Favorite Live King Crimson

Epitaph
Absent Lovers
Great Deceiver
Ladies of the Road
Heavy ConstruKction

Ladies of the Road and Summit Studios.....love that incarnation of the band - and those two sets feature them at their most refined.  However, those '74 shows can't be beat - USA (despite the minor glitches), TGD and the Nightwatch are all outstanding from start to finish......the energy and power of that band blow my head off even all these years later. 

Edited by Intruder - March 17 2016 at 11:46

Audio only;
B'Boom; Live In Argentina

DVD;
Deja Vroom

TODDLER wrote: Dellinger wrote: TODDLER wrote: Dellinger wrote: TODDLER wrote: Dellinger wrote: TODDLER wrote: The Nightwatch which is the Amsterdam show...was originally played on the late night radio broadcast of the "King Biscuit Flower Hour". In the 70's I had recorded it several times directly from the radio. Fripp was correct in his statements about the show being the best performance to date. When I first purchased "The Night Watch"..the only flaw  being evident was the mellotron drop out during the performance of the song "The Night Watch". Short of that...the performance is completely outstanding and it is impeccable how they follow each other perfectly during the improvisations. I can't recall if it was Tommy Vance introducing each song on the original radio broadcasts of that show..but I do know that people were amazed to hear it then. Earthbound was a huge disappointment and many folks felt it was reminiscent of a hopper flushing. When it was first released..I ordered a copy from Brian Gatland in England and I was confused as to why Fripp would allow such a poor quality recording to be released at all. It did no justice for the Islands band. I disliked Epitaph because it did not represent the talent and creativity of the 69' band. The Fillmore West was a soundboard recording that was tolerable..but the band wasn't very tight that evening and as such was an "off night". Pete Sinfield misplaced the greatest concert tape of the 69' band which was the concert at the Fillmore East. Fripp made claim to that show being the most outstanding performance of the 69' band. That alone is the only accurate and justified representation of the 69' band and it is flippin' lost forever it seems. The audience tape of the Fillmore East was discovered by Michael Giles and that features a whole of 4 tracks which is nothing but a tease. That can be found on Epitaph.   U.S.A. was a decent show...although Fripp was sick on stage that night. I believe he had been vomiting from eating bad seafood. I didn't appreciate the Asbury Park concert until I heard the original stripped down version which featured David Cross instead of Eddie Jobson. Some of the collector's club releases were a mouse trap becaause they contained the same God forsaken set list and how many times can you hear it? The Great Deceiver was outstanding and I believe it's a worthwhile purchase. "Journey to the Center of the Cosmos" should have been recorded in the studio and placed on the RED album. As Fripp states during live transmission..."This is a piece we have been working on for a very long time" Bingo! Then why did it not appear on a studio album? Atlantic Records perhaps had a confrontation with the band. The Ausbury Park concert was officially released without overdubs on "Collectible King Crimson Vol 1", which I have, and I actually don't intend on getting the USA concert. But by what you say, it seems I do have to get the Night Watch album. In 74' Starless and Bible Black was released on LP and most people had no clue that 2 tracks in particular were from the Amsterdam (Nightwatch), show with the audience mixed out and a few overdubs. It was strange  hearing the original live recording on Amsterdam. The best live version of "The Sailors Tale" can be found on "Plymouth live in 71" . It's very extended progressing through 3 or 4 patterns. They also perform "In the Court of the Crimson King" along with 2 songs from Lizard. It's an outstanding collectors club release. This took place in 71' prior to the band overthrowing Fripp with R&B influenced style. On the 72' concerts the band attempts to play I.T.C.O.T.C.K. in a blues style influenced by the old Muddy Waters chord progression on "Rolling Stone". I usually steer clear of the 72' concerts of the Islands band for this reason. Box Burrell experienced the British Blues Boom era ...being very talented within those areas..but it wasn't fitting to the style of King Crimson. Fripp was not interested in the Blues and didn't play it very well. If you want to stay in the progressive vain...then stick with the 71' live shows.   