Jon Anderson is Back

Somebody posted these links on the Progressive Ears forum and I thought I would share them here too. As many of you know, Jon has suffered from asthma and respiratory ailments for the last several years. Apparently at one point he had an asthma attack so severe that it nearly killed him. He now seems to be mostly recovered and is sounding great again! On Saturday June 6th he played a small show in Grover Beach, California to celebrate his wife's birthday. This was his first performance in several years.



Another video is here: Jon Anderson performs "Sweet Dreams"

I don't agree with Robert Fripp

You see, Robert apparently doesn't care for the King Crimson album Lizard. I know sometimes artists are too close to the creation of their own work to judge it, and it appears that there are some difficult personal feelings for him around the making of this particular album and some of the people involved. But for me, as a listener who knows little to nothing of the background...I think it's a pretty darn good record. I just put it on the other day and was remembering how good it really is.

Here's one of Robert Fripp's Diary entries on the DGM Live site that pretty clearly illustrates his distaste for this album:
http://www.dgmlive.com/diaries.htm?diarist=3&entry=1355

Is it Crimson's best record? No. And to be fair, it has some awkward moments, overly dramatic parts, and one bit that sounds like the lost soundtrack to a late-60s spy show (the middle section of "The Battle of Glass Tears"). But I'll admit to even enjoying the goofy horns that lead off "Indoor Games." The opening track "Cirkus" is classic Crimson, and the mournful "Lady of the Dancing Water" is simply beautiful. And with Jon Anderson's stunning guest appearance on "Prince Rupert Awakes"?...well, how can you go wrong? I'd actually like to hear the story behind how Fripp and Anderson hooked up for this, I don't recall ever seeing anything about that.

I think Lizard is a very good album, maybe not in the same ranks as In the Court of the Crimson King or Larks Tongues in Aspic, but easily on the level of other early gems In the Wake of Poseidon and Islands. Any fan of Crimson will enjoy this one.