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Cirkus

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For those of you that need an introduction to the world of King Crimson, here is a perfect place to start. For those of you familiar with Robert Fripp and his many assorted cohorts, this has everything you could possibly want from the live beast that is King Crimson. The years from 1969-1996 are covered, spread over 8 different line-ups, all seamlessly put together to sound like one 2 ½ hour concert. One of progressive rock's founding bands, King Crimson pioneered the use of extended song format with many instruments not often used in the standard rock format, mellotron, violin, clarinet, oboe, bass stick, touch guitar, etc. King Crimson said it was alright to create music that didn't have an instantly hummable melody. This made them sometimes difficult to listen to, but a little patience will reveal many musical pleasures. The great thing about listening to King Crimson live is that they strike a perfect balance between tightly written well-structured songs and improvisational looseness. It is a marriage made in heaven, introducing an element of danger that is a true test of musicianship. Every King Crimson classic is here, but the closing of disc two with the absurdly titled "Larks Tongue In Aspic" (part two, naturally) by the 1996 Double Trio King Crimson, of Robert Fripp, Adrian Below, Trey Gunn, Tony Levon, Pat Mastelotto & Bill Bruford, followed by "Starless" from 1974 with John Wetton, David Cross, plus the ever present Robert Fripp & Bill Bruford is simply Jaw Dropping. It all comes in a nice little 2 C.D Digi-Pak with informative liner notes and a brightly coloured booklet with a full Crimson family tree, and lots of pictures to look at, of all the different line ups over the years. Give the dog a bone, what more could you want. Mott the Dog.

It is hard to use too many superlatives for this two-disc set. This is the definitive introduction to the live performance history of King Crimson from its earliest days to its very latest incarnations and fractals. Even if you have some of the material from which portions of this set is drawn, you don't have all of it and not sequenced in this fashion. Seamless editing of performances from 1974 into performances from 1996 (just to select one instance) leave the listener in absolute awe at the musicality of the performers who have been selected/chosen to give voice to the muse that is King Crimson.

The enhanced CD wherein Mr. Fripp gives a brief history of the band and its cast over the years is a most worthwhile addition. Also, very nice booklet included that gives a bit of a family tree and some nice photos of the folk in action.

Highly recommended--you will not be disappointed.

Granted, Robert Fripp has created a whole new industry with all the live Crimson material released in the past few years. However, Crimson fanatics (like me) can't get enough of this stuff. This set includes much material from the aforementioned live releases, but most of it is previously unreleased. Especially interesting are the two cuts from the '72 lineup - a scorching rendition of Schizoid Man (I believe from the live Earthbound LP) and a real treat, Ladies Of The Road (from Islands). Also, the live performance of Dinosaur by the current lineup will literally blow you out of your chair. A beautiful limited-edition mini-album sleeve, a nice booklet with loads of photos, an enhanced CD-ROM section, a more-than-reasonable price for a 2-CD set...how could any loyal Crimsonite go wrong? If you don't have the cash for all those live Crimson releases out there, this is the perfect sampler.

In one respect, you could file this under shameless self-indulgence (a collected scattering of live performances from across the band's career disingenuously organized as if two complete concerts), but on the other hand, King Crimson has always been a live band par excellence and there are always joys to be found in yet another rendition of familiar Crimson songs.

The first disc consists entirely of post-80 band(s) material, except for "Red", which hails from the last 70s Crimson album. For those familiar with this music, the songs largely comprise a kind of greatest hits for the era, but they also serve well as introductions for newcomers.

The second disc features pre-80s band(s) material, though not always performed by members from that era. Fripp gets the concert-obligatory "21st Century Schizoid Man" (performed by the 1972 lineup) out of the way immediately with the first track, with saxophone included to put a new spin on it. "Ladies of the Road" (from 1972 also), and from 1969 "A Man, A City" and "In the Court of the Crimson King" survey some of the earliest aspects of King Crimson (not my favorite stuff really, but solid enough anyway).

