Mark Knopfler: Cal {Music by Mark Knopfler from the Film Cal]: (1984)

This soundtrack from Mark Knopfler gets the same rating from me: meh. It probably doesn't help that I have never seen the film, so maybe I will give this a provisional meh, and then go and see the film.

Kark Knopfler: Local Hero (1983)

I guess I was expecting a record that sounded exactly like a Dire Straits record. In hindsight, that was, perhaps, a little unfair. Freeway Flyer hits the mark, but that tune is way too short. The rest of the record has never really done anything for me.  It's a real meh record, but it might just work as a soundtrack. Since I have never seen the film, I can't really comment on that. 

The Knack: ...But the Little Girls Understand (1979)

This record sums up what happens when a band tries to rush a carbon copy of a successful debut. Only six months had passed when this uninspired record was dropped. They should have taken a breather and put a little more thought into it, but maybe they had nothing left to offer?

I remember the first time I heard Baby Talks Dirty, the lead-off track. The radio DJ said that some staff had listened to it and were calling it My Sharona II. As I said, this LP was a failed attempt to clone the debut record.

Sadly, Doug passed away in 2010. 

The Knack: Get the Knack (1979)

Ah, songs about adolescence or songs for adolescent boys.

Despite this record's popularity when it was released -- it still ranks as one of the best-selling debut records of all time -- I still think it is a little under-appreciated. Yes, they seemed to model themselves on the Beatles and, according to Wikipedia, "[t]he album went Gold in just 13 days, becoming Capitol Records' fastest selling debut LP since Meet the Beatles in 1964" and "The lead single, "My Sharona", also met with immediate success, becoming Capitol's fastest selling debut single since the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks." [source] In awarding the record 4.5 stars, Allmusic referred to the debut record as "at once sleazy, sexist, hook-filled, and endlessly catchy -- above all, it's a guilty pleasure and an exercise in simple fun." [source]

I bought this record soon after it came out at my local small-town record store. I remember the clerk telling me that I got the last copy in the store. Yay me.

Everyone seems to know the track My Sharona. That is a really great song and it contains perhaps one of the best bridges I have ever heard. I think the record had more depth than that, however. Take Good Girls Don't, for example:

She's your adolescent dream,
Schoolboy stuff, a sticky sweet romance.
And she makes you want to scream,
Wishing you could get inside her pants.
...
And it's a teenage sadness
Everyone has got to taste.
An in-between age madness
That you know you can't erase
Til she's sitting on your face.

Those were very enlightening lyrics for adolescent boys everywhere, though I am sure that some of my friends did not fully understand the last sentence above.

Get the Knack is a fine record filled with great hooks and guitar solos, and some lyrics that are at least misogynistic and maybe worse. The band found their market immediately, and I'm guessing that it was generally young men or adolescent boys. I have to say that I loved the cover image on the original My Sharona 45.

Despite everything that I said, I have not played this record for decades. Maybe I should do just that.

I'm not gong to include the video for Good Girls Don't because the youtube version is the censored version.

The KLF: Justified & Ancient (1992)

Here is one of the weirder collaborations. The Stand By The Jams version features "The First Lady Of Country," Miss Tammy Wynette. Somehow, it works. This 12" has an extended mix, plus three other versions. The other versions feature Maxine Harvey. I love her voice.

Kissing the Pink: Certain Things are Likely (1986)

Certain Things are Likely is the title track from Kissing the Pink's third LP, released in 1986. The 12" single contains four mixes: garage mix, garage dub, original mix, and instrumental. It's too much to listen to all at once.

Kissing the Pink: Naked (1983)

I remember when this band was more or less forced to change its name from Kissing the Pink to KTP because some people were offended by the sexual innuendo. What a bunch of crybabies. I am not in favour or rampant profanity of profanity for no good reason, but Kissing the Pink is obscure enough not to offend the vulnerable or the easily offended. After all, you have to do a little thinking to connect the dots, but not as much as you need to do to figure out what Steely Dan's name is all about. Nowadays, we have much more explicit names for bands, like Scissor Sisters, Anal Cunt, Fucked Up, Butthole Surfers, Holy Fuck, among many others. Kissing the Pink seems genuinely wholesome and completely inoffensive compared to some others more contemporary bands.

