Birth Of Punk

Forming in London in 1972, working class teenagers Steve Joneson as vocalist, Paul Cook on drums and Wally Nightingale as guitarist started the band The Strand, unbenounced to the trio they had started what would come to be one of the most influential bands in modern music and starting a movement that still echos true today. 

The teenagers would hang out and congregate at two clothing shops on King?s Road Chelsea in West London Acme Attractions and Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood?s shop Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die which would become a hub of sorts for the rising punk scene in the UK. In early 1974 Jones spoke to Malcolm McLaren and asked if he would become the manager for The Strand and he agreed and would book them rehearsal spaces and recruited bass player Glen Mattlock who would become a permanent in the band. During this time McLaren had been unofficially managing the New York Dolls in America and had become inspired by the rising punk movement in Lower Manhattan with bands like the Ramones and Television catching his attention with radical visual style matched with their attitude and so upon his return to London McLaren took a bigger interest in The Strand. 

The Strand began rehearsing more frequently and had a series of line-up changes Nightingale was ejected from the band with Jones stepping down as frontman and becoming the band?s guitarist as well as looking for a new frontman The Strand were looking for a new name after toying with a few ideas the band settled on QT Jones And The Sex Pistols (later changed to just Sex Pistols) everything was set expect for one piece that would send Sex Pistols from being a part of the punk scene to the entire scene itself. 

From Lydon To Rotten 

It was August 1975 where a nineteen year old John Lydon was seen by important figure of the UK punk scene Bernard Rhodes, who had noticed Lydon wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt with holes where the band members eyes were scratched out and the words ?I HATE? crudely handwritten above the band name, paired with his striking green dyed hair meant that not long after this encounter Rhoades and McClaren set up a meeting between Lydon, Jones and Cook at nearby pub the three spoke until the pub closed and then they moved over to Too Fast to Live, Too Young To Die (Now renamed SEX, which provided some inspiration fo the benads name) and Lydon who had no thought about singing gave an audition after much convincing singing Alice Cooper?s ?I?m Eighteen? the performances left the band in fits of laughter McClaren still managed to convince the band to rehearse and stick with Lydon. After the line up was set Jones gave Lydon the name Johnny Rotten a name he would be known as for the foreseeable future with all the pieces in place it was time for anarchy to come to the UK. 

Rise Of The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols played their first gig opening for a band named Bazooka Joe at Saint Martins College, they used Bazooka Joe?s amps and drums having not yet acquired their own. The Pistols played a series of cover songs by the likes of The Who and Small Faces but before they could play any of their newly written original tracks their set was stopped as Bazooka Joe released the band were trashing the gear they had let them use. Following this somewhat istolsdisastrous start the fire would only be fueled as Sex Pistols would play more shows at colleges and school and their infamy and following started to grow and grow, a loyal group of followers that would become known as the Bromley Contingent formed with including members; Billy Idol, Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin, Soo Catwoman and Pamela Rooke (also known as Jordan) this group would attended alot of Sex Pistols early shows and their then cutting edge fashion and style which was provided by SEX was steadily adopted by new fans of the band. Another key factor to Sex Pistols success was their art style which was produced by a friend of McClaren called Jamie Reid who would ensign the bands logo and the iconic art work for the single ?God Save The Queen?. The Pistols would go on to play a series of more high profile gigs that would get them broader audience and scope among the industry which led to a small interview with NME in which Jones stated to the magazine ?Actually we?re not into music. We?re into chaos? this quote was read by two friends who were students at Bolton Institute of Technology named Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley who would be inspired by Sex Pistols and go on to form the punk band Buzzcocks.  

The influence of Sex Pistols was begining to be felt all over the UK and beyond having played their fist gig outside the UK, a show in Paris on the third of September 1976 around this new UK punk bands Buzzcokcs and The Clash were opening for Sex Pistols, the scene was growing at what seemed to be a break neck pace and Sex Pistols were at the forefront of it all with more and more positive show reviews from critics for their growing tighter and aggressive sound leading to an eventual signing to EMI Records on a two year deal as well as the recording of the bands first single ?Anarchy In The U.K?.

