Monday, January 18, 2010

Keith Tippett Group – "Dedicated to you, but you weren't listening"

Remember Keith Tippett? He was the weird pianist who played on two early King Crimson records ("In the wake of Poseidon" and "Lizard"). He had a 'style' which sounded like he gathered up all the keys and tossed them in the air. At one time, Robert Fripp offered Tippett the job of joint musical director of KC.

I was quite excited when I found an online copy of  this album, expecting some striking but challenging music. How wrong can one be! Not surprisingly, the album sounds like the Soft Machine (six of the eleven musicians playing on the record had already recorded or would record with the Softs), specifically "Fletcher's Blemish" on "Soft Machine IV". "Fletcher's" is the track which I like least on that record, and unfortunately the Tippett record is forty minutes of squealing in the same manner.

I had burnt a copy of the album onto cd for listening purposes, specifically for the car journey from home to my MBA studies on Friday morning. The disk found its way into the nearest dustbin when I arrived.

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