Ar ts Tuesday, August 10, 1982 The Michigan Daily Page 7 High-tech rock n' roll fologBy Jerry Brbnclnthat would weather changes By JrryBrabnecin personnel. IT'S A CHALLENGE to be a vener- able, respected rock band these days. An exploding universe of styles, a largely discredited main stream, a militant denial of craft and virtuosity, p and lively revivals of '50s and early '60s styles - all these factors seem to work against a band like King Crimson. But KC continues to develop and elaborate on a stylistic foundation that extends back to those archtypal ad- vocates of complexity and pretense in rock: Yes, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Interestingly enough, the new KC has been ignored by album oriented FM rock stations, however, response from the critics and the less reac- tionary elements in the jazz audience has been good. When Yes released the live set Yessongs in 1973, the band was at the height of its popularity, and yet this was the time that Bill Bruford left the band, soon to join KC. Was he forced out? Hindsight gives the impression that Brufod chose to shift to a less spec- tacular group, one with a secure cult The Fripp-Bruford-Wetton edition of KC released a series of well received albums before Fripp became more in- volved with his redefinition of the fun- ction of a rock musician, delving into solo projects and collaborations with Brian Eno. In the liner notes -of his album, "God Save the Queen," Fripp expounds on a view oft contemporary rock as locked in a trap of roles, expec- tations, and what he calls a "vampiric" relationship with the audience. His Frippertronics tour was conceived in an attempt to break down these stric- tures. To this end, Fripp played an inter- national tour of solo performances in small venues (including Ann Arbor's Second Chance), often in the afternoon, weaving ambient ;textures designed to defuse the potent myth of the rock superstar. Fripp now uses this styleincorporating synthesizer and tape loop technology and a minimalist form of repeated pat- terns and arpeggios, as the formal un- derpinnings for yet another guitar and drum based rock quartet - a return to Robert Fripp defusing the myth of the rock superstar at the Michigan Theatre Friday night. rock tradition. This can be seen as innovation or cop- out. KC achieves mixed results. Strong points include a fascinating rhythmic texture in which all the instruments in- terlock and contribute on an equal basis, and a challenging sound based on the skills of the four virtuoso musicians, allied with state of the art technology. Weak points include the occasional clashing of the values of passive am- bience and flashy virtuosity, and an uneven lyric content. Belew's lyrics for KC's new album, Beat, revolve around two main idioms - the literature of the "Beat" poets Kerouac and Ginsberg, and Belew's own favorite theme, animals and the jungle. "Neal and Jack and Me" and "Satori in Tangier" are straight ahead tributes to Kerouac, "Heartbeat" takes its' title from a recent movie about Kerouac, and "Howler" is about Alan Ginsberg, the author of the famous poem "Howl." Also borrowed from the vocabulary of the beat poets is the manic travelogue metaphor in "Neurotica," complete with its hallucinated descriptions of bizzare flora and fauna and Lowell Thomas closing tag, "So long!" At the Michigan Theatre Friday night, Art in America opened with an overamplified, muddy set. Former Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer producer Eddie Offord is putting together a Columbia LP by this band, but they still have a way to go. KC opened with a rather loose version of "Thela Han Ginjeet," one of theb highlights of their previous album, "Discipline." The title is an anagram of "In the Jungle Heat," and the band's heavy, menacing sound is well suited to a distracted account of nervous encoun- See CRIMSON, Page 10 DA INGE ANNOFFICER INDIVIDUAL THEATRES 5th Ave at Lib"r y 761-6700 ENDS THURS Funny talk D MI and fast food - - "" (R) TUES-4:50, 7:00, 9:10 WED-12:30, 2:40, 4:50, 7, 9:10 DESPERATE ,. ROMANCE RICHARD GERE DEBRA WINGER AN OFFICER GNLEMAN TUES-5:20, 7:40, 9:55 (R) WED-12:40, 3:00, 5:20, 7:40, 9:55 Daily Photo by DOUG McMAHON Bassist Tony Levine playing his lute-like stick.