Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal 1984 [Live, Import]

King Crimson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: June 23, 1998
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live, Import
• Label: Discipline Gm UK
• ASIN: B000007SHH
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,754 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Entry of the Crims

2. Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part III)

3. Thela Hun Ginjeet

4. Red

5. Matte Kudasai

6. Industry

7. Dig Me

8. Three of a Perfect Pair

9. Indiscipline

Disc: 2

1. Sartori in Tangier

2. Frame by Frame

3. Man With an Open Heart

4. Waiting Man

5. Sleepless

6. Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part II)

7. Discipline

8. Heartbeat

9. Elephant Talk

Editorial Reviews

Entertainment Weekly

...Lovers is as weird and rarefied as larks' tongues in aspic.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absent Lovers an Improvement over Studio Material, March 22, 2000

By 

Lunatic Muse "southwestreview" (El Paso, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal 1984 (Audio CD)

Though released in 1998, the King Crimson live offering, "Absent Lovers", was actually recorded on July 11, 1984 at Le Spectrum in Montreal. Prior, Crimson had been through three previous lineups and the one in question, with guitar hero Adrian Belew, was their fourth. They had released three albums from 1981-1984, each more accessible than the next with Belew's wonderful songwriting leading the way from prog-rock icons to pop acceptance. Unfortunately, following the advice of head Crim Robert Fripp, "when the aim has been served, or the commitment discharged, any group worthy of the name disbands", the Belew-influenced King Crimson was on the outs; thusly, the significance of this two-disc live CD. Disc 1 seems influenced primarily by Fripp and his preference for long extemporaneous jam sessions; "Lark's Tongue in Aspic III" and "Thela Hun Ginjeet" are the best examples of the band's ability to turn a beat and run with it for extended periods of time. Disc 2 is filled with the Belew touch; "Man With An Open Heart", "Sleepless" and "Heartbeat" are all included here and each seem to have improved live over the studio versions. "Sleepless" in particular, an awesome song to begin with, benefits from a stronger rhythm section and longer running time. All four band members are at their best, the sound quality is fantastic and crowd noise is kept to a minimum for maximum effect. However, only true believers will want to plow through the pseudo-intellectual babble Fripp passes over as liner notes; with such sentences as "Negative by-products of industrialisation and the rational scientific world-view are the institutionalized traits of rapacity and greed", as well as his insistence on spending six pages rebuffing critics of progressive rock, make for slow, dry reading, in direct contrast to the music he is describing. Personal Favorites: the wonderfully executed jam session on "Thela Hun Ginjeet", a fuller version of "Man With An Open Heart" and a version of "Sleepless" that beats the studio recording hands down.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 80s Bunch Live (4.5 Stars more like), December 25, 2002

By 

Snow Leopard (Urbana, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal 1984 (Audio CD)

People did not expect the 80s lineup of King Crimson, which features about as many exquisite musicians in one band as you could ever hope for, to compose stuff that sounded so much like pop music. Appearances can be deceiving, though, and the music is anything but pop. What it is, compared to old Crimson, is much more conventionally song-like in terms of structure, while going millions of light years in every direction with sound, texture and atmospherics.

As such, this document of King Crimson live is equally unlike what one had come to expect from King Crimson. Specifically, except for the opening "Entry of the Crims", there is not a single monster improvisation to be found through the whole of both disks. Put more simply, this is simply a concert of already recorded music. Newbies might say, "So what?" to this; established fans might already be turning away in disappointment.

As with most live albums, their main interest consists in song selection and performance. Given that there are two disks here, the three albums this lineup originally recorded are almost fully represented--16 out of 25 songs to be specific. All of the versions here are variously more energetic than their originals, and well worth hearing for that reason alone.

Aside from this, there are five reasons to buy this album.

First, the chance to listen to Bill Bruford, Tony Levin, Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp play their instruments is always worth a listen, even when the band is risking far less than earlier Crimson ever did.

Second, as heavier versions of their studio counterparts, the songs also will reward one who listens for subtle variations, both in sound and texture, and naturally Belew's wigged out soundfests. This is a somewhat refined pleasure and the variations are, indeed, perhaps not really appreciable enough to make it a must-buy.

Third, two tracks from older Crimson are included, namely "Red" and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part 2", the latter of which is the true concert signature piece for King Crimson it seems. Needless to say, the distance of the orchestration of these songs relative to their originals is immense, and the main interest in them both lies in getting to hear the present band play the older band's material. (Fripp and Bruford, actually, are common to both versions.)

Fourth, the opening "Entry of the Crims", which in some ways does a disservice to the album, since it demonstrates what the band on that evening might have been capable of had it launched into improvisation anyway. The piece, actually, is an almost scary marriage of the sonic crushing sensibility of older Crimson wedded to the modern instrumentation of the 80s lineup.

Fifth, special mention really has to go to the versions of "Thela Hun Ginjeet", "Three of a Perfect Pair" (which features a totally different, and yet still totally right solo from Belew), and "Industry" (which you wouldn't expect a live version of in the first place, and which is ever so much more menacing than the original...it's just marvelous how this creepy song creeps along and builds).

A terrific set of terrific music terrifically played, there's still a sense of the desire on the part of the band to start totally thrakking (which can most easily be heard in "Industry"), but that would have to wait another half-decade to happen.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great live recording from an underrated lineup, July 15, 2001

By 

G B (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal 1984 (Audio CD)

I've heard it said that this live album makes the 80s King Crimson studio albums superfluous. Well, don't throw away your copies of Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair quite yet -- there are several great tunes that the band didn't perform at this concert. Nevertheless, this is one of the best King Crimson archival releases thus far; the band really burns through the bulk of their 80s tunes, as well as two 70s warhorses ("Red" and "Larks' Tongues pt. 2"). "Entry of the Crims" is pretty intense, with a dissonant guitar duet. "Industry", "Waiting Man", "Dig Me", and "Larks Tongues pt. 3" are all given outstanding performances that completely outstrip the originals. "Discipline" is performed without a hitch, while "Indiscipline" opens with an entertaining drum duet (Belew & Bruford). It's unfortunate that "Neal & Jack & Me", "Neurotica" and "The Sheltering Sky" aren't here in place of inconsequential filler like "Man with Open Heart" and "Heartbeat", but those are minor details. If you like the 1980s King Crimson, you need this; and if you don't, Absent Lovers might change your mind.