King Crimson
(NOTE: Album covers and band images are not available due to certain legal restrictions imposed on last.fm by King Crimson's Management.)
King Crimson are a progressive rock group from London, England, United Kingdom formed in 1968 by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles. Though originally an all-British musical group, later members have included a number of Americans, most notably Adrian Belew, and Tony Levin. The name "King Crimson" was coined by Peter Sinfield as a synonym for Beelzebub, prince of demons. Read Full Bio(NOTE: Album covers and band images are not available due to certain legal restrictions imposed on last.fm by King Crimson's Management.)
King Crimson are a progressive rock group from London, England, United Kingdom formed in 1968 by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles. Though originally an all-British musical group, later members have included a number of Americans, most notably Adrian Belew, and Tony Levin. The name "King Crimson" was coined by Peter Sinfield as a synonym for Beelzebub, prince of demons.
King Crimson's debut album was In the Court of the Crimson King. The first major success of the new genre of progressive rock, many bands that would come to dominate 'prog' in the 1970s first sought to emulate In the Court of the Crimson King, including Genesis, the Alan Parsons Project, and later Rush.
The line-up of King Crimson has at times changed drastically from album to album. Original lead singer and bassist Greg Lake left the group - as did lyricist Peter Sinfield - and went on to fame with Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1970, replaced by Gordon Haskell, Boz Burrell, and, briefly, Jon Anderson of Yes. Also from Yes came drummer Bill Bruford, who joined King Crimson in 1972 and became one of the more enduring members. For the next three years, Bruford and Fripp were joined by future Asia frontman John Wetton. With comparatively few additional musicians, these mid-1970s albums and performances showed a more raw and stylistically focused - though still improvisational - King Crimson. In 1974 the band split temporarily.
In 1981, bassist Tony Levin and guitarist/singer Adrian Belew joined Fripp and Bruford in a band initially called Discipline. Changing the name back to King Crimson, the four released a trio of studio albums which preserved the classic heavy and improvisational sound, but also embraced 1980s musical influences and technologies.
In 1984 the band split up again, then re-formed in 1994 with former Mr. Mister drummer Pat Mastelotto joining forces with and later replacing Bruford. This lineup included bassist Trey Gunn - playing warr guitar and chapman stick - forming a "double trio" of two guitarists, two bassists and two drummers. In between KC commitments, various combinations of the members convened in different "ProjeKcts": ProjeKct One, ProjeKct Two, ProjeKct Three, ProjeKct Four, and ProjeKct X, with Robert Fripp describing them as "fraKctals" of the band with the purpose of "research and development".
2000-2003 saw a new incarnation of King Crimson, without Bruford and Levin, which culminated in the album The Power to Believe and a concert tour. Trey Gunn left the group afterwards, but Fripp and Belew announced that they would meet in 2007 and think about future KC music. Tony Levin agreed to replace Gunn on bass/stick.
A new King Crimson line-up was announced in late 2007 and scheduled for rehearsals in 2008, consisting of Fripp, Belew, Mastelotto, Levin, and Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree. In August 2008 the band set out on a brief four-city tour in preparation for King Crimson's fortieth anniversary in 2009. A short time thereafter, on 20th August 2008, DGMLive (a web medium for Fripp to release live recordings) issued a download-only release of the August 7th, 2008 concert in Chicago. The show reveals a drum-centred direction but the set list, consistent with the rest of the tour, contains no new material or extended improvisation. However, many of the pieces from the back catalogue receive new arrangements, most notably the renditions of "Neurotica," "Sleepless", and "Level Five", all of which are given percussion-heavy overhauls, presumably to highlight the return to the dual-drummer format. More recordings from the New York shows are scheduled for download soon as well. There has been talk of more King Crimson shows in 2009, but nothing definite has arisen yet.
In 2008, Steven Wilson began remixing the studio catalogue into 5.1 Surround Sound for possible future release.
Despite its many changes, King Crimson has retained a consistent sound and atmosphere, largely as a result of Fripp's signature guitar work. Though they have not had a commercial success since their first album, the band has one of the most devoted followings of any musical group. Their live albums outnumber studio albums by a wide margin (some of them being "official" bootlegs), and there are more than enough ex-members to fully staff the 'classic' KC revival group known as 21st Century Schizoid Band.
