RED

David Cross left the band after their last tour, previous to the recording of this album, but he appears as guest in this album in some parts. So, the band`s last line-up of the seventies was a trio, Bruford-Fripp-Wetton (drums-guitar-bass) augmented by some guest musicians. It is maybe the "heaviest" album released by this band in the seventies, and it is maybe the best from their 1972-74 period.

"Red" is a heavy instrumental piece played by the trio, with several guitars and very good drums by Bruford.

"Fallen Angel" is less heavy than the previous song, but it is also good.

"One More Red Nightmare" is another heavy song, composed by Fripp and Wetton, and it has interesting bass, drums and percussion.

"Providence" is a song which sounds improvised, not very interesting for me.

"Starless" is a very good song, a sad song in parts, a heavy song in other parts, with saxes and mellotron. it sounds like King Crimson`s "Swan Song", a "Farewell song", like the band knew that it was their last album. Ian McDonald appears playing saxes, with Mel Collins too, two former members of the band as guests. It is curious that this song is only called "Starless" because the lyrics say in some parts "Starless and Bible Black", which is the title of an instrumental piece released in the "Starless and Bible Black" album! Wettn also performed a brief version of this song during ASIA`s 1990-1991 reunion tour, and he maybe also has played this song in his concerts as a soloist.

It seems that Bruford and Wetton were expecting to go on tour after the recording of this album, but Fripp said that the band was finished.

Apart from the "USA" live album released in 1975, I consider this album as being the last very good album from this band. The music of the next line-ups of this band, with Adrian Belew, was not as interesting for me than the music they recorded between 1969 and 1974.