1) U.K. were a short-lived British progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980.
In September 1976, singer/bassist John Wetton formerly of the British Psychedelic band Family (with Roger Chapman and Rick Grech) and drummer Bill Bruford, both alumni of King Crimson, worked on forming a band with Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The project was stopped by Wakeman's label. According to Bruford, "A&M Records were unwilling to let their 'star,' Wakeman, walk off with a used, slightly soiled King Crimson rhythm section, and the idea failed."
Determined to work together, Bruford and Wetton next asked guitarist Robert Fripp to reform King Crimson which Fripp had disbanded in 1974. When Fripp declined, Bruford and Wetton decided that each would bring in a musician of his choice to formulate a band. Wetton brought in keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson, whom Wetton knew from his work with Roxy Music in 1976 – "stealing" him from Frank Zappa. Bruford recruited guitarist Allan Holdsworth (formerly of Soft Machine and Gong) who had played guitar on Bruford's 1977 debut solo album, Feels Good to Me.
U.K. released their self-titled début album in 1978 and followed it with a supporting tour.
Following two lengthy American tours (June-October 1978), first Holdsworth and then Bruford departed U.K. over musical differences, going on to form the jazz rock fusion group Bruford. After the departure of Bruford and Holdsworth, U.K. didn't bring in another guitarist. Drummer Terry Bozzio (another one-time Frank Zappa band member) joined Wetton and Jobson, and as a result U.K. became a trio with a progressive rock lineup of keyboards/bass/drums (albeit supplemented by Jobson's violin). The trio recorded the album Danger Money, released in March 1979, and spent much of that year touring North America as opening act for Jethro Tull. A live album, Night After Night, was recorded in Japan that Spring and released in September. Following a final European tour in December 1979, and in spite of plans to record a new studio album in America in March 1980, U.K. disbanded. The reason for this was Jobson's and Wetton's different ideas on how the band should have gone on. Jobson wanted UK to go on with more long instrumental pieces, while Wetton thought that performing shorter songs was a better idea. Jobson stated that one song in particular was the reason of the band to disband: When Will You Realise?, a non-LP B-side (to date still unavailable on CD) featured on the Night After Night single, which Wetton would re-record (with slightly different lyrics) in 1980 on his solo album Caught In The Crossfire.
Throughout their brief existence, U.K.'s music was characterised by skilled musicianship, jazzy harmonies, close harmony vocals, use of odd time signatures (like 7/4 on the song In the Dead of Night), electric violin solos, and unusually varied synthesiser (Yamaha CS-80) sonorities.
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2) A folk rock side-project of members of Latvian band The Hobos. After the release of Radio Jah Jah, The Hobos decided to take some time to do other projects. Vilnis Krieviņš went back to play with the legendary Latvian hard rock band Līvi. Rolands Ūdris and Egons Kronbergs formed a side-project called U.K. and released the album KU. Finally, in year 2006 The Hobos went back to studio and a new album was expected sometime in 2009.
