Jakko M Jakszyk and Mel Collins - The Letters

[fedegas13]

Islands. Islands Islands.... When I first heard it, I didn't like it. It was because I didn't GET it, I think.

Now, I love it. I can and must listen to it to its entirety.

[petergrenader]

@obsidiansands1 The guy definitely made it a point to use sunscreen lol! He looks easily ten years younger than his crimson brethren.

[lanainfla]

Wow...true greatness. Mel is outstanding as usual and Jakko really gets to show his tremendous classic King Crimson style. No other singer today could pull that off like Jakko in this video.

thanks

[RINLEW]

It's a shame but I think the 21st Century Schizoid Band is over.

[marokand]

wonderful! amazing!

[Muslock]

Me encanta, excelente video

[fleatheatre]

excellent.

[RINLEW]

In spite of what the majority of fans say, for me the best KC line-up is the ISLANDS one. This albums contains KC best songs. Boz Burrell had a wonderful voice... like velvet. Peter Sinfield's words on THE LETTERS, FORMENTERA LADY and ISLANDS are awsome and melancholic. The song ISLANDS contains the best lyric ever written for a pop song. The album has a soft oceanic mediterranean atmosphere.

It's a shame KC veered into a heavier dissonant sound in the next albums, although great ones too.

[dankton1976]

have you heard "Ladies of the Road" double live CD - it's really cool but in the other hand - obvious observation - Wallace, Boz and Mel were REALLY into american jazz music, free and wild but also funky and bluesy (actually they decided to stay because of that dedication in US after that KC's tourne) and that was raally too much for mr Fripp as I presume.

[RINLEW]

HI DANKTON76

The live ISLANDS band is the best for me. I like the live versions of THE LETTERS, SAILOR'S TALE, LADIES OF THE ROAD and FORMENTERA LADY. But specially I love the SOUL numbers (PEORIA and EARTHBOUND). Mel Collin's funky saxophone solos are awsome. I love their version of THE CREATOR HAS A MASTER PLAN too. There's also a CD in which they play ISLANDS live, although in a simplified form without Tippett's sensitive piano and the melancholic Marc Charig's trumpet solos.

[dankton1976]

oh yes....

must say that sometimes when I expose my ears to that Islands-line-up I would forget what band is actually playing. I just hear space full of rhythmical, sensitive, very vivid beautiful combination of sounds from the artists which love and (which is quite important I guess) are able to IMPROVISE

[RINLEW]

What I like about the BOZ / WALLACE band is that they improvise within a tonal center. The WETTON/BRUFORD line-up also does it (TRIO / WE'LL LET YOU KNOW). I even like those extremely dissonant or atonal live improvisations. But what I really can't listen to is the atonal improvisations by the recent Crimsons (Thrackattack, etc...) ... too cold and metallic to my ears. The "sound" just doesn't sound right. Sorry. I would rather listen a thousand times to the 21st Century Schizoid Band.

[MOTODx1]

I totally agree, and also this album has the best winds of the whole KC material. The sax performances couldn't be cleaner. The flutes are just brilliant and the the entire set of tracks build the album. My favorite too

[Rishon1981]

@RINLEW totslly agree with you, islands is materpiece.

[petergrenader]

@RINLEW We are all due our opinions, and here's mine. ISLANDS could have been historic, had it not been an absolute production disaster. The woodwinds are terribly mic'd... in many cases you can hear the keys moving, bad edits (formenterra to sailor's tail ride cymbal), the sound of piano stools creeking, and a shuttering lack of reverb in places which scream for it, etc. Musically It;s very telling and in the KC biography the story is told - Fripp had lot hope in this band's ability to be KC.

[miser42]

@petergrenader Islands is a true reflection of the band. I'm sorry all of the under produced atmosphere upsets you but once again, as you have stated it...it is YOUR opinion and since you listen with more of a producers ear than a musician, you can't find the heart and soul of this record. it is obvious why this album is NOW being hailed as a masterpiece. Something us musicians have known for decades

[petergrenader]

@miser42: Ouch Look me up on Wikipedia and then tell me I"m not a musician. Thank you

[miser42]

@petergrenader I guess somebody is a bit touchy over being disagreed with. Nobody said you weren't a musician nor did you have any reason to self gratify yourself by making it known you have a Wikipedia page on you. I could easily name my triumphs and successes here but I would rather discuss the band at hand not promote myself. :-)

[VladtheEmailer]

Great! I always thought it was "The Letter," not The Letters?

[pbak63]

Excellent work guys.

[uuu617]

What a lovely presentation of this classic. How about more?