U.K. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 1978 | |||
Recorded | December 1977 – January 1978 | |||
Studio | Trident Studios, London, England [1] | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, jazz fusion | |||
Length | 46:30 [2] | |||
Label | E.G. | |||
Producer | U.K. | |||
U.K. chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from U.K. | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [4] |
U.K. is the debut album by the progressive rock supergroup U.K., released in May 1978 through E.G. Records and Polydor Records. It features John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, Bill Bruford, and Allan Holdsworth. The album was well received by FM album rock radio and by the public during the summer of 1978. The LP sold just over 250,000 copies by 1 September 1978, with further sales through the rest of the year. The album was remastered in 2016 and included as part of the box-set "Ultimate Collector's Edition". [5] "In the Dead of Night" and "Mental Medication" were both edited for a single A- and B-side release.
"Alaska" was written by Eddie Jobson for the Yamaha CS-80. [6] The first three tracks belong to a suite entitled "In the Dead of Night", which began as a chord sequence by Jobson, to which Wetton added the melody and lyrics. [6] Early versions of "In the Dead of Night" and "Thirty Years" were written before the formation of the band. [7]
In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the 30th best progressive rock album of all time.
In an interview with the TeamRock site in 2016, Ty Tabor of King's X selected the album as his top pick in a "5 Essential Guitar Albums" list, stating, "I had never heard anybody think about playing guitar the way that [Holdsworth] plays on that record." [8]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "In the Dead of Night" | Eddie Jobson, John Wetton | 5:38 |
2. | "By the Light of Day" | Jobson, Wetton | 4:32 |
3. | "Presto Vivace and Reprise" | Jobson, Wetton | 2:58 |
4. | "Thirty Years" | Wetton, Jobson, Bill Bruford | 8:05 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Alaska" | Jobson | 4:45 |
2. | "Time to Kill" | Jobson, Wetton, Bruford | 4:55 |
3. | "Nevermore" | Allan Holdsworth, Jobson, Wetton | 8:09 |
4. | "Mental Medication" | Holdsworth, Bruford, Jobson | 7:26 [nb 1] |
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [9] | 53 |
UK Albums (OCC) [10] | 43 |
US Billboard 200 [11] | 65 |
Allan Holdsworth was a British jazz fusion and progressive rock guitarist, violinist and composer. He contributed to numerous bands, including Soft Machine, U.K., The Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerlen's Gong and Bruford, in addition to solo work.
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 features most of the personnel which appeared on the group's preceding album, Larks' Tongues in Aspic, with only percussionist Jamie Muir not returning, and is the band's final album with violinist David Cross as a member, although he would appear on one track on Red. Much of the album was recorded live and edited together with studio recordings and overdubs. The album includes multiple fully improvised pieces.
William Scott Bruford is an English former drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording and touring with King Crimson (1972–1974), Roy Harper (1975), and U.K. (1978), as well as touring with Genesis (1976). In 1978, he formed his own group, Bruford, which was active until 1980.
Edwin Jobson is an English musician noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K. and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976–77. Aside from his keyboard work Jobson has also gained acclaim for his violin playing. He won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards. In March 2019 Jobson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.
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.
U.K. were a British progressive rock supergroup originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band was founded by bass guitarist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly the rhythm section of King Crimson. The band was rounded out by violinist/keyboardist Eddie Jobson, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth. Bruford and Holdsworth left in 1978, and Bruford was replaced by drummer Terry Bozzio. Jobson, Wetton and Bozzio reformed U.K. for a world tour in 2012.
Three of a Perfect Pair is the tenth studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson, released on 23 March 1984 in the UK by E.G. Records. It is the group's final studio album to feature the quartet of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford, which broke up later that year, though all four would appear in the sextet lineup featured on THRAK in 1995.
Red is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson, released on 1 October 1974 on Island Records 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.
USA is a live album by the English progressive rock band King Crimson, released in 1975. It was recorded at the Casino, Asbury Park, New Jersey, on 28 June 1974, except “21st Century Schizoid Man”, which was recorded at the Palace Theatre, Providence, Rhode Island, United States, on 30 June 1974. Violin and electric piano overdubs by Eddie Jobson were recorded at Olympic Studios, London in 1975.
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 fusion. 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. Holdsworth's "The Abingdon Chasp" is the only piece he wrote for Bruford.
John Kenneth Wetton was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. Although he was left handed, he was known as a dexterous right handed bass player and had a booming baritone voice. He joined the band Family in 1971 for a short time before joining King Crimson in 1972. After the breakup of King Crimson at the end of 1974, Wetton was in progressive rock and hard rock bands including Roxy Music (1974–1975), Uriah Heep (1975–1976), U.K. (1977–1980), and Wishbone Ash (1980–1981).
Danger Money is the second and final studio album by the progressive rock supergroup U.K., featuring John Wetton, Eddie Jobson and Terry Bozzio. It was released by E.G. Records / Polydor in March 1979. Early versions of "The Only Thing She Needs", "Caesar's Palace Blues" and "Carrying No Cross" had been performed on tour throughout 1978 by the band's original line-up with Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth. "Rendezvous 6:02" and "Nothing to Lose" were both edited for single release.
Night After Night is a live album recorded by the British band U.K. It features the trio lineup of Eddie Jobson, John Wetton, and Terry Bozzio.
"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.
The Great Deceiver is a 4-CD box set by the band King Crimson, consisting of live recordings from 1973 and 1974, released on Virgin Records in 1992. In 2007, it was reissued on Fripp's Discipline Global Mobile label as two separate 2-CD sets, each featuring new artwork. The box set is titled after a song from the group's 1974 album Starless and Bible Black.
UKZ is an international progressive rock band, that was formed in 2007 by keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson, who had played in U.K.
Concert Classics is a live album originally recorded for radio broadcast by the band U.K. This album was originally released without the approval of the band, thus it was considered a bootleg.
Ultimate Zero Tour - Live is a live album by Eddie Jobson and his U-Z Project. The album is compiled from 2009 performances in Poland, Russia, and the United States by various line-ups. Musicians include John Wetton, Tony Levin, Greg Howe, Trey Gunn, Marco Minnemann and Simon Phillips. The album marks the first time Jobson and Wetton publicly collaborated since the breakup of U.K. in 1979.
Four Decades is a live album by Eddie Jobson, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his recording career. The album was recorded during one single night in Kawasaki, Japan.
Ultimate Collectors' Edition is a compilation box set by the band U.K., released on 4 November 2016. The set includes 14 CDs, 4 Blu-rays and a 66-page book detailing the band's history. The CDs include: remastered versions of the band's two studio albums, each with an extra disc containing songs in pre-production form; an extended, 2-CD version of the Night After Night live album featuring a complete show, and a remaster of the original version; a remixed version of Reunion – Live in Tokyo, three concerts from 1978, two bonus discs with interviews with John Wetton and Eddie Jobson, and the band's final concert from 1979.