On 5 December 2010, Fripp wrote a diary entry on his DGM website outlining his current stage of involvement in the music industry. The diary entry suggested that the King Crimson "switch" had been set to "off" and detailed a number of reasons why he was not currently interested in performing or writing with the band. In spite of this, activity related to the band continues. A separate band based around Jakko Jakszyk and King Crimson alumni Robert Fripp and Mel Collins (who played last with King Crimson on Red) was announced in 2011 as being called "A King Crimson ProjeKct". Fripp has also referred to it as "P7". An album A Scarcity of Miracles features these three musicians, along with other Crimson alumni Tony Levin and Gavin Harrison.
In an interview with Financial Times published on 3 August 2012, Fripp announced that he was retiring from the music industry, leaving the future of King Crimson uncertain.
Fripp's retirement lasted for just over a year. On 6 September 2013, Fripp announced King Crimson's return to work with a new line-up, stating that "this is a very different reformation to what has gone before: seven players, four English and three American, with three drummers. The Seven-Headed Beast of Crim is in Go! mode". The current band consists of Fripp, three musicians from the previous 2009 lineup (bassist Tony Levin, drummers Gavin Harrison and Pat Mastelotto) saxophonist/flute player Mel Collins (previously in King Crimson's 1971 lineup); and two new recruits, Jakko Jakszyk (vocals, guitar) and Bill Rieflin (drums, ex-REM, Ministry and others).
While this lineup has reunited the team which had assembled A Scarcity of Miracles (plus Rieflin), it has not yet been revealed whether the two projects will have much continuity. Fripp has provided some hints as to the musical approach which the new band will take - "The Point Of Crim-Seeing was of a conventional backline – Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto - reconfigured as the frontline, with Mel Collins, Jakko Jakszyk and myself as backline." Due to outstanding individual commitments, King Crimson will not be performing live until late 2014 (but will be rehearsing in both full- and small-group formations before then).
Fripp has cited several reasons for King Crimson's return, varying from the practical (the likely financial settling of his dispute with Universal Music Group, plus imminent completion of his Guitar Circle book and DU Reading Project) to the whimsical: "I was becoming too happy. Time for a pointed stick." This incarnation of King Crimson performed until Rieflin’s 2020 death. Afterwards, a 7-man King Crimson toured North America and Japan in 2021, performing their final concert in Tokyo, on 8 December 2021.
King Crimson are a progressive rock group from London, England, United Kingdom formed in 1968 by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles. Though originally an all-British musical group, later members have included a number of Americans, most notably Adrian Belew, and Tony Levin. The name "King Crimson" was coined by Peter Sinfield as a synonym for Beelzebub, prince of demons. Read Full Bio(NOTE: Album covers and band images are not available due to certain legal restrictions imposed on last.fm by King Crimson's Management.)
King Crimson are a progressive rock group from London, England, United Kingdom formed in 1968 by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles. Though originally an all-British musical group, later members have included a number of Americans, most notably Adrian Belew, and Tony Levin. The name "King Crimson" was coined by Peter Sinfield as a synonym for Beelzebub, prince of demons.
King Crimson's debut album was In the Court of the Crimson King. The first major success of the new genre of progressive rock, many bands that would come to dominate 'prog' in the 1970s first sought to emulate In the Court of the Crimson King, including Genesis, the Alan Parsons Project, and later Rush.
The line-up of King Crimson has at times changed drastically from album to album. Original lead singer and bassist Greg Lake left the group - as did lyricist Peter Sinfield - and went on to fame with Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1970, replaced by Gordon Haskell, Boz Burrell, and, briefly, Jon Anderson of Yes. Also from Yes came drummer Bill Bruford, who joined King Crimson in 1972 and became one of the more enduring members. For the next three years, Bruford and Fripp were joined by future Asia frontman John Wetton. With comparatively few additional musicians, these mid-1970s albums and performances showed a more raw and stylistically focused - though still improvisational - King Crimson. In 1974 the band split temporarily.
In 1981, bassist Tony Levin and guitarist/singer Adrian Belew joined Fripp and Bruford in a band initially called Discipline. Changing the name back to King Crimson, the four released a trio of studio albums which preserved the classic heavy and improvisational sound, but also embraced 1980s musical influences and technologies.
In 1984 the band split up again, then re-formed in 1994 with former Mr. Mister drummer Pat Mastelotto joining forces with and later replacing Bruford. This lineup included bassist Trey Gunn - playing warr guitar and chapman stick - forming a "double trio" of two guitarists, two bassists and two drummers. In between KC commitments, various combinations of the members convened in different "ProjeKcts": ProjeKct One, ProjeKct Two, ProjeKct Three, ProjeKct Four, and ProjeKct X, with Robert Fripp describing them as "fraKctals" of the band with the purpose of "research and development".
