Favourite Gigs.

[Rick and Roll]

Just picked up "Black Like Sunday" by King's X. One of my favorite bands. The first six CD's are awesome, the next two are good, and the last two (Manic and Bulbous) have slipped markedly. Boys, a suggestion - don't rush and put out so many CD's of mediocre quality. Those two put together MIGHT make one good CD.

To say I am disappointed by Black Like Sunday does not do the word disappointment justice. "Finished", "Bad Luck", "BLS", and "Two" are OK. "Screamer" and "Johnny" are excellent. "Dreams" is saved only by its guitar solo. That's half the songs.

The other half suck. "Rockpile", "Save Us", "Down" are bad, "Danger Zone", "Working Man", and "Won't Turn Back" are especially galling, and the winner for the crappy ass song of the year award goes to: "You're The Only One"!


At least they're still unparalled live. Why why why why why do bands have to do this???? Damnit! Such a great band!!!

I know Yesspaz loves King's X, so how do you and any other KX fans judge this CD?

You can dress up a turd all you want, but it's still going to smell like one!

[Yesspaz]

WOW

You know I love this band, so you know I had to defend the album. So here goes:

Screamer, Johnny, and Dreams rule. Black Like Sunday sounds like it was left off DOGMAN, so it rules. I didn't like Finished that much until I say it live, now it too rules. Yes, I'll agree that this is their most uneven album because it is old songs from different eras of the band re-worked. Also, it also their poppiest album, even more so than EAR CANDY.

Rock Pile, You're the Only One, and Danger Zone are good songs too. I really like Rock Pile.

The only songs that I tend to skip are Working Man, Down, and Save Us.

But ALL the earmarks of KX are here: kicking riffs (the opening of Rock Pile), perfect three-part harmony (Rock Pile, Dreams, etc.), and massive grooves (Screamer).

While I wouldn't call BLACK LIKE SUNDAY King's X's best album (by far), it's is still KX. That doesn't mean that I think they can do no wrong. I'm just saying that sub-par King's X is still better than almost anything else out there. I think Dreams, Screamer, and Johnny would do well on a station like AM.

But, to give credit where credit is due, Rick, you nailed the ones they did live. Notice the four they picked to promote the album were, in order, Black Like Sunday, Finished, Johnny, and Screamer (should have played Dreams too).

Well, I too am interested in hearing what others think of this album. However, if you're not into KX already, don't get this album first. Get FAITH HOPE LOVE or GRETCHEN GOES TO NEBRASKA or PLEASE COME HOME, MR. BULBOUS, or if you like really heavy stuff, DOGMAN.


PS. BULBOUS rules. I wouldn't say they "slipped" until MANIC MOONLIGHT, and even at that it's a 50/50 affair at first, but the more I listened to it, the more I look at it as a solid effort. The only albums that I don't consider solid all the way through are BLACK LIKE SUNDAY, EAR CANDY, and the first one, OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET.

[Rick and Roll]

Glossing over the 4th studio (self-titled) is a mistake. That's solid.

I can't see the fascination with Bulbous. It's almost as weak as BLS, and certainly worse than Manic.

Subpar KX is subpar music, plain and simple. It's just a shame that new ears will have to hear the recent crap and may never be blessed with hearing their other stuff. That's a damn shame. But as Kansas, Genesis, Marillion, and many others have proven, it sure is hard to keep it going.

KX can't riff and maintain their studio sound like they used to, or like they can live. Maybe that's why I like "Screamer" and the reggae of "Johnny" so much. It's different.

Remember - all the garbage from here on out will NEVER soil the early stuff. I'm just telling it like it is.

PS - just got back from dada, will give you all a review later sometime.

This thread has been in the wilderness for over a year now and with so many new Moonies out there and so many gigs attended I wonder if the thoughts are still the same.

I still stand by my posts in this thread but have to add a couple more.

1) The Groundhogs at 100 Club in February was the first time I had met another Moonie (our beloved progdirjim) and even though the sound wasn't 100% it was still a great gig for that reason.

2) Yes at Braintree for the same reason but this time JamForte, VAXman and Rogor Mortis.

3) Nik turner's Space Ritual Band at the 100 club. A real regression to the trippy hippy days of early 70s Hawkwind.

4) A recent Moodies gig at the Royal Albert Hall. No orchestra this time but a terrific band performance.

