Customer Reviews

Condensed 21st Century Guide to King Crimson

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with the previous reviewer in that this is the most useful King Crimson compilation ever (at least for non-completists), and that previous collections can be deemed obsolete. This one covers each of the five (that would be my count) distinct phases of the band's career, and the result is a superior introduction or summary for the interested layperson. However, I would contend that there is a fundamental challenge behind the very idea of a King Crimson retrospective, from a handy one- or two-disc package like this, to an elaborate multiple-disc box set. Given the band's highly contorted career, with so many musical philosophies and experimental styles coming and going with seemingly dozens of different group members, not to mention Robert Fripp's open-minded anti-leadership, it is probably impossible to create a truly representative King Crimson retrospective.

Just like the music itself is impossible to categorize or pigeonhole, and because the King Crimson muse has evolved so extensively over the decades, efficient collection becomes nearly impossible too. As mentioned above, this release does contain many of the most "collectible" tracks from all the various phases of the twisted and adventurous King Crimson saga (I'm partial to the John Wetton era myself). But in the attempt at "representativeness," the selections can't help but appear arbitrary and obligatory, with the related problem of abridgement for certain tracks that were deemed useful but too long to cram into the few spare minutes available on these two discs. But of course, anyone interested in the history of progressive rock, from late-60s jazzy orchestrations to modern industrialized walls of sound, must be aware of King Crimson and their heavily challenging (and increasingly influential) music. This compilation gets the job done for the innocent bystander, but save your pennies for all the original albums that you'll want to start buying real soon. [~doomsdayer520~]

My Band teacher recently played a couple tracks from his ipod on the stereo at school and ever since I have been hooked on King Crimson like I am on the Beatles, Doors, and Pink Floyd. They are a great band and this two disc compilation is a fantastic compilation of tracks from most of their albums (there are no tracks from the album 'Lizard' on this set). I'd recommend this cd set to anyone looking for something new to listen to than modern rock and other bands, or just anyone who loves music!

I am enlightened. I lost track of King Crimson after their second album and recently heard a piece on Pandora radio then YouTube. My, what I have missed. This double cd covers the highlights of KingCrimson's albums into 21st C. They continued to be experimental and creative. They even experimented with being a double trio. Wow, what? I'm glad I caught up with them. These are cool dudes. Hot cats would be a better description. 'Discipline' is a cool piece.

The Condensed 21st Century Guide to King Crimson (1969-2003) is without a doubt the best King Crimson compilation I've ever heard, and does a good job of hitting a very much moving target. Combine good selections, pretty decent edits where done, and HDCD format and you get a good value for the money. Long time King Crimson fans will enjoy the broader perspective of Crimso music that this compilation affords. Now it seems that in spite of the many personnel changes, Robert Fripp managed to move the KC sound consistently forward since it all began in 1969. A remarkable feat, and something you'll hear when listening straight through both discs.

As for the breakdown of the discs, the first was my favorite, since it represents the older King Crimson sound, which was the first of Crimso that I had heard. However, the second disc does an equally great job of representing the latter half of their long career. Lots of good tracks here on both cds, and lots of good listening.

As a long time King Crimson fan, I really bought this cd to fill out my collection, but quickly came to appreciate it as a very worthwhile purchase. Consider it a must for all KC fans, and a really good place to start for newcomers. 5 stars.

I have to say, I'm not a huge King Crimson fan. I was always intriqued by "Court of the Crimson King", "21st Century Schitzoid Man" and the classic LP covers we grew up with. I was happy for having bought this CD though as both my fav's sounded better than ever, and I enjoyed the other tracks as well. The artwork here is interesting too. Enjoy!

I was impressed by this CD, not being especially familiar with the band, especially in their latter incarnations. Lots of "angular" sounds that defy convention. I've found that this sort of stuff has more longevity than pap that initially sounds just groovy, man. Captain Beefheart as another example of this effect, and he has an impact on me that has lasted my entire life, so far.

Many years ago I discovered King Crimson's debut "In the Court of..." and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. Although I have to admit that in all those years and despite the hundreds of times I've listened to it, I've never once made through "Moonchild". This track is the only reason that I can't rank it as a five-star but regardless, it's considered a land-mark record and given credit for actually being the starting point of the Progressive Rock genre (which I always thought should be credited to the Moody Blues).
I then got "In the Wake of Poseidon" which is a lesser clone of INCOTKC and then "Lizard" which was interesting in spots but never really hit a chord with me. I moved on even though I was aware that KC was still putting out music for years and that many of their records like "Red" and "Dicipline" were garnering high praise. But, there's a lot of music out there and my interests lay elsewhere. But in the last year or two I started to check them out, read some reviews, and listen to samples. I checked out their library including the numerous live albums and comilations and finally settled on "The Condensed 21st Century Guide" as my primer to catch up on what I've been missing for all these years.
All I can say is "wow", these guys are impressive. Clearly the anchor here is Robert Fripp (guitarist extraordinaire) but he appears to be more of a background presense in most of the KC lineups although I'm certain he's pulling a lot of strings. What's suprising to me is how much of a factor Adian Belew is in the band once he joins in 1981. He writes most of the material and is really front and center in each of the KC versions for the past twenty-five years. Fripp is obviously not shy about having a strong front man in his band and Belew has been a perfect fit.
This retrospective two-disc set is a perfect introduction or re-introduction to King Crimson that will appeal to people curious about the band. I don't know the latter day material well so I'm going to assume that the tracks selected represent the discs that they were culled from and if there are better ones remaining then I'm excited to go back and get the albums themselves.
Disc One is probably the most diverse since it represents a time period of band instability in terms of rotation of members. Either Fripp was impossible to work with or something else was going on but there were six different lineups in five years. So, it makes sense that styles would change each time out since Fripp seemed to be the only constant. Stand out tracks on disc one are "21st Century Schizoid Man", "Sailor's Tale", "Starless" and "Red". On disc two things seem more coehesive since both Fripp and Belew are present for every line-up. It seems like more of a musical progression of style than the first periods on disc one. The first tracks from "Disipline" are very similar to Talking Heads of that same period and I'm aware that Belew worked with them so that all makes sense. Top tracks include "Frame by Frame", "Heartbeat", "Three of a Perfect Pair", "VROOOM", "Eyes Wide Open" and "The Power to Believe III". But, it's all good.
I definitely think I'll pick up "Red" and one or two of the post 1981 period cd's so as far as a primer goes, this does the trick.
But, if you are curious about King Crimson or are familiar with certain periods of their work and want to get a broader perspective then "Condensed" is an excellent place to start.

Not a bad product the first CD is great. The 2nd cd is the new stuff that i am not familiar with. RED is their best album. I just wish the song -Neal , jack & me was on this cd.