Naked is the first Kissing the Pink LP. I like it.

Kiss: Double Platinum (1978)

This is a difficult album jacket to photograph, unless what you are really after is a selfie (G-d, I hate that word) or other crazy reflections.

I was done with Kiss very soon after I got my copy of The Originals. There was so much other music to explore. But, sometimes, the message takes a long time to make its way to family and friends, and so, one year, I got a copy of Double Platinum for Christmas from some relatives. I think I managed to hide my dismay.

This record collects the biggest Kiss hits, like Calling Dr. Love, Love Gun, Firehouse, Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder, Hard Luck Woman, and that god awful song, Beth. Sorry, Kiss fans, but I have always hated Beth. It's insipid and truly awful garbage. The horrible orchestration makes me laugh.

I have virtually no knowledge of Kiss after this period. I am aware that there have been many lineup changes and that they were unmasked at some point. I am familiar with Lick it Up because of the music video. That, by the way, is a fantastically ridiculous song and the video is terrible.

I have heard people argue that Kiss were better than the Beatles. That is delusional thinking. Only someone completely ignorant of music could make such an argument.

Kiss: The Originals (1976)

The Originals, by Kiss, is a seminal record in my collection because this was the second record I ever bought, after Goofy Greats. I no longer have my copy of Goofy Greats (I probably unloaded it at a lawn sale), but I hung on to this one, though I am not sure why. This is another record that had my name scrawled across the cover, in my sister's handwriting, along with "Album #2." Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, you do not have to see that.

I consider the music of Kiss to be one-dimensional and juvenile. Besides, looking at them now, one might have half expected the band to have been a progressive rock band. At the time, though, I was a fan...or, maybe I was a fan because some of my friends were fans. It's hard to say. What I can say is that I find it incomprehensible that there are adults who are fans of this band. I see Kiss as music appropriate for pre-adolescents.

I once did a school project about Kiss and that, sadly, means that I used the six color rock superstar cards and the Kiss Army sticker that were bundled with this collection in that report. Stupidly, I stuck these items onto the pages in the report, which later ended up in the trash can. But, I still have the original booklet that came with the record.

This collection contains the first three Kiss records: Kiss (1974), Hotter Than Hell (1974), and Dressed to Kill (1975). The Originals came out in 1976, and, by the time I bought my copy, I had already heard Alive! at a friend's house many times as well as Rock And Roll Over and Destroyer. I can't remember exactly when I bought this record, but I remember where I bought it.

In my home town, there was no record store, at the time anyway, so I either had to hope that I could join my sister or my mom on one of their shopping trips to larger urban centres, where one could find a record store or two, or rely on a feeble stereo store in town. This local stereo shop had, for a short period of time, a small rack of records. I guess if someone bought a new hi-fi system, they could then rightly suggest a record or two to go with it. The selection was generally dismal, as it tended to serve the needs of the older rural conservative. But, one day, I found this record and I had saved enough of my allowance to buy it. I cannot remember the price.

The debut record -- Kiss -- might be the best Kiss record, though I have not heard them all. Back in the day, if you asked me to chose my favourite Kiss track, I would have said Strutter. Other top choices would have been Firehouse and maybe Deuce and possibly even Love Theme from Kiss. I suppose Hotter Than Hell and Dressed to Kill are probably equal in quality, but I just liked the first record better. I have really no idea when I played anything from this collection last, but it must have been a hell of a long time ago. It's unlikely I will ever play this again, except maybe for comedic purposes at a dinner party, perhaps.

The Kinks: State Of Confusion (1983)

I know this will sound absolutely crazy, but my favourite Kinks song is Come Dancing. What? I know, it's hard to believe. Still, its true. I'm not sure why, but it just is. The other big hit from this record is Don't Forget to Dance, a slow-paced song, which is also about dancing. What was going on with the Kinks in 1983?

I had lots of Kinks music, all on cassette, way back when.

The Kingbees: The Big Rock (1981)

I don't know this record as well as I now the first LP from the band, simply because I didn't listen to it as much. But, I would say that the first record is better, but this is pretty good fun music.

