STARLESS AND BIBLE BLACK

Starless and Bible Black works a lot better for me then its predecessor. Much of the music consists of polished edits from live registrations and that may well be the reason why it sounds more gripping then the somewhat sterile Lark's Tongues in Aspic.

The Great Deceiver is a frantic start with a crushing main theme and strong verses. The chorus with its awkward melody is a bit poor; Wetton's vocals get grating here and the chord sequence is rather clear-cut for Crimson's standards. Lament and The Night Watch are a lot better and boast memorable and sophisticated vocal lines from Wetton. In between sits We'll Let You know, one of the tracks compiled from live registrations, hardly their best one though and it seems to stop just when things are starting to get interesting.

Trio is gentle improvisation of violins and something that sounds like a flute but probably lists under 'mellotron' or 'devices', it's a moment of rest and evokes the feel of the Island album. After this mellow moment, the album would have needed a strong catchy track again, but The Mincer hardly ranks as such. The vocals at the end are interesting but the first 3 minutes are tedious. It sounds like work in progress and shouldn't have qualified as suitable album material.

The second side of the album consist of live material from a concert that would be released in 1997 as The Night Watch. Starless and Bible Black is an adequate improvisation but works a lot better in its live setting. The album ends with the superb Fracture which rates among Crimson's best instrumentals.

Overall this album is uneven and sounds a bit rushed, it has a lot of outstanding material but it has become rather unnecessary since the release of the far superior The Night Watch. It's too good to be banned to the fans/completist section but I wouldn't recommend this as a necessary King Crimson purchase.