Any more you want to relate?

[dinosaur]

Saw the "Lamb" production last week. Good, but I liked the "Selling England" better. Maybe because I like the earlier material better?
If you haven't seen the Musical Box, don't be put off by the 'cover band' label that might be your first thought. These guys have the Genesis sound down!

Back to topic,

Favorite show so far: Tony Levin Band a few years ago.
A few close seconds:
Jean-Luc Ponty (c. 2003?)
Kopecky (c. 2001? Daryl Steurmer joined in for an awesome metal guitar set.) Hey Rickter, you might consider Kopecky for your next metal show.

Looking forward to my first show with fellow moonies. I'm trying to arrange a trip to NEARfest 2005...

Speaking of moonies, I attended a talk by Alan Bean yesterday (fourth human to walk on the moon). Very interesting and inspirational guy -- as well as a good artist. (alanbeangallery.com)

[lotus]

Having read through many of the replies to this thread, which KW resurected (therefore I discovered it) some of the best gigs I remember back in the 70's

Companhia Eletrica Dharma, a catalan group. Every gig I saw of them (about 8 in 3 years) was a party.

Tangerine Dream in 74, 75 and 76. The sound was so magnificent, that it allways was a highlight to go there. In 76 they had a big laser show with them, which, for me, was more disturbing than entertaining.

Jethro Tull in (I think 75). Ian Anderson was superb

Emerson Lake and Palmer (also 75). Unfortunatelly the warming up group was based on Stanley Clark. He stole the show from ELP

Mahavishnu Orchestra in 74. Very good in the first half, then boring, because it was always the same.

Biggest disappointment was Procul Harum. Maybe because the guys had to begin 3 hours late because the trucks were were stuck in costums that time (74 as far as I remember), but I left after one hour. It was bad.

Pink Floyd The Wall in Dortmund. What a show. Perfectly made and giving chicken skin mostly all over the time.

Best gig ever was PFM in 74. (They recorded that a couple of month later (Live in USA). I have never seen and never saw later people on stage having so much fun, enjoing themselves and making such an excellent music. Djivas on bass, Mussida Guitar and Pagani on flute and violin.... I think I will remember and enjoy the feeling I had all my live

As you all know, a couple of weeks ago I was with RM at Flower Kings more than 20 years after my last gig. I enjoyed it so much, that I decided to begin with this again, envolving also son and daughter of Lotus. To watch and hear live performing of music gives you so much energy that also this younger generation has to be conducted to this and not to plastic, playbacked, casted boy groups or Teenie girls.

Next Tuesday I am going with all family (including Mrs Lotus, who will have a terrible time) to The Tangent. Me and son of Lotus for sure will enjoy. Daughter of Lotus maybe (I hope so)....

[Rick and Roll]

that's probably the best post I've ever read.....I guess there is a second chance.

I wish I was a bit older...I missed all the great 70's bands in their prime.

A great post indeed.

Really glad you rediscovered the joys of gigging.

Your comments on the PFM gig reminded me how much I enjoyed them too. I saw them a couple of times. Once at the Rainbow just as "Photos of Ghosts" came out and on the "Chocolate Kings" tour at the Royal Albert Hall. I too, remember the fact that they all seemed to be having a great time playing their music to the adoring masses. Thanks for the reminder.

I hope Mrs lotus enjoys at least some of the Tangent concert. I'm sure the mini lotuses will.

I'm going to see The Tangent this coming Saturday with RM, mossy and son of mossy so I'll try and get a review done before you go.

[Bob Lentil]

My favorite gig was seeing King's X for the first time in June of 2002. I think I owned two of their albums at the time and was mildly interested in seeing them perform live. I was absolutely blown away. They were touring with Tapping the Vein at (who put on a pretty good performance), and I remember thinking to myself at the time that King's X made them look like complete amateurs. I was also thoroughly impressed by their accessibility and friendliness to the fans. I had seen King Crimson a few months before this show, and there was quite a contrast between Robert Fripp hiding in the shadows out of sight, and these guys acting like everybody was an old friend. Since then I have only missed one King's X show in the Cleveland/Pittsburgh area and obtained all of their albums.

