Monkey Business 1972–1997
Monkey Business 1972–1997 is an album by English musicians John Wetton and Richard Palmer-James, it features various demos and live performances of songs originally recorded by King Crimson, Jack-Knife and John Wetton. The album was first released 1998 and again in 2014 with I Wish You Would by Jack-Knife.
Overview
The collaboration between the two musicians began in 1962 when they met at school. In 1972 they rejoined forces in King Crimson, for which Palmer-James wrote the lyrics. Some of the material that would have been on the follow-up to Wetton's last album with King Crimson, Red, is found here in demo form. The classic KC songs 'Book of Saturday' and 'Starless' are featured as instrumental raw demos that were home taped as a basis for lyric-writing. To be more precise, the latter is only a half minute beginning played twice. The disc ends pleasantly with the pair's recording of 'Starless' from 1997. From the same year are 'Doctor Diamond' and 'Cologne 1997', both among the most worthy contents of this release. The latter song, concerning "the mixed feelings of many Americans born after 1945 of German origin on first visiting their emigre parents' home country", is featured also in its original form recorded in 1977.Some of the material appears out of some writing sessions from late 1976 when the two musician spend some time at a French farmhouse, writing material.
The album features Wetton and Palmer-James on most of the instrumentation, with Palmer-James playing guitar and providing some vocals, as well as programming, and Wetton on bass, guitar, keyboards, and most vocals. Many contributors from various stages of Wetton's musical career, including former King Crimson bandmate Bill Bruford, fellow Jack-Knife members John Hutcheson and Curt Cress. The live tracks feature various members of John Wetton's live band including Thomas Radl, Ramon Vega, Bob Dalton, and John Beck. Dalton and Beck are also members of Prog pop band It Bites. Due to the nature of the album being a compilation, it was recorded in various locations including studios in Munich in Germany also London, Sussex and Bedfordshire.
Personnel
Musicians
- John Wetton – vocals, additional vocals, bass guitar, guitar, piano, clavinet, keyboards, all instruments
- Richard Palmer-James – guitar, all instruments/programming, additional keyboards, vocals
- Ramon Vega – guitar
- John Hutcheson – Hammond organ ; black and white photography
- John Beck – keyboards
- Curt Cress – drums
- Bill Bruford – drums
- Thomas Radl – drums
- Bob Dalton – cymbal
Production
- John Wetton – production, sleeve art direction
- Richard Palmer-James – production, sleeve art direction, pre-mastering on a Macintosh, recording, mixing
- Martin Smith – mixing
- Jürgen Koppers – recording and mixing
- Julian Mendelsohn – recording
- Ichi Ichinobu – recording
- Rob Ayling – coordinator
- Mixed Images Ltd. – design
- Chris Thorpe – mastering at Serendipity