THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR

The LP sleeve from this release designates the album sides as "left side" and "right side". It should have called them "wrong side" and "right side". The "left side" is easily the worst album side ever created by the mighty King Crimson. Other than Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds), the songs mostly sound like bland Adrian Belew solo tracks. The saving graces (barely) to this mess are the above mentioned song, which is an okay Fripp solo over a light backing track, and Tony Levin's innovative bass line in Sleeples (but only a hair as innovative as his work on Elephant Talk, so don't get your hopes up).

The "right side" is much better. Industry is an experimental, somewhat electronic bolero, that builds to a climax quite nicely. Dig Me has a Beefheart-like angular guitared verse secion, but is marred by a Belew-ridden chorus. It all leads to Larks' Tongues In aspic - Part III. This song is better than just about anything by this Crimson