Customer Reviews

Great Deceiver 2

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For those of you fortunate enough to have heard TGD Volume 1, I am glad to say that the high quality of performance and musicianship continues with Volume 2. Plus, the fan gets the extra added bonus of 9 improvizations!

On disc 1, the highlights are "The Great Deceiver", for me, the first time I've heard this track performed live. KC is in good form on this night in 1974, as they brilliantly play this piece before moving into the first of the improvs. Trying to describe any of the improvs is like trying to describe the color blue to a blind person, you just have to experience this for yourself. I'm very impressed with Wetton/Bruford/Cross/Fripp and their ability to seemingly effortlessly lay down a completely improvised piece of music in front of a live audience, and create something that grabs the listener. Real talent here and the hallmark of the Wetton era. Anyways, "Night Watch", "Doctor Diamond", and "Starless" are all played with the kind of high energy you should expect from Crimso as well as the classic tracks "The Talking Drum", and the phenomenal "Lark's Tongues in Aspic: Part Two". Fripp (definitely not comfortable in the role of frontman for such a talented group) makes light chit-chat with the crowd before the disc ends in a brilliant improv "Is there life out there?", clocking in at 14+ minutes.

The second disc continues the improv adventure before going into another rendition of "Night Watch" followed by "Fracture" There are several more improvs on this cd, and the whole volume concludes with the second rendition of "The Talking Drum". Fripp actually explains why the two versions of TD in the liner notes, something that he didn't do, but was understood with the 3 versions of "Easy Money" on volume 1.

Anyways, this is outstanding music, great performances from a historic quartet, and highly representative of what makes King Crimson so dynamic and vital as a prog rock act. 5 seriously big stars.

King Crimson gets lumped in with other progressive rock bands of the 70s and while there are some similarities, there is also one huge difference. With ELP, Yes, Genesis and even Jethro Tull, you have bands playing arranged music the same every night, with only a keyboard or guitar solo different. King Crimson, on the other hand, uses the songs as a jumping off point into improvisation as this document shows. They are like the European version of the early Allman Brothers Band. Both bands took their country's ethnic music and mixed it up with a jazz ethos and allowed the music to expand itself live. And unlike a 'jam band', the improvisations always had form, structure and a collective sense of purpose. No 20 minute open ended guitar solos over a shuffle. No loss of form or tune, like in many bebop improvs. This is bunch of intelligent people with huge ears creating beauty.

This version of Crimson played like a freight train barreling down the tracks with a take no prisoners attitude. John Wetton has been more popular, but never better. Bill Bruford is as powerful as any metal drummer without constantly beating the listener over the head. Robert Fripp is classic and David Cross provides the shading that is needed to fill out the sound.

Highly recommended.

i was not a fan of KING CRIMSON until recently. i had no idea they could play like this. these two GREAT DECEIVER CDS (vol. 1 and 2) are a fantastic revelation for me. i had to play the cds a couple of times before the music began to kick in but now they remind me of TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME and MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA a little bit. but ROCK based not JAZZ. KING CRIMSON'S mastermind and great guitarist ROBERT FRIPP is an underrated genius. i can't believe such great, powerful, experimental music is not better known. maybe with the release of these two great cds that will be rectified. i've been playing them non-stop. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

How did Doctor Diamond never make it onto a KC album until now??? What a great interplay between Robert Fripp's screaming guitar and David Cross' melting violin! RF states that he believes the violin is not an appropriate instrument for heavy rock-n-roll, but I throughly disagree. DC proves it in spades on this disc, as well on The Great Deceiver Volume 1. Eric Tamm describes "progressive rock" as "the intellectual head of classical music grafted, Frankenstein-like, onto the body of rock". Well, NOBODY did it better than King Crimson!!! Yes, early Genesis, ELP, even the seminal late-60s Moody Blues...No one else acheived the beauty and terror that captures both musical genres merged like King Crimson, beginning with In The Court of the Crimson King through this early 70s line-up, even through the late 90s with the ProjeKCts and The Power to Believe! In my humble opinion, the rest just pale in comparison!

for those who feel live music conveys more heart and soul than a studio recording. the Great Deceiver sets feature many improvs that show what KC was capable of live. easily the equal of the great fusion bands of the 70's and yet more musical. the sound is very fine, not quite up to Collectable #1, but close. i highly recommend this cd to any KC fan or any fan of rock/jazz fusion. while not normally considered a fusion band, the improvs and musicianship are easily comparable to mahavishnu, return to forever, or weather report. i enjoy this recording immensely and believe any KC fan will also.

If you are a King Crimson's fan you should buy this CD, it has great live music and some interesting recordings.