In the end, Boz, Wallace, and Collins teamed up with Alexis Corner. Hey, since you seem to know so much about different King Crimson concerts, then perhaps you could help me a bit here. One of my favourite King Crimson songs is Starless, but unlike the majority of Crimson fans, I prefer it live. Perhaps because I heard it live first, and for me the main theme of the song has to be played with violin. However, the first version I heard is the one on "Collectible King Crimson 1", well, there are two versions there, but the one I liked was the one from Mainz 74. I like this one because the "improv" section of the second half is kind of better structured and more satisfying than other live versions, and the final climax is also better structured and more powerful than the other live versions I've heard (and for me also more powerful than the studio version). The only problem is that the sound quality is a tiny bit lower than other versions I've heard. Actually, if I only hear it and don't compare it with other versions I won't even notice it, but if I do compare it, specially the violin sounds clearer in the other versions. In the end, my question is if you know the version I'm talking about, and if you may know any other comparable version in quality of performance, but with better sound quality. Actually, that concert was overall very good, I also liked the version of Easy Money very much on that one, specially the drumming was very good.   This is very difficult for me because I haven't heard other versions of Starless in many years. The band was performing this piece in 74' during road travel and I believe (of course) that it was pieced together as they traveled. I will dig through some boxes , play them ...and compare. Fripp was always 1 step ahead of the game. Some of the ideas written for Larks' Tongues and Aspic and Starless and Bible Black were recorded by the Islands band and are featured on the Steve Wilson Islands re-mix cd. In this case ...you are hearing the sax of Mel Collins instead of the violin of David Cross. It's interesting to hear the difference in approach. The pieces are just as worthy...yet contain a different approach stylistically to the Larks and Starless period. I've always wanted to hear the piece "RED" performed live in 74' prior to the band folding...apparently it wasn't written in time?  I believe about Mel Collins on sax you mean the studio version, not some lost version from the islands days... in that case, as far as I remember, the intro part was originally played by Cross on violin, and when they recorded it on studio, that part was played on guitar by Fripp, the sax is playing something else. At the end the main theme is repeated in a "grand finale" stile, on the live version it's played by Fripp on electric guitar (and in many cases it's rather weak, but the particular version that I like has it very strong and cool), on the other hand, that final part is played on sax in the studio version (I'm not sure if it's by Mell Collins or Ian McDonald), and for me it's rather weaker than the electric guitar from the version I like best. It's the lost version from the Islands days. It has nothing to do with "Starless". It's available on the Steve Wilson re-mix of Islands. I don't have it handy and I forget it's title. The instrumental is built upon the developing structure of Larks Tongues In Aspic and Lament.   If you've ever noticed, the songs/pieces on In The Wake Of Poseidon were written and performed on the tour for the In the Court of the Crimson King album. The following year...they turned up on Poseidon. With Lizard..there was a gap and since the band never toured , (shame), Fripp began work on Islands during rehearsals instead of traveling the road. Towards the end of the Boz, Wallace, Collins, and Fripp lineup, the band rehearsed/recorded music which in the following year...had been re-arranged with Muir, Bruford, Wetton and Cross and was recorded for the Larks album. In 73'...the band performed pieces that were to be released the following year on the Starless and Bible Black album. That pattern of writing and rehearsing for the next album while traveling the road..was most notable with Ian Anderson..however..it was a common practice then and still is today. 'Starless" apparently had been written during road travel and later recorded for RED...just like all the other times..the band was on a mission.

