Larks' Tongues in Aspic (instrumental)
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"Larks' Tongues in Aspic" is a set of progressive rock songs by the British band King Crimson.
The pieces were released over the course of four albums and 30 years: Two in Larks' Tongues in Aspic in 1973, one in Three of a Perfect Pair in 1984, one in the construKction of light in 2000, and one in The Power to Believe in 2003. The entire work consists of five segments. According to some notes about the 2017 edition of the Elements of King Crimson tour box set, the piece "Level Five" from The Power to Believe is also considered part of the "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" set.[2]
Live recordings also include "Coda: I Have a Dream", the tenth track from the construKction of light, which segues from Part IV.
Early version
The guitar figures that appear on Larks' Tongues in Aspic were first conceived by Robert Fripp c. 1971, and performed live in an embryonic form by the Islands-era lineup. One version, named "A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls" appeared as a bonus track on the 40th anniversary edition of the Islands album.
Part I
Part I is the longest section of the set and was first released in 1973 on the Larks' Tongues in Aspic album. It begins with a long percussion introduction, provided by Jamie Muir before entering a driving, hard rock section fueled by Robert Fripp's electric guitar and introduced by a slowly building violin. Around the 7:40 mark, the band stops and David Cross performs a violin solo, first backed up by Robert Fripp, then all alone, then dueting with Jamie Muir on mbira. To end the piece, the band re-enter.
Live versions
The piece was originally performed live during 1972-1973. One version is available on the King Crimson Collectors' Club release The Beat Club, Bremen, from 1972 and its the only registered live recording featuring Jamie Muir. The same version was released on The Beginners' Guide to the King Crimson Collectors' Club. The version on these two albums is only about seven minutes long, as it leaves out most of the violin solo and the ending. Two versions are included on the boxed set The Great Deceiver, a live set chronicling the 1972–1974 lineup of the band. It didn't return to the band's setlists until their 2014 tour, with a new arrangement where the violin parts are played on guitar, while the solo in the middle section is played by Mel Collins on flute. A recording from Los Angeles in 2014 is included on the 2016 edition of the Elements of King Crimson set, and another from Japan in 2015 is featured on the album Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind.
Personnel
- David Cross (violin, viola, Mellotron)
- Robert Fripp (guitar, Mellotron, devices)
- John Wetton (bass guitar)
- Bill Bruford (drums, percussion)
- Jamie Muir (various percussion, autoharp)
Part II
Part II is driven throughout by guitars and recalls a few segments of Part I. The beginning developed into the familiar rhythm found in Parts III and IV. This is the second shortest part of the epic. It was also released on the Larks' Tongues in Aspic album, where it segues out of "The Talking Drum". Fripp said that the guitar starting rhythm is inspired by the "Dance of the Young Girls" part in Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" ballet. The piece features another violin solo by David Cross, this time accompanied by the rest of the band.
Part of the score for the 1974 French erotic film Emmanuelle was based heavily on Part II. After taking legal action against the film's producers, composer Robert Fripp eventually settled out of court.[3][4]
Part II was done as a cover song by Dream Theater on the special edition of their 10th album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings.
Live versions
The piece was a mainstay of the band's live repertoire during 1973-1974, 1981-1984 and 1994-1996, then again in 2008 and on their tours from 2014 onwards. From 1981-1996 and 2008, the violin solo was replaced with a guitar solo by Adrian Belew, and from 2014 onwards with a saxophone solo by Mel Collins.
Versions can be found on USA and The Great Deceiver (from 1974), Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal (from 1984), the déjà VROOOM DVD (from 1995) and on Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind (from 2015). The version on USA features violin overdubs by Eddie Jobson.
Personnel
- David Cross (violin, viola, mellotron)
- Robert Fripp (guitar, mellotron, devices)
- John Wetton (bass)
- Bill Bruford (drums)
- Jamie Muir (various percussion)
Part III
Part III appeared on 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair album, positioned at the end of the LP, on side 2, which consisted of more experimental tracks. It starts off with a guitar melody inspired by the one around the 4:50 mark on Part I, and features similar rhythms to the first two sections, but with a more electronic sound, in part due to the guitar effects and by Bill Bruford's drums. This is the shortest part of the set.
Live versions
This section was only played live in 1984 and always directly followed "No Warning" and was followed by "Thela Hun Ginjeet." Because it was only performed on the Three of a Perfect Pair tour, not many live versions have been released. A version can be found on Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal and another on the DVD Neal and Jack and Me.
Personnel
- Adrian Belew – fretted guitar, fretless guitar
- Robert Fripp – guitar
- Tony Levin – bass, stick, synth
- Bill Bruford – acoustic and electric drumming
Part IV
Part IV was first released on 2000s the construKction of light. It is the second-longest part of the epic at just over nine minutes. It is similar, in many ways, to Part II. Like most works on the construKction of light, it is heavily guitar driven with a variety of effects applied to the sound. Unlike the other parts of the series, presented as sole tracks, Part IV is separated as three "edits", plus it segues into "Coda: I Have a Dream", the tenth song on the construKction of light. If the coda is included, it makes it the only piece containing vocals. The vocals are processed to make Adrian Belew's voice sound heavily mechanical as he makes note of several of the most world-shatteringly important events of the 20th century, focusing heavily on loss and sadness. The vocals were later dropped from the live performance.
Live versions
The piece was performed in 2000 and 2003, on the tours to support the construKction of light and The Power to Believe. Several live versions are available. For example, one version can be found on the Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With EP. Another can be found on Heavy ConstruKction. And two are featured on the DVD Eyes Wide Open, one from England 2000 and the other from Japan 2003.
Personnel
- Robert Fripp – guitar
- Adrian Belew – guitar, vocals
- Trey Gunn – Warr guitar
- Pat Mastelotto – drums
References
- ^ Murphy, Sean (22 May 2011). "The 25 Best Progressive Rock Songs of All Time". PopMatters. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ^ [1]
- ^ IMDB Trivia page for "Emmanuelle"
- ^ The diary of Robert Fripp