THE NIGHT WATCH

The only misfortunate aspect of this Crimson performance in the Netherlands is that it is not complete as some of the tapes were lost, damaged or they just ran out of tape. Crimson shows were quite lengthly during this era and the latter is quite possible.

The beauty of the Crims to this day is that they never play any composition the same way and this performance is one of their best from the 73-74 era. The real gem here is the interpretation of The Talking Drum with Bruford`s jazz background really showing through. All the other tracks are superbly executed. Overall this is a great starting point for those wanting to familiarize themselves with the 73-74 live Crimson. Bear in mind that the tracks are not in sequence as they were arranged on the set list and even Fripp can`t remember or has any record of the the order. The next step, of course as my fellow reviewers have pointed out is the Great Deciever box set if you have $100 or so to invest. Crank this baby to 11!