OK then. Yeah, I guess that was a cool way to make up new music. And yeah, I knew about some of the songs of Poseidon having been played live by the original line-up... however, the one song I'd love to find played by that line-up (and in good quality) would be the title song, but somehow I believe that doesn't exist.

TODDLER wrote: Dellinger wrote: TODDLER wrote: Dellinger wrote: TODDLER wrote: The Nightwatch which is the Amsterdam show...was originally played on the late night radio broadcast of the "King Biscuit Flower Hour". In the 70's I had recorded it several times directly from the radio. Fripp was correct in his statements about the show being the best performance to date. When I first purchased "The Night Watch"..the only flaw  being evident was the mellotron drop out during the performance of the song "The Night Watch". Short of that...the performance is completely outstanding and it is impeccable how they follow each other perfectly during the improvisations. I can't recall if it was Tommy Vance introducing each song on the original radio broadcasts of that show..but I do know that people were amazed to hear it then. Earthbound was a huge disappointment and many folks felt it was reminiscent of a hopper flushing. When it was first released..I ordered a copy from Brian Gatland in England and I was confused as to why Fripp would allow such a poor quality recording to be released at all. It did no justice for the Islands band. I disliked Epitaph because it did not represent the talent and creativity of the 69' band. The Fillmore West was a soundboard recording that was tolerable..but the band wasn't very tight that evening and as such was an "off night". Pete Sinfield misplaced the greatest concert tape of the 69' band which was the concert at the Fillmore East. Fripp made claim to that show being the most outstanding performance of the 69' band. That alone is the only accurate and justified representation of the 69' band and it is flippin' lost forever it seems. The audience tape of the Fillmore East was discovered by Michael Giles and that features a whole of 4 tracks which is nothing but a tease. That can be found on Epitaph.   U.S.A. was a decent show...although Fripp was sick on stage that night. I believe he had been vomiting from eating bad seafood. I didn't appreciate the Asbury Park concert until I heard the original stripped down version which featured David Cross instead of Eddie Jobson. Some of the collector's club releases were a mouse trap becaause they contained the same God forsaken set list and how many times can you hear it? The Great Deceiver was outstanding and I believe it's a worthwhile purchase. "Journey to the Center of the Cosmos" should have been recorded in the studio and placed on the RED album. As Fripp states during live transmission..."This is a piece we have been working on for a very long time" Bingo! Then why did it not appear on a studio album? Atlantic Records perhaps had a confrontation with the band. The Ausbury Park concert was officially released without overdubs on "Collectible King Crimson Vol 1", which I have, and I actually don't intend on getting the USA concert. But by what you say, it seems I do have to get the Night Watch album. In 74' Starless and Bible Black was released on LP and most people had no clue that 2 tracks in particular were from the Amsterdam (Nightwatch), show with the audience mixed out and a few overdubs. It was strange  hearing the original live recording on Amsterdam. The best live version of "The Sailors Tale" can be found on "Plymouth live in 71" . It's very extended progressing through 3 or 4 patterns. They also perform "In the Court of the Crimson King" along with 2 songs from Lizard. It's an outstanding collectors club release. This took place in 71' prior to the band overthrowing Fripp with R&B influenced style. On the 72' concerts the band attempts to play I.T.C.O.T.C.K. in a blues style influenced by the old Muddy Waters chord progression on "Rolling Stone". I usually steer clear of the 72' concerts of the Islands band for this reason. Box Burrell experienced the British Blues Boom era ...being very talented within those areas..but it wasn't fitting to the style of King Crimson. Fripp was not interested in the Blues and didn't play it very well. If you want to stay in the progressive vain...then stick with the 71' live shows.   In the end, Boz, Wallace, and Collins teamed up with Alexis Corner. Hey, since you seem to know so much about different King Crimson concerts, then perhaps you could help me a bit here. One of my favourite King Crimson songs is Starless, but unlike the majority of Crimson fans, I prefer it live. Perhaps because I heard it live first, and for me the main theme of the song has to be played with violin. However, the first version I heard is the one on "Collectible King Crimson 1", well, there are two versions there, but the one I liked was the one from Mainz 74. I like this one because the "improv" section of the second half is kind of better structured and more satisfying than other live versions, and the final climax is also better structured and more powerful than the other live versions I've heard (and for me also more powerful than the studio version). The only problem is that the sound quality is a tiny bit lower than other versions I've heard. Actually, if I only hear it and don't compare it with other versions I won't even notice it, but if I do compare it, specially the violin sounds clearer in the other versions. In the end, my question is if you know the version I'm talking about, and if you may know any other comparable version in quality of performance, but with better sound quality. Actually, that concert was overall very good, I also liked the version of Easy Money very much on that one, specially the drumming was very good.   This is very difficult for me because I haven't heard other versions of Starless in many years. The band was performing this piece in 74' during road travel and I believe (of course) that it was pieced together as they traveled. I will dig through some boxes , play them ...and compare. Fripp was always 1 step ahead of the game. Some of the ideas written for Larks' Tongues and Aspic and Starless and Bible Black were recorded by the Islands band and are featured on the Steve Wilson Islands re-mix cd. In this case ...you are hearing the sax of Mel Collins instead of the violin of David Cross. It's interesting to hear the difference in approach. The pieces are just as worthy...yet contain a different approach stylistically to the Larks and Starless period. I've always wanted to hear the piece "RED" performed live in 74' prior to the band folding...apparently it wasn't written in time?

