Uncle G’s FUN Classic Rock CD Collection: King Crimson – Schizoid Man (1996 EP)

Date Published: 05 July 2012 – Classic Rock Radio (UK) Facebook Page

Uncle G’s FUN Classic Rock CD Collection
Spotlight: King Crimson – Schizoid Man (extended CD Single)

By Gary Brown
American Correspondent for Classic Rock Radio (UK)

I first learned of this band back in the 1970’s. Not that I paid attention much at the beginning of my finding out about their existence. I was a Yes fan first and foremost. I got into King Crimson because of Bill Bruford. Original drummer for Yes. His swansong with the band, the studio album masterpiece; Close To The Edge. Once a fan, always a fan. I’m loyal like that. Take advantage and start putting out shit, and I’ll lose interest. I dropped Alice Cooper entirely after his Lace & Whiskey album. Parts of that really sucked through a long straw. I regained interest when Trash came out. There are plenty of musical artists that I dig, but only for a certain period of time. And then there are the musicians who like fine wine, get better over the years. These are the ones who I end up having their entire catalog in my collection.

Robert Fripp’s King Crimson is a band kind of like Frank Zappa, in that in order to play with them (Robert Fripp or Frank Zappa) you HAD to be a seasoned musician. Adrian Belew as an example went from working with Frank to working with David Byrne’s Talking Heads, to finding a home working with Fripp for the sheer fact that he was that good of a musician.

CD: King Crimson – Schizoid Man – King Crimson Collectors Edition No. 2 (1996)

Tracks:

01. 21st Century Schizoid Man “Edit” 4:44

02. 21st Century Schizoid Man “Original Version” 6:53

03. 21st Century Schizoid Man “Live 1969”

04. 21st Century Schizoid Man “Live 1972”

05. 21st Century Schizoid Man “Live 1974”

21st Century Schizoid Man composed by: Robert Fripp / Pete Sinfield / Ian McDonald / Greg Lake / Michael Giles

Five different versions of the one song that originally came out in 1969. Think of the Vietnam War. Now a name; Spiro Agnew. He was the 39th Vice-President of the United States, under President Richard Nixon. He resigned from office before their first term was up. On October 10, 1973, Agnew was allowed to plead no contest to a single charge that he had failed to report $29,500 of income received in 1967, with the condition that he resign the office of Vice President. Nixon replaced him by appointing then-House Minority Leader Gerald R Ford to the office of Vice President. He later would become President when Nixon resigned. Huge cluster-fuck. Politics usually is. That being so, events of the day seemed to have inspired Mr. Sinfield to write lyrics reflecting the many screwed-up situations that were happening around that frame of time.

The studio version itself has a jazz vibe to it. Part of a brilliant debut album; In the Court of the Crimson King.

The musicians on this CD single are all in their own right, outstanding players. The original group who recorded the song were:

Robert Fripp: Guitar

Ian McDonald: Flute – Clarinet – Saxophone – Vibes – Keyboards – Mellotron

Greg Lake: Bass & Vocals

Michael Giles: Drums & Percussion

Additional Support: Pete Sinfield – Lyrics – Illumination (he’s credited with that…”Illumination”…defined as the www; “spiritual or intellectual enlightenment”…in other words…and this is strictly my guess…he’s the guy who brought the cannabis.

OH…album cover art by the late and great Barry Godber.

01. Ian McDonald: Saxophone (tracks 1 & 3)

02. Pete Sinfield: Lyricist

03. Ian Wallace: Drums (track 4)

04. Greg Lake: Bass – Vocals (tracks 1 & 3)

05. Boz Burrell: Bass – Vocals (track 4)

06. Mel Collins: Saxophone (track 4)

07. David Cross: Violin (track 5)

08. Michael Giles: Drums (tracks 1 & 3)

09. Bill Bruford: Drums (track 4)

10. John Wetton: Bass – Vocals (track 4)

Or something like that. Gives you an idea. If a collector of all things King Crimson, this is pretty cool to have in the collection. More of a novelty. Not something you play all the time. The same song with bits of variation. Better than remixes in general. This is more of a comparison in performance. Still, feel free to shake your bum if you want when listening. Gives the dog or cat something to watch.

Trivia # 1: Ozzy Osbourne covered 21st Century Schizoid Man on Disc 4 of his four-disc box set; Prince Of Darkness.

Trivia # 2: Emerson, Lake & Palmer covered it as well. Included in ’93’s box set; The Return of the Manticore. On a side note, “Uncle G” got to see ELP perform the classic rock song, 21st Century Schizoid Man, back in ’97 when seeing them in Saint Louis, Missouri. Fun show. Got to meet the guys afterward. The song 21st Century Schizoid Man such an important piece of Lake’s history. A connection…John Wetton…and seeing him and the rest of the original Asia band play the title song from which this came; The Court Of The Crimson King. Blew me away!

Note: Tony Levin plays bass on Cooper’s Lace and Whiskey. My apologies to him regarding my glum review. I’m certain the better parts have Tony playing on them.

End of Article

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