King Strut & Other Stories

king strut & other stories

Track Listings

1. King Strut

2. Gold

3. Meantime

4. On Obsession

5. Not Weak Enough

6. Swim

7. Northern Lights

8. Chicken

9. Real Slap in the Face

10. Shirt and Comb

11. Stranger to Myself

12. King Strut

King Strut & Other Stories,Peter Blegvad,Whatever UK,Canterbury Scene,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

King Strut & Other Stories

Average customer rating:

A Brilliant Gem
Classic!!
Gold
Gold unearthed
The world's most underrated song writer?

King Strut & Other Stories
Peter Blegvad
Manufacturer: Whatever UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Downtime
Unearthed
Just Woke Up
Hangman's Hill
The Reminder

ASIN: B00006LIVV
Release Date: 2002-11-25

Tracks:

King Strut
Gold
Meantime
On Obsession
Not Weak Enough
Swim
Northern Lights
Chicken
Real Slap in the Face
Shirt and Comb
Stranger to Myself
King Strut

Customer Reviews:

A Brilliant Gem.......2006-08-26

Some of it was copied on cassette in 1991 for me, passed on by the full-time musicseller in the mall cassette shop next door to the bookstore where I worked. The back side had Waits "Heart of Saturday Night". I played both sides of that tape 'til I bled inside from 'getting it'. I'm addicted to music and have acquired thousands of artists and listened to most -- this is by far one of the best of the best.

Classic!!.......2005-04-27

This is the one album that first introduced me to the genius that is Blegvad! Being an XTC fan, what drew me to this release, of course, was the involvement of Andy Partridge. If you don't mind spending the extra dough to get this new .... or you happen across it in a used music store somewhere .... do yourself a favor and GRAB THIS ONE!!!!! You will NOT be disappointed, trust me.

Gold.......2004-11-06

For years this 1990 gem was only available in the US as an import and then it wasn't available at all. This is one of Peter Blegvad's finest records. Backed by a rotating cast of players including his brother Kristoffer, Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple of the (GREAT) dBs, Andy Partridge of XTC (who co-authored a couple here), legendary bassist Danny Thompson of Pentangle, pedal steel wizard B.J. Cole, and more, all at the service of a set of brilliant songs by this singular genius.
Songs like: "Swim", "Gold", "On Obsession", "Meantime", "Northern Lights", "Stranger to Myself", and "Not Weak Enough" are among Peter's best compostions. Framed by the elaborate fable of "King Strut", this excellent set of story songs is essential listening.

Gold unearthed.......2003-03-04

King Strut

Those of you who were first introduced to Peter Blegvad via the recent 'Choices Under Pressure' (or Blegvad-lite, as it has been called) will recognise three tracks on this 1990 reissue. The album has been long unavailable, and was hard enough to find even for 12 years. Hence its 'legendary' status. 'King Strut' marked an important change of direction for Blegvad - moving away from his wonderful but wilfully obscure art-rock days (who said 'avant-pop'?) and into more direct, and perhaps more sincere territory.
King Strut mixes wry stories (the subtitle is 'and other stories') with either sharp, spare rock arrangements, or almost wistful acoustic guitar. At times, and surprisingly effectively, tinges of folk and country poke through. Melody comes to the fore, and several of the songs achieve an effortless delicacy - 'Swim' finds a chord progression that remarkably no-one found before (like 'inventing' the old Am-G-F riff) and 'Shirt and Comb' feels like an authentic Irish ballad.
Blegvad aficionados will already know four of these songs, all of which are leaner and meaner here.
The album has something of the Andy Partridge experiment 'Naked Shakespeare' (particularly the reprise of the title track) and a lot of 'Downtime', which makes an excellent companion piece.(make sure you get the ESD re-release with three extra, excellent tracks - 'Actual Frenzy'; 'Say No Now'; and 'Green Boy')
There are no 'extra tracks' or enhancements here, even the liner notes are a sober reprint, but at over 50 minutes, the CD is what it is, a sincere, simple 'made available' of a superb, barely known pop record.

The world's most underrated song writer?.......2003-01-29

This is an absolutely stunning album, but for some reason Peter Blegvad remains one of the most unknown great performers in the world. For sometime now he has been one of our most able, original, and witty songwriters, and yet even knowledgeable fans will not even recognize his name.