The Kingbees: The Kingbees (1980)

I'd guess that there are lots of people who have never heard of this band. The Kingbees had a short-lived career which started in 1980 and ended in 1981. I know, they released something in 2004 and something in 2012, but I know nothing about those records. For me, they existed from 1980-1981.

This record is part of that rockabilly revival that included the Stray Cats and others. I was never swept away by that movement, but I did like some of the music, and I liked this record, which - without looking it up - I think came out before the Stray Cats. Surprisingly, Allmusic gives the record 4.5 stars. I'm amazed.

By the way, there was a band called The King Bees that operated in the 1960s and I believe there were other bands called King Bee.

Killing Joke: Sanity (1986)

Sanity (The Insane Mix) is backed with Goodbye to the Village and Wardance (The RAF Mix). May 2 2017

King Crimson: Sleepless (1984)

What? A remix? A Dance mix too! What a surprise. I have a copy of the first UK pressing of this 12" single.

Side A:
Sleepless (Dance Mix)

Side B:
Sleepless (Instrumental Mix)
Sleepless

King Crimson: Three of a Perfect Pair (1984)

Discipline represented the drive to 1981. This record was part of the incline to 1984. Am I remembering that correctly?

This record completes the 80s trilogy. After this, it took eleven years before we got a new record, though we did get the EP VROOOM in 1994, which was still ten years on.

I love the title track almost as much as anything that appeared on Discipline. However, Model Man is another song that probably should have been on a Belew record. I feel the same way about Man with an Open Heart, though I like both songs.

Side two is the less commercial side, containing more experimental efforts, with three of the four instrumentals appearing here. The best tracks on side two to me are Industry and Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part III).

Like Discipline and Beat, I used to own the cassette. I have the record. I have the definitive edition on CD. I have the thirtieth anniversary edition on CD. In this case, the thirtieth anniversary remastered edition sounds better, maybe because the original tapes were digital and remastering helped?

King Crimson: Beat (1982)

Beat makes reference to the Beat generation, especially Kerouac's On the Road. The opening track, Neil and Jack and Me provides an obvious reference. It's an excellent record, but I prefer Discipline, even after learning that Bruford preferred Beat to Discipline.

I would say that the live versions of these tracks are better than the studio versions, perhaps because of the recording or mastering of this record. Oddly, there's a pop song here -- Heartbeat -- which sounds more like a Belew solo tune. I feel the same way about Two Hands. But, there are some brilliant musical moments on this record. The band even made an official video for Heartbeat, one of only two the band ever made.

There is a strange stability with his record, as Wikipedia notes: "[Beat] is the first King Crimson studio album to feature a band line-up identical to that of their previous album." [source] The next record would feature the same lineup as well.

I used to own the cassette. I have the record. I have the definitive edition on CD. I have the thirtieth anniversary edition on CD.

King Crimson: Discipline (1981)

Dialogue, duologue, diatribe,
Dissension, declamation
Double talk, double talk

Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew, and Tony Levin! Wow. Imagine that? The 80s KC is really a super group. And, wow, what a change in sound. At times, Discipline is my favourite record. It might be the best thing Crimson ever did. It's either this record or The Power to Believe. Both are fabulous. I also love the other two 80s records: Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair.

I would say that Discipline contains my favourite KC track of all time. That track is Frame by Frame. From what I have read, this tune is in 7/8 and 13/8. I'm not up on my music theory. It has something to do with Fripp falling behind Belew one beat every measure until they sync up again, after each has played thirteen and fourteen bars or notes. My memory is hazy. In any case, it is totally awesome.

The title track is also interesting:

"During the piece the two guitars of Belew and Fripp, respectively, move through the following sequence of pairs of time signatures: 5
8 and 5
8, 5
8 and 4
4, 5
8 and 9
8, 15
16 and 15
16, 15
16 and 14
16, 10
8 and 20
16, 15
16 and 15
16, 15
16 and 14
16, 12
16 and 12
16, 12
16 and 11
16, 15
16 and 15
16, 15
16 and 14
16. Throughout the drums play in 17
16..." [source]

The only track I am not big on is Matte Kudasai, which might sound sacrilegious given the love this track gets from many fans. It just doesn't do anything for me. I like it; I don't love it.

I used to own the cassette. I have the record. I have the definitive edition on CD. I have the thirtieth anniversary edition on CD.