Alaska
UK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In casa è come in testa bro c'ho un po' un delirio
Ne ritrovo mezza sopra il comodino
La accendo fra si affaccia tutto il condominio
C'è lei che mi fa suonare il cellulare
Mi ha mandato un'altra nota vocale
Io sto steso sul divano in diagonale
Non rispondo spero che capisca la morale
Non mi importa se lei non mi dice più ti amo
Pure senza le collane frate luccichiamo
Domani finisce tutto tanto ci uccidiamo
Ma te lo giuro che finché dura timbro il cartellino
Faccio entrare queste quattro stronze in camerino
Fra moltiplico le rime mica il pane e il vino
Corro corro corro fra voglio arrivare primo
Perché tu non ti ricordi Davide con niente in tasca
Dentro al cuore meno 20 come in Alaska
Ora bevo insieme a una modella nella vasca
Poi spendo 50 euro in un piatto di pasta
Dopo che con Mamma ho già cambiato quattro case
Qualcuno chiedeva scusa dove sta tuo padre? (scusa)
Molli tutto per la musica sei un pazzo frate
Per questo ora la mia canna sembra un raggio laser
Frate sembra un raggio laser
Cazzo frate
Entro sulla base sono mattonate
In questa merda amen sono il santo padre
Michael Myers
Lascio questa scena dentro un'astronave
Faccio questo
Scardino la porta senza chiavi del successo (ye ye)
Non ho chiesto niente a questa gente tu puoi anche vestirti fresco fra
Ma tanto non ci prendi mai
Tanto non ci prendi mai
Tanto non ci prendi mai
Tanto non ci prendi mai
Honey Honey Honey Honey sto facendo tanti
Money money money money
Non è il ballo del mattone non è non è non è
Priestess nuova regione Amen
Gucci Nike Fendi Chanel
Come mi stanno bene
Vodka tonic whisky Möet
Ti prego fammi bere
Sto facendo i soldi mon frère
Dai contali bene
No che non ci esco con te
Sembri un carabiniere
Sto piangendo come un salice
Sto bevendo un altro calice
Io Cleopatra dentro a una piramide
Taglio la testa a questi stronzi tipo mantide
Scompari presto in questo posto come Atlantide
Questo ritmo spacca non chiamarmi mamy
Uh Mother fucker queste belle Nike
Brr Freddo Alaska non mandarmi i baci
Skrt sempre di corsa non mi fermi papy
Faccio presto
Scardino la porta senza chiavi del successo (ye ye)
Non ho chiesto niente a questa gente tu puoi anche vestirti fresco fra
Ma tanto non ci prendi mai
Tanto non ci prendi mai
Tanto non ci prendi mai
Tanto non ci prendi mai
The song "Alaska" by UK is a vibrant and unique piece of music that tells the tale of self-discovery, fame, and the struggles that come with it. The song opens with the singer waking up with a few problems, both in his head and his home. He finds half of himself on the nightstand and lights up a cigarette when his neighbor distracts him with a voice message. Even though he ignores her calls, he still hopes she understands his reasoning. The singer then proceeds to talk about his struggles with addiction as he states that he's hurting on a piano loop, and he doesn't care if the girl he's with doesn't say I love you anymore. As they glitter even without the chains, he knows that all of it will be over soon, and they'll end up killing each other. Nonetheless, he promises to time stamp his work until it lasts.
The second paragraph portrays an image of the singer's life before his rise to fame. He reminisces about the time when he had nothing in his pocket, and his heart was as cold as Alaska. He then transitions to his present-day success, where he drinks in the company of models and spends 50 euros on a plate of pasta. However, he still remembers the four times he and his mother changed houses and the shame he felt when somebody asked him about his father. He tells his listeners that he gave up everything for music and now feels like a madman. The third paragraph describes the singer's current state of ecstasy as he talks about his love for money, his designer clothes, and expensive liquor. He then confirms that he will deal with people his way and tells them, "you will never take him." The final part proclaims the journey to success as he repeats the chorus, saying that the door to success did not need any keys.
Line by Line Meaning
Fra mi sveglio con più di qualche problemino
I wake up with more than a few problems
In casa è come in testa bro c'ho un po' un delirio
My mind and home are both chaotic
Ne ritrovo mezza sopra il comodino
I find half of myself on the nightstand
La accendo fra si affaccia tutto il condominio
I turn on music, and the whole building hears it
C'è lei che mi fa suonare il cellulare
She makes my phone ring
Mi ha mandato un'altra nota vocale
She sent me another voice message
Io sto steso sul divano in diagonale
