This was recorded between May 2-7th 1994 during the first full rehearsals of this, the double trio formation of King Crimson. We present VROOOM as a calling card, rather than a love letter, to those generous enough to give it ears.
This was recorded between May 2-7th 1994 during the first full rehearsals of this, the double trio formation of King Crimson. We present VROOOM as a calling card, rather than a love letter, to those generous enough to give it ears.
A good EP, definitely welcome in any collection, especially as it was an official studio release. I love Cage a lot but it's too short! It is interesting hearing the THRAK songs early in development.
Written by William Jenks
Calling card - development piece
I listened to VROOM today after having not done so for a number of years.
I'm glad I have it as a "historic document," and it was something of a revelation at its time of release because we hadn't heard any of this material. There are a couple tunes on here (Cage, When I Say Stop, Continue) that don't appear elsewhere on studio recordings, and THRAK is clearly not in the same place that it ended up later. So, to that extent, the completist will want to have this. To my ears, the "work in ...
I listened to VROOM today after having not done so for a number of years.
I'm glad I have it as a "historic document," and it was something of a revelation at its time of release because we hadn't heard any of this material. There are a couple tunes on here (Cage, When I Say Stop, Continue) that don't appear elsewhere on studio recordings, and THRAK is clearly not in the same place that it ended up later. So, to that extent, the completist will want to have this. To my ears, the "work in progress" nature of the release made this special at the time — a great appetizer — but I think all the tunes that were on Thrak were improved by the time it was released. (One Time is largely the same.) In other words, this disk is/was a product best appreciated in its own time.
So, to that extent, I don't think this record will return to my frequent playlist, and it is hard for me to recommend it strongly to someone just starting to explore outside of the mainstream studio releases. I would certainly recommend B'Boom before this. However, for those looking to fill out their collections, you will find some rewarding moments. It's a good disk to have, but definitely in the second tier of acquisitions, at least for me.
