King Crimson vs Yes
 

Not a poll, just trying to define the divide between the two greatest and most stylistically opposing bands in progressive music. thoughts? comments?

Bill Bruford described leaving Yes to join King Crimson as "going over the Berlin Wall into East Germany". To a listener like me that sounds just as true as it is epic.

King Crimson is one of the best bands in the universe, nobody else sounds like them. King Crimson is more technical where as Yes has some types of mainstream sounding music. If you factor in the live albums that king crimson offers Yes doesnt even compete. Although Yes is fantastic King Crimson is the better band. I own every King Crimson album including live shows and bootlegs and I could listen to them over and over. After you listened to the King Crimson albums you could venture into the Robert Fripp solo albums, the Adrian Belew solo albums, the Tony Levin solo albums and Bill Bruford's solo albums.

One of the better versus threads and I'm surprised that these two haven't gone head to head before.

Basically you're being over biased towards King Crimson here. Yes may have put out some mainstream material on albums such as 90125 and some songs off the Yes Album etc and these songs could be radio friendly but they were hardly mainstream and describing KC as being more technical than Yes is really like discussing which shade of black is darker. Again I'm guessing when it comes to live albums you haven't heard Yessongs one of the best live albums of the 1970s.

Thing is, having King Crimson face off against Yes doesn't make any sense: both bands took the "progressive" idiom into completely different yet distinct sonic territories, and there's a lot to love on both sides of the wall. :D

Now VDGG or perhaps Antonius Rex versus King Crimson....there's a real kicker. :pimp:

They're a good match, as they're two of the biggest ever prog bands from the 1970s and usually amongst the two most respected by both the purists and the average music listener. VDGG are a good comaprison to KC but vocalist Peter Hammill is not always everybody's cup of tea.

i think one thing yes has over king crimson is the group dynamic, they play together so well its like one machine rather than seperate parts (similar to pink floyd)

I heard Bill Bruford wanted to join King Crimson because he thought it would be more popular band. Yes is Chris Squier's band - it can only be called a Yes album if he appears on it. It's a revolving door with band members, Chris thought it kept the band always sounding fresh. But from pov where I have a definite favourite line-up it limits the albums by that line-up. I'm more of Steve Howe & Bill Bruford fan.

Bill's genius is his subtly, he can do more with Jazz inspired odd timing or a well placed drum roll than most Rock drummers can going ape-**** on 16 piece drum kit.

Steve is true musician he's a well versed guitar player and one can hear in his playing his influences - Wes, Les, Chet, and Hank. He is also a versatile multi-instrumentalist. Almost every Prog rock guitar players explored the guitar beyond the typical Blues style of playing, each taking the guitar into different directions. Steve Howe is probably the most traditional guitar player in Prog. in the fact that he incorporates Jazz, Folk early Rock and Roll styles of playing.

Yes has the higher point for me. Close to the Edge is THE prog album. However, King Crimson's overall body of work is more impressive. Just going by my personal preferences...

In the Court of the Crimson King < Close to the Edge
Red > The Yes Album
Starless and Bible Black > Fragile
Discipline > 90210
Larks Tongues in Aspic = Relayer
Lizard > Going for the One

I prefer King Crimson and I think Robert Fripp is a musical genius, so I am a very biased source.

But that's my two cents.

king crimson is robert fripps band, i dont know what you mean by that first part.

theres a king crimson song without any percussion where bill bruford is given writing credit, because fripp felt not adding drums was the most important part of the songs feel, cant remember the title at the moment.

also clap and mood for a day are two of the most impressive pieces of guitar work ive ever heard. i find good fingerpicking far more impressive than anything done with a single pick. ive been playing guitar for about 10 years and never play with a pick, i have alot of fun mocking my metalhead friends when they go on about sweep picking

I will agree that my previous statement was biased, in my eyes King Crimson is better. I advise any given individual to check out their more rare live shows I think any "prog" fan would love them.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxGvVtTMNkE