The album Red was really great, but I think it might have been even better if they hadn't voted David out of the band (although in that case we probably wouldn't have had Ian, Mel, Marc, and Robin on the record). Well, we never do get to know what could have been, but my hat goes off to Bill Bruford for having cast the lone vote to keep David in. And so how about a thread discussing the oft overlooked David Cross? His solo work is, to me, among the best stuff done at any time by any ex-member of the 72-74 Crimbeast.
I am myself no longer a completist. I only have the following hardcopy by Cross: Memos From Purgatory, Testing To Destruction, and Exiles, which seems to be the most widely known David Cross CD among Crimheads, if for no other reason than the participation therein of Fripp, Wetton, Sinfield, Hammill, and Manzanera. But of the three CDs I have I prefer Testing To Destruction. Does anybody else here get into the David Cross Band?
A note on why I like DC: I played (or rather attempted to play) the violin as a kid, and I do love classical music. But generally I don't enjoy electric violin so much. Too often the electric violin just sounds like a violin with awful tone, even in the hands of a violinist as talented as the great L. Shankar (known for playing with John McLaughlin and Peter Gabriel). But David Cross somehow makes up for the tone-colour limitations of the electric violin. And though there may be many violinists more talented than David Cross, I do love it when his violin sounds as distorted and mind-bending as any heavymetal electric guitar!
Watch the you-tube video of the David Cross Band in Poland to see how DC still gets overlooked, literally: while David's solo is shredding the sonic universe the clueless confused cameraman focuses on the guitarist!
If anybody is interested, please post your thoughts on the solo work of David Cross on this thread!