2000-2003 saw a new incarnation of King Crimson, without Bruford and Levin, which culminated in the album The Power to Believe and a concert tour. Trey Gunn left the group afterwards, but Fripp and Belew announced that they would meet in 2007 and think about future KC music. Tony Levin agreed to replace Gunn on bass/stick.
A new King Crimson line-up was announced in late 2007 and scheduled for rehearsals in 2008, consisting of Fripp, Belew, Mastelotto, Levin, and Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree. In August 2008 the band set out on a brief four-city tour in preparation for King Crimson's fortieth anniversary in 2009. A short time thereafter, on 20th August 2008, DGMLive (a web medium for Fripp to release live recordings) issued a download-only release of the August 7th, 2008 concert in Chicago. The show reveals a drum-centred direction but the set list, consistent with the rest of the tour, contains no new material or extended improvisation. However, many of the pieces from the back catalogue receive new arrangements, most notably the renditions of "Neurotica," "Sleepless", and "Level Five", all of which are given percussion-heavy overhauls, presumably to highlight the return to the dual-drummer format. More recordings from the New York shows are scheduled for download soon as well. There has been talk of more King Crimson shows in 2009, but nothing definite has arisen yet.
In 2008, Steven Wilson began remixing the studio catalogue into 5.1 Surround Sound for possible future release.
Despite its many changes, King Crimson has retained a consistent sound and atmosphere, largely as a result of Fripp's signature guitar work. Though they have not had a commercial success since their first album, the band has one of the most devoted followings of any musical group. Their live albums outnumber studio albums by a wide margin (some of them being "official" bootlegs), and there are more than enough ex-members to fully staff the 'classic' KC revival group known as 21st Century Schizoid Band.
On 5 December 2010, Fripp wrote a diary entry on his DGM website outlining his current stage of involvement in the music industry. The diary entry suggested that the King Crimson "switch" had been set to "off" and detailed a number of reasons why he was not currently interested in performing or writing with the band. In spite of this, activity related to the band continues. A separate band based around Jakko Jakszyk and King Crimson alumni Robert Fripp and Mel Collins (who played last with King Crimson on Red) was announced in 2011 as being called "A King Crimson ProjeKct". Fripp has also referred to it as "P7". An album A Scarcity of Miracles features these three musicians, along with other Crimson alumni Tony Levin and Gavin Harrison.
In an interview with Financial Times published on 3 August 2012, Fripp announced that he was retiring from the music industry, leaving the future of King Crimson uncertain.
Fripp's retirement lasted for just over a year. On 6 September 2013, Fripp announced King Crimson's return to work with a new line-up, stating that "this is a very different reformation to what has gone before: seven players, four English and three American, with three drummers. The Seven-Headed Beast of Crim is in Go! mode". The current band consists of Fripp, three musicians from the previous 2009 lineup (bassist Tony Levin, drummers Gavin Harrison and Pat Mastelotto) saxophonist/flute player Mel Collins (previously in King Crimson's 1971 lineup); and two new recruits, Jakko Jakszyk (vocals, guitar) and Bill Rieflin (drums, ex-REM, Ministry and others).
While this lineup has reunited the team which had assembled A Scarcity of Miracles (plus Rieflin), it has not yet been revealed whether the two projects will have much continuity. Fripp has provided some hints as to the musical approach which the new band will take - "The Point Of Crim-Seeing was of a conventional backline – Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto - reconfigured as the frontline, with Mel Collins, Jakko Jakszyk and myself as backline." Due to outstanding individual commitments, King Crimson will not be performing live until late 2014 (but will be rehearsing in both full- and small-group formations before then).
Fripp has cited several reasons for King Crimson's return, varying from the practical (the likely financial settling of his dispute with Universal Music Group, plus imminent completion of his Guitar Circle book and DU Reading Project) to the whimsical: "I was becoming too happy. Time for a pointed stick." This incarnation of King Crimson performed until Rieflin’s 2020 death. Afterwards, a 7-man King Crimson toured North America and Japan in 2021, performing their final concert in Tokyo, on 8 December 2021.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
I Talk to the Wind
King Crimson Lyrics
Said the straight man to the late man
Where have you been?
I've been here and I've been there
And I've been in between
I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear
I'm on the outside looking inside
What do I see?
Much confusion, disillusion
All around me
I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear
You don't possess me
Don't impress me
Just upset my mind
Can't instruct me or conduct me
Just use up my time
I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear
I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear
Said the straight man to the late man
Where have you been?
