Larks' Tongues in Aspic (instrumental)

"Larks' Tongues in Aspic"
Song

"Larks' Tongues in Aspic" is a set of progressive rock songs 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. The entire work consists of four segments (two in Larks' Tongues in Aspic, one in Three of a Perfect Pair and in The ConstruKction of Light). The first three piece of the series are single tracks, the fourth one is, in turn, a combination of three homonym songs. Overall, the set is made by six tracks.

Live recordings also include in "Coda: I Have a Dream", the tenth song from The ConstruKction of Light, which segues from Part IV.

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 Islands-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 section of the epic and was first released in 1973 on the Larks' Tongues in Aspic album. It begins with a long percussion introduction, provided by Jamie Muir before entering a driving, hard rock section fueled 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 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.

Live versions

Few live performances have been documented; however, one is available on the King Crimson Collectors' Club release The Beat Club, Bremen. 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. However, during the 2014 reunion King Crimson "Elements" Tour (featuring three drummers), this song was the first song played in the set (later finishing their set with "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part II").

Personnel

• David Cross (violin, viola, Mellotron)
• Robert Fripp (guitar, Mellotron, devices)
• John Wetton (bass guitar)
• Bill Bruford (drums, percussion)
• Jamie Muir (various percussion, autoharp)

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 Spring" 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.

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 Montreal (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 composition has been performed regularly by the 2008 lineup (featuring Belew, Fripp, Levin, Mastelotto and Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison) and the 2014-2016 lineup (which replaced Adrian Belew with Jakko Jakszyk, and adds drummer Bill Rieflin and saxophonist Mel Collins). 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 Cross (violin, viola, mellotron)
• Robert Fripp (guitar, mellotron, devices)
• John Wetton (bass)
• Bill Bruford (drums)
• Jamie Muir (various percussion)

Part III

Part III appeared on 1984's Three of a Perfect Pair album. It featured familiar rhythms to the first two sections, 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 tetralogy. It is positioned at the end of the LP, on side 2, which consisted of more experimental tracks.

Live versions

This section was only played live in 1984 and always directly followed "No Warning" and was followed by "Thela Hun Ginjeet" (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.

Personnel

• Adrian Belew – fretted guitar, fretless guitar
• Robert Fripp – guitar
• Tony Levin – bass, stick, synth
• Bill Bruford – acoustic and electric drumming

Part IV

Part IV was first released on 2000s The ConstruKction of Light; it is the second-longest part of the epic at just over nine minutes. It is similar, in many ways, to Part II. Like most works on The ConstruKction of Light, it is heavily guitar driven with a variety of effects applied to the sound. Unlike the other sections of the series, all of which are unitary, Part IV is composed of three different namesake tracks.

If "Coda: I Have a Dream" is included - as it is in live recordings - this section is still shorter than Part I, but this becomes the only piece in which is inserted vocals. The vocals are processed to make Adrian Belew'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. The vocals were later dropped from the live performance.

Live versions

Because it had been performed on both the tour to support The ConstruKction of Light and the tour to support The Power to Believe, several live versions are available. For example, one version can be found on the Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With EP. Another can be found on Heavy ConstruKction.

Personnel

• Robert Fripp – guitar
• Adrian Belew – guitar, vocals
• Trey Gunn – Warr guitar
• Pat Mastelotto – drums