Customer Reviews

Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

With all of the recent remasterings from King Crimson, it must seem that at long last the longest lasting truly progressive band in rock history had finally settled into the twilight era of complacency. What a pleasure, then, to discover a new disc of almost entirely new material.

The disc (technically a 36-minute EP) opens with the tiny little "Bude", a pleasantly eerie bit for solo voice by Adrian; by tiny, I mean 26 seconds long. Like the innumerable "Walk on - No Pussyfootings" from all those archival live releases, this is mostly just a quiet ambient prelude for the crushing bit to come.

Namely, the title track, "Happy with What you Have to Be Happy With". Like "Dinosaur" from "Thrak", this is the hook, except that it is no fossilized relic at all (neither was "Dinosaur" of course). It launches itself from your speakers and grabs you by the throat instantly--and instantly you know that the money was well-spent. The song is pounding, intriguing, and even catchy. It is the perfect wedding of the "pop" sensibility of 80s era King Crimson, and the gnarly metallized thraking of the 90s edition of KC. Plus, I think Adrian read all of the reviews about his ghastly vocals on "ConstruKction of Light", because he howls and soars here as he has not for seemingly a long time. Without a doubt, this track alone makes the $11.00 price tag perfectly reasonable.

There then follows, per one of Fripp's oldest tricks, a deliberately contrasting two minute piece of mellow soundscapes ("Mie Gakure"). Slight, and not at all distinguished in any way, it is a very apt cushion and decompression piece after "Happy". Fripp's song contrasts will sometimes seem too pat or contrived, but here the mellow little toss-off comes off just fine. All the more so, for being followed by another tiny Adrian vocal bit, called "She Shudders" which, at 35 seconds, is over before you've noticed it's started.

There then follows "Eyes Wide Open" (billed as the acoustic version). It reminds me of "Matte Kudasai" from Discipline (which is a very favorable comparison, in my book). One really doesn't expect Crimson unplugged, so there's something a bit startling in the instrumentation here, but once the novelty wears off, Adrian's very happily recovered crooning and soulfulness will maintain interest through this, one of the longer songs (at just over four minutes).

Shoganai (2'53") reminds me somewhat of "The Sheltering Sky" performed on tubular bells and cloud chambers, as opposed to exotic tomtoms of Bruford's original, and even more like the opening section of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part 1". Again, it is another ambient piece mostly, unpretentiously brought off and not at all a gyp or boring to listen to. Like "Mie Gakure" earlier, it also is followed by yet another tiny Adrian thing ("I Ran"), which feature slightly more treated vocals.

Next comes "Potato Pie", the second longest song on the disc at 5'03". First, before I complain, I should mention that Adrian sounds just fine on this song, as throughout the album--he's definitely got his pipes back and, though I've yet to pay close attention to the lyrics, seems not to be resorting to some of the embarrassingly trite sentiments found on "ConstruKction". Meanwhile, the song itself is a somewhat unhappy marriage of a kind of swing-blues feel (filtered through Fripp's sensibility) and some progressive licks that sound like someone took out the bass and refused to amp-up the guitars. I get the impression this might be "ProzaKc Blues II", and is certainly better than the first one, especially after it gets beyond its structurally shaky beginning.

The next song is another live performance of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic 4". As soon as you hear it, it becomes clear how cleverly Fripp (or the band) has assembled the EP. We were blasted with "Happy", then treated to a rather wave like rising and falling of mellow contrasts, that finally began to turn up the volume again with "Potato Pie" as a way to get us to the more-than-ten-minute extravaganza of sonic crushing that is Larks' 4. The song itself, of course, is at once both familiar (for being known) and unfamiliar (for being a subtle reexploration of the piece)--the section with Adrian's solo hits some especially gnarly highpoints, as one could only hope. The only bad part is that you have to endure that dopey coda's lyrics again...just kidding. Adrian actually doesn't sing them, you just get the music which is still a bit light in the britches compared to the first 8 minutes of the song, but it seems (once again) that Adrian has been paying attention to his fan's commentary. Somehow it seems ironic to me that this song is so much more at home on this EP than on the original "ConstruKction" disc.

The last two pieces "Clouds" and "Einstein's Relatives" are a seemingly random mishmash of song fragments, remarks, bursts of laughter, outtakes, and so forth. I'm reminded of patches of Fripp's "Exposure", where he indulges in montage, and/or Frank Zappa's earliest music stews. And while outtakes seem to work all right for movies, musically the novelty value is scant at the first, and nil the second or third, time around.