I've been here and I've been there and
I've been in between
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Greg Lake, Ian Mcdonald, Michael Rex Giles, Peter John Sinfield, Robert Fripp
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Corazón de Hojaldre
[Verse 1]
Said the straight man to the late man
"Where have you been?"
I've been here and I've been there
And I've been in between
[Chorus]
I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear, the wind cannot hear
[Verse 2]
I'm on the outside looking inside
What do I see?
Much confusion, disillusion
All around me
[Chorus]
I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear, the wind cannot hear
[Verse 3]
You don't possess me, don't impress me
Just upset my mind
Can't instruct me or conduct me
Just use up my time
[Chorus]
I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear, the wind cannot hear
[Instrumental Interlude]
[Chorus]
I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear, the wind cannot hear
[Verse 1]
Said the straight man to the late man
"Where have you been?"
I've been here and I've been there
And I've been in between
[Instrumental Outro]
P Christian Zenner
Back in 1978, I caught my Mom listening to this on my headphones. She said she loved this. Miss her so much.
Daniela Battistutta
I Krimson erano fantastici EPITAH poi !!!❤❤❤
Ivartshiva
@Haze very much so I am in the same mind as you sir
Dude Man
@David Mora-san exactly. The biggest thing is access to music. King crimson was definitely starting to fade from prominence over the last decade but fripp putting it on YouTube finally has caused such a huge resurgence, I mean I had no clue so many people would understand the genius of a song like the one we're commenting on - I always thought I was alone in loving this song so much, it had such a huge influence on me (all king crimson albums did, not just this song, but I talk to the wind is definitely one of my favorites tbh) and I'm happy to see so many people coming here to enjoy it.
Edit: when I was growing up and first got access to the internet, I was born in 92 and got internet finally around 2004 or 2005, and at that point I had a difficult time finding most artists online. I tried to find new music but at best I would catch a band name and then couldn't find out anything about them - I remember first finding artists like James chance and the contortions or even a band like The Birthday Party (Nick Cave's gothic/post-punk band before he went solo) referenced online but not having the ability to listen to them or find their music so I was just sh!t out of luck. It wasn't until people started uploading songs on YouTube for everyone to hear that I actually managed to branch out and experiment with what kind of music I could have on my palate. I remember being blown away that someone had uploaded the music video on YouTube of Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden, a music video that I hadn't seen since I was like 5 or 6 years old, I had no clue the band was even big in any way. It was all such a huge mystery, I had no clue Soundgarden was a commercial band because I didn't have access to so much information and a couple years went by and I discovered progressive rock by a mere chance and that's when it all really took off. I know I kind of wanted there but I really can't stress how much our access to these things matters. Before the internet unlocked these easier ways of learning about different movements or genres, you had to go by word of mouth and just would have to luck out that someone nearby would have some information for you. If you heard a song on the radio you liked, you didn't have a way of figuring out who the artist was if the radio host didn't say who the band was both before and after the song (in many cases they introduce the song and then don't mention it after it's over so unless you tuned in beforehand you're out of luck)
Dude Man
@Daniel Hunter oh yeah, there will always be new king crimson fans especially now that Robert has opened up to platforms and has loosened his crackdown on sites like YouTube. Restricting his music to just physical sales and paid downloads was a big hinderance to the spreading of his music, I was the rate exception because I always preferred to have the physical copy when I was in high school if I liked an album, but most people my age aren't the same way. I think Robert allowing his music to be uploaded onto his YouTube channel was a HUGE step for him. You can see how much of a difference it made because look at hom many views the Crimson songs get now, this song has only been on here for a year and it's got over a million views - that's an insane amount of listens for a song this old in such a short amount of time. Everyone was waiting for it to happen and everyone is happy he finally did it, it makes his music so much more accessible to younger people, both those who aren't dedicated enough to music buy an album (which I am not a fan of, but those people do exist) and those who can't afford to buy albums who are younger. Putting his stuff on YouTube has singlehandedly made his music accessible to everyone as long as they have internet and I'm just happy he finally did it.
CJ
You will see her again.....GOD bless you...
Mario Saliba
"In the Court of the Crimson King" - definitely one of the best albums of all time
zezmerelda
@pylgrym the cover rocks- it convinced me, too!
pylgrym
I bought it as a Sophomore at Northwestern University from the local record store on the strength of the cover alone.
Francois Fontaine
The flute solo on this song is like a candle in the darkness of this age we're living in.