the Asbury Park concert, please visit this page.

The Bruford disc documents live performances from the 2003 lineup of Earthworks, an acoustic jazz quartet of saxophone/flute, piano, bass, and drums. Inventive and energetic, this music makes me want to dance around like an idiot (those who have witnessed my Chaplin-as-performance-art gyrations know what I mean). The disc also features whimsical artwork from Dave McKean, the director of the awesome fantasy-film Mirrormask (which itself features a playfully jazzy soundtrack by Earthworks alumnus Iain Ballamy). To hear snippets from Earthworks and other Bruford projects, please visit here.

a-hunting we did go

I went used CD hunting on Saturday with my good friend Harry, and then on a solo safari the next day. Here is what I captured:

Jethro Tull--A Little Light Music: Live acoustic performances of classic Tull tunes, and a nice arrangement of John Barleycorn Must Die.

KTU--Eight Armed Monkey: Bizarre prog/electronica featuring two members of King Crimson and a European who plays the accordion more like Ritchie Blackmore than Frankie Yankovich. Strange and haunting music.

Morphine--The Best of, 1992-1995: I already own every Morphine CD but needed this one for the three previously unreleased songs, all of which are very cool.

Frank Zappa--The Dub Room Special: I have had this on VHS for years but am so happy to have it on DVD now. Killer live performances from 1974 and 1981, plus twisted clay animation from Bruce Bickford. Thanks to Harry for spotting this one.

Nick Drake--Bryter Later and Pink Moon: Folky, jazzy, mellow, wistful, spooky, dreamy, thoughtful. A timeless voice singing timeless songs.

Depeche Mode--Music for the Masses and Violator: The remastered editions, each with a DVD containing a mini-documentary about making the album, plus a 5.1 mix and bonus B-sides. Who knew there was a video made for Pimpf? Great stuff.

Eric Tamm--Brian Eno: His Music and the Vertical Color of Sound: Well-researched and insightful book on Eno's music and methodology. This will be a good one to leaf through while floating down ambient streams.

And to recap, all of these purchases were used. USED, I say! Good savings, good times.

dark secrets exposed

The cover of In the Court of the Crimson King is tattooed across my entire back, but it was done in lemon juice so you have to hold me up to a light bulb to see it.

when i am king

Whenever three or more people are waiting in a line or at the bus stop,
they must practice tai chi.

Every organ at every sports arena will be replaced with a Mellotron.

This will be the new national anthem.

embrace the randumb iii

Ohio landmark or outtake from The Division Bell?

Hip couch or part of Bill Bruford's drum kit circa 1984?

Photos courtesy of roadsideamerica.com and the defunct worldofkane.blogspot.com