This record fits on my top ten list of records of all time, a list that probably has one hundred records on it by now. By the way, I used to be on a listserv called Elephant Talk. Formerly, it was called Discipline, until Fripp asked the group to change the name. You can find the archives via the ET wiki.

King Crimson: The Young Persons' Guide To King Crimson (1975)

 

From Discogs:

On this compilation, the version of "I Talk To The Wind", recorded at 93A Brondesbury Road, London, England, UK, July 1968; it differs from the version released on "In The Court Of The Crimson King. The most notable difference is in the vocals, which are sung by Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention) rather than Greg Lake. This version is also available on The Brondesbury Tapes (1968) under the name of Giles, Giles and Fripp

It's great. I have a Canadian Pressing from 1976. 

King Crimson: Red (1974)

To me, Red is the best pre-1980 KC record. It was also the last KC record until 1981's Discipline. I had no idea, until I read the Wikipedia entry, that Red was the band's lowest charting record. That's odd for a record that I think is top shelf. It's worth having the record just for the title track, which is truly awesome and one of my favourite KC tunes.

I have the original Atlantic Canadian pressing from 1974.

King Crimson: Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973)

According to Discogs, there were three Canadian pressings from 1973. I have one of them, plus a CD. This is a pretty substantial record, and I like it, but not as much as Red, the next record.

King Crimson: Islands (1971)

Like Lizard, I paid $1 for this Canadian pressing at a church rummage sale in the early 1990s. I think that this is a better record than Lizard.

Some people hate it; others do not. I don't have much to say about it. I still prefer later Crimson, but this record has it moments, like:

King Crimson: Lizard (1970)

I bought this record at some sort of church rummage sale in Toronto in the very early 1990s for $1. Fripp once said that the record is unlistenable. I think that's a bit harsh, but I see what he means. There are some less successful parts on the record, and it just doesn't hold together. The best thing might be the lead-off track, Circus. Wait, that should read Circus (Including: Entry Of The Chameleons).

If you know anything about KC, it's likely that you will be aware of the revolving cast of musicians. It's really difficult to keep track of the changes. Oddly, Jon Anderson was brought in for some vocal duties, which does not work at all. So, it's hit and miss, mostly miss.

King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King, An Observation by King Crimson (1969)

Cat's foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
At paranoia's poison door.
Twenty first century schizoid man.

Blood rack barbed wire
Polititians' funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty first century schizoid man

Twenty first century
Twenty first century
Twenty first century
Twenty first century schizoid man

Death seed blind man's greed
Poets' starving children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man.

Twenty first century
Twenty first century schizoid man
Twenty first century schizoid man

Welcome to the twenty first century

Years ago, Pete said something like: "everyone has a copy of In the Court of the Crimson King in his record collection." I didn't then, but I do now (on both CD and vinyl). My CD copy is the Definitive Edition, which was released in 2009. My LP is a Canadian gatefold pressing, but I do not know the date it was pressed, though it is probably not from 1969.

I am pretty sure that I have a complete run of KC recordings on CD, including some of the ProjeKCts (but only some releases from the Collector Club), and many recordings on vinyl and/or CD by current and former members, most notably Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew. For many years, I went down the Robert Fripp rabbit hole and ended up in very strange places. Think recordings by Bill Reiflin, Trey Gunn, Tony Levin, Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, Brian Eno, etc. All of which led to Steve Gorn, David Torn, The California Guitar Trio, Jeffrey Fayman, etc, etc...

This record is perhaps the first truly prog rock record, a genre I have a love/hate relationship with. I admire some of it but hate vast quantities of it. I also have a love/hate relationship with this record, despite it's ranking by most people as a classic. There is some fantastic drumming on this record.

The truth is that I never really like King Crimson until I heard Discipline in the early 1980s. I guess I should also say that I discovered some earlier KC that I quite like, particular Red. In my ever so humble opinion, this record has two excellent tracks: 21st Century Schizoid Man and The Court of the Crimson King. The former track is so good it might be worth the price of the record. The rest of the tunes don't do as much for me. OK, OK, Epitaph is not bad.

