LIVE IN HEIDELBERG, 1974

This show was recorded in Heidelberg at 29th of March in 1974. And it is a great recording. The sound quality is excellent, just as the playing on the record. The recording starts with an improv, which is more or less an intro to Dr Diamond. This track was never released on a studio album but Crimson played this song a lot during the first months of 1974. It is a dark track about a driver of an underground train. Next is a long version of Exiles with excellent mellotron and violin interplay. This is followed by the second improv of this show. It starts heavy but ends in the vain of Trio, which is a nice bridge to the wonderful Starless. This is one of the classic Crimson tunes. It starts as a ballad and then developes through some heavy bass lines to an excellent epic. Next are two melodic tracks: The Night Watch, about Rembrandt's painting and Lament. Then comes the heavy Easy Money and the album ends with the opening bars of Fracture.

The only flaw on this album is that the tape runs out during Fracture, so only the first tree minutes appear on this CD. Except from the improvs this album doesn't really add something to what we already know: the 72-74 incarnation of Crimson was a great live band. The Night Watch and The Great Deceiver are still the best albums with live recordings from this era, but the fans will also really enjoy this album.