Larks' Tongues in Aspic (song)
Encyclopedia
"Larks' Tongues in Aspic" is a multi-part epic progressive rock song by King Crimson
released over the course of three albums and 27 years, Larks' Tongues in Aspic
in 1973, Three of a Perfect Pair
in 1984, and The ConstruKction of Light
in 2000. Part II has appeared on multiple King Crimson live albums as it is a staple of their live shows, and Part IV is one continuous track on its live releases.
-era lineup. One version, named A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls appears as a bonus track on 40th anniversary edition of the Islands album.
before entering a driving, hard rock section fuelled by Robert Fripp
's electric guitar and introduced by a slowly-building violin. It slows down after a few minutes with David Cross
' violin becoming more prominent until the beginning of Book of Saturday. It is this part of the song in which the influence of Ralph Vaughan Williams' composition The Lark Ascending
(from which the song's title is derived) can be heard most clearly.
. The same version was released on The Beginners' Guide to the King Crimson Collectors' Club
. The version on these two albums is only about seven minutes long. It is also included on the boxed set The Great Deceiver, a live set chronicling the 1972-1974 lineup of the band.
The song was dropped after the Starless and Bible Black
tour.
" ballet.
Part of the score for the 1974 French erotic film Emmanuelle
was based heavily on Part II. After taking legal action against the film's producers, composer Robert Fripp eventually settled out of court.
Part II was done as a cover song by Dream Theater
on the special edition of their 10th album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings
.
(1981-4 band), USA
(Starless and Bible Black lineup), and the déjà VROOOM
DVD (double trio). The "double duo
" line-up appears to have dropped this in favor of Part IV, released on The ConstruKction of Light; it was not restored for the tour supporting The Power to Believe
. However, this part of the song has been performed regularly by the current lineup (featuring Belew, Fripp, Levin, Mastelotto and Porcupine Tree
drummer Gavin Harrison
). A 1974 Lineup of Wetton Bruford Fripp and Cross finds Part II in slightly different territory to the 1973 studio release, the 30th Anniversary edition of USA features slightly improved audio quality, however more recently the live at Asbury Park Collectible edition finds the same track without overdubs.
" (no story). Because this part was only performed on the Three of a Perfect Pair tour, not many live versions have been released. However, a version can be found on Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal
as well as the DVD Neal and Jack and Me
.
. The vocals were later dropped from the live performance.
EP. Another can be found on Heavy ConstruKction
.
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
released over the course of three albums and 27 years, Larks' Tongues in Aspic
Larks' Tongues in Aspic
Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock group King Crimson, originally released in 1973. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation - arguably their most forward-thinking thinking version yet, featuring original member and guitarist Robert...
in 1973, Three of a Perfect Pair
Three of a Perfect Pair
Three of a Perfect Pair is an album by the band King Crimson, released in 1984. The album is the culmination of the band's 80s period and is a balance between the experimental sounds of the "Red" album, Discipline, and the accessibility of the "Blue" album, Beat. Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew took...
in 1984, and The ConstruKction of Light
The ConstruKction of Light
The ConstruKction of Light is an album by the band King Crimson, released in 2000. It has the distinction of being the first studio album to be released by King Crimson without Bill Bruford on drums since prior to the release of Lark's Tongues in Aspic . It also in notable for the absence of Tony...
in 2000. Part II has appeared on multiple King Crimson live albums as it is a staple of their live shows, and Part IV is one continuous track on its live releases.
Early version
The guitar figures that appear on Larks' Tongues in Aspic were first conceived by Robert Fripp c. 1971, and performed live in an embryonic form by the IslandsIslands (King Crimson album)
Islands is the fourth album by the British band King Crimson, released in 1971.The last King Crimson studio album before the group's trilogy of Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red, it is also the last to feature the lyrics of Peter Sinfield and the last to feature the band's...
-era lineup. One version, named A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls appears as a bonus track on 40th anniversary edition of the Islands album.
Part I
Part I is the longest part of the song and was first released in 1973 on the Larks' Tongues in Aspic album. It begins with a long percussion introduction, provided by Jamie MuirJamie Muir
Jamie Muir is a UK painter and former percussionist, best known for his work in King Crimson.-Biography:Muir attended Edinburgh College of Art during the 1960s and began playing jazz on trombone before settling on percussion....
before entering a driving, hard rock section fuelled by Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
's electric guitar and introduced by a slowly-building violin. It slows down after a few minutes with David Cross
David Cross (musician)
David Cross is an electric violinist born in Turnchapel near Plymouth, England, best known for playing with progressive rock band King Crimson during the 1970s...
