"Moonchild" | |
---|---|
Song by King Crimson | |
from the album In the Court of the Crimson King | |
Released | 12 October 1969 |
Recorded | 31 July 1969 |
Genre | |
Length | 12:13 |
Label | Atlantic |
Composer(s) | |
Lyricist(s) | Peter Sinfield |
Producer(s) | King Crimson |
"Moonchild" is the fourth track from British progressive rock band King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King .
Along with songs by Yes, this song was used in the 1998 movie Buffalo '66 , in the scene in which Christina Ricci tap dances at the bowling alley. [4]
After having been rehearsed in 2013–2014 by King Crimson VIII, the song made its live debut after 48 years on 18 October 2017 in Austin, Texas. [5]
The first section, "The Dream", [2] is a mellotron-driven ballad, but after two and a half minutes it changes to a completely free-form instrumental improvisation by the band (called "The Illusion" [2] ), which lasts until the end of the song. Robert Fripp plays a snippet of "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" (from Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!") in this section.[ citation needed ] In the 2009 remix of the album, the track was edited by Fripp and colleague Steven Wilson, with around 2.30 minutes of the original improvisation (the reference by Fripp to "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top") being removed. This issue of the album does, however, offer the original version as a bonus track.
The song contains drummer Michael Giles performing a unique alternation between the ride cymbals, [6] which was praised by music critics and writers. [7] The song was described as a "space jam." [7]
King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London. The band drew inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, blues, industrial, electronic, experimental music and new wave. They exerted a strong influence on the early 1970s progressive rock movement, including on contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis, and continue to inspire subsequent generations of artists across multiple genres. The band earned a large cult following.
Peter John Sinfield is an English poet and songwriter. He is best known as a co-founder and former lyricist of King Crimson. Their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King is considered one of the first and most influential progressive rock albums ever released.
Starless and Bible Black is the sixth studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson, released in March 1974 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It carries over most of the same lineup which appeared on the preceding album, Larks' Tongues in Aspic, with only percussionist Jamie Muir not returning, and is the band's final album with violinist David Cross. In order to more faithfully capture the band's live energy, much of the material on this album was tracked in concert and edited together with studio recordings. The album includes multiple fully improvised pieces, alongside "Fracture", one of King Crimson's most challenging pieces to perform.
Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock group King Crimson, released on 23 March 1973 through Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, featuring co-founder and guitarist Robert Fripp along with four new members: bass guitarist and vocalist John Wetton, violinist and keyboardist David Cross, percussionist Jamie Muir, and drummer Bill Bruford. It is a key album in the band's evolution, drawing on Eastern European classical music and European free improvisation as central influences.
Gregory Stuart Lake was an English bassist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP).
In the Court of the Crimson King is the debut studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson, released on 10 October 1969, by Island Records. The album is one of the earliest and most influential of the progressive rock genre, with the band combining musical influences that rock music was founded upon with elements of jazz, classical, and symphonic music.
In the Wake of Poseidon is the second studio album by English progressive rock group King Crimson, released in May 1970 by Island Records in Europe, Atlantic Records in the United States, Philips Records in Australia, and Vertigo Records in New Zealand. To date the album is their highest-charting in the UK, reaching number 4.
Islands is the fourth studio album by English band King Crimson, released in 3 December 1971 on the record label Island. Islands is the only studio album to feature the 1971–1972 touring line-up of Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace. This would be the last album before an entirely new group would record the trilogy of Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red between 1973 and 1974. This is also the last album to feature the lyrics of co-founding member Peter Sinfield.
Red is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson. It was released in October 1974 on the Island Records label in the United Kingdom, and Atlantic Records in North America and Japan. The album was recorded at Olympic Studios in London in July and August 1974, and produced by the band themselves. The track "Providence" was a free improvisation recorded at their 30 June 1974 concert at the Palace Theater in Providence, Rhode Island. Parts of some of the pieces were conceived during previous improvisations performed by the band live. "Starless" was originally written for their previous album, Starless and Bible Black (1974), but was considered too primitive to be released at the time. The lengthy version included on Red was refined and performed during concerts throughout 1974.
The Night Watch is a live album by the English rock band King Crimson, recorded in Amsterdam in 1973, and released in 1997.
King Crimson Live in Hyde Park is a live album by the band King Crimson, released through the King Crimson Collectors' Club in September 2002.
King Crimson Live at Summit Studios is a live album of radio session recordings by the band King Crimson, released by the Discipline Global Mobile label through the King Crimson Collectors' Club in February 2000. The album was recorded at Summit Studios in Denver, Colorado on 12 March 1972 during one of the band's American tours. The performance was notable for the absence of the band's trademark Mellotron, resulting in an unusual setlist and the inclusion of two lengthy collective improvisations.
Ian Richard McDonald was an English musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the progressive rock band King Crimson in 1968, as well as the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976.
Giles, Giles and Fripp were an English rock group, formed in Bournemouth, Dorset in August 1967. It featured brothers Michael Giles on drums and vocals and Peter Giles on bass guitar and vocals, and Robert Fripp on guitar. The band's music showed an eclectic mix of pop, psychedelic rock, folk, jazz, and classical influences. The group eventually evolved into pioneering progressive rock band King Crimson.
"Starless" is a composition by English progressive rock band King Crimson. It is the final track on their seventh studio album, Red, released on 1 October 1974.
"Epitaph" is the third track on British progressive rock band King Crimson's 1969 album In the Court of the Crimson King. It was written by Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake, and Michael Giles with lyrics written by Peter Sinfield.
"The Court of the Crimson King", sometimes billed "In the Court of the Crimson King", is the titular fifth and final track from the British progressive rock band King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King. Released as a single, it reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the only King Crimson single to chart on the Hot 100.
"Larks' Tongues in Aspic" is a musical suite by the English progressive rock band King Crimson. Spanning thirty years and four albums, the series comprises five parts, all of which carry unifying musical motifs. Parts I and II were released as the introductory and final tracks on King Crimson's 1973 album of the same name, part III was featured on their 1984 album Three of a Perfect Pair, part IV appeared on 2000's The Construkction of Light, and the final part, "Level Five", was included on the 2003 album The Power to Believe. Despite breaking the naming convention, Robert Fripp, King Crimson founder and only constant contributor to the suite, insists that "Level Five" is part of the pentalogy.
The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson – Volume One – 1969–1974 is the first of two 4-CD sets of compilation albums, showcasing the entire production of the British progressive rock band King Crimson. This set of discs contains both studio and live performances ranging from the beginnings of the band in 1969 to their first dissolution in 1974.
The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp is a 1968 album from the English group Giles, Giles and Fripp. The music shows a varied mix of pop, psychedelic rock, folk, jazz and classical influences. The songs on each LP side are connected with comedic spoken word pieces, "The Saga of Rodney Toady" and "Just George", which tell stories.