The next four songs showcase what is often regarded as the best King Crimson lineup (of Fripp, Wetton and Bruford, with David Cross on violin and Jamie Muir on percussion). "Easy Money", a concert staple of the time, is hammered out with typical authority, and "Fracture" (perhaps Fripp's best composition ever) is always a treat to hear live. If you are interested in getting this disk for the lone improvisation on it, don't. It is only 1'33" long, and is simply a (not entirely uninteresting) maunder to introduce "The Talking Drum."

Fans of the 74 lineup know that there are many performances of "The Talking Drum" (which on the original album and in concerts live) immediately segues into "Larks' Tongues in Aspic II". There is no exception here, except that the version of Larks' into which "The Talking Drum" segues is performed 22 years later by an entirely different lineup. It is Fripp's way, I think, of indicating conceptual continuity in the band. It seems equally likely that, ever since the unexpected popularity of "21st Century Schizoid Man," that Robert Fripp has been trying to shake that song as the band's defining one. In its place he'd rather have the diptych of "The Talking Drum" and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic II," considering how many live versions of it he's released.

After the studio trickery of knitting together two songs across two decades of time, "Cirkus" closes with that other epic from the 1974 era, "Starless". Were it not for the too-stuntlike octuple speed repetition of my favorite Robert Fripp riff ever (the moody slow section of the song), as well as the horrible saxophone solo on the studio version (that is mercifully absent from all live versions), this song might well be King Crimson's finest moment. As it is, it is way up there, not the least of which for featuring John Wetton at his vocal best. Detailmongers may get a kick out of the variant lyrics here (that were later revised for the studio version). Overall the song makes a fittingly epic end to the side and the album.

Personally, I'd rather have full concerts than selections from many, hence my giving this a 4, but as collections go, it is very solid for what it is. Another minor annoyance is the fact that 10 of the songs here have been released in other King Crimson compilations (specifically "Absent Lovers", ProjeKct One and Two, "Epitaph", "The Night Watch" and "The Great Deceiver"). Acquiring all these songs individually would require more ..., so it's a deal to get them here (albeit as teasers for spending more money), but considering the amount of archival material Fripp must still have, it'd've been even cooler had he pulled out some true, not-destined-to-be-released rarities for inclusion.

I can't say enough good things about Cirkus. I'm a long-standing King Crimson fan, and I love many of their albums, but this one really takes the biscuit. The selection of recordings (made over a 30-year period) is faultless, and despite the changing line-ups of the band, the whole thing flows together absolutely seamlessly.

What strikes you most about King Crimson is that unlike other bands whose roots are in the late 60s, they have remained persistently innovative and dedicated to exploring the boundaries of music. The term `progressive rock' is a bane, and King Crimson do not deserve it. Bands such as Yes, Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, all of whom have survived into the 1990s in one form or another, have become embarrassing beyond redemption (if they had any merits to begin with). Seeing them live is like sitting in a museum. Not so with Crimson.

Apart from the fact that they never seem weighed down by the past, the great thing about hearing King Crimson live is that they strike a perfect balance between tightly written, well-structured songs and improvisational looseness. Although some of the material on this album falls into either extreme, the majority of it is a perfect synthesis between the two. It is a marriage made in heaven, and introduces an element of hazard that is a test of true musicianship.

Fans of King Crimson should require no further words from me before acquiring this album. And for those who are new to the band, I cannot think of a more perfect introduction. At the time of writing, Crimson are about to release their first new studio album since Cirkus was released, entitled The ConstruKction of Light. Here's to the next thirty years of groundbreaking musicianship.

Wow! This is some insane music! I'm a relatively new Crimhead, although I've been listening to/playing prog rock for over 30 years. I don't know why it took me so long to re-discover King Crimson. If you enjoy the more popular "prog" bands like Rush, Yes, Genesis, Kansas, ELP, etc., this is the heavyweight champion of the genre. The musicianship (and musicality) here is top-notch, and that's what prog is all about for me. Combine that with groundbreaking songwriting and earth-shatteringly original experimentation/improvisation, and it's indeed a heady, mind-altering brew.

This release really showcases the band to maximum effect. The tempos (actually tempi) are much increased from the studio releases, especially the double-trio stuff with Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto. This alone gives the songs new energy and urgency; when you listen to VROOOM VROOOM or THRAK on the studio album after listening to this, the studio version sounds downright sluggish. And it's not just mindless speed--the furious tempo is augmented by instrumental tones even more over-the-top than before, and playfully jaw-dropping riffing from all the players.