My 2nd favorite gig was seeing Rush for the first time on the Vapor Trails tour. I discovered Rush in during there break after Test for Echo, and they quickly became my favorite band. It was a real treat having the opportunity to see them live after not being certain if the band was going to be able to continue, and it made me all the more appreciative. I'd probably rank this performance roughly equal with the show above, but King's X gets the edge for playing in such an intimate venue.

[fremder99]

Boy, I'll date myself with some of these!

- King Crimson here in 73 or 74. The opener was Captain Beyond. Both bands roared! KC was touring the Larks album, and Jamie Muir had recently left, so Bruford was surrounded by 3 walls of things to bang on behind him. But in the first song, he blew a bass drum head... So, they replaced his dbl bass kit with Capt. Beyond's stripped-down kit... sigh... I thought it would limit Bruford... silly me! One drunk kkept shouting "ROCK AND ROLL!!!" And Fripp finally approached a mike and reported that "Invariably, in any large gathering of people, there is one twit."

- Tull, about '72, on the Living in the Past tour, with Gentle Giant opening.... Every member of the Giant played a dozen instruments, it seemed! They were great, but a quieter band than the live albums that came later!! And then, Anderson strolls on stage picking the opening of the Brick, and played it, in its entirety, with 20 minutes of stage play material between the two "sides". They ran a "radio show" reporting news stories from the album cover, including an interview with a large rabbit! After the closing of the Brick, the band got over 10 minutes of standing O! And Ian Anderson coyly steps to the microphone and says: "For our.. SECOND number..." several more minutes of standing O followed!

- Yes, on the Relayer tour, with Gryphon opening. Just to hear Close to the Edge live was enough to go home happy. They played all of Relayer, and a side of Tales. Great stuff! My first of many Yes gigs!

[RogorMortis]

Living in Denmark meant that my live experiences in the seventies can be written on the back of a stamp. I haven't had the chance to see the great bands of the era - Genesis, Gentle Giant, Greenslade ect. They simply never came. Genesis did play the Lamb in Copenhagen but as a poor school boy I had no money for such outings.

The best experience was without doubt going to Reading in 1975 - my first real gigs as such with the ulimate goal of seeing Yes. And saw them I did og heard them more - Too many people meant I had a bad angle plus getting a load of beer cans thrown at you. But half way through the set God was in a good mood and went to the toilet pulling the chain opening the heavens - this meant I went to the front cause I didn't care if I got wet and muddy. There I could se everything including an impromtu song from Jon. The best I remember was The Gate of Delerium. Reading meant also I saw Caravan, Supertramp and Wishbone Ash among othes, oh and Robin Trower. Didn't get much sleep or food but who cares with that music. I've never been to a festival again since even though they are plentiful here, but never with prog bands.

But since becoming a Moonie my musical experiences have increased with the advent of meeting some of you other people. That has made it all worth while (even though it gets rather expensive) So I fear I will soon have to go to USA, a country I expected never to visit, but I've have to meet some of you good people.

[RogorMortis]

Oh I forgot to mention. In 1974 I did get to see Fruupp who played at our school. That was a good experience too with some really good technical playing inspite of them being stoned.

[Rick and Roll]

you're going to love my show this week, then. My lament (intentional Crimson pun) is that I am just a little too young to see those shows. I didn't get started until 1979....they must have been incredible!

rogor...

Trower...ah yes. A nice one there.

Why would you go to reading when you already know how?

C'mon New Moonies. Get posting and let us know of any great gigs you've been to.

[RogorMortis]

I hate this thread


All you lucky sods who had the possibilty of seeing all the greats


I do envy you during the years.


But here in the wilderness...not much to see


Damn

[teermin8r]

I am only gonna hit some of the highlights, but among the top is I got to see The Who with Keith Moon in '75 on the Who by Numbers tour. It was awesome. I have seen The Who 4 times and another time was the 25th anniversary of the Quadrophenia album in St. Louis. They played the whole album (my fav album of all time) plus 5 songs after it was over. A great show.

I have seen JTull twice, but the best was his solo Rubbing Elbows Tour a couple of years ago in a small theater with great acoustics. If you ever get to see Ian in one of these settings, GO! he does interviews and Q&A in between songs.

I was at the first Texas Jam circa 1978. Started at 9am and ended at 2am. I can't remember everybody that played, but here's what I can rememeber, other than it was extremely HOT. Van Halen, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Walter Egan, Heart, Mahogany Rush, Eddie Money, Journey, Head East and others. Looks like they are getting to release a movie about this also. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460957/

Also the Marillion concert I went with Vaxman and Mrs. Vaxman and Nadina in San Francisco of this year Sept 11th, 2005. A night I will never forget.

