Thirty days, two hours and ten minutes ago, I foolishly agreed to post my favourite ten songs from Krim studio albums. So let the bickering commence. My favourite ten songs from the best band with the worst recorded repertoire.
21ST CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN. No explanation needed. If there were but one song, this would be it. The grandfather of all that followed.
RED. My desert island Frippmetal. Unlike the rest of the repertoire, which is consistently better live than in the studio, the original remains a triumph. Perhaps because the original line up never played it live…
EPITAPH. How could five young men have such depth of understanding?
ITCOTCK. This does not speak to me with the same power. But then the chorus, the mellotrons, the drumming, the voice.
STARLESS. Unlike Red, this is not altogether a triumph. At the close, where oh where has the screaming guitar gone? But the opening is transcendent.
ELEPHANT TALK. Three of a Perfect Pair remains my favourite Belewsong , but Elephant Talk squeaks in, for its Krimness, it's Chapman Stick, and, if nothing else, its iconic title.
SHELTERING SKY. Crimson may have songs, but these are not their real legacy. Other bands have better. Krims's legacy is performance, rarely captured on studio albums. Sheltering Sky is an exception. It has a magic that I do not find in the live versions.
VROOOM. from the album VROOOM, including the magnificent, remorseless coda. Much of this EP was never bettered. The adolescent six piece.
HEAVEN AND EARTH. If this is the only Projekct that I am allowed (the others are not studio albums) then I shall be thankful for what I have. And remember the rest.
POWER TO BELIEVE IV. The perfect closing. I admit to my bias. But this is my list. And I am, of course, right. |