I believe about Mel Collins on sax you mean the studio version, not some lost version from the islands days... in that case, as far as I remember, the intro part was originally played by Cross on violin, and when they recorded it on studio, that part was played on guitar by Fripp, the sax is playing something else. At the end the main theme is repeated in a "grand finale" stile, on the live version it's played by Fripp on electric guitar (and in many cases it's rather weak, but the particular version that I like has it very strong and cool), on the other hand, that final part is played on sax in the studio version (I'm not sure if it's by Mell Collins or Ian McDonald), and for me it's rather weaker than the electric guitar from the version I like best.

dr wu23 wrote: Fredobobrick wrote: After listening to both "The Great Deceiver" and "The Night Watch", I have to say that "The Night Watch" impressed me more. The turning point was "The Talking Drum" on the latter. I encourage all of you to listen or re-listen to it right now. It is impeccable. Just listen to it. Having the Great Deceiver box I never bothered to buy Night Watch but being a fan of KC it's time to get a copy.

I still haven't heard "The Night Watch", but one thing that doesn't seem right to me about it is that it doesn't inlcude "Starless", and that's a key song of the live repertoire of that line-up. However, I do have it in other live albums, so I guess I could just as well give that album a try someday.

After listening to both "The Great Deceiver" and "The Night Watch", I have to say that "The Night Watch" impressed me more. The turning point was "The Talking Drum" on the latter.

verslibre wrote: We need more love for Absent Lovers. I love that era of KC. Those three '80s studio albums are a shining example of great prog in a decade not known for it, by a band whose leader didn't feel like riding his own coattails.

I haven't got the 80's albums because I got a pair of live albums from the double trio, and they play what I believe are the more important songs from the 80's, and for what I've heard from another 80's live album, I like much better the versions of the double trio.

TODDLER wrote: Dellinger wrote: TODDLER wrote: The Nightwatch which is the Amsterdam show...was originally played on the late night radio broadcast of the "King Biscuit Flower Hour". In the 70's I had recorded it several times directly from the radio. Fripp was correct in his statements about the show being the best performance to date. When I first purchased "The Night Watch"..the only flaw  being evident was the mellotron drop out during the performance of the song "The Night Watch". Short of that...the performance is completely outstanding and it is impeccable how they follow each other perfectly during the improvisations. I can't recall if it was Tommy Vance introducing each song on the original radio broadcasts of that show..but I do know that people were amazed to hear it then. Earthbound was a huge disappointment and many folks felt it was reminiscent of a hopper flushing. When it was first released..I ordered a copy from Brian Gatland in England and I was confused as to why Fripp would allow such a poor quality recording to be released at all. It did no justice for the Islands band. I disliked Epitaph because it did not represent the talent and creativity of the 69' band. The Fillmore West was a soundboard recording that was tolerable..but the band wasn't very tight that evening and as such was an "off night". Pete Sinfield misplaced the greatest concert tape of the 69' band which was the concert at the Fillmore East. Fripp made claim to that show being the most outstanding performance of the 69' band. That alone is the only accurate and justified representation of the 69' band and it is flippin' lost forever it seems. The audience tape of the Fillmore East was discovered by Michael Giles and that features a whole of 4 tracks which is nothing but a tease. That can be found on Epitaph.   U.S.A. was a decent show...although Fripp was sick on stage that night. I believe he had been vomiting from eating bad seafood. I didn't appreciate the Asbury Park concert until I heard the original stripped down version which featured David Cross instead of Eddie Jobson. Some of the collector's club releases were a mouse trap becaause they contained the same God forsaken set list and how many times can you hear it? The Great Deceiver was outstanding and I believe it's a worthwhile purchase. "Journey to the Center of the Cosmos" should have been recorded in the studio and placed on the RED album. As Fripp states during live transmission..."This is a piece we have been working on for a very long time" Bingo! Then why did it not appear on a studio album? Atlantic Records perhaps had a confrontation with the band. The Ausbury Park concert was officially released without overdubs on "Collectible King Crimson Vol 1", which I have, and I actually don't intend on getting the USA concert. But by what you say, it seems I do have to get the Night Watch album. In 74' Starless and Bible Black was released on LP and most people had no clue that 2 tracks in particular were from the Amsterdam (Nightwatch), show with the audience mixed out and a few overdubs. It was strange  hearing the original live recording on Amsterdam. The best live version of "The Sailors Tale" can be found on "Plymouth live in 71" . It's very extended progressing through 3 or 4 patterns. They also perform "In the Court of the Crimson King" along with 2 songs from Lizard. It's an outstanding collectors club release. This took place in 71' prior to the band overthrowing Fripp with R&B influenced style. On the 72' concerts the band attempts to play I.T.C.O.T.C.K. in a blues style influenced by the old Muddy Waters chord progression on "Rolling Stone". I usually steer clear of the 72' concerts of the Islands band for this reason. Box Burrell experienced the British Blues Boom era ...being very talented within those areas..but it wasn't fitting to the style of King Crimson. Fripp was not interested in the Blues and didn't play it very well. If you want to stay in the progressive vain...then stick with the 71' live shows.   In the end, Boz, Wallace, and Collins teamed up with Alexis Corner.

