February 24, 1997 - Nashville, TN - SIR Studios
Context
Another time shift! As much as I love the band’s playing from the winter of 1972 variety is the spice of life. So here’s another opportunity to jump around in the Crimson timeline with a visit to SIR studios in Nashville in early 1997.
This recording is taken from a period of session work where the Double Trio formation of the band was disintegrating. The Double Trio consisted of two guitarists (Adrian Belew & Robert Fripp), two bass/stick/touch guitar players (Trey Gunn & Tony Levin), and two drummer/percussionists (Bill Bruford & Pat Mastelotto). It was a formidable band and a definitive Crimson incarnation that began work in 1994 and did its last public performance work in 1996.
We’ll cover more of the 1997 session adventure when we get to May.
The material from these February sessions just features Robert, Trey, and Adrian workshopping some material to take to the full band. Some of the DGM cataloging puts this recording on Feb. 25 instead of Feb. 24, but I’m going with the current site’s date of this recording on Feb. 24.
I also wonder whether this is properly SIR studios and not Adrian’s home studio. If this is from a session that was just Ade, Robert, and Trey then I doubt they would have rented rehearsal space.
This particular recording finds the future ProjeKct Two members playing around with what would eventually become FraKctured.
Listening Notes
Robert sighs “I have nothing left at the moment really to poke at all or prod it except the materials on the table.”
Robert is taking Trey through the paces of FraKctured as they try to find a bass line to accent parts of the fast running lines. It’s interesting to hear how much of these ideas (at least in Robert’s part) already matches what would emerge on The ConstruKction of Light album almost four years later.
I’ve talked with players and associates close to Robert who insist that he’s kept part of the original Fracture piece as part of his calisthenic repertoire. So it’s possible that much of this piece may have emerged in a quest to apply Fracture mechanics to a musical piece in the New Standard Tuning Fripp has used exclusively since the mid 80s.
Some interesting exchange from the players as they contemplate the piece’s possibilities. But there already seems to be an air of dismay and defeatism.
“You’re going to have to get Tony to come up with a slow bass line” - Adrian
“There’s no way those guys are going to follow you on that.” - Adrian
“I’m not going to be following Bill like I normally do I tell you that.” - Robert
“I didn’t slow down I swear.” - Trey
Ade’s playing is mostly absent on this recording and that may be indicative of the fact that he just can’t find any place to add something to what Robert’s presenting.
“I think it’ll be a monster, but there’s work.” - Robert.
Indeed.
They move into playing around with the floating sections of FraKctured and the boys sound fatigued. Someone mentions lunch. Someone makes fart sounds. They trudge on for a bit and address the eerie beauty of that floating part of FraKctured. Robert already has a sense that this is “just a little intro to the piece” and then the fast stuff coming in underneath it. He also mentions the middle fairy fingers section.
“Tell me what to do. My brain is dead.” - Robert
Robert asks if they want to do something with the “Oh Hell” idea. Adrian replies, “I don’t even know what that idea is.” Haha!
Oh Hell seems to be some kind fast running idea that that chops up a walking blues refrain. An intermittent crimson quest… trying to find a way to touch on the blues.
“We’ve got Construction well under way as well as some Deconstruction.” - Adrian
Purchase King Crimson at SIR Studios in Nashville, TN from DGM Live