Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

McDonald and Giles — McDonald and Giles
(Virgin CDV2963, 1970/2002, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2003-08-01

McDonald and Giles Cover art

Upon the break-up of King Crimson Mark One, saxophonist Ian McDonald and drummer Michael Giles enlisted the talents of Peter Giles (from Giles, Giles & Fripp) to create a contrasting LP that showed the less obvious elements of the old band. This line-up had previously worked in conjunction to help facilitate the formation of Crimson, but many of the lighter elements of their works had been suppressed within The Court of the Crimson King. The layout of the five tracks is similar to Crimson’s first two albums with main titles and subheadings detailing theme development, but the delivery is markedly different. When compared one on one with In the Wake of Poseidon this album shows none of the aggression and many recognizable Beatles influences especially on the album’s first song, “Suite in C.” McDonald’s songwriting tended toward Lennon and McCartney while Giles’ muse drifted into an altogether ambiguous jazzier slant. Liner notes courtesy of Crimson biographer Sid Smith go far into the minds of the composers and their current reflections on the LP. Plus the 24-bit remaster of this recording is pristine sounding when compared the original Atco LP. After-the-fact editing by McDonald may have tampered with the original recording slightly but not enough to damage the endearing personality of the work. Regardless, the album is a fine addition to the Crimson catalogue and substantiates further the interlocking chemistry of King Crimson’s original ground-breaking lineup.

Filed under: Reissues, Issue 27, 2002 releases, 1970 recordings

Related artist(s): Ian McDonald

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.