Starless

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"Starless"
Song by King Crimson
from the album Red
Released1 October 1974
RecordedAugust 1974
StudioOlympic, London
Genre
Length12:18
LabelIsland (UK & Europe), Atlantic (USA)
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s)King Crimson

"Starless" is a composition by English progressive rock band King Crimson. It is the final track on their seventh studio album, Red, released on 1 October 1974.

Background[edit]

The original chords and melody for "Starless" were written by John Wetton, who intended the song to be the title track of the group's previous album Starless and Bible Black.[3] Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford initially disliked the song and declined to record it for that album.[4][5] Instead the group chose an instrumental improvisation as the title track. However, "Starless" was later revived, its lyrics altered and a long instrumental section (based on a bass riff written by Bruford[3]) added to it, and performed live between March and June 1974. For the Red recording sessions, the lyrics were again altered (with contributions by Richard Palmer-James). The introductory theme, originally played by David Cross, was taken over by the guitar, with Fripp making minor alterations to the melody.[citation needed] As the title "Starless and Bible Black" had already been used, the original title was shortened to "Starless".[3]

Composition[edit]

The piece is 12 minutes and 18 seconds in length, the longest on the Red album. It starts with mellotron strings, electric guitar, bass, and a saxophone. These introduce a vocal segment in conventional verse-chorus structure.

The middle section of the song builds, in 13/8. Starting with John Wetton's bass, shortly after joined by Bill Bruford on percussion. Robert Fripp's guitar repeats a single note theme on two adjacent guitar strings. Bruford's drumming maintains its irregularity.

The song's final section begins with an abrupt transition to a fast, jazzy saxophone solo with distorted guitars and bass, expressive tribal drumming, and the tempo doubling up to a time signature of 13/16. Variations of the middle section's bassline are played under Fripp's layered and overdriven guitar parts. The saxophone returns to play a reprise of the vocal melody, then the final section is repeated with more overdubs from Fripp. Finally, the song ends with a reprise of the opening melody, removing the guitar in favour of a deeper bass.

Personnel[edit]

with:

Cover versions[edit]

Recorded cover versions of Starless include those by: Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, and Randy George;[6] Craig Armstrong, on his album As If to Nothing as "Starless II"; Banco de Gaia, on their album Memories Dreams Reflections; The Unthanks, on their 2011 album Last; the Crimson Jazz Trio, on their album King Crimson Songbook Volume One (2005).[7]

The song has been covered live by Asia, a supergroup of which John Wetton was a founding member; 21st Century Schizoid Band, a group made up of earlier members of King Crimson (save for Jakko Jakszyk, who would later join King Crimson); After Crying, a Hungarian symphonic rock band, with guest vocals by Wetton; U.K., one of whose members was once again Wetton; and District 97, yet again featuring vocals from Wetton.[8]

The Canadian band FM performed a live version of "Starless" in concert in 1977 which was captured on reel-to-reel by band member Nash the Slash, shortly after the recording their classic 1st album Black Noise.[9] It came to light as part of a rarities CD, Lost in Space[10] in 2001. It is a unique cover version as the band consisted of a non-traditional trio; Cameron Hawkins (vocals, bass, keyboards/synthesizers, bass pedals), Martin Deller (Drums & Percussion) and Nash the Slash (electric mandolin, electric violin, synthesizers).

In other media[edit]

The first part of "Starless" is used in the opening of the film Mandy (2018), starring Nicolas Cage.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Top 150 Albums of the '70s". Treble. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The 100 Greatest Prog Songs Of All Time". Prog Magazine. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Curtiss, Ron; Weiner, Aaron (3 June 2016). "John Wetton (King Crimson, U.K., Asia): The Complete Boffomundo Interview". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2019. Event occurs at 5:15–7:01.
  4. ^ Romano, Will (2010). Mountains Come Out of the Sky: The Illustrated History of Prog Rock. Backbeat Books. ISBN 9781617133756.
  5. ^ Bruford, Bill (2009). Bill Bruford: The Autobiography : Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks, and More. Jawbone Press. ISBN 9781906002237.
  6. ^ "The Official Website of Bill Bruford and Bill Bruford's Earthworks". Billbruford.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  7. ^ The Crimson Jazz Trio – King Crimson Songbook, Vol. 1 Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 9 September 2022
  8. ^ "Shazam". Shazam. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  9. ^ "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Nash The Slash, Cameron Hawkins & Martin Deller – Lost In Space (Reel-To-Reel Obscurities)". Discogs. 2001.
  11. ^ "Nicolas Cage's Slasher Freakout 'Mandy' Makes Prog Rock Kick Ass". vice.com. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2022.