The Bill Grundy Interview 

On the 1st of December 1976 Sex Pistols were a last minute replacement interview on Thames Television?s Today programme as a replacement for Queen. The programme was hosted by English journalist Bill Grundy. Sex Pistols and members of Bromley Contingent were on set for the interview after having drinks while waiting to go on air. During the interview Jones and Rotten both swore which initially went unnoticed by Grundy as he claimed to be drunk as well as the band, Grundy turned his attention to Siouxsie Sioux and when she said she had ?Always Wanted To Meet? him, Grundy responded by saying ?Did You Really? We?ll Meet Afterwards, Shall We?? which Steve Jones did not take kindly to and led to an exchange of words between him and grundy that would make Sex Pistols fully fledged house hold names across the country. 

Jones: You dirty sod, You Dirty Old man. 

Grundy: Well going, chief, keep going. Go On. You?ve got another five seconds. Say Something outrageous! 

Jones: You dirty b*stard.

Grundy: Go on, again.

Jones: You dirty F*cker 

Grundy: What a clever boy!

Jones: What a f*cking rotter 

The programme at the time was only broadcast in London but tabloid news had the story occupying the papers for days with the famous headline ?The Filth And The Fury?. This led to the bands infamy growing to unimaginable levels and when they embarked on the Anarchy Tour of the UK the approximately intended twenty shows were reduced to around seven as the venue owners, organisers and local authorities were cancelling shows. 

A Vicious Edition To The Band 

In early 1977 rumours leaked that Glen Matlcock was set to be leaving Sex Pistols and by the 28th of Febuary McLaren had confirmed the split sending a telegram to the NME claiming Matlock was kicked out ?Because he went on about Paul McCartney? The Beatles was too much? this point was later reiterated by Jones who said Matlock was sacked because he ?Liked The Beatles''. While these claims were later found to be untrue, the band still had issue with the fact Matlock ?Didn?t Look Like A Sex Pistol? but his replacment was just around the corner in the form of on of Rottens friends a self-proclaimed ?Ultimate Sex Pistols fan? by the name of Sid Vicious. Vicious had been a drummer for two punk bands around the area, Siouxsie And The Banshees and The Flowers Of Romance, he was also a regular attendee of Sex Pistols shows making him the perfect fit for the job, for better or for worse. 

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here?s The Sex Pistols

On the 28th of OCtober 1977 Sex Pistols would release their one andonly album that would change the course of music and pop culture forever ?Never Mind The Bollocks, Here?s The Sex Pistols? was the perfect encapsulation of Sex Pistols built up imfamy, agression, bombast and raw energy in one album with eleven tracks of punk rock brilliance with the bands debut single ?Anarchy In The UK?, as well as the bands top ten UK singles ?Pretty Vacant? and ?Holiday In The Sun? and probably the most controversial track and lead single of sorts due to its infamy ?God Save The Queen? that was released during the hight of Queen Elizibeth?s silver jubilee celebration paired with the iconic single cover art by Jamie Reid of The Queen?s face obscured by the band name and song title, the song gained even further notoriety when it was played live on The River Thames sailing past Westminster Pier and the Houses Of Parliament and as per most things Sex Pistols did, ended in disaster which only fueld the success of the track and subsequently the album. ?Never Mind The Bollocks, Here?s The Sex Pistols? shot straight to number one upon release and became the best selling album of the year and went gold after selling 125,000 copies despite bans from being sold at major retailer. Ever since the albums released it sparked a rise in the Punk genre and movement but generally speaking started the beginning of the end for Sex Pistols. 

Breakup And Aftermath 

In early 1978 Sex Pistols set out on their US tour which was bogged down by the usual controversy and issues the band faced, with shows being cancelled due to members of the band having criminal records, there was also a lot of in fighting among the band withRotten becoming a complete ego maniac leading to him becoming distant from Cook and Jones while Vicious was spiraling out of control day by day with his drug misuse issues and fighting with audince members. The tour trudged on with no sign of anything getting better and on the 14 of January 1978 on their last date of the tour after playing The Stooges ?No Fun? once the song played out Rotten speaking to the audience directly said ?Ever get the feeling you?ve been cheated? Good night? he threw his mic down and walked off stage, four days later Rotten would announce Sex Pistols spilt ina news paper interview and just as quickly as the band had started it was over. 

In the following years there was the tragic passing of Nancy Spungen who was Sid Vicious' long time girlfriend via stab wound at a hotel party Vicious and herself hosted which sent Vicious down more of a spiral that lead to his untimely death of a drug overdose in 1979 The rest of the band stayed in the music scene and Johnny Rotten stayed a prevalent controversial figure in pop culture. 

Sex Pistols were game changers, to some one of the best punk bands in history to others angry teenages that just wanted chaos but regardless of both arguments, they were five normal people who made an other worldy difference to music and pop culture forever. 

Troubled Younger Life 

Born in 1942, James Marshall ?Jimi? Hendrix to parents James Allen ?Al? Hendrix and Lucille Jeter as the oldest of five children, Hendrix would have a strained relationship with his parents, his father was stationed away with the military upon his birth and didn't meet him for over two months, during this time Hendrix?s mother didn?t find it easy to raise him so he was regularly looked after by friends and family mainly his mothers sister Delores Hall and her friend Dorohy Hardy. Once Hendrix?s father Al was honourably discharged it wasn?t for another two months that himself, Jimi and Lucille were reunited but sadly not much changed. 

Both Al and Lucille struggled with alcohol problems which strained their relationship, the same was to be said about Jimi?s relationship with his brother Leon who was constantly in and out of foster care at this time, the brothers had three more younger siblings that were given to foster care and up for adoption, the rocky relationship of Jimi?s parents came to a head in December of 1951 when they would get divcorce, Al would take custody of Jimi and his brother, Jimi was just nine years old. 

While young Jimi Hendrix was in elementary school in Seattle he gained a habit of carrying around a broom with him mimicking a guitar, the social worker at the school tried to request funding for hendrix to get a guitar as she feared if he didn?t have one it would cause him psychological damage, her efforts fell and deaf ears and Al refused to buy Jimi a guitar as well. It wasn't until 1957 after finishing elementary school and helping his father with a job moving rubbish from an old woman's home that Hendrix found an old ukulele and the woman said he could keep it. 

Hendrix was thrilled, despite the fact the ukulele only had one string, he would begin learning by ear Elvis Presley?s ?Hound Dog? playing the song one noted, a year later Jimi would finish his tenure at Washington Junior High School and he would also finally get his first acoustic guitar at age fifteen, around this time his mother fell sick with cirrhosis of the liver and she passed away at the age of thirty three, Hendrix father didn?t let him or his brother attend the funeral, he just simply gave the boys a shot of whiskey and told them ?That's how man should deal with loss?. 

A Boy And His Guitars

Once Hendrix had acquired his first guitar he played for hours on end every day, learning from a wealth of blues artists like B.B. King, Howlin? Wolf, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. After getting shown some licks by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters guitar player Billy Davis after attending one of their shows with a friend Jimi would start his first band The Velvetones and not long after he got his first electric guitar, a single pickup Supro Ozark, after releasing he was far to quiet using an acoustic guitar. Hendrix was talented out of gate, being kicked out an unnamed band for being a show off on the guitar, hendrix was a natural player, not long after getting used to playing live shows he left his guitar backstage overnight at a venue and it was stolen and his father got him a red Silvertone Danelectro guitar that Hendrix would later call ?Betty Jean? after the girlfriend he had at the time. 

When Jimi was eighteen years old he was sent to the military for getting caught driving a stolen car twice, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division after completing eight weeks of basic training and he was stationed in Kentucky. Hendrix hated the military and when writing to his father got him to send ?Betty Jean? as soon as possible which he did, this led Jimi to neglect his duties which led to disdain from his peers but caught the eye of Billy Cox who heard Hendrix playing and was impressed. The two made friends quickly and began playing base clubs as a loosely organised band with other musicians and called themselves The Casuals, after the two had been discharged from the army by 1963 they would play anywhere and everywhere together becoming lifelong friends. 

Jimi Getting Experience

In 1964 Jimi would audition for and become the guitarist of The Isley Brothers? backing band, he would record the single ?Testify? with them, this track becoming his first recording experience. Hendrix would later tour with The Isley Brothers and soon after that would join Little Richard?s touring band The Upsetters to record and tour more for the next year until he found himself feeling held back being a R&B Sideman.

 In May 1966 Jimi Hendrix moved to New York City to start his own band that he called Jimmy James And The Blue Flames, this band wasn?t very long lived hendrix still feeling held back and like he wasn?t fully proving his potential, a few months after moving to New York Hendrix met Chas Chandler who would become his manager and take him to London in September of 1966 and Jimi would meet his to become bassist Noel Redding while Chandler found Henrix?s soon to be drummer Mitch MItchell and once the three came together, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was born. 

The World Experiences The Experience

The Jimi Hendrix Experince?s debut album titled ?Are You Experienced? was released in the UK on the 12th of May 1967 and in the US on the 23rd of August 1967 and was an immediate critical and commercial success in both countries reaching number two in the UK Album Charts and number five on the US Billboard 200 Charts. The US version of the album features some of Hendrix?s best known songs ?Hey Joe?, ?Purple Haze? and ?Wind Cries Mary? where as the UK version didn?t feature these tracks, nevertheless this didn?t hinder album sales as ?Are You Experienced? sold over one million copies within seven months of its release. The Release of ?Are You Experienced? set a new standard for rock and roll, a true era defining classic.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience didn?t wait long before they released their follow up album ?Axis: Bold As Love? which was released on the 1st of December 1967 in the UK and the 15th of January 1968 in the US. The album was praised for Hendrix?s progression as a songwriter with ?Axis: Bold As Love? being home to classic tracs ?Spanish Castle Magic?, ?Little Wing? and ?Castles Made Of Sand? which showed Hendrix using a more soul sounding guitar as well as demonstrations of Hendrix?s R&B roots all wrapped together perfectly with the signature psychedelic tone only hendrix could make. 

The third and final album The Jimi Hendrix Experience ?Electric Ladyland? is regarded as arguably Hendrix?s best work nowadays, while at the time of its release (16/10/1968 US and 25/10/1968 in the UK) the album wasn?t a smash hit critically with some critics stating that the album was missing structure and was muddled, while commercially the album was The Jimi Hendrix Experiences best performing with it getting to the number one spot in the US Billboard Hot 200 and number six in the UK Album Charts. As the years have went on ?Electric Ladyland? is praised as one of the best and most important albums in rock and music history, a true masterpiece of psychedelic rock with absolute work of art tracks ?Voodoo Chile?, ?Crosstown Traffic? and Hendrix?s superb cover of Bob Dylan's ?All Along The Watchtower? which became the bands most popular single getting to the number twenty spot in the US Billboard Hot 100 Charts and number five in the UK Singles Charts. 

The Jimi Hendrix Experience were one of the best and are one of most influential bands of all time, their three albums leaving such a mark on music history that all of them are in the conversation of the best albums of all time, the pairing of Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass providing the rhythm for Jimi Hendrix to play guitar only how he could is an ?Experience? in and of itself but the true genius of this trio is Jimi Hendrix his masterful guitar playing changed the music landscape forever with anybody who was anybody who played guitar or made music envious of Hendrix?s effortless ability. 

Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock 1969 

Hendrix had two major festival performances during his career the first was at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, They got their spot on this line up thanks to Paul McCartey telling the organisers of the festival that it would be incomplete without The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix?s set was comprised of covers and originals and he absolutely blew the crowds mind with his outfit and stage antics as this is the show where hendrix set his guitar alight after the last song and a young boy called Ed Caraeff took one of the most legendary pictures in rock and roll history of Jimi on his knees summoning the flames on his guitar higher as it burned. 

The next festival performance was at the 1969 Woodstock festival, at this time Hendrix was no longer performing with The Experience  though when Hendrix took to the stage was billed as The Jimi Hendrix Experience to which hendrix would correct this stating ?We decided to change the whole thing around and call it 'Gypsy Sun and Rainbows'. For short, it's nothin' but a 'Band of Gypsys'.? This iconic performance is most famously remember for Hendrix?s rendition of ?The Star-Spangled Banner? in which he used heavy distortion, feedback and sustain to simulate the sound of planes and bombs dropping, percieved by a lot of people as Hendrix making a statement against the Vietnam War. 

The Band OF Gypsys 

After the disbanding of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hendrix would go on to form The Band Of Gypsys with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums, the group would would go on to release one album of new live material, which was still guitar centric but had a more R&B,soul and funk sounds as well as a change in lyrical themes, straying away from the psychedelic passages of songs like ?Voodoo Chile? and instead the anti war song ?Machine Gun? which is considered to be the highlight of the album and another classic hendrix track. 

The Death Of A Legend 

There is a lot of ambiguity surrounding the death of Jimi Hendrix, what is known is he spent his last day with his girlfriend Monika Dannemann in London, they spent the night at her flat drinking wine and talking for hours, they went to sleep at 7am and when Monkia awoke at 11am hendrix was breathing but unconscious and not responding an ambulance was called and hendrix was taken to hospital but there was nothing that could be done and on the 17th of September 1970 Jimi Hendrix passed away and the world lost a once in a lifetime talent whose music changed the face of rock and roll forever, someone who is still to this day talked about and revered as the best to ever pick up a guitar by his peers and countless fans and will be for years to come. 

The Beginnings Of The King Crimson 

In the late 1960?s brothers Micheal and Peter Giles, the former a drummer the latter a bass player, were looking to form a band the two put an advertisement out for a ?singing orangist? to which they would get a reply from a someone named Robert Fripp who was also a musician from Dorset like the brothers, however Fripp had never played the organ he was also not a singer but despite that the three formed a group and went by Giles, Giles and Fripp. 

Giles, Giles and Fripp would release a solitary album in 1968 titled ?The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles, Giles and Fripp? while the album was somewhat successful and the band even making a television appearance the trio wanted to expand their sound so they went about finding new members to join, they first recruited Ian McDonald as keyboard player as well as woodwinds and reeds, soon after McDonald?s then girlfriend Judy Dyble would join the band but she was not in the group for long leaving after herself and McDonald split and lastly joining the group as a lyricist. As the pieces were beginning to fall in place Fripp was wanting to change the bands sound growing sick of the more quaint pop songs Peter Giles was writing istead wanting to use classically inspired melodies and improvisation for ideas, fripp would recommend his friend Greg Lake who was a guitarist to join the band a replace himself or Peter Giles and according to Micheal Giles before his brother was officially replaced he had become disenchanted with the band and had left just before the suggestion of him being replaced came about. 

Now the lineup was set; Robert Fripp on guitars, Greg Lake on bass and lead vocals, Ian Mcdonalds on woodwinds and keys, Micheal Giles on drums and percussion with Peter Sinfeild providing lyrics, King Crimson was officially born and after their first rehearsal on the 13th of January 1969 the band went about writing and recording their debut album.

Debut Masterpiece

On the 10th of October 1969 King Crimson would release ?In The Court Of The Crimson King?, The album upon initial release was a huge commercial success reaching number five in The UK Album Charts and to number twenty eight on The US Billboard 200 Charts and became certified gold. Nowadays the album is considered one if not the most influential progressive rock albums of all time with jazz and blues influences paired with the long and winding mature style of songwriting and instrumentation used throughout its fair to say  ?In The Court Of The Crimson King? has become a timeless album as synonymous with the band as it is the progressive rock genre even finding its way into modern popular culture in a completely different genre when the classic track ?21st Century Schizoid Man? was sampled by American rapper Kanye West in his song ?Power?. 

Line-Up Changes, Line-Up Changes, Line-Up Changes!

While ?In The Court Of The Crimson King? was a success for the band, for some members the rising success became a huge problem, with Giles and McDonald worried that the musical direction of the band wouldn?t provide continued success and wanting to go down a more nuanced and lighter romantic sound whereas Fripp was pushing the abdn to a darker and more musically intense sound, so as the US tour came to a close Ian McDonald and Micheal Giles would leave King Crimson and the first line up would play their last show on the 16th of December 1969 in San Francisco just over a year after the band has formed. 

Upon returning to the UK, singer and bass player Greg Lake also decided to leave the band forming the band Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) after this it left Fripp the only active musician in the band and a huge uncertainty for the future of King Crimson giving which is why this period of the bands history gets the ?Interregnum? name. Despite setbacks Robert Fripp and Peter Sinfeild would continue on and start writing the band's second album, Sinfeild would take on the role of operating synthesisers as well as lyricist for the recording of the album Fripp would hire Michael Giles as a session musician drummer as well as Mel Collins as a session musician to play saxophone and Greg Lake agreed to record vocals for the album.

With a makeshift band of sorts put together, recording for King Crimson's second album ?In The Wake Of Poseidon? would start in the January of 1970, after four months of recording the album would be released on the 15th of May 1970 and got to number four in The UK Album Charts becoming the bands highest ever in the UK to date but once the dust had settled on the albums release and generally favourable reception Fripp and Sinfeild were still left without a band to take any of their new material on tour so the pair began looking for new members to permanently join King Crimson. 

