Fernando Perdomo lights votive acoustic-guitar devotion to the music of early King Crimson.
The Crimson Guitar: A Tribute to King Crimson spans the first seven albums, excluding anything from Starless and Bible Black, but including “Erudite Eyes” from The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp – which, of course, gave the world this precursor to the Crimson sound on “Suite No. 1,” later known as “Song of the Gulls.” There’s also a batch of wonderfully wacky pop songs, and the sad “Saga of Rodney Toady.”
I suppose every Crimson fan would love to record this album. And we all share Fernando’s passion. Those albums, especially Lizard, Islands and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, were a driver’s manual for my perceptive (albeit minor-keyed) life. Put simply: I loved those records. So, this record is an interesting tribute.
“Peace: A Beginning” is the brief opening bit. Then, “Islands” is played with huge love for the tune. Robert Fripp may have been oddly precise and perhaps difficult at times, but he did have the sound of beautiful melodies in his head. As did Ian McDonald with his “I Talk to the Wind,” which is played with a gentle acoustic touch.
“Formentera Lady” was beautiful when I first heard it way back then, and this guitar rendition conjures that memory of Mel Collins’ flute and an ancient Mediterranean breeze. The acoustic guitar highlights the melodies. “Starless” dips into the soul. This version silently touches that same beauty. And then “Prince Rupert” is plucked with quick Medieval drama, which echoes the original tune on the brilliant Lizard.
Ultimately, Fernando Perdomo’s The Crimson Guitar: A Tribute to King Crimson is a really nice labor of love.
The final songs continue the tribute. “Erudite Eyes” stays true to the Renaissance (and jazzy) vibe, which is quite different from the rest of The Cheerful Insanity. “Moonchild” is dreamy. “Book of Saturday” is rendered with acoustic tension. And, finally, “In the Court of the Crimson King” is perhaps the most interesting adaptation, simply because its original grandeur is boiled down into, well, acoustic beautiful brevity.
Of course, the mind boggles with the acoustic possibilities of “Cat Food,” “Exiles,” “Epitaph” or (heaven forbid!) “Ladies of the Road.” And that’s the deal with this record. It’s an acoustic guitar playing King Crimson lover’s dream.
For anyone who has not heard Crimson’s music, this is a wealth of melodies. And for any true fan, The Crimson Guitar: A Tribute to King Crimson conjures so many great memories of strange albums with strange covers that defied expectations and, like any great lecture from a learned professor, always buzzed the synapses of the brain with a really great and weirdly original observation.
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