I don't think the idea of outtakes is inappropriate here. The cover art shows a couple, enthralled, in a theater and the very last sound bite of the last song is the last few notes of the song "In the Court of the Crimson King" followed by applause. Given that musically the album ends with a live song, and that King Crimson does not do encores, one gets therefore a rather smarmy dose of movie-style outtakes instead. Happily, there was not 30 minutes of coming attractions prior to the feature presentation at least, though, technically, this EP is precisely that-a hint of the next King Crimson album to come.

After the sterile The ConstruKction of Light, Happy With What You Have to be Happy With is a major surprise.

The first track is a spacey, short distorted-vocal track, and is one of seven "haikus" as the band termed it. It goes into the most alive, most dynamic, energetic song I've heard from King Crimson in years, and quite possibly one of the strongest studio tracks they've ever released. It sounds like the reemergence of the ProjeKct Four sound with a bit of a Tool influence, but with very aggressive, raw production. In other words, it's about as far from TCOL as you can get.

The title track is then followed by two more haikus -- a Fripp soundscape and another Adrian Belew vocal piece. Then the "Acoustic" version of Eyes Wide Open follows. It's not acoustic in the MTV Unplugged sense, there's still some soundscapes in the background. It's a very good song, very relaxed.

Two more haikus, and then a bluesy number called "Potato Pie". It's head and shoulders beyond the iffy ProzaKc Blues. It's got a more mellow sound and doesn't try and hit you over the head with math-rock interlocking guitar runs.

Then another recording of Larks' IV, very energetic and alive -- it almost sounds like it was recorded live.

It's a phenomenal EP and preview for the future. If you were left cold by TCOL, this album might be for you. If you're not a Crim fan or caught them on tour with Tool, you might like this album as well. It's got great energy, and feels like the band is enthusiastic about the music they're making. It rocks hard -- and even though there are distorted/processed vocals, they work MUCH better than the previous album.

This an album best played as loud as your stereo can manage.

Bone-crushing beats, oriental chimes, distorted haikus floating in the ether, and a killer "Larks' Tongues in Aspic IV" to top them all - all in 33 minutes? Crimson is at it again, giving us a glimpse of what their forthcoming album The Power To Believe will sound like. In true KC fashion this EP is fascinating, spine-tingling and outright confusing all at once. They made me laugh out loud, thrash my head to the beat, marvel at their skill, fear for my life and ultimately laugh some more. Who says these guys don't have a sense of humor? While Happy... may ultimately prove to be more of a novelty than a release I'll return to time and time again (as I do Red, Thrak and the ProjeKcts), it succeeds admirably at what it tries to do; simply give a small preview of what's still to come.

The title track, apparently an edit from the full future version, is a crazed mix of upbeat catchiness, pounding maniacal fury and lyrical absurdity tossed into a blender on Liquefy. And if it isn't enough to make you laugh out loud, "Potato Pie" probably will; it's another twisted Crimson take on the blues. It's what the old Metallica might have sounded like if they decided to imitate a Blind Lemon Jefferson tune for a lark one night. For those who lamented the absence of a KC ballad a-la "One Time" on the last album, there'll be a nice acoustic treat in "Eyes Wide Open." It gets a little repetitive, but this will be different from the final version also.. actually, apart from "Larks' IV," nothing here is repeated from any other release - and even that is added as a live version without the lyrics of the original. I've always thought that the piece had enough menace and doom of its own without the depressing words, and here I think they've proven me right. Frightening stuff.

Never a band to just put out what's expected, Crimson have stuffed this one full of other little goodies.. Adrian's haikus, Robert's Soundscapes (the mysterious "Mie Gakure"), Pat's rhythmic noodlings ("ShoGaNai"), and a hidden track at the end that can only be described as just plain bizarre. Those curious folk new to the current KC lineup are probably better off starting with The ConstruKction of Light, but anyone curious about the group's future will be well served here. It ultimately feels like a tease since this is only a sketchy glimpse.. but it's still quite a fascinating glimpse. Get in on this.

