Aural Moon - Progressive Rock Discussion - May 2 & 3

I've had a few issues with my PC this week and obviously haven't had the chance to plan a new show yet. So, I figired I'd just use the latest replay choice for a show. Enjoy!

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This week, our theme is centered on Tony Levin, bassist, vocalist, one-man barbershop quartet, and Chapman Stick expert extraordinaire. Although I'm not touching on any of his solo music, he played a key role in the construction of the music and musical identity of each of this week's albums.

I. Discipline (King Crimson) 1981

Like the phoenix, King Crimson rose triumphant in 1981 with a new half-American formation on their album 'Discipline'. Introducing electronic instrumentation, cleaner playing, and more world-music influences--this album helped herald a new age of Progressive Rock. Noticeably, this album draws on the work of The Talking Heads and other relevant bands to that period in time. Of course, the important thing to remember with King Crimson is that although the music contains some similar elements in each incarnation, it usually always operates within the current sound in music.

note: This album contains an extra track of the original released mix of Matte Kudasai. This contains Frippertronics, added by Robert Fripp as an afterthought. Adrian Belew requested to remove the extra overdubbing on later pressings, so it appears here as a bonus track.[list=1][*]Elephant Talk (Belew/King Crimson) - 4:45 [*]Frame by Frame (King Crimson) - 5:08 [*]Matte Kudasai (King Crimson) - 3:48 [*]Indiscipline (King Crimson) - 4:33 [*]Thela Hun Ginjeet (King Crimson) - 6:27 [*]The Sheltering Sky (King Crimson) - 8:24 [*]Discipline (King Crimson) - 5:03[*]Matte Kudasai [Alternative Version] (King Crimson) - 3:50 [/LIST=1]
II. Peter Gabriel [3] (Peter Gabriel) 1981

Although his first two albums had been fairly successful, it wasn't until Peter Gabriel released his third self-titled album, 'Peter Gabriel[3]' ('81), that he was recognized for more than just Solisbury Hill. With such strong, consistent construction, this is easily the best early album by Peter Gabriel. There are contributions on here from the rapidly synergizing trio of Larry Fast (synth), Jerry Marrotta (drums), & Tony Levin (Chapman Stick), as well as Phil Collins, and Robert Fripp. After this album, Peter Gabriel blew the doors off with 'Security' and became an "established" pop phenomenon.[list=1][*]Intruder (Gabriel) - 4:54 [*]No Self-Control (Gabriel) - 3:55 [*]Start (Gabriel) - 1:21 [*]I Don't Remember (Gabriel) - 4:41 [*]Family Snapshot (Gabriel) - 4:28 [*]And Through the Wire (Gabriel) - 5:00 [*]Games Without Frontiers (Gabriel) - 4:06 [*]Not One of Us (Gabriel) - 5:22 [*]Lead a Normal Life (Gabriel) - 4:14 [*]Biko (Gabriel) - 7:32 [/LIST=1]
III. Liquid Tension Experiment 2 (Liquid Tension Experiment) 1999

Liquid Tension Experiment's second and final album, 'Liquid Tension Experiment 2' ('99), involves stronger writing and musicianship. Although it's further from the harder jamming on the first album, the second presents a more thoughtful, melodic approach. Where the first album is playful and repetitive, this album is both driven and exploratory. On first listen, I dismissed it as just a bad sophomore effort. However, as I gave the album more time, it became very apparent to me how much work was put into this album. Although the delivery of John Petrucci's son brought the album work to a sudden halt (When the Water Breaks), this gave Jordan, Tony, & Mike more time to fully construct the songs with John in mind, before he came back. The only word of a follow-up to the album is rumor of live tapes and extra jams from around the period of the second album. Mike Portnoy's comment on this was that Magna Carta supposedly says the tapes are lost. Oh well, I don't think Mike liked them very much anyway. Maybe I'll get a chance to play one of the few live shows on an upcoming program.[list=1][*]Acid Rain - 6:35 [*]Biaxident - 7:40 [*]914 - 4:01 [*]Another Dimension - 9:50 [*]When the Water Breaks - 16:58 [*]Chewbacca - 13:35 [*]Liquid Dreams - 10:48 [*]Hourglass - 4:26 [/LIST=1]