Jakko Jakszyk joined King Crimson back in 2013, but spiritually he’s been with the band for longer. At one time he even formed a tribute outfit with some Crimson alumni – The 21st Century Schizoid Band – to play the band’s music, little thinking that one day he’d get the invitation from Fripp to join Crim’s division one.
“I was about 11, I think when my next-door neighbor played me …Schizoid Man,” Jakko says. “It completely blew me away. He’d been playing me music from the 60s, which I liked, and then this came out of nowhere.”
Many fans of the band remember where they were when they heard the opening riff to 21st Century Schizoid Man followed by Robert Fripp’s aggressive fuzz chords and Greg Lake’s distorted vocals. It was music designed to make an impression, as was the album’s closer, The Court Of The Crimson King, with the Mellotron fanfare and Pete Sinfield’s otherworld lyrics.
Much of the music that came out in the late 1960s was different, but Crimson was something totally new. “This was from a completely different place,” Jakko tells us. “The way Robert played the guitar, the tone he had, nobody was doing that.
It was completely unique to him, I think. His influences and inspiration were from a more European classical tradition than a blues-based American one.”
Since those days, the band has been through various line-ups with landmark albums such as Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Red, Three Of A Perfect Pair, Thrak and The Power To Believe. But it’s only recently that the current touring band have begun to embrace the back catalogue as a whole. These days, if you get to see the band live, you’ll witness the band’s sonic history unfolding in front of your ears.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2019 de Guitarist.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 2019 de Guitarist.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
BASIC INSTINCTS
The sophisticated range of Swedish-designed guitars made by .strandberg* has lured thousands of players over to the headless side. But the company's new stripped-back Boden Essential model is its strongest play yet for the hearts and minds of mainstream players
Second String
As PRS's more affordable USA-made S2 line moves into its second decade, the series gets a revamp with - at last - USA-made pickups and electronics. What took so long?
PABLO VAN DE POEL
When a band from The Netherlands describes themselves as 'raw, psychedelic Southern rock', it may take a little cognitive processing to work out what that might mean. One listen to DeWolff, however, and you will be duly transported to the 60s for some fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll
THE BERNIE MARSDEN COLLECTION
With a fabulous collection of the late Bernie Marsden's guitars, amps and other highly collectable music gear going under the auctioneer's hammer on 11 June, we were thrilled to have the chance of a sneak preview
LENNY KRAVITZ
Some 35 years since the release of his debut LP, for his 12th record, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz is back again with equal doses of vigour and vibes, using vintage guitars and the purest valve amps
GEORGE VJESTICA
You may not know him at first glance, but the work of Stoke-on-Trent native George Vjestica has probably impacted some of your favourite albums and movies
DICKEY BETTS
Emerging from the shadow of Duane to write signature hit Ramblin' Man, the Allman Brothers guitarist was a hard-living pioneer of Southern rock
NICK GUPPY
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April
Lucky Break
Alex Bishop blends old wood with new in an attempt to fix a severely damaged guitar headstock
Tones Behind The Tracks
Cedric Burnside learnt at the knee of his fabled grandfather, but his latest album is a hill country blues masterclass on his own terms