King Crimson for this New Years Eve Jr. Lunchroom – recorded in Detroit at Eastowne Theatre, Detroit – November 11, 1971.
King Crimson represented a monumental change Rock Music was about to undertake. The genre was splintering off in a million different directions. And one of those directions became known as Progrock – initially it was represented by Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Van Der Graaf Generator and the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis. King Crimson, founded by Robert Fripp signaled a change even within the framework of late 60s Prog – taking it a few steps further and subsequently opening up the floodgates for a new wave of musicians from Europe.
There are artists who come along and, within the constraints of the genre they work in, proceed to “free things up”. King Crimson tapped on a lot of inspiration from a wide range of sources. In King Crimson’s case, Free Jazz was a major influence during this period. Anyone who remembers the early incarnation of what was to become King Crimson (Giles, Giles, and Fripp) had an inkling something was going to happen. That first album (the only one), “The Cheerful Insanity Of . . .” was loaded with clues, while still operating in the framework of Rock. What was to emerge a scant 2-3 years later was considerable – and it grew exponentially with every subsequent album. In The Court Of The Crimson King was the kick-off, the introduction – the set-up for the journey which went places rock hadn’t been before.
Admittedly, it was a journey some weren’t willing to take after the second album, “In The Wake Of Poseidon” came out. It was also a period of transition for Robert Fripp and King Crimson was evolving into a workshop of sorts – bringing in new musicians and exploring new areas. It was a journey worth taking and the result has been a widening of contemporary music that continues even today.
But in 1971, when this concert was recorded (and issued privately by the King Crimson Collectors Club) on November 11, 1971 was the first appearance of the band on their American tour which began in Detroit.
Even then, things were changing and evolving and that lineup disbanded a year later and emerged and re-emerged over the years since. Robert Fripp has been the sole original member in all that time.
But to get an idea of who King Crimson were, what they represented and where they were in 1971 – here is an example of why they were the important and next logical step in contemporary Music.
Grab lunch and enjoy.
