Thrak


Thrak is the eleventh studio album by the band King Crimson released in 1995, the successor to the mini-album Vrooom. It is their first full-length studio album since Three of a Perfect Pair and is the only full-length studio album recorded by the 1994-1997 "Double Trio" lineup.

Recording

With the band consisting of two guitarists, two bassists, and two drummers, the opening track begins with all six musicians in the center of the audio mix. Later they are split into two trios with three going to the left channel and three going to the right.
"Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" and "One Time" were developed at studio rehearsals and improvisations for the Vrooom mini-album at Woodstock, New York during April and May 1994, shortly after the reformation of King Crimson under the Double Trio format. These instrumental outtakes would be later released as The Vrooom Sessions in 1999 with "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" being developed from the work-in-progress outtake dubbed "No Questions Asked". This riff differs significantly in its instrumental nature than the one which was finally recorded at Real World Studios.
"Fashionable" was another instrumental outtake from The Vrooom Sessions that was re-recorded at Real World Studios during the recording of Thrak. Despite being reworked with various additions and refinements by the band members, the upbeat piece ended up being dropped off the final album.
Vrooom Vrooom incorporates a middle section originally composed by Fripp in 1974 for Red’s instrumental title track.

Release

Released on 3 April 1995, THRAK reached number 58 in the UK Albums Chart, their last album to chart.
The album was first released on CD in 1995, followed by a remastered edition in 2002. A new 5.1 surround sound mix by Jakko Jakszyk was released as a CD/DVD-A release. It was reissued in October 2015 remixed by Jakszyk and Robert Fripp for the 40th Anniversary Series standalone and new THRAK BOX.

Reception

Trouser Press described it as "an absolute monster, a cerebral sextet adventure stunning in its precisely controlled rock power."

Track listing

2015 20th Anniversary edition

n.b. for the box set track listing set the THRAK article.

Personnel

;King Crimson
; Technical