THRaKaTTaK
	Produced by Robert Fripp & David Singleton
	Released on June 25, 1996
	no chart information
	Find it at GEMM
DGM96042 cover [high resolution scan]

T his noisome nightmare comes courtesy of King Crimson, one of the most talented bands currently walking our blue planet. If you’ve led a dissolute life, save your money, since they probably have this in heavy rotation on Hell’s radio. Crimson fans are an adventurous lot by nature, so all this scarifying soloing (culled from the improvisational sections recorded during the band’s 1995 Thrak tour) might be right up your alley. It’s a dark alley, however, and will shed little light on the band’s appeal if you’re just starting down this path. The liner notes from Robert Fripp once again allude to the audience’s “patience and generosity” during these performances, and I gotta tell you that I’m running short of both where Fripp is concerned. These discs cost too much money for me to shrug my shoulders and go “Oh well, I got suckered into sixty minutes of noodling again.” As much as the DGM label likes to note that they retain the copyright to their works, they couldn’t give this stuff away with a free blender. Since my grousing doesn’t paint a very evocative picture, I’ll attempt a description of THRaKaTTaK with my meager little subset of the English language. The closest parallel I’ve heard is Frank Zappa’s Jazz From Hell, though Crimson is far more lively in execution. Sections of soundscapes slip into the angular riffing, Bill Bruford rolls through the marimbas with glee, Adrian Belew spanks his guitar into a tantrum, and the whole thing often sounds like a box full of band instruments taking a tumble down a long staircase. If that’s your idea of a good investment, or your curiosity is insatiable and you’re certain that the commotion must be a smokescreen for BIG musical ideas, then go ahead, buy THRaKaTTak. But please don’t play this for friends with the intent of showing them how smart you are.

DGM96042 gatefold sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. FEARLESS AND HIGHLY THRaKKed
2. MOTHER HOLD THE CANDLE STEADY WHILE I SHAVE THE CHICKEN'S LIP
3. THRaKaTTaK PART I
4. THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS
5. THIS NIGHT WOUNDS TIME
6. THRaKaTTaK PART II
7. THRAK REPRISE
   
   Music by King Crimson, arranged by David Singleton

CREDITS

ADRIAN BELEW -- guitar
BILL BRUFORD -- acoustic & electric percussions, marimba
ROBERT FRIPP -- guitar, soundscapes
TREY GUNN -- Warr guitar
TONY LEVIN -- NS electric upright bass, photography
PAT MASTELOTTO -- acoustic & electric percussions
David Singleton -- digital editor (SADiE)
George Glossop -- front-of-house sound mixer
Bill Smith Studios, London -- sleeve design
Steve Jennings -- cover photography

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