In a way, I actually tried to I put off getting this. A few years ago when King Crimson released the VROOOM EP, I listened to it on almost a daily basis. That EP was the warm-up for THRaK, but when THRaK came out, I didn't like it at much as I liked VROOOM. I thought that VROOOM a certain vitality that the THRaK tracks lacked (that's fun to say). I couldn't help but think that if all of THRaK had the same spontenaity and rawness that VROOOM had, it would have been a stellar album instead of just a good one. I was afraid I would ruin "The Power to Believe" for myself in a similar fashion.

However, I put "Happy With......" on my Christmas list and someone got it for me. At the time, I was indeed extremely happy with it. Two months ago I would have given it five stars. It really does have some fantastic material on it. But now that "The Power to Believe" is out, the question arises: does this EP stand on its own? It it worth owning in addition to all of King Crimson'' other recent material.

The truth is, although "Happy With....." EP is a great recording, if you have both "The ConstruKCtion of Light" and "The Power to Believe", you really don't need to get it. All the best material on it is already on those albums. "Lark's Tounges in Aspic part IV" is great, but the version here is really not that much different than the one of "The ConstrucKCtion of Light". This one is probably more aggrtessive, but you miss out on the apocalyptic vocals on the Coda, which is an album highlight. The awesome tracks "Eyes Wide Open" and "Happy With....." are both on "The Power to Believe", and those versions only vary from these slightly. Then you have is the percussively-textured "Shoganai" and the synth-styled vocal interludes. These are not on "The Power to Believe" as they are here, but you can still hear them as parts of other songs that that fit into that recording very well.

All you have left after that is the bluesy-influenced "Potato Pie" and "Clouds". "Potato Pie" is a slightly silly blues number that has some cool old-school Fripp playing on it, but it certainly does not carry the recording on its own. "Clouds" is of some interest as it is a tape-experiment-styled collection of various studio happenings in the King Crimson camp during the recording sessions. Although nothing musically mindblowing occurs here, you do get to hear the band interact a little. More interestingly, it reminds me of similar material on Frank Zappa's "Sheik Yerbouti" (when Belew was in the band.....hmmmmm......).

The lowdown: If you are a hard-core King Crimson enthusiast, you can get this for your collection, but I think it's best attributes are pretty well-represented elsewhere.

.. and can't wait for the full album!

Who would have thought 35 years after they started King Crimson would still be making ground breaking music? They are indeed. But that is what you come to expect from KC.

This EP-CD is a taste of what is to come from the full CD "The Power to Believe" due in Feb. 2003. And the taste is delicious! There is filler to be sure, but the project works well as a whole. The title track "Happy with what you have to be happy with" is exilerating and hilarious! A gripping Nu-Metal riff with lyrics that describe what the REAL lyrics will sound like once they are written!? Wonderful tune and I laughed my...off at the lyrics.

"Eyes wide open" is a hauntingly beautiful song, performed in an acoustic version. "Potato Pie" is a warped blues song, that is unmistakenly Krimson. The inclusion of "Larks Tongue..Part IV" is a bit confusing, but it is a stellar rendition.

The extra track at the end is hilarious.

This EP may not be for everyone. But Krimson fans will need to have it. I can not wait for "The Power to Believe".

King Crimson is alive and well. We should all be thankful.

It's good. It's damn good. Not great. But damn good.

First off, i'm not sure that they're haikus. Maybe they follow the haiku format in Japanese, but certainly not in English. Adrian runs his voice through a digital harmonizer (i think).

- 'Bude' (Japanese for "martial way")
- 'She Shudders'
- 'I Ran'
- 'Clouds'

- 'Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With': Adrian Belew has a little fun with words (perhaps a touch too corny for my taste).

- 'Mie Gakure': Japanese for "seen and hidden". An absolutely gorgeous Soundscape.

- 'Eyes Wide Open': Beautiful song. It doesn't feel Crim-ish yet in its acoustic form; i look forward to the end result.

- 'Shoganai': Japanese expression that translates as "it cannot be helped". Lovely bit of percussive music.

- 'Potato Pie': Listed as "Somedays Blue". A nice stompin' blues. I always thought KC could use a little more soul, and this is definitely a step in the right direction as far as these ears are concerned.

- 'Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part 4': The guitars sounds brighter and punchier, and Trey's bass work and Pat's drums sound more lively. Overall, it doesn't sound as sterile as it does on /The ConstruKction of Light/.

- 'Einstein's Relatives': The hidden track. It reminds me of Zappa's "Evelyn, A Modified Dog" off /One Size Fits All/.

The final notes should be quite a [boost] in the arm for any long-time Crim fan.