For the musicians in the crowd, this is the one to have. Guitarists and bassists are all familiar with the mystical "Quest for Tone" that consumes most of our lives. No matter how much you spend on equipment, that perfect tone is always elusive. On this CD, these guys are getting pretty close to those "perfect tones." Everything from the most gore-dripping metallic mayhem to shimmering ethereal washes of notes, and everything in between, is brought home with sonic power and impact. The first notes of THRAK literally snarl right out of your speakers, reaching out to rip your head off. Even the mighty Red achieves a new level of musical brilliance that, dare I say it, pales the original version to pink. That may sound blasphemous, but just listen to Tony Levin kick that song's ass. And the tones are light years better than the studio version. Even Fripp's little squealy fills between lines in the "verse" are cooler. This is the best version I've yet heard of that song.

I bought this shortly after I got the awesome "Deja VROOOM" DVD, and I'd say most of the performances are better on this CD. Bob Fripp obviously culled some of the very best versions of each song offered, and the results are amazing. It's perfect as a sampler of the various eras of the band for anyone new to Crimson. I must say I gravitated toward the double trio, and you may want to get the DVD first if you prefer that lineup. For those of us late-bloomers unfortunate enough to have missed KC live in that incarnation, the DVD is 100% mind-blowing. Even though the CD has some better-sounding performances, it's awe-inspiring actually getting to watch these guys shred. It literally turned my world on its ear! Get them both!

This 2 cd set serves as an excellent overview of the group's live work throughout the past three decades. Die-hard Crimson fans may already have a good bit of this material, but some things (like the tracks from Mexico City) are, as of now, unavailable elsewhere.

Disk 1, "Neon Heat Disease", is mostly comprised of BURNING renditions of 80's-90's KC material and a few PROJEkCT cuts, while disk 2, "Fractured" concentrates on 60's-70's material.

Of special note is the packaging, which is a thick cardboard, miniature double LP sleeve.

The only thing better than King Crimson in the studio is King Crimson on the stage. Despite their notorious trademark of awe-inspiring complexity, these legendary progressive pioneers have always been perfectors of the live transition, unleashing a musical spectacle that still has yet to be topped--or even matched--by anyone else.
It may be true that the Crims have released a wealth of live collections in their day, mostly due to founder Robert Fripp's heavy archiving over the years. And, it may be true that just about any of these releases can serve as proof of their live talents, but "Cirkus" is one that spans King Crimson's entire career (or at least up to the end of the 1990s). The tracks here are gathered from several live performances from 1969-99, ranging in venues from Fillmore West to Montreal to Mexico City. Every era in the band's existence is observed; an invigorating overview of King Crimson's history, "Cirkus" captures the heavy prog symphonics of their beginnings ('In the Court Of the Crimson King'), their amazing transition in the mid-70s ('Easy Money,' 'Starless'), the accessible complexity of their 80s stint ('Indiscipline,' 'Three Of A Perfect Pair'), and the exhausting territory of the 90s ('Thrak,' 'Dinosaur').
Totalling twenty-five tracks in all, each is a quintessential view of the sonic spectacle that is King Crimson, and is one of the few collections that approaches the term "definitive."

Why, the hell, Robert Fripp bands, called King Crimson, can not bring us one perfect piece of art? Why 90% of the objective listeners use to pick up their favorites from every disc, while skipping the strange-noisy rest of it? Why can't they put the remote control away, when Crimson is played? Anyway, Crimson is very special band (or may i say "bands"?) and "Cirkus" is a fine collection of their live concerts by the yrs 1970-1998. Personaly, i prefered the early days of the vocalists Greg Lake and John Wetton. The rest, with Adrian Belew has its ups and downs, but worth buying it.

'Til Bob Fripp gathers all the memebers under one roof, Cirkus is the next best thing ... a cursory glance at the set list should be indication enough. Die-hard Crim-enthusiasts need look no further, while newly-interetsed parties are give an honest sampling of the sonic monster that has been and will continue to be (knock on wood) KING CRIMSON!