13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Staggeringly brilliant, August 18, 2003
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Great Deceiver (Audio CD)
If only all archival live releases were assembled by someone with as much insight into the mentality of the hardcore fan as Mr Fripp. This is what we've been waiting for, for decades in some cases. A document of the 1973-74 band refining and developing their core repertoire - and freely-improvising A LOT! I can't recommend it highly enough.
In the `core repertoire' category, highlights include "Larks Tongues Part 1" from Disc 4, with its unusual violin solo; the effective reworking of "Cat Food" on Disc 2; the first version of "Easy Money" in which Wetton laughs and drifts out of tune on the first verse; a rare chance to hear the title song performed live; Disc 3's "Starless" in which Cross and Bruford play ferociously; Disc 4's "Fracture" in which the tuned percussion is upfront in the mix (at last!)...and a previously unreleased song, "Doctor Diamond". Bootleg collectors will know that this song evolved quite a bit during its lifetime - fortunately, this box includes the best version, the one with a slow, largely-composed, middle section.
As to the improvisation - it goes without saying that those who can't handle it had better not buy this box, but, frankly, what are those people doing listening to King Crimson? "Outside" improvisation was practically King Crimson's raison d'etre during their first phase of existence - and their ability to carry it off, especially during 1973-4, was the thing that most set them apart from the rest of the so-called prog-rock genre.
The David Cross-dominated pieces are my personal favorites - "Clueless and Slightly Slack" is marvellous (no matter what the band-biography says!). The incredibly sinister "The Law of Maximum Distress" really takes flight when Cross re-enters on violin for a ferocious exchange of ideas with Bruford. (Note: This improvisation has been edited to cover up the fact that "The Mincer" was also extracted from it). On Disc 1, "Providence" is finally released in its entirety. Disc 3's "Daniel Dust" stands out for its mellowness, though it's not as gentle as "Trio". And there are two really rollicking "Talking Drum"s with Cross more to the fore than on the studio version.
I must mention also an exceptional 14-minute improv on Disc 1 that moves through many moods and instrumental combinations and a surprising extension/development of "Easy Money" on Disc 2.
So to recap, this is four CDs of some of the most inventive, and most courageous music, ever played in rock venues. The box is expensive - but the music is probably worth it!
(Note: I am in fact ghengisadonis, aged twenty-something, using the Kids Review form because the usual form is currently unavailable due to a technical error).
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Aaagh! Enjoyment overload!, December 1, 1999
This review is from: Great Deceiver (Audio CD)
This is it, really, the Holy Grail for Crimheads, four discs of live mayhem from Ramblin' Bob Fripp and his Merrie Men of 73-74. Unless you're an obsessive bootleg collector, in which case you probably have these already, you can hardly fail to marvel at the fact that people actually played this stuff live and people paid to listen to them. It's a party pack of fun'n'laffs as the boys from Crim rip into some of the darkest and grimmest rock music ever created. It also has the pleasant bonus of some of Fripp's hilariously tongue-in-cheek stage announcements, plus a detailed booklet including extracts from Fripp's 1974 tour diary, many embarrassing photographs and some amusingly negative reviews. Improvs galore, which is a joy for those of us who like them and probably something of a pain for those who don't - but then, who really wants to hear yet another live version of 21st Century Schizoid Man?
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still In Print, May 25, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Great Deceiver (Audio CD)
DO NOT pay the ridiculous sum of money asked by amazon sellers. Go to www.disciplineglobalmobile.com (the official King Crimson store which manufactures almost all the live, hard to find Krimson material) for a new copy of this at the standard box set price of $63. This item is still in print as of 2004, and should stay in print indefinitely, but if it ever goes out of print, go to the DGM site to contact customer service. Usually they'll be able to tell you when/if the item will go back into print and of course if enough people email them about a particular product, they'll have no choice but to put it back into print. Other than that, I recommend this item. 5 out of 5 stars doesn't really do this justice. I'd give at least 7 stars if I could.
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