Album: UK..
Artist: U.K.
1978 E.G.
CD: EGCD 35
Band Members:
Bill Bruford: kit drums, percussion
Allan Holdsworth: guitars
John Wetton: bass, vocals
Eddie Jobson: keyboards, electric violin, electronics
Produced by U.K.
Stephen W Tayler: engineering, mixing
Tracks:
1. "In the Dead of Night" [Jobson/Wetton] (5:38)
2. "By the Light of Day" [Jobson/Wetton] (4:32)
3. "Presto Vivace and Reprise" [Jobson/Wetton] (2:58)
4. "Thirty Years" [Wetton/Jobson/Bruford] (8:09)
5. "Alaska" [Jobson] (4:45)
6. "Time to Kill" [Jobson/Wetton/Bruford] (4:55)
7. "Nevermore" [Holdsworth/Jobson/Wetton] (8:09)
8. "Mental Medication" [Holdsworth/Bruford/Jobson] (7:31)
All lyrics by Wetton, except (8) by Bruford
Notes: (****) Wetton and Bruford had continued working together
after Robert Fripp had brought the '72-4 King Crimson incarnation to
a close. This included the planned supergroup with Rick Wakeman to
be called British Bulldog, the sessions for which included early
versions of some of the material that ended up here. Fripp then
proposed a reunion with Wetton and Bruford. Jobson, who had
contributed overdubs for the King Crimson live album USA,
was asked to join. He did, but Fripp backed out, with Bruford
suggesting Holdsworth, who had played on his solo album Feels Good to Me, as a replacement:
thus UK was born. Wetton and Jobson got together and wrote the bulk
of the album before being joined by the others.
(1)-(3) form a suite. (1) b/w (8) was released as a single. The
result continues the sound of King Crimson, but UK's first album is
not as gloomy or dark as the mid-seventies Crimson albums, with
Jobson's fast-paced keys and electric violin to the fore. Bill Bruford's drumming is as good as
ever. There is, however, something about the album that does not
quite gel for me and it is live that the band truly blossmed. The
band toured as a four piece, including in their set some material to
later appear on their second album, Danger Money. However,
tensions arose within the band between Wetton/Jobson on one side and
Bruford/Holdsworth on the other, with the latter wanting a more
improvisational approach. The band split, although it is unclear how
bad-tempered this event was or was not. Holdsworth stuck with
Bruford for his debut solo album, One of
a Kind, which included a UK left over in the form of the
Bruford/Jobson co-write "The Sahara of Snow - Part 2". UK continued
as a trio, with Terry Bozzio on drums. Although in a Jan
2017 interview, ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett said that
Wetton invited him to join the group at this time. He declined: "I
said I didn't think that I would technically be up to that at that
time[.] Plus, I was in the first flush of doing solo stuff and I was
worried about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire."
Bruford has often cited "Nevermore" as his favourite piece by UK.
The Pat Smyth and Allan Holdsworth Quartet had a 14 Aug 1977 BBC
Radio 2 session that opened with a 4:54 piece called "Forever Until
Sunday", which is an early version of "Nevermore" (and not the same
as the Bruford piece by that name). The Allan Holdsworth Quartet
also played an expanded version of the tune under the name "Sunday"
(14:29) on a 14 Nov 1979 BBC Radio 3 session.
Bruford has also mentioned Holdsworth's solo on (1) as a particular
favourite of his. Bruford wrote the lyrics for (8). (HP, 19 Feb
2017, updated 2 Jun 22, from an earlier version by Matt Putzel, with
info from Francois Angers)
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