THE GREAT DECEIVER: LIVE 1973 - 1974

Let me just say that this is one of my favorite things that I own. If my house was on fire and my family was safe, this would be one of the things i would grab before I run out. When I bought this, I played all four discs repeatedly for three straight months. I have never owned any other collection of music that held my unbroken attention for nearly this long. There is so much to absorb in this collection. A prog rock fans paradise. Nobody before or since (to my knowledge) have probed into dark, uncharted territory without studio wizardry as this rendition of KC. Robert Fripp once described the rhythm section as a "monster" that couldn't be tamed. John Wetton and Bill Bruford created a wall of sound with the brute force of a herd of mastodons with the intricacy and beauty of a classical painting. This was an unbalanced group teetering on the edge of disaster and somehow always able to find its footing. Robert Fripp and David Cross's constant struggle to stay in time and to be heard are evident as well. But somehow the pressure and the tension really proved to be a vital ingredient to this wildly adventurous collection of live performances. Sure there are some improvs that don't quite work that well but that is part of the journey. You still appreciate the effort of four extremely creative instrumentalists. When an improv works however, it's absolute bliss. The live versions of songs are major improvements over their studio counterparts. Much more energy and variations. You also get this line-up's version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" and "Cat Food." There is a version of "Easy Money" with a totally different second verse and an excellent unreleased song "Doctor Diamond."

The different versions of "Starless" and "Fracture" are worth the price alone.

Highly recommended!!