A very proggy thing to do is s to have movements in songs, or very long song titles, like these:

21st Century Schizoid Man (Including Mirrors)
I Talk To The Wind
Epitaph (Including (A) March For No Reason; (B) Tomorrow And Tomorrow)
Moonchild (Including (A) The Dream; (B) The Illusion)
The Court Of The Crimson King (Including (A) The Return Of The Fire Witch; (B) The Dance Of The Puppets)

I have heard that this type of song naming really had to do with royalties, since the record only contains five tracks. I have no idea if that explanation is correct.

I saw King Crimson in concert years ago. Oddly, I saw PJ Harvey the same weekend. Anyway, the gender imbalance of the KC audience had a curious effect. The women's restroom had no queue: the men's did. I had to wait to pee, while the women just walked straight in. That never happens.

I do love the album jacket. It's epic. There is a prescient comment on the video below: "I'm going to enjoy this before it gets taken down..." If it's gone, it's gone.

Killing Joke: Pylon (2015/2021)

I missed getting a copy of this record on vinyl in 2015, but it seems like waiting was not a bad idea. In 2021, the record was reissued as a triple vinyl with bonus tracks. 

Here's the bad news. From I am the Virus:

"No one believes in nine eleven
Steel frame buildings don't fall in seconds"

Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit. When I heard that the first time, it made me really angry. I wonder if Jaz is also an anti-vaxxer? It made me really question if I wanted to own this record. It still makes me really angry and it also makes me question his intellect. It's absolutely nuts. 

Killing Joke: The Singles Collection 1979-2012 (2013/2020)

This collection was released in 2013, in various configurations. Finally, in 2020, it was given a vinyl reissue on black and coloured vinyl. I opted for black. It a comprehensive collection of tracks. My only criticism is the packaging. I wonder how long the cardboard will stand up, since they jammed four pieces on vinyl into what is essentially a gatefold jacket, albeit one that is marginally larger than a standard gatefold jacket. 

The hype sticker reads, in part: Laugh at your peril / Four decades of Killing Joke

Killing Joke: Outside the Gate (1988)

Once again, this album really divides people. Personally, I prefer the earlier releases, but this is not as bad as some critics would have you believe. I see the problems with the record, for sure, but it does not stink, as Allmusic claims:

Put it this way: this is the Killing Joke album where castanets are heard and both bassist Paul Raven and drummer Big Paul Ferguson quit the band to avoid association with this misfire. If you're anything but a very forgiving completist, pass on this one. [source]

America, the lead-off track, is not too bad, despite the fact that the first thing that occurred to me when I first heard the opening sythny sounds is Van Halen's Jump. I hate Jump, mostly because of the infantile use of the synthesizer. I will have to listen to Outside the Gate again soon.

Killing Joke – Adorations (The Extended Mix) (1986)

This 12" single has there tunes:

Adorations (The Extended Mix)

Exile

Ecstasy (The Extended Mix)

I like it. 

Killing Joke: Brighter than a Thousand Suns (1986)

This album is either loved or hated by Killing Joke fans. The critics seems to be united in their dislike for it. Just have a look at what Allmusic said. The critic argued that the album was:

...an effort ultimately dialed in rather than performed. The sound-alike quality of nearly all the songs -- especially ironic considering the accomplished genre-hopping on the earliest records -- renders Killing Joke its own unfortunate parody in the end. [source]

Wikipedia finds a more charitable review:

Adrien Begrand of PopMatters wrote "Without question, 1986's Brighter Than a Thousand Suns marked a sharp decline in quality, many viewing it as a complete betrayal of Killing Joke's signature sound, but more than 20 years later, it's surprising how well parts of the album hold up." [source]

It's a fact that some of the edge is gone, but I truly like most of these tunes. The opener - Adorations - is really great, for example. Sanity is good. I like Chessboards, Twilight of the Mortal, Love of the Masses, and others. In short, it's far better than the critics would have you believe, but it's not the Killing Joke of yore.

Killing Joke: Kings and Queens (1985)

Kings and Queens (track four on side A of Night Time) was the third single released from that record. Side A of my UK pressing contains A Right Royal Mix of Kings and Queens, while side B contains the album version and a tune called The Madding Crowd (Re-mixed By Killing Joke).

Kings and Queens is a great tune.