After asking around friends and featured musicians from ?In The Wake Of Poseidon? they had a full band again comprised of; Robert Fripp on guitar, Peter Sinfeild providing lyrics, Mel Collins on saxophone, Gordon Haskell on bass and providing vocals and Andy McCulloch on drums, so it was time for the band to start writing their third album but that wasn?t quite the case. When writing for King Crimson's third studio album ?Lizard? took place only Fripp and Sinfeild did any of the writing while the other three members had zero say in the process. 

?Lizard? would release on the 10th of December 1970 the album had far heavier and prominent jazz influence than the bands previous two albums something that did not resonate well with members of the band especially Haskell and McCulloch who were rhythm and blues players by trade so very much struggled to relate to the musical material on top of this Fripp and Haskell hated the lyrics that Sinfeild was writing, all these extensions rising once again led to Haskal calling it a day with the band first with McCulloch following suit shortly after, this left Fripp in a state of giving up on King Crimson and with Sinfield not being a musician it left Collins to pick up the pieces and search for new members. 

In 1971 the third line-up of King Crimson was formed. Fripp, Sinfeild and Collins had the same roles as before with the addition of Ian Wallace on drums and percussion and Raymond ?Boz? Burrell on bass and providing vocals and with another line up put together King Crimson went on tour for the first since 1969 the shows and concerts were well received among fans but band tension reared its ulgy head again with Fripp having different outlook musically and personally with his bandmates, with Collins, Wallace and Barrel all living rather eccentric and wild lifes while Fripp was drug free leading him to become socially distant from all of them. 

But despite the somewhat fractured relationship between the band they would go on to record King Crimson?s fourth studio album ?Islands?. The album did moderately well commercially in the UK but had a mixed reception from critics who sighted the songs to be the weakest that the band had ever produced with the band members feeling the same sentiment, Fripp still hating Sinfield?s lighter lyrics as well as other band members not liking some of the tracks that were more delicate, ?Lizard? would get to number thirty in the UK and number seventy six in the US becoming the lowest overall performing King Crimson record which led to Fripp telling Sinfield he could no longer work with him and asked him to leave the band after a US tour in December 1971, following closely on from this incident the band would bitterly split up during a rehearsal in January 1972 due to Fripp having huge musical riffs with the rest of the band but they had to fulfil touring duties in the United States so they begrudgingly stayed together to complete the tour and once the tour had concluded Fripp split from the three other members still holding the opinion they wouldn't want to be of the musical direction he envisaged. 

The Trio?s Trilogy 

The next three years for Fripp and subsequently King Crimson were far more stable and fruitful as far as musical direction was considered as he recruited two musicians who specialised in a more free flowing jazz fusion sound, bassist and vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford who, while Yes were at a career high commercially, left the band favouring the darker sound of King Crimson as well as percussionist Jamie Muir and keyboard player and violinist David Cross. 

Now a set band all on the same page musically they went about recording a fifth studio album to be titled ?Larks? Tongues In Aspic? that would be released on the 23rd of March 1973 the album was a mix of jazz fusion with European free improvisation throughout with a lot of instrumental textures provided by percussion as well as the use of a single violin with other harder hitting portions of tracks being reminiscent of heavy metal. The album was well received critically and commercially and is considered one of King Crimson's best pieces of work. 

King Crimson would tour with ?Larks? Tongues In Aspic? until late 1973 which upon completion Jamie Muir would depart from the band and quit the music industry all together, not to be thrown off by the departure, the four remaining members began work on their sixth studio album ?Starless And Bible Black?, for this album the band would use majority live recordings from improvisational passages they would try out during shows and blending them with studio recordings, the album was another hit with each members role in the sound praised and the albums long instrumental improvisations very impressive with the variety of tones they provide. 

After the release of ?Starless And Bible Black? King Crimson?s sound had somewhat been perfected with Fripp perfectly placed Brudford and Wetton?s immensely loud and powerful sound but this left one problem Cross?s amplified acoustic violin was getting progressively more and more drowned out which led to his frustrations rising and becoming distant from the rest of the band and with the situation never getting any better a vote was cast for if Cross should stay in the band and he was voted out. 

Now all that was left of King Crimson were the trio that began the new era in the first place they quickly got to work on the seventh studio album ?Red?  following many of the same recording tropes from their previous effort in using live improvisations from shows as tracks and adding studio parts where necessary, ?Red? was also the heaviest outing for King Crimson the three band members making a dense prog rock wall of sound thanks to layering of instruments and with an incredibly tight chemistry when playing. ?Red? was released on the 6th of October 1974 and is considered another of King Crimson?s greats like the other two records the trio of Fripp, Wetton and Bruford record together but it would be their third and final release together. 

