McDonald And Giles
McDonald And Giles

It is simply named after the creators of this excellent and unique self-produced work: "McDonald And Giles." Ian McDonald, the ingenious multi-instrumentalist, capable of playing saxophone, flute, vibraphone, keyboards, and guitar, and Michael, known as Mike Giles, a drummer with incredibly clear sounds combined with a unique way of wielding the sticks. An inseparable adventure companion is also the bassist and brother Pete Giles.

Their signature style is instantly recognizable, obviously stemming from the experience of "In The Court Of The Crimson King." For this reason, the very structure of the album can boldly be defined as similar. The music of "McDonald And Giles" indeed contains the same type of complexity that characterized the work of the King Crimson, but perhaps with a lesser dose of that heavy and oppressive feeling found in the sublime creations with Fripp and the others, which here seem slightly dissipated, creating at times more relaxed atmospheres (the total absence of the mellotron plays a significant role in this sense and is a predominant point of contrast). "One of the reasons I left King Crimson," Ian MacDonald states in an interview at the time, "beyond personal differences with Robert Fripp, is precisely the fact that I wanted to address positive themes. The music of King Crimson deals with evil subjects, I want music that talks about good things."

And so it was that in the middle of the American tour to promote King Crimson’s debut, the two decided to abandon everything, forcing Robert Fripp to cancel all the dates. The two fugitives hastened to write music, driven by new compositional energy and a contract with Island Records for a trial album.

The first song they wrote, and which opens the album, was "Suite In C; Including Turnham Green, Here I Am And Others", which more than any other compositions still reflects the influence of the KC masterpiece from which the two artists emanate. The flute played in a delightful classical matrix, à la I Talk To The Wind, and the keyboard solo by Steve Winwood, a guest in the section named Turnham Green, make the interpretation nothing short of stunning. On acoustic guitar, Ian McDonald offers us two gems, the two delicate ballads "Flight Of The Ibis" and "Is She Waiting", a pair of excellent acoustic creations. In the first, the lyrics are crafted by B.P. Fallon, a well-known figure in the musical entourage of the time. The peak of the album is undoubtedly "Tomorrow's People - The Children Of Today", signed by Mike Giles and drawn from the pot of the days of Giles, Giles & Fripp. Here the drums are played in a way that delights the ear, especially in the small solo. A special applause should also be given in homage to the voice of Ian McDonald in a state of grace. "Birdman" is the great suite born from a vision by Peter Sinfield, who indeed writes the lyrics, inspired by the figure of aviation pioneer Alliot Verdon Roe, founder of the famous warplane manufacturing company Avro. It tells the story of a man who dreams of flying and builds two mechanical wings that lead him to realize his dream. Pete Sinfield is a poet and also shows it in this case: the use of metaphors and other rhetorical devices generously, for linear and highly evocative texts, giving the piece a typically British nuance. "Birdman" is a sublime suite, I dare say, in which each change of musical theme corresponds to a change of atmosphere, a kind of association of images or stream of consciousness. The skill of the musicians also stands out forcefully, able to comfortably navigate between genres that range from jazz to rock to progressive.

Recorded in 1970, "McDonald And Giles" was released in the autumn of that same year in England but was only published a year later in America. The success was scarce. If it is true that this album is impossible not to compare to the already mentioned "In The Court Of The Crimson King," it is equally true that it holds up the comparison greatly: considered a great album by all the early King Crimson nostalgics.