While Blegvad has produced a number of first rate collections of songs, KING STRUT AND OTHER STORIES, first released in 1990, remains his finest achievement. Nearly every song on the album is a stunner, from the opening and title track, "King Strut," all the way to its raw, "plugged" reprise at the end of the disc, Blegvad churns out one amazingly original song after another. There are no weak cuts on this disc. Among my favorites are "Not Weak Enough," which appeared originally on the album DOWNTIME, but which was recorded in a greatly simplified but improved version here, "Gold," "Stranger to Myself," and "Meantime," which unpeels like an onion the various uses to which that word can be put.

I think anyone enjoying good songwriting, from Elliot Smith to T-Bone Burnett to Richard Thompson, will find this to be a spectacular addition to their music library. This album is a classic that has yet to be recognized as such.

Tracks:

Lumpy Gravy
Marqueson's Chicken
King Kong
Pygmy Twylyte
Hungry Freaks Daddy
The Black Page
Sanctity
Moo Shu Wrap Rap
Fanfare For Nothing
Sleepless
MAE We Strut?
Crunch
Brass Quintet
Dr. J. Geyser
Lullaby
Some Skunk Funk

Customer Reviews:

More recognition of Frank's genius.......2000-06-16

I was surprised when I came across this album. As a Zappa fan I am usually on top of the new releases but this one slipped by me. Now I am one happy camper. This is another jewel for your Zappa collection. The performance by Meridian Arts Ensemble, Benjamin Herrington, and others provide another variation and interpretation that add insight to Frank's genius. The works by Su Lian Tan-both as composer and performer, Jon Christopher Nelson, Josef Burgstaller, and the other composers offer some interesting contrasts and complements Zappa's pieces. Is this the best example of other people playing Zappa? Frankly, no but it is still worth the price. For Zappa fans this is a must. For those unfamiliar with Zappa-if that possible-I would suggest you listen to Zappa's own albums first.

Modern music can be fun!.......2000-06-14

The Meridian Arts Ensemble have gathered together here an enjoyable mixture of modern compositions & arrangements. First of all, the ensemble is to be commended for making such a bold move - or should I say several bold moves. So many new or otherwise "risky" composers and so much contemporary music on one album? A brass quintet? With a rhythm section and a guest composer who raps? And these guys sing, too? The Meridian Arts Ensemble has bucked the system & brought forward something that most record companies wouldn't touch - and in their boldness they have made a valuable contribution to comtemporary music. Second, the Meridian Arts have presented a fair - however strange - sampling of the music of Frank Zappa. Lumpy Gravy & King Kong are straight-forward instrumentals presented with creativity, but also true to the originals. King Kong, always the vehicle for interpretation & improvisation, is here presented as a kind of slow blues - and the drummer does a nice job of feeling those hemiola accents. Pygmy Twylyte may very well be a strange, even offensive, song, but the Meridian Arts have only presented it they way Zappa wrote it & performed it! There is no doubt that the funky rhythm 'n' blues style is well suited for the group, and this song really shows off their lighter side. Hungry Freaks, Daddy is presented pretty much in the same form as performances by Zappa's group in the early seventies - right down to the trumpet fills & electronic effects! I think this is the Meridian Arts Ensemble telling us that they do know how to have fun! Ironically, performances like this are going to help Zappa come to be taken more seriously in the future. Several living composers are featured - including the members themselves. Moo Shu Wrap Rap is quite an intriguing experiment - with a dinner gong, pentatonic scales, and the lady composer vocalising her Chinese lyrics. The least attractive aspect of this album is probably the vocal recordings - especially on the Rap. The composer's rapping is often difficult to hear. I think the variety of music on this album & the sincerity of the performances make this a fine choice for any brass or wind enthusiast. Also, fans of jazz & contemporary music, especially Frank Zappa fans, will want it. The Canadian Brass will want it, so they can see what their younger counterparts are up to! There are wonderful moments of standard brass ensemble work, very skillfully executed, but the Meridian Arts Ensemble wanted to go out on a limb, so they took a chance and have thus filled a niche that is often ignored. Let's hear no more complaints that new music doesn't get performed & recorded!

Average customer rating:

King Strut & Other Stories
Peter Blegvad
Manufacturer: Puzzle UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00008ZZ5Q
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

King Strut
Gold
Meantime
On Obsession
Not Weak Enough
Swim
Northern Lights
Chicken
Real Slap in the Face
Shirt and Comb
Stranger to Myself
King Strut

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Rock Music

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