Hiatus? And King Crimson In The 80?s, 90?s And Beyond

Around August time in 1974 two months before the release of ?Red? Fripp was becoming progressively more disillusioned with the band and the music industry as a whole, the album was still released on time and they did tour it but on the 25th of September 1974 the band officially disbanded with Fripp stating King Crimson ?ceased to exist? and was ?completely over for ever and ever?. 

From the end of King Crimson in 1974 till early 1980 Fripp was completely separated from music but in late 1980 he begun working with artists such as David Bowie, Daryl Hall and Peter Gabriel and had an urge to make a new project not under the King Crimson banner, Fripp was re acquainted with former drummer Bill Brudford and acquired singer and guitarist Adrian Belew and bassist Tony Levin they originally went by Discipline but by mid 1981 they King Crimson was back. 

For the next twenty two years this line up would stay the same and record six albums with editions of members Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto by the late 1990?s, the albums would vary in sound and style as King Crimson always did, their output in the 80?s featuring a new wave sound with elements of post punk amidst the classic progressive rock flavour, the band had another breakup and hiatus but came back in 1995 with ?THRAK? that was again praised for its innovation of two guitarists, two bass players and two drummers playing on the album and the double trio mixing they used for recording. 

To put it simply King Crimson although having one of the rockiest histories in music history as far as a consistent line up is concerned have never failed but to create music that leaves jaws dropped, with continuous reinvention and pushing the boundaries of the progressive rock genre it is clear to see why still today everything they have done from their first release ?In The Court Of The Crimson King? back in 1969 to their last release ?The Power To Believe? in 2003, is considered some of the best of all time. 

Sin City Start

Before becoming one of the biggest rock bands in the world The Killers had to start from the bottom. In early 2001 soon to be frontman Brandon Flowers had been fired from his then band called Blush Response. Left without a band it wasn't until a fateful night in May 2001 when Flowers attended an Oasis show at the Hard Rock Hotel that he knew music was his calling in life and that he had to start a new band. 

Flowers quickly started looking for other musicians with his passion around the Nevada area and it wasn?t long before he found an ad inside a Las Vegas newspaper by a guitarist named Dave Keuning who had not long since moved to Vegas from Iowa looking to start a band. The two met up and immediately bonded over their music tastes and influences and upon thinking of a band they decided on the name The Killers taken from the name of a fictional band in the music video of ?Crystal? by New Order, the pair began jamming and writing songs the first of which was ?Mr. Brightside? and the second titled ?Desperate? once these tracks were ready to go they and drummer Matt Norcross had joined the band along with Keuning?s then roommate Dell Neal on bass they made their way to Kill The Messenger Studios in Nevada to record the demo tracks. 

After these recordings were complete The Killers would begin playing live shows around the Las Vegas area handing out their demo tapes for free. The sound of The Killers was a breath of fresh air in the Vegas music scene which was primarily taken up by punk, rap and nu metal bands. While The Killers were bringing their own flavour of indie rock music they were far from having a refined sound with their live sound being described as ?erratic? so by 2002 they had let drummer Matt Nircross go and bass player Dell Neal left the band because of personal reasons. 

Flowers and Keuning got to work quickly finding new members having got drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. to join the band just before Neal departed, now going as a three piece they played their first show with Ronnie on the 30th of August 2002 with Mark Stoermer filling in as bass player. The band were eager to get Mark in the band but he was hesitant to commit to the group as he was already then playing lead guitar in a prog-rock band at the time, so the trio pushed on playing with a few other bass players live with nothing quite sticking until November 2002 Mark Stoermer agreed to join as bass player for The Killers. 

With the final lineup completed the four would rehearse wherever possible be that in Vannucci?s garage or sneaking into the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (which Vannucci was also studying at, at time) at night. The band began work on their debut album ?Hot Fuss? starting with the writing of hit singles ?Smile LIke You Mean It? and ?Somebody Told Me?. With a more fleshed out sound and set list of songs the four kept playing small venues around Vegas, soon catching the attention of an A&R representative for Warner Bros. Records called Braden Merrick. Merrick sent the band to get their demos recorded and sent them off to some major labels, while nothing came back for The Killers in the US across the pond in the UK they had very much gained the attention of A&R rep Alex Gilbert who immediately passed on the demos to Ben Durling who worked at the then newly formed independent label Lizard King Records. Durling loved the five demos and before even meeting the band offered them a deal knowing there was promise in what The Killers had to offer and by July 2003 they were signed to the British Label.