I'm lying diagonally on the couch
Non rispondo spero che capisca la morale
I don't answer, hoping she'll get the message
Che mi sto facendo male sopra un loop di piano
I'm hurting myself listening to a piano loop
Non mi importa se lei non mi dice più ti amo
I don't care if she doesn't say 'I love you' anymore
Pure senza le collane frate luccichiamo
We shine, even without jewelry
Domani finisce tutto tanto ci uccidiamo
It will all end tomorrow, and we'll kill ourselves anyway
Ma te lo giuro che finché dura timbro il cartellino
But I swear, as long as it lasts, I'll punch the clock
Faccio entrare queste quattro stronze in camerino
I bring these four girls into the dressing room
Fra moltiplico le rime mica il pane e il vino
I'm multiplying rhymes, not bread and wine
Corro corro corro fra voglio arrivare primo
I run, run, run, wanting to be first
Perché tu non ti ricordi Davide con niente in tasca
Because you don't remember David with nothing in his pockets
Dentro al cuore meno 20 come in Alaska
In my heart, it's minus 20 like in Alaska
Ora bevo insieme a una modella nella vasca
Now I'm drinking with a model in the tub
Poi spendo 50 euro in un piatto di pasta
Then I spend €50 on a plate of pasta
Dopo che con Mamma ho già cambiato quattro case
After I've already changed houses four times with my mom
Qualcuno chiedeva scusa dove sta tuo padre? (scusa)
Someone asked, 'Excuse me, where's your father?' (sorry)
Molli tutto per la musica sei un pazzo frate
You give up everything for music; you're crazy, man
Per questo ora la mia canna sembra un raggio laser
That's why my joint now looks like a laser beam
Frate sembra un raggio laser
Man, it looks like a laser beam
Cazzo frate
Damn, man
Entro sulla base sono mattonate
I enter the beat with bricks
In questa merda amen sono il santo padre
I'm the Holy Father in this shit, amen
Michael Myers
Michael Myers
Lascio questa scena dentro un'astronave
I leave this scene inside a spaceship
Faccio questo
I'm doing this
Scardino la porta senza chiavi del successo (ye ye)
I kick down the door to success without keys
Non ho chiesto niente a questa gente tu puoi anche vestirti fresco fra
I didn't ask anything of these people, you can dress cool too, man
Ma tanto non ci prendi mai
But you never catch us
Honey Honey Honey Honey sto facendo tanti
Honey, I'm making a lot of money
Money money money money
Money, money, money, money
Non è il ballo del mattone non è non è non è
It's not the dance of the bricks, no it's not
Priestess nuova regione Amen
Priestess, new region, amen
Gucci Nike Fendi Chanel
Gucci, Nike, Fendi, Chanel
Come mi stanno bene
How good they look on me
Vodka tonic whisky Möet
Vodka tonic, whisky, Möet
Ti prego fammi bere
Please, let me drink
Sto facendo i soldi mon frère
I'm making money, my brother
Dai contali bene
Come on, count it well
No che non ci esco con te
No, I'm not going out with you
Sembri un carabiniere
You look like a cop
Sto piangendo come un salice
I'm crying like a willow
Sto bevendo un altro calice
I'm drinking another glass
Io Cleopatra dentro a una piramide
I'm Cleopatra inside a pyramid
Taglio la testa a questi stronzi tipo mantide
I cut off the heads of these assholes like a mantis
Scompari presto in questo posto come Atlantide
Disappear quickly from this place like Atlantis
Questo ritmo spacca non chiamarmi mamy
This beat rocks; don't call me 'mama'
Uh Mother fucker queste belle Nike
Uh, motherfucker, these nice Nikes
Brr Freddo Alaska non mandarmi i baci
Brr, cold Alaska, don't send me kisses
Skrt sempre di corsa non mi fermi papy
Skrt, always running, you can't stop me, Pops
Writer(s): Edwin Jobson
Contributed by Grace O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul Beebe
As a musician starting from 1977 this album has never gone out of favor for me.....
Ron de Groot
One of the best prog albums.
The Cleaners Cupboard
The mighty Yamaha CS80. One of the finest analogue synthesizers made. This track really shows how powerful it is
mark darnell
I used to have the little brother - the CS-60, and it was fuckin' Amazing, as well!
Dave DeMarco
@mark darnell - I still have my CS-50. Not as amazing but still fun.
ouchcubic experimental media-core
the backbone of prog
MrListenerman
The whole album is an absolute masterpiece xxx
Kaddatz-Unsolid Ground
BILL has injected so many OFF-BEATS, and his use of the deeper tones and kettles is so harmonically powerful, it literally kidnaps me periodically....
Arthur F. Scaltrito
Here. Yes, and King Crimson
alex dornelli
one piece of music from the 70's that shows that organic, analog synths cant be beaten