Talking to the Wind With Ian McDonald
Birthday tribute to the co-founder of Foreigner and King Crimson
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to The Beatles’s 1966 “Paperback Writer” single, Joe Chambers, Clifton Chenier, Epica, Tim Finn, Ella Fitzgerald’s 1938 “A Tisket A Tasket” single, Eddie Floyd, the 1947 publication of Anne Frank’s diary, Antoni Gaudí, Darrell Hughes, June Lockhart, Brian MacLeod (Chilliwack), John McRae (Cake), Harold Melvin, George Michael, Kristin Nelson, George Orwell (a.k.a. Eric Blair—kinda looks like my grandfather), the 1967 OUR WORLD global TV broadcast, David Paich, Prince’s 1984 PURPLE RAIN album, Rain, Carly Simon, Johnny Smith, Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet “The Firebird,” Ziggy Talent, Jimmie Walker, Clint Warwick (Moody Blues), Barry White’s 1975 “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” single, and the mega-talented Ian McDonald. Most people know him from Foreigner and King Crimson, but Robert Fripp reportedly said he never intended to be sole proprietor of the King Crimson brand, and he cited McDonald as a co-founder.
McDonald pursued other ideas with the KC spin-off McDonald & Giles (a fascinating footnote of 70s hippie prog-rock), then co-founded Foreigner—I bought the first Foreigner LP sight-unheard just because his name was on it.
His solo album DRIVERS EYES is also well worth seeking.
In my early music career I emulated multi-instrumentalists (Emitt Rhodes, Roy Wood), and McDonald was on that list for his inspirational adventurism and pursuit of excellence. My KC fan-friends prompted me to cover certain KC songs and I raw-recorded this video of KC’s “I Talk to the Wind,” a song that has spoken to me since I was a teen. I forsook the solos, not daring to replicate McDonald’s sublime flute work on the original. The signature 1969 KC version was sung by Greg Lake and the music was composed by McDonald—who said it was inspired by Joni Mitchell. It was track 2 on the 1969 landmark first album by King Crimson, a bittersweet but elegant segue from the opening metallic jazz dystopia of “21st Century Schizoid Man.”
Pete Sinfield’s lyrics seem to be about a person (straight man) trying to communicate with someone who is self-absorbed or narcissistic (late man), so it’s better to move on and be done with discouragement. Meanwhile, HB to Ian in that great gig in the sky.
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