Hey, since you seem to know so much about different King Crimson concerts, then perhaps you could help me a bit here. One of my favourite King Crimson songs is Starless, but unlike the majority of Crimson fans, I prefer it live. Perhaps because I heard it live first, and for me the main theme of the song has to be played with violin. However, the first version I heard is the one on "Collectible King Crimson 1", well, there are two versions there, but the one I liked was the one from Mainz 74. I like this one because the "improv" section of the second half is kind of better structured and more satisfying than other live versions, and the final climax is also better structured and more powerful than the other live versions I've heard (and for me also more powerful than the studio version). The only problem is that the sound quality is a tiny bit lower than other versions I've heard. Actually, if I only hear it and don't compare it with other versions I won't even notice it, but if I do compare it, specially the violin sounds clearer in the other versions. In the end, my question is if you know the version I'm talking about, and if you may know any other comparable version in quality of performance, but with better sound quality. Actually, that concert was overall very good, I also liked the version of Easy Money very much on that one, specially the drumming was very good.

TODDLER wrote: The Nightwatch which is the Amsterdam show...was originally played on the late night radio broadcast of the "King Biscuit Flower Hour". In the 70's I had recorded it several times directly from the radio. Fripp was correct in his statements about the show being the best performance to date. When I first purchased "The Night Watch"..the only flaw  being evident was the mellotron drop out during the performance of the song "The Night Watch". Short of that...the performance is completely outstanding and it is impeccable how they follow each other perfectly during the improvisations. I can't recall if it was Tommy Vance introducing each song on the original radio broadcasts of that show..but I do know that people were amazed to hear it then. Earthbound was a huge disappointment and many folks felt it was reminiscent of a hopper flushing. When it was first released..I ordered a copy from Brian Gatland in England and I was confused as to why Fripp would allow such a poor quality recording to be released at all. It did no justice for the Islands band. I disliked Epitaph because it did not represent the talent and creativity of the 69' band. The Fillmore West was a soundboard recording that was tolerable..but the band wasn't very tight that evening and as such was an "off night". Pete Sinfield misplaced the greatest concert tape of the 69' band which was the concert at the Fillmore East. Fripp made claim to that show being the most outstanding performance of the 69' band. That alone is the only accurate and justified representation of the 69' band and it is flippin' lost forever it seems. The audience tape of the Fillmore East was discovered by Michael Giles and that features a whole of 4 tracks which is nothing but a tease. That can be found on Epitaph.   U.S.A. was a decent show...although Fripp was sick on stage that night. I believe he had been vomiting from eating bad seafood. I didn't appreciate the Asbury Park concert until I heard the original stripped down version which featured David Cross instead of Eddie Jobson. Some of the collector's club releases were a mouse trap becaause they contained the same God forsaken set list and how many times can you hear it? The Great Deceiver was outstanding and I believe it's a worthwhile purchase. "Journey to the Center of the Cosmos" should have been recorded in the studio and placed on the RED album. As Fripp states during live transmission..."This is a piece we have been working on for a very long time" Bingo! Then why did it not appear on a studio album? Atlantic Records perhaps had a confrontation with the band.

The Ausbury Park concert was officially released without overdubs on "Collectible King Crimson Vol 1", which I have, and I actually don't intend on getting the USA concert. But by what you say, it seems I do have to get the Night Watch album.