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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 80s Bunch Live (4.5 Stars more like), December 25, 2002
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.
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