THE 21ST CENTURY GUIDE TO KING CRIMSON - VOLUME TWO (1981-2003)

Both this box set and Volume 1 were irresistible when I was first collecting King Crimson as it featured excellent live versions of their classics without having to buy heaps of separate live CDs. This second volume features the next wave of King Crimson but is nowhere as good as volume 1 featuring their classic first 5 albums.

The difference in the bands music is apparent when comparing this to volume 1 but it was a new sound they were going for with new themes and musicality. Having not owned any of the Krims CDs after their early years, I found this compilation very helpful to complete my collection. It features all of 'The Power to Believe' virtually and the best of Discipline, 3 of a PP and Beat. The live CDs are excellent and they sound great, better then original versions most of the time.

The exhaustive booklet is fascinating and laced with pictures and info on the Krims.

The box set is a nice addition to any Krimsonites collection and is very useful along with volume 1 to get a good solid understanding of the bands history.

If you are new to the band here is an excellent starting point along with volume 1. Not as good as the first volume, but still features some very good tracks from these legendary progenitors of jazz fusion and eclectic prog.

EDIT: Wow, I was harsh giving this only 3 stars, since then I have really grown to love this more recent era of the band and this features the best available from all those albums so 4 stars is warranted. Furthermore the live material is absolutely stunning, so this proves the band have the power to grow on a listener over a period of time. This is an excellent addition to any prog collection, though not the masterpiece material of volume 1 of course. King Crimson addicts can rejoice that these box sets are available!