Well, the holidays are nearly upon us, so I might as well jump on the x-mas bandwagon... Brews and Tunes style that is, with a "festive" and celebratory pairing of the Griswald's Holiday Ale from Red Rock Brewery and King Crimson's seminal debut album, "In The Court Of The Crimson King"! "Clark, that's the gift that keeps on giving throughout the entire year."
Named for the character of Clark Griswald in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," the Griswald's Holiday Ale is a new holiday ale from Red Rock Brewery out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Medium bodied, low in bitterness, the beer is a unique take on a traditional ale. It pours a very hazy orange-golden amber hue with a head half-finger head that leaves good lacing.. Flavored with orange peel, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger this brew has a very "festive" spiced flavor, almost like a pumpkin beer, but without the sweetness. Very drinkable, the danger here is the 8.5% ABV. As the label states, the Griswald's Holiday Ale "makes a fine companion to your favorite holiday celebration" or a fine companion to the Crims!!
In 1969, several young, but very determined and talented musicians (led by guitarist Robert Fripp) released what I consider to be probably the first true progressive rock album, and one of the most important of the genre. "In The Court Of The Crimson King" stripped away the blues roots of the rock music popular at the time and "fused" improvisational jazz, classical symphonic music, and heavy rock. Pete Townshend of the Who once called the album "an uncanny masterpiece". Revolutionary at the time, this album's enduring qualities are far-reaching. You can still hear its influence today in the music of multiple bands in multiple genres. The album is made up of only 5 songs, but what songs they are!: "21st Century Schizoid Man (including Mirrors)," "I Talk To The Wind," "Epitaph (including March For No Reason and Tomorrow And Tomorrow)," "Moonchild (including The Dream and The Illusion,)" and "The Court Of The Crimson King (including The Return Of The Fire Witch and The Dance Of The Puppets)." Along with Fripp on guitars, the first version of the band included Greg Lake (who later left King Crimson to form Emerson, Lake, and Palmer) on bass and lead vocals; Michael Giles on drums, percussion, and backing vocals; Ian McDonald on flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, vibraphone, keyboards, mellotron, and backing vocals; and Peter Sinfield as the lyricist. Sinfield was also credited with "illumination" (whatever the hell that means!... "What field of work are you in?" "Oh, I'm an illuminationist." Haha!) Musically, the sound is wonderfully complex and challenging. Sinfield once stated, "[W]e had an Ethos in Crimson... we just refused to play anything that sounded anything like a Tin Pan Alley record. If it sounded at all popular, it was out. So it had to be complicated, it had to be more expansive chords, it had to have strange influences. If it sounded, like, too simple, we'd make it more complicated, we'd play it in 7/8 or 5/8, just to show off". The album is fantastically brilliant, complex, and cerebral, and in order to avoid a "full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency" should find a home this holiday season blasting from your speakers with a Griswald's Holiday Ale in your glass!
Cheers!!
No comments:
Post a Comment