Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: McDonald And Giles
Label: Virgin Records
Released: 1971
Running time: 45:23
Rating: 4/5
At the end of December 1969, not long after the end of their North American tour, the original lineup of prog rock titans King Crimson fell apart, an event that plenty of their fans still regret to this day. The main “culprits” behind the split of the legendary outfit, which carved its name into immortality above all with the pioneering prog rock masterpiece “In The Court Of The Crimson King” (1969), were the brilliant multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald and the oddball drummer Michael Giles, whom Stewart Copeland (The Police, ex-Curved Air) once named as his main idol. Giles did stick around as a session player with his former bandmates on their second album, “In The Wake Of Poseidon” (1970), and from there he brought his brother Peter on bass into this short-lived joint project with McDonald.
Their first and only album together, simply called “McDonald And Giles”, still enjoys a well-deserved cult status among King Crimson devotees. At the time of release, though, it made no far-reaching impact, even with a guest appearance by legendary keyboardist and singer Steve Winwood (ex-Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith) on the “Turnham Green” section. McDonald’s main reason for leaving King Crimson was his disagreement with their chief, guitarist Robert Fripp, over the band’s future direction. He wasn’t keen on the increasingly dark ambient tendencies, spearheaded by pieces like the ominous epic “Mars” (later renamed “Devil’s Triangle”).
Ian, a former military band member, always said he wanted to make music that was as positive as possible. He made good on that on “McDonald And Giles”: while keeping the structural complexity of the individual pieces front and center, the album reflects the gentler, melodic and pastoral side of the original King Crimson, the side Fripp had less and less time for in the years that followed. On some tracks, that melancholic-pastoral mood briefly comes alive, the one you could soak up on the legendary King Crimson debut, even though the two multi-talented musicians tried hard to keep such similarities to a minimum. That’s why, for instance, there’s no mellotron on the album, which is quite a surprise given McDonald’s pioneering use of that legendary keyboard instrument. The two up-and-coming bandmates blended all kinds of elements into their complex musical mix: folk, blues, classic rock, symphonic music and jazz. They poured a lot of energy into sacral-sounding multi-part harmonies and plenty of romantic symphonic arrangements. They split the vocals between them, and they were lucky to be fairly solid singers.
These two musical partners-in-crime, with every trick in the book up their sleeves, show off their songwriting and instrumental chops right on the opening epic “Suite in C”, which is split into several adventurous sections. With its psychedelic intro, ethereal vocals and a pastoral acoustic guitar melody, it leans a bit toward some of the late-Beatles stuff like “Strawberry Fields Forewer”, while the mighty symphonic keyboard arrangements and the witty touch of flute recall the habits of some bands from the so-called Canterbury scene. During the “Turnham Green” section, Mr. Winwood jumps in to help with an excellent organ and piano solo, steering the piece into far more complex waters for a short while, with no shortage of adventurous instrumental bits. His Traffic were recording the cult album “John Barleycorn Must Die” (1970) in a nearby studio at the same time, so it was no problem at all for Steve to drop in on the sessions and join two old acquaintances for a moment. Some of the transitions from woodwind passages into hypnotic orchestral arrangements are truly masterfully done, and even King Crimson wouldn’t have been ashamed of them, even though a cheerful, positive vibe is maintained throughout.
The excellent pastoral ballad “Flight Of The Ibis” has a melody and rhythm similar to the King Crimson classic “Cadence And Cascade”, but with completely different lyrics. A delicate combination of acoustic guitar chords, backed by hypnotic choral vocals, sustains the romantic melody and pastoral ambience. The next love ballad, “Is She Waiting?”, with its touching melody and singing, marks a rare openly melancholic moment on the album, though it’s nowhere near the fatalistic melancholy McDonald and Giles delivered as members of King Crimson. “Tomorrow’s People-The Children Of Today” is a classic prog rock feast split into two parts, full of instrumental section changes and mood shifts to enjoy. A witty use of woodwinds and a melodic vocal harmony run through a bluesy guitar phrase, followed by an outstanding drum solo. That solo later met a tragicomic fate, as it was sampled and manipulated again and again for the rhythm backdrops of various American rappers. Needless to say, the album doesn’t sell any better because of it these days. Prog connoisseurs will also lick their lips at the trombone, the witty flute solo and the majestic orchestral keyboard arrangements with which the magical duo enriches a simple central guitar melody.
The best composition, the one that more than justified their reputation as prog rock pioneers, top-notch songwriters and masters of their instruments, is the closing 21-plus-minute super epic “Birdman”, split into six completely different sections. The metaphysical lyrics were contributed, in his unmistakable poetic manner, by none other than original King Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield. Despite its epic length, “Birdman” flies by unbelievably fast, because the individual sections are rhythmically lively, varied and full of sudden twists, and despite the complexity, the whole thing keeps up a thoroughly pleasant, mostly pastoral set of motifs you can enjoy from start to finish. With his many intricate transitions and some polyrhythmic tricks, Giles confirms in full glory his reputation as a drumming legend who, thanks to his low public profile, gets too little talk today, while McDonald once again thrillingly demonstrates his instrumental versatility.
“McDonald And Giles” is a superb document of two legendary musicians who proved they’re perfectly at home going it alone. Their lighter, ambient-brighter approach, while keeping the complexity typical of their former band, produced a cult album that beats most of the solo debuts by ex-King Crimson members. Despite the many qualities of this one and only record by the dream duo, it will remain interesting today mainly to King Crimson fans and maybe the odd prog enthusiast who likes to relive the days when prog was in its youthful bloom. Sadly, it was their only record, mainly down to poor commercial success. McDonald later became a member of the original lineup of AOR champions Foreigner and recorded their first three albums, after which he worked as a session player and made the solo album “Driver’s Eyes” (1999). Giles, who never cared for too much publicity, recorded the solo album “Progress” in 1978 (it only came out in 2002), worked as a session player, and then stepped away from the music business for several years. Many years later, the two joined forces again as members of the 21st Century Schizoid Band, a tribute band made up of former King Crimson members, but that’s a whole other story.
Lineup
Ian McDonald – guitar, piano, organ, saxophone, flute, clarinet, vocals
Michael Giles – drums, percussion, vocals
Peter Giles – bass guitar
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Steve Winwood – organ, piano solo on “Turnham Green”
Michael Blakesley – trombone on “Tomorrow’s People”
Production
Ian McDonald and Michael Giles
Track list
1. Suite in C including Turnham Green, Here I Am and others
2. Flight of the Ibis
3. Is She Waiting?
4. Tomorrow’s People – The Children of Today
5. Birdman involving The Inventor’s Dream (O.U.A.T.), The Workshop, Wishbone Ascension, Birdman Flies!, Wings in the Sunset, Birdman – The Reflection
