Peter Sinfield
This article possibly contains original research. (February 2017) |
Peter Sinfield | |
---|---|
synthesizers | |
Years active | 1960s–present |
Labels | Manticore Records, E.G. Records, EMI, Imagem |
Formerly of | King Crimson |
Website | songsouponsea |
Peter John Sinfield (born 27 December 1943) is an English poet and songwriter. He is best known as a co-founder and former lyricist of King Crimson. Their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King is considered one of the first and most influential progressive rock albums ever released.[1]
Sinfield's lyrics are known for their surreal imagery, often involving common fantasy concepts, nature, or the sea. They often also deal with emotional concepts and, sometimes, storyline concepts. Later in his career, he adapted his songwriting to better suit pop music, and wrote a number of successful songs for artists such as
In 2005, Sinfield was referred to as a "prog rock hero" in Q magazine for his lyrical work and influence in the music industry.[2]
Early life
Sinfield was born at
Sinfield then went on to work for a computer company for six years, travelling around Europe when he could and hanging around with friends from the
King Crimson
In 1968, Ian McDonald joined Giles, Giles and Fripp, a progressive pop trio consisting of Michael Giles, Peter Giles, and Robert Fripp, who were looking to do more with music than their three-man line-up could manage. McDonald let the others know that he was already working with someone who could write lyrics. In their primordial form, Giles, Giles & Fripp, augmented by McDonald and ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Judy Dyble, recorded an early version of the McDonald-Sinfield song "I Talk to the Wind", which later became part of King Crimson's repertoire.
Peter Giles left the group at about this time, to be replaced by Greg Lake, and Sinfield joined around the same time. In his own words, "I became their pet hippie, because I could tell them where to go to buy the funny clothes that they saw everyone wearing".[7] Sinfield also came up with the name King Crimson.[8] Sinfield loved working with the band and, in addition to writing the phantasmagorical lyrics that came to be part of King Crimson's trademark, he also ran the group's light-show at their concerts, and offered advice on artwork, album design, and other details of the band's releases. Sinfield's performance role in the band was limited to occasionally playing EMS VCS 3 synthesizer.[8]
Fripp became involved with other projects (most notably the Centipede orchestra), which left Sinfield with much of the responsibility for the final version and design of the album, including the uniquely ornate jacket. The relationship between Sinfield and Fripp became increasingly strained as the band progressed. On their fourth album, Islands, Sinfield began exploring new lyrical territory, with more sexual imagery juxtaposed with the languidly surreal title track. On 1 January 1972, following a tour of the United States, Fripp told Sinfield he could no longer work with him and asked him to leave the group.
ELP, PFM, and Still
In 1972, Sinfield, associated with E.G. Records, which represented King Crimson and Roxy Music, was producing Roxy Music's debut album and their hit single "Virginia Plain". It was during this time that he first decided to venture into recording a solo album. In 1973, he wrote English lyrics for the Italian group Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) and produced their first album for ELP's Manticore Records, titled 'Photos of Ghosts', as well as 'The World Became the World'
In 1973, Sinfield formed a band provisionally called A Bowl of Soup, featuring Phil Jump on keyboards, Richard Brunton on guitar, Allan "Min" Mennie on drums, Steve Dolan on bass, and Sinfield himself on vocals, guitar, and synthesizer. They were booked to record an album at Command Studios, which eventually became known as Still. Despite being initially credited to A Bowl of Soup, Still ended up being released as a Pete Sinfield solo album. It featured contributions from various former (Greg Lake, Mel Collins, Ian Wallace) and future (John Wetton) members of King Crimson.
During the production of Still, Sinfield was approached by Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) for his lyricist skills. Greg Lake specifically sought his help with lyrics, leading Sinfield to say, "Greg called me. 'I need help with the lyrics.' And, boy, did he need help." Although Still was originally released on ELP's Manticore label in 1973, Sinfield soon found himself absorbed into Emerson, Lake & Palmer's world.
With his fear of performing live and the demands of writing for ELP, Sinfield put his solo career on hold and collaborated with Emerson, Lake & Palmer for the next few years.
During the early to mid-1970s, Sinfield resided with his first wife Stephanie in The Mill House, Surrey, which was generously loaned to him by ELP. Notably, his neighbor during this period was Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, with whom Sinfield collaborated on five songs for Brooker's debut solo album, 'No More Fear of Flying'. Concurrently, Sinfield released a book titled 'Under the Sky', containing a collection of his previous lyrics and poems, a title inspired by one of the tracks from his solo album 'Still'.
In 1975, 'I Believe in Father Christmas', a song co-written by Sinfield and Greg Lake, was released, marking another notable achievement during this period.
Ibiza years
After overestimating his wealth and underestimating his percentage of royalties from ELP, he moved to Ibiza to live as a tax exile, and enjoyed his first interruption from continual work in the music industry. There he met a circle of artists, actors, painters, and members of the Chelsea Arts Club such as Peter Unsworth and Barry Flanagan, and eventually parted from his first wife. During his time in Ibiza, Sinfield's break from songwriting allowed him to spend his time travelling, socialising, and reflecting, which he had been unable to do for the previous decade.
