Search - Pete Sinfield :: Still

Still - Nostalgia? Vanity?

Mark D Burgh | Fort Smith, AR United States | 02/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Pete Sinfield wrote the lyrics to the first four King Crimson albums until his relationship with Bob Fripp came on the outs and the Frippster tried to drop a Mellotron on Pete's head. Retreating to his former band cohort, Greg Lake's circle, Sinfield cooperated in writing the lyrics for Brain Salad Surgery. While doing that, Manticore, the record label set up by ELP, gave Sinfield the chance to show why he worked the lights when King Crimson played live and didn't sing. There are some good moments here, despite Sinfield's less than captivating voice. "The Song of the Seagoat" is good, but one can't go wrong nicking melodies from Vivaldi. "Under the Sky" has a wistful feeling, a sort of melancholy reminiscent of the first King Crimson album. The other songs range from attempts at personal singer-songwriter forms to full-out rockers. Pete's lyrics were often used as a stick with which to beat prog rock, but they often suited the music surrounding them, and after all, the first KC album is regarded as a classic by nearly everyone, so Sinfield is both less bad and more good than people give him credit for. The song "Still" concluded the orginal album, and it's one of the better cuts. Pete ponders his dreams and idendities with over a mid-paced song. In the middle of this wistfulness, Greg Lake chimes in and ruins everything because(despite what you might think of him otherwise) he has a great voice and Pete's earlier singing looks wan and shabby next to Lake's. If you're a King Crimson or ELP completist, this album is worth buying and listening to."