King Crimson's "Thrak"

GaryLC · #1 01-08-2011, 07:30 AM

I was just listening to "Thrak" by Crimson. I think that's the best of the double trio version of KC. Tony Levin is just so damn tasteful in his bass lines.

KenHR · #2 01-08-2011, 07:34 AM

Yeah, I think there are only a couple tracks from that era of KC that truly take advantage of the double trio format, and Thrak is one of them.

Nedmundo · #3 01-08-2011, 08:04 AM

Believe it or not, that's my favorite Crimson album, and one of my favorites by any band or artist. The bass work is incredible, and their live shows of that era were amazing -- much better IMO than the band I saw on the Three of a Perfect Pair tour.

GaryLC · #4 01-08-2011, 07:27 PM

Ned, yes, one of my favorites of their's too! (Although I'll always be partial to "Red".) The Three of A Perfect Pair lineup was the main core of the Thrak band, with Trey & Pat added.

swartzfeger · #5 01-11-2011, 05:13 AM

This is *so* wild you posted this. I've been absent from TB for a year, decided to delurk and post something about Thrak/Gunn/Levin.

My main question is who is playing on the track 'People' and what are they playing? I'm guessing Levin... on a stick? SB8? Did they even make the SB8 back in the early-mid 90s?

Or is Levin just playing a 5 string fretless MM?

Overall, I'm a prog head and was never really into KC until I heard stuff like Thrak/The Power to Believe. I've gone back and checked older discs like Discipline (love the track Frame by Frame), but I've yet to grok old classics like Lark's Tongue, etc.

GaryLC · #6 01-13-2011, 07:17 AM

A couple sites I've looked at have said that Tony is playing "electric bass" and "NS Upright", and Trey is playing "Chapman Stick" on People. There are some Youtube videos of KC playing People live, you can probably see there. I can't open YouTube at work. I have a couple of DVD's , "Live In Japan", and "Neal & Jack & Me", I'll try to take a look sometime.

GregDunn · #7 01-13-2011, 08:07 AM

I think you mean Trey? Never seen Pat Mastelotto play a stringed instrument onstage. I suppose Trey might use a Stick occasionally, though mostly he plays Warr Guitar (which to be fair looks quite a bit like a stick from some angles).

lucas vigor · #8 01-13-2011, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swartzfeger

This is *so* wild you posted this. I've been absent from TB for a year, decided to delurk and post something about Thrak/Gunn/Levin.

My main question is who is playing on the track 'People' and what are they playing? I'm guessing Levin... on a stick? SB8? Did they even make the SB8 back in the early-mid 90s?

Or is Levin just playing a 5 string fretless MM?

Overall, I'm a prog head and was never really into KC until I heard stuff like Thrak/The Power to Believe. I've gone back and checked older discs like Discipline (love the track Frame by Frame), but I've yet to grok old classics like Lark's Tongue, etc.

You should check out "starless and bible black". AWESOME KC album!

Hoover · #9 01-13-2011, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swartzfeger

My main question is who is playing on the track 'People' and what are they playing? I'm guessing Levin... on a stick? SB8? Did they even make the SB8 back in the early-mid 90s?

Or is Levin just playing a 5 string fretless MM?

Based on seeing the double trio in concert once, plus the fact that "People" is one of the tunes on my audio evaluation disc that I use for calibrating sound systems so I've listened to that track probably 2-3 times a week for the past 15 years, I can with a reasonable amount of confidence say that what you're primarily hearing (that gargantuan twangy deep bass line) is Tony Levin on a fretted 5-string MusicMan Stingray...probably played with FunkFingers.

Trey is playing Warr Guitar, and his contribution to that tune seems to be mostly ear candy: abstract sonic effects, rather than basslines or chords or melodies.

GaryLC · #10 01-13-2011, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregDunn

I think you mean Trey? Never seen Pat Mastelotto play a stringed instrument onstage. I suppose Trey might use a Stick occasionally, though mostly he plays Warr Guitar (which to be fair looks quite a bit like a stick from some angles).

Yes, sorry! Don't know what I was thinking....bass, drums...we're related!

And I'll take a gander at the DVD's, see what I can make out.

BigOldHarry · #11 01-13-2011, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucas vigor

You should check out "starless and bible black". AWESOME KC album!

But nothing at all like "Thrak" - old KC is a who 'nuther thing...

GaryLC · #12 01-13-2011, 07:41 PM

Yes, there's not another band like KC....and their different "phases".

Hoover is dead on, I just watched the Live In Japan DVD, and Trey is playing the Warr, Tony is playing his five string MM, with Funk Fingers.
Hoover, come on down

!!!

loendmaestro · #13 01-13-2011, 08:08 PM

When I was trying out high end stereos in 1996, "Thrak" was the CD I brought with me.

swartzfeger · #14 03-11-2011, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryLC

Yes, there's not another band like KC....and their different "phases".

Hoover is dead on, I just watched the Live In Japan DVD, and Trey is playing the Warr, Tony is playing his five string MM, with Funk Fingers.
Hoover, come on down

!!!

Just to clarify (and resurrect a room temperature thread), I recently read that Trey mostly diddled with a pre-production Warr during the Thrak sessions and really didn't take his Warr 'full time' until he received his final Warr TGSS in time for the Thrak tour. So what he's playing live on the DVD may not be what he recorded with.