King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto and his wife Deborah are to release an album of reworked King Crimson songs for Valentine's Day. As The Mastelottos they will release A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson, a 12-track album of reinvented Crimson material which spans the band’s entire history, revisits classics including Moonchild, Sleepless, Exiles, Heartbeat, Matte Kudasai, Peace and Elephant Talk.
A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson will be released on February 14 and is available through Mastelotto's Bandcamp Page as a download album and a limited edition CD. You can see the album artwork by Denis Rodier and the tracklisting below.
“It’s always been a joke in the King Crimson camp that there’s never a line for the women’s restrooms during intermissions,” says Deborah Mastelotto. “King Crimson plays loud and it’s often intense and raucous. But it can also be haunting and melodic, with some of the most beautiful lyrics ever. We wanted to help uncover that sweetness and introduce the songs to a different type of audience with A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson.’”
“The album has amazing contributions from all the musicians involved, especially the TOAPP (Three of a Perfect Pair Music Masters Camp) artists,” adds Pat. “We experimented together and since they were already lifelong Crim Heads, they were totally into reconfiguring the classic performances or developing totally new parts. So, get ready. You’ll hear some fantastic detail in their playing.”
The Mastelottos started the recordings in 2019 by inviting the Texas TOAPP alumni, including members of the Houston symphony, to record in Pat’s home studio in the Texas Hill Country. After a quick trip to Nagoya for his one and only live gig of 2020, which yielded the live Stick Men album Owari, Pat returned and spent months with Deborah during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown finishing the project. The result is an album full of lush nuance and ornamentation designed to put listeners in a meditative and buoyant mood.
“The lockdown resulted in a year of cancelled shows, which gave us time to realise the album,” says Pat. “This grand reboot of humanity made being a couple all the more important, nurturing relationships with people we love, gardening and doing home projects while creating this album together was a beautiful experience.
“Working from home meant we could take the listening experience from the studio to the car to the bedroom… to test drive… so to speak. Heat up the hot tub, fluff your pillows and head to the softer side of the bed for the pinkest Crimson ever”
Pre-order A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson.
The Mastelottos: A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson
1. Two Hands
2. Matte Kudasai
3. Heartbeat
4. Moonchild
5. Inner Garden
6. One Time (Eyes Wide Open)
7. Peace
8. Book Of Saturday
9. Exiles
10. Elephant Talk
11. People
12. Sleepless