Hot Fuss About The Killers 

A couple of months after signing, The Killers had gotten radio play on BBC Radio 1 and the band had gone to London to play a week's worth of shows to promote themselves at big name live music venues across London. On the 23rd of September 2003 The Killers First single ?Mr. Brightside?  was officially released in the UK with a 500 press release and limited number of CD?s. After the songs release the reviews were unanimously positive and with such a buzz happening for the band in the UK it was only a matter of time before labels in the US were showing interest in the band and after being invited to play the ASCAP CMJ Music Marathon that takes place in New York City and after playing they would not long after sign to Island Def Jam an American record label. 

As 2003 came to a close the band had finished recording ?Hot Fuss? and had been asked to open British Sea Power for their UK tour, this was the first of many invites to be openers as they would also tour as openers for Stellastarr on their UK and US tour and opened for Morrissey twice. The band would release their second UK single and debut US single ?Somebody Told Me? with a subsequent music video which led to their first headline tour over the spring and summer of 2004 as well festival appearances in Europe and North America which only garnered them more fans. 

After three years of building a name for themselves with live shows and single releases The Killers debut album ?Hot Fuss? was released on the 7th of June 2004 in the UK on Lizard King and then a week later in the US on Island Records. ?Hot Fuss? received favourable critical success upon its release and with the subsequent album tour and three of the singles on the record (those being ?Somebody Told Me?, ?All The Things That I?ve Done? and ?Mr. Brightside?) getting grammy nominations made the commercial success skyrocket which solidified The Killers as the best selling act in the world in 2005 with the World Music Award For Best Selling Group to boot, ?Hot Fuss? was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album and became a UK number one album less than a year after its release. 

The Killer?s Town 

After extensive touring for ?Hot Fuss? Flowers and co went straight back to the studio and began recording their highly awaited follow up album ?Sam?s Town?. The band recorded the album in Las Vegas over the earlier half of 2006 and in the July of that year released the lead single for the record titled ?When You Were You? which followed suit of the past singles they had released and became an immediate hit. With the hype from fans reaching its peak ?Sam?s Town? was finally released on the 27th of September 2006 and was the band's highest charting album in the US at the time reaching number two where over in the UK scored their second number one album. 

The Killers were on a complete hot streak and as the tour for ?Sam?s Town? got underway the demand for tickets to see the band increased so they began adding arena show dates to the tour such as Madison Square Garden and Wembley Arena proving their staying power in the music world. 

After the tour had finished for ?Sam?s Town? and a successful release of their B-Side album ?Sawdust? The Killers took a six month break but during this time they were all coming up with and sending each other song ideas preparing for their third studio album. After a short time apart the band got back into the studio and the first song written was the lead single of their third studio album titled ?Human? which would be released in October 2008 which was another hit single for the band leading on to the release of their third album ?Day & Age? in November 2008. The release of ?Day & Age? began a streak of number one albums in the UK for The Killers and also became a top twenty album worldwide. Following the ?Day & Age? album cycle of touring, The Killers took a hiatus to rest and recoup after nearly six year of touring from their debut release. 

The Streak

The Killers have released four additional albums to the original three that put them as household names those being; 2012?s ?Battle Born?, 2017?s ?Wonderful Wonderful?, 2020?s ?Imploding The Mirage? and 2021?s ?Pressure Machine? each with varying sounds and showing an evolution of style for the band but they all have one thing in common, each album (like ?Hot Fuss?, ?Sam?s Town? and ?Day & Age?) became a UK number one album meaning that The Killers are the first and only band from outside the UK to have all their albums hit number one status in the UK charts. 

Stylistic Changes And What The Future Holds 

The Killers have never been a band to stick to one sound with their influences ranging from many different artists such as Oasis, Bruce Springstean, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and David Bowie to name a few. Across the seven albums the bands released they explored alternative rock/indie rock, heartland rock, new wave, synth pop and even elements of americana and folk rock with their most recent album ?Pressure Machine?. With talks of an eighth studio album in the works who knows what avenue of sound The Killers will go down this time. After a near two decade career in music it's fair to say that Brandon Flowers and the rest of the band most certainly have found their calling.