Great Lizard!

Great Expectations

My random selection for today was a pleasant surprise indeed. It has been awhile since I've pulled out this set of the Complete Bitches Brew Sessions; and what a great set this is! This track shares the general character of many of the pieces of this famous album: a driving rhythmic drone, held constant and intense by the band with Miles' trumpet sitting on top, punctuated by short moments of relief after which the drive begins and builds again. Underneath is a vaguely Peter Gunnish bass line and I believe I hear a tambura providing a genuine "drone". The melody reminds me of Nefertiti in its simplicity. I certainly need to dedicate some time in the near future to the rest of this music.



Lizard

I still remember when I first heard this. I'd just gotten into King Crimson and was starting to explore what they were all about. Already a Yes fan for years, I was happily surprised to hear Jon Anderson's voice carry the initial vocals on this track. A beautiful melody! This extended piece has some of progressive rock's best examples of blending western classical tradition with rock and jazz sensibilities. The oboe solo in the first half remains one of my favorite musical experiences, a very haunting and lonely melody. Later sections show a more jazz oriented approach, but each section is bracketed by an appropriate transition so that the piece naturally builds and never seems forced. All above a marching snare drum, we move from the trumpet and woodwind solos to the group improvisational jazzier sections, which return us eventually to the beautiful oboe melody. How many rock songs have trombone solos? The dynamic range of this song is likely responsible for the overall loudness of the album being so low, requiring a reach for the volume knob right from the start of the first track. I'm not sure this would be tolerated from a rock band in today's "loudness war" climate.