During the late 1970s, he continued to move in communities around Spain. In 1978, following the success of his previous lyrics for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Sinfield was asked by ELP to produce lyrics for their album Love Beach, now regarded by many (including Sinfield himself) to be the weakest of all ELP's albums.[9] In 1978 he also narrated Robert Sheckley's In a Land of Clear Colours, an audio sci-fi story released the following year on a limited edition of 1000 vinyl records. The backing music for the story was provided by Brian Eno, with whom Sinfield had previously worked while producing Roxy Music. By the time he returned to London in 1980, with his new Spanish wife (a model and runner-up for Miss Spain), he discovered that progressive rock music was no longer in demand, and that punk had emerged in the UK.
Sinfield also wrote the lyrics, in 1978–1980, for the English versions of
Pop years
Upon his return to London in 1980, his publisher introduced him to
In the United Kingdom, he continued to release hits with Hill, including "
Haiku
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (January 2017) |
There had been rumours of a second solo album, and Sinfield worked on it for a couple of years with vibraphone player and programmer
During this time Sinfield wrote an increasing number of
Sinfield is still active as a writer and appeared in the 2009 BBC documentary Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements.
Personal life
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (January 2017) |
Sinfield now lives in
Influences
Sinfield had a fairly unusual and colourful upbringing, being an only child (bar his adopted brother, Dennis) of a bisexual mother who ran a
Musically he was largely influenced by Bob Dylan and Donovan. Hearing Donovan's opening line of "Colours": "Yellow is the colour of my true love's hair"' was, Sinfield stated, the defining moment when he decided he had the desire and ability to start writing songs.[14]
Discography
Solo
- Still (1973) – vocals, twelve-string guitar, synthesizer, production, cover design (re-released in 1993 as Stillusion)
With King Crimson
- In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) – lyrics, production
- In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) – lyrics, production
- Lizard (1970) – lyrics, VCS3, production
- Islands (1971) – lyrics, production
- Sailors' Tales 1970-1972, 27-disc boxed set (2017) – lyrics, production, live sound mix
With Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Brain Salad Surgery (1973) – lyrics for "Benny the Bouncer" and "Karn Evil 9 3rd Impression"
- Works Volume I(1977) – lyrics
- Works Volume 2 (1977) – lyrics for "Watching Over You", and "I Believe in Father Christmas"
- Love Beach (1978) – lyrics
Others
- McDonald and Giles
- McDonald and Giles (1970) – lyrics and concept for "Birdman"
- Roxy Music (1972) – production
- Photos of Ghosts (1973) – production, lyrics
- The World Became the World (1974) – production, lyrics
- Highdown Fair (1978) – lyrics
- Fables and Fantasies (1980) – lyrics
- With Robert Sheckley and Brian Eno
- In a Land of Clear Colours (1978) – narration
- No More Fear of Flying (1979) – lyrics
- Chris Squire and Alan White
- "Run with the Fox" (1981) – lyrics
- The 1st Album (1981) – lyrics for "It's Your Dream"
- Fairy Tales(1983) – lyrics for "My First Love", "I Believe in Fairy Tales", and "Trick or Treat"
- The 1st Album (1981) – lyrics
- Are You Ready (1982) – lyrics
- I Hear Talk (1984) – lyrics
- Writing on the Wall (1986) – lyrics
- The Story So Far (1988) – lyrics for – "20th Century Hero"
- Moon Martin (1982) and TKA (1988)
- "X-Ray Vision" – lyrics
- Have You Ever Been in Love (1983) – lyrics
- Silk & Steel (1986) – lyrics
- Flairck
- Sleight of Hand (1987) – lyrics for "Walk Upon Dreams"
- I Stand Alone (1987) – lyrics for "Love in a World Gone Mad"
- Heart of Stone (1989) – lyrics for the same song
- The Colour of My Love (1993) – lyrics for "Think Twice"
- Falling into You (1996) – lyrics for "Call the Man"
- Exiles (1997) – lyrics for "This Is Your Life"
- Drivers Eyes (1999) - lyrics for "Let There Be Light"
References
- ^ "Rocking the Classics". Ulike.net. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
In his 1997 book Rocking the Classics, critic/musicologist Edward Macan noted that In the Court of the Crimson King "may be the most influential progressive rock album ever released"
- ^ "Prog Rock Hero". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ [1] Archived 8 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Danes Hill School homepage". Daneshillschool.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Peter Sinfield Q&A". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0-7043-8036-6.
- ISBN 9781493051021.
- ^ ISBN 0-7043-8036-6.
- ^ [2] Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 0-09-189115-9.
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- YouTube
- ^ a b c d "Peter Sinfield – On Songwriting". Peter Sinfield: Marginalia maketh the man. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Exclusive interview w/ Sinfield: Donovan influence". Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
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External links
- Song Soup On Sea – Official website of Peter Sinfield.
- "King Crimson". The Marquee Club (themarqueeclub.net). Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
- An Interview with Peter Sinfield at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 January 2008) of 2002 interview by Todd Kennedy.