You can almost feel the group rising once again from "The ConstruKction of Light" and into epic King Crimson-hood, that undefinable "almost" becoming available, and real. The CD contains demo mixes of several tracks and outtakes from the forthcoming King Crimson "The Power to Believe." The title track "Happy" is brilliantly mock-metal. The interspersed talking tracks are like the GGF talking tracks reincarnated by the Beat generation. A too brief but colorful soundscape and a drum-tapping-scape fill the space around the CD. The very Zen-like acoustic version of "Eyes Wide Open" is the epicenter of the CD. Toward the end, we're treated to a definably bluesy Potatoe Pie, and we're invited to a lively (StudioBelew) version of Larks' Tongues Part IV, closing with a collage of warbles and twerbles from the studio. For the title track and the acoustic track alone, the CD is worth owning, and everything around them fits perfectly. If there was a perfect recipe for an EP CD, this would be the template.

It's always exciting preparing for new Crimson material, and this is a good way to whet the appetite, much the same way VROOM was for the album THRAK. This holds together far more as a distinct piece, with four bonafide 'songs' glued together with a tasty brew of bionic haiku, musique concrete, instrumental doodles (including some passable emulation of Balinese Gamelan), and soundscapes. The four main pieces are:
1. Happy with what you have to be happy with - great nuovo metal with a hilariously descriptive chorus. Probably an edit of the longer track appearing on the new album early next year.
2. Eyes Wide Open (acoustic version) - pleasantly intricate, interweaving lines like only Crimson can do
3. Potato Pie - Crimson-blues along the same lines as 'Prozak Blues', but not quite as interesting. As close to conventional as they have ever been
4. Larks' Tongues in Aspic IV (live) - superfluous to major fans, especially in light of the lyric-less Coda

The highlight is the hidden track 'Einstein's Relatives' which consists of studio chatter and jamming. Sublime!

With the release of a brand new EP and a planned album of all original material slated for a 2003 release date, it is obvious that even after 30+ years, King Crimson is still going strong. "Happy With What You Have to be Happy With" is a prelude to hold fans over until the release of King Crimson's next full length, the Power to Believe, but it is much more than simply a sampler of forthcoming tracks and holds up on its own very nicely. The album is full of different styles all siphoned through the traditional sonic-progressive monolithic rock that is King Crimson. The opening track is a Belew vocals only track that sounds annoyingly like Yes, un-accompanied vocal tracks like this are scattered through the EP to provide sort of transition between the major songs, but when track two starts, the listener immediately knows King Crimson isn't just another pretentious prog group, in fact they are anything but. Crimson takes a more focused, song-oriented approach for the rest of the album playing 3 particularly strong numbers that all strongly display King Crimson's new influences. "Happy With What You Have to be Happy With", or the title track, sounds a lot like hard rock experimentalists The Melvins, coming across as a dense rocker with the most powerful vocals that have ever fought their way out of Adrian Belew's throat. Of the two remaining fully developed original songs, "Eyes Wide Open" is a mellow, acoustic prog-esque song that discusses the necessity of being aware in today's modern world and "Potato Pie" sounds like the result of King Crimson spending a day listening to B.B. King with a strong blues roots influence pushing its way through Crimson's traditional sound. However, just to prove that Crimson hasn't simply become another verse chorus verse band, the incredibly elaborate live version of Lark's Tongues Part IV is simply immense and Fripp's blistering guitar runs midway through are enough to make any fellow guitarist feel insecure. In addition to the short ambient Fripp/Eno type track of "Mie Gakure" and the Tortoise sounding percussion song "Shoganai", there is also an odd medley of talking and music as a hidden track at the end of the EP presenting a strange juxtaposed overview of the recording of an album in less than three minutes. "Happy With What You Have to be Happy With" is another well crafted set of King Crimson songs and if their new 2003 album is half as good and consistent as their new EP, then Crimson fans are in for some really great music in the coming year.

a beautiful return after a beautiful exploration of sound (projects,constuction,etc).
deserving of of all the cred and chops they can muster.. true musicians being tru to them selves and thier music, bearing the flack from so called die hard fans and venturing into the deep abyss of explortaion and uncertainty , to return with clear and familair constructions of etherical sounds and the bewildering beauty that can only come form the guise of KC., the other reviews , say it all. this is a truely beautiful sneak preview to the up coming release , thank you KC your existance is a pleasure.