The Supertramp concert in Norman, OK circa 1978 or 79.

And the first time I saw Ozzy with Randy Rhoads. The Diary of a Madman tour. I went to my night class and they were giving a test and I didn't know they were. We could drop the lowest grade, so I left the class, wrote a hot check and drove 90 MPH 45 minute drive to go to that concert.

I'm sure I'll think of others later, but these are the cream of the crop.

[tobyGnome]

I hate this thread


All you lucky sods who had the possibilty of seeing all the greats


I do envy you during the years.

Hey Rogor I have often felt the same way, but I have managed to see some great gigs in my time. Some for just the music, and some for being with friends and creating memories, and some for both.

Yes - Beziers,France, 1984. I was on holiday with 3 friends in the south of France in Perpignan, and whilst there saw a poster for Yes playing in about 4 days time in Beziers so we moved to a hotel thereand managed to get tickets and were in for a great gig. It was in an old amphitheatre and it was a beautiful, sunny evening. The sunset, thousands of people throwing paper aeroplanes, the view.....and that was before the band came on. It was the 90125 line-up with Trevor Rabin and the band were excellent. The laser show on the French skyline only added to the music and we all left with very big grins.

Ozric Tentacles - various UK festivals 1986/87 If there was one thing you could pretty much be sure of at that time.... ozrics would turn up and play - often for hours, or all night, in a little tent with a generator. Improvisation was always the name of the game and when they were on form they were unbelievable and unmissable.

Cardiacs - Sheffield, UK (1988) Cardiacs were intense. A mixture of prog, punk, psychedelia and theatre they were / are almost uncategorisable (is that a word?). Some of their material could easily slip into the moon - some would certainly cause some moonies to choke on their cornflakes! If anyone feels like checking them out http://www.cardiacs.com/ - you may never be the same again.

NDR Symphony Orchestra - conductor Gunter Wand - Edinburgh 2001
Over about 3 years this orchestra and conductor would come and play Bruckner at the Edinburgh festival. The conductor was a frail old man who had to be physically helped onto the podium. Bruckner's music stands out from other "romantic" composers in the way that he uses big blocks of sound and builds up magnificent musical architectures - often intense, often very beautiful. Hearing this music conducted by a man who virtually lived and breathed Bruckner's music was a profound experience. After a few minutes from the start this frail old man seemed transformed, animated as if he was plugged in to some higher force. Awesome.

Caravan- Old Buckenham School, Norfolk, 1991

In 1990/1991 I lived in a tiny village in the Norfolk countryside where there was a shop and a pub about 1 mile away. One day after walking to the shop I noticed a small poster in the window advertising Caravan playing at the local school! At this time I was unaware that Caravan were playing together as they had not had any of the later, more publicised reunions. Could it be true they were going to play in the middle of nowhere? On the night of the gig I couldn't believe it was true - apparently they band knew the headmaster of the school or something and he had persuaded them to come and play. The original line up of Caravan - playing nearly the whole of In the Land Of Grey and Pink, with a real explosion at the end of Nine Feet Underground as well...unbelievable. It was kind of surreal because it was in a school and the school kids had stalls selling orange juice and biscuits - not the usual rock gig environment! The whole thing was fantastic.

[Yesspaz]

Originally Posted by tobyGnome

Caravan- Old Buckenham School, Norfolk, 1991

The original line up of Caravan - playing nearly the whole of In the Land Of Grey and Pink, with a real explosion at the end of Nine Feet Underground as well...unbelievable. It was kind of surreal because it was in a school and the school kids had stalls selling orange juice and biscuits - not the usual rock gig environment! The whole thing was fantastic.

Ok, now that's just stinking cool.

[Rick and Roll]

Toby, those are really neat....the best shows are often marked by the atmosphere..as in the Yes...and especially a chance occurence like the Caravan!

The Cardiac thing is very interesting..I must check it out sometime.

I've seen Ozrics a lot but never in that setting. They were almost like a house band over there for years, huh? And Joie was my favorite of the keyboard players, I only saw him once. He can play, all the rest since just make noises and that gets old (although Ed compensates!).