' violin becoming more prominent until the beginning of Book of Saturday. It is this part of the song in which the influence of Ralph Vaughan Williams' composition The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending is a work by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, inspired by George Meredith's 122-line poem of the same name about the skylark. The work was written in two versions: violin and piano, written in 1914; and violin and orchestra, written in 1920. The orchestral version...
(from which the song's title is derived) can be heard most clearly.
Live versions
Few live performances have been documented; however, one is available on the King Crimson Collectors' Club release The Beat Club, BremenThe Beat Club, Bremen
The Beat Club, Bremen is a live album by the band King Crimson, released through the King Crimson Collectors' Club in February 1999...
. The same version was released on The Beginners' Guide to the King Crimson Collectors' Club
The Beginners' Guide to the King Crimson Collectors' Club
The Beginners' Guide to the King Crimson Collectors' Club is a 2000 album by the band King Crimson, compiled from King Crimson Collectors' Club albums - limited release live recordings of concert performances, studio sessions and radio sessions....
. The version on these two albums is only about seven minutes long. It is also included on the boxed set The Great Deceiver, a live set chronicling the 1972-1974 lineup of the band.
The song was dropped after the Starless and Bible Black
Starless and Bible Black
Starless and Bible Black is an album released by the British progressive rock band King Crimson in 1974. Most of the vocal pieces on the album are satires and commentaries on the sleaziness and materialism of society...
tour.
Personnel
- David CrossDavid Cross (musician)David Cross is an electric violinist born in Turnchapel near Plymouth, England, best known for playing with progressive rock band King Crimson during the 1970s...
(violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
) - Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
(guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, devices) - John WettonJohn WettonJohn Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
(bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Bill BrufordBill BrufordWilliam Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
(drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) - Jamie MuirJamie MuirJamie Muir is a UK painter and former percussionist, best known for his work in King Crimson.-Biography:Muir attended Edinburgh College of Art during the 1960s and began playing jazz on trombone before settling on percussion....
(various percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
)
Part II
Part II is driven throughout by guitars and recalls a few segments of Part I. The beginning developed into the familiar rhythm found in Parts III and IV. This is the second shortest part of the epic, but also the most familiar. It was released, as with Part I, on the Larks' Tongues in Aspic album. It segues out of The Talking Drum and was usually performed directly after it. Fripp said that the guitar starting rhythm is inspired by the "Dance of the Young Girls" part in Stravinsky's "The Rite of SpringThe Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
" ballet.
Part of the score for the 1974 French erotic film Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle is the lead character in a series of French softcore erotic movies based on a character created by Emmanuelle Arsan in the novel Emmanuelle...
was based heavily on Part II. After taking legal action against the film's producers, composer Robert Fripp eventually settled out of court.
Part II was done as a cover song by Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
on the special edition of their 10th album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Black Clouds & Silver Linings is the tenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on June 23, 2009 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's last album to feature drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy before his departure on September 8, 2010. The album was...
.
Live versions
One need not look far to find live versions of this track; almost every incarnation since the band which initially recorded it up to the current lineup has performed this live (with the exception of the 1999-2003 quartet). Versions can be found on Absent Lovers: Live in MontrealAbsent Lovers: Live in Montreal
Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal is a live album by the band King Crimson, recorded July 11, 1984 and released in 1998. This was taken from the final night of their 1984 tour and would subsequently be King Crimson's last performance until the THRAK warm-up shows in Argentina ten years later.-Track...
(1981-4 band), USA
USA (album)
USA is a live album by the English band King Crimson, released in 1975.*Tracks 1-6 and 8-9 recorded at the Casino, Asbury Park, June 28, 1974*Track 7 recorded at the Palace Theatre, Providence, USA, June 30, 1974...
(Starless and Bible Black lineup), and the déjà VROOOM
Déjà VROOOM
Déjà Vrooom is a live DVD by the band King Crimson, released in 1999 as a double-sided disc and reissued in 2007 as a double-layer disc. It was recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, 5-6 October 1995...
DVD (double trio). The "double duo
The ConstruKction of Light
The ConstruKction of Light is an album by the band King Crimson, released in 2000. It has the distinction of being the first studio album to be released by King Crimson without Bill Bruford on drums since prior to the release of Lark's Tongues in Aspic . It also in notable for the absence of Tony...
" line-up appears to have dropped this in favor of Part IV, released on The ConstruKction of Light; it was not restored for the tour supporting The Power to Believe
The Power to Believe
The Power to Believe is an album by the band King Crimson released in 2003, a companion to the preceding mini-album Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With ....
. However, this part of the song has been performed regularly by the current lineup (featuring Belew, Fripp, Levin, Mastelotto and Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
drummer Gavin Harrison
Gavin Harrison
Gavin Harrison is a British drummer and percussionist. He is best known for playing with the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree which he joined in 2002. As of 2008, he also plays with the band King Crimson....
). A 1974 Lineup of Wetton Bruford Fripp and Cross finds Part II in slightly different territory to the 1973 studio release, the 30th Anniversary edition of USA features slightly improved audio quality, however more recently the live at Asbury Park Collectible edition finds the same track without overdubs.
Personnel
- David CrossDavid Cross (musician)David Cross is an electric violinist born in Turnchapel near Plymouth, England, best known for playing with progressive rock band King Crimson during the 1970s...
(violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
) - Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
(guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, devices) - John WettonJohn WettonJohn Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
(bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Bill BrufordBill BrufordWilliam Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
(drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) - Jamie MuirJamie MuirJamie Muir is a UK painter and former percussionist, best known for his work in King Crimson.-Biography:Muir attended Edinburgh College of Art during the 1960s and began playing jazz on trombone before settling on percussion....
(various percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
)
Part III
Part III appeared on 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair album. It featured familiar rhythms to the first two parts, but was delivered much differently. The sound was far more electronic-sounding, as evidenced by the intro alone, a quotation of the guitar rhythm at 4:50 on Part I. This is the shortest part of the epic. It is positioned at the end of the LP, on side 2, which consisted of more experimental tracks.Live versions
This part was only played live in 1984 and always directly followed "No Warning" and was followed by "Thela Hun GinjeetThela Hun Ginjeet
Thela Hun Ginjeet is a single by the band King Crimson, released in 1981. Its tracks are from the album Discipline . The song name is an anagram of "heat in the jungle", which is a reference to crime in the city...
" (no story). Because this part was only performed on the Three of a Perfect Pair tour, not many live versions have been released. However, a version can be found on Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal
Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal
Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal is a live album by the band King Crimson, recorded July 11, 1984 and released in 1998. This was taken from the final night of their 1984 tour and would subsequently be King Crimson's last performance until the THRAK warm-up shows in Argentina ten years later.-Track...
as well as the DVD Neal and Jack and Me
Neal and Jack and Me (DVD)
Neal and Jack and Me is a live DVD by the band King Crimson, released in 2004. It is a compilation of two vintage concerts of the band in the 1980s. Concretely, The Noise: Frejus and Three of a Perfect Pair: Live in Japan, both videos released in VHS with the 80s band formation.-Track listing:Three...
.
Personnel
- Adrian BelewAdrian BelewAdrian Belew is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer...
– fretted guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, fretless guitarFretless guitarA fretless guitar is a guitar without frets. It operates in the same manner as most other stringed instruments and traditional guitars, but does not have any frets to act as the lower end point of the vibrating string... - Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, stickChapman StickThe Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and has been used on music recordings to play bass lines, melody lines, chords or textures...
, synthSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Bill BrufordBill BrufordWilliam Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
– acoustic and electric drummingDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
Part IV
Part IV was first released on 2000's The ConstruKction of Light; it is the second-longest part of the epic at just over nine minutes; even if the coda, "I Have a Dream" is included - as it is in live recordings - this part is still shorter than Part I. It is similar, in many ways, to Part II. Like most tracks on The ConstruKction of Light, it is heavily guitar driven with a variety of effects applied to the sound.Coda
If the coda is included, then this is the only part which includes vocals. The vocals are processed to make Adrian's voice sound heavily mechanical as he makes note of several of the most world-shatteringly important (and some not so important) events of the 20th century, focusing heavily on loss and sadness. It made a reference to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center - coincidentally about a year before it would again be attackedSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. The vocals were later dropped from the live performance.
Live versions
Because it has been performed on both of the two most recent tours - those in support in The ConstruKction of Light and The Power to Believe-, several live versions can be found easily. For example, one version can be found on the Happy With What You Have to Be Happy WithHappy With What You Have to Be Happy With
Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With is an EP by the band King Crimson released in 2002, a companion to the subsequent album The Power to Believe ....
EP. Another can be found on Heavy ConstruKction
Heavy ConstruKction
Heavy ConstruKction is a live album , incorporating video footage, by the band King Crimson, released by Discipline Global Mobile records in 2000...
.
Personnel
- Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Adrian BelewAdrian BelewAdrian Belew is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer...
– guitar, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Trey GunnTrey GunnTrey Gunn is an American musician, known for his membership in progressive rock band King Crimson from 1994 to 2003, playing Warr Guitar and Chapman Stick.-Biography:...
– Warr guitar - Pat MastelottoPat MastelottoPat Mastelotto is a rock drummer who has worked with Mr. Mister and King Crimson, amongst others. For King Crimson he initially formed part of the "double trio" lineup, joining Bill Bruford on drums...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....