Quote:
Originally Posted by ted
Had a few of their albums back in the day and just downloaded some of their music last week.
I would of never expected someone from King Crimson was also in Foreigner.
Completely different sound and market.
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Boz Burrell, the bass player and sometimes vocalist (mostly backup) for
Bad Company was also a
King Crimson alumni. They brought him on as the vocalist to replace vocalist and bass player Gordon Haskell (who had replaced Greg Lake on their third album
Lizard). Boz didn't really play an instrument, so they intended to find another bass player to fill that spot as well. When the guy backed out, they wound up teaching Boz to play bass instead. He recorded their fourth album,
Islands with them, then left to form
Bad Company.
I've been a lifelong
King Crimson fan. I first saw them as the opening act for
Yes in the early to mid 1970's. And, yes, I'm a huge fan of
Yes as well. Far, far more commercially successful than
King Crimson, they must have been a very intimidating band for whom to open.
King Crimson were certainly up to the task. Their dummer by then, Bill Bruford, had actually started with
Yes, but subsequently left them for the much more creative and improvisational atmosphere at
King Crimson.
King Crimson's recorded music does not do them justice. It can be "uneven", to be gracious about it. Highly experimental at times, often sacrificing "listenability" for that. But, when they land on something that "works", they are absolutely spectacular. Beyond that, however, it's their live improvisation that really set them apart. You really, really had to catch them live to gain a full appreciation of them. Unfortunately, they announced from Japan a few weeks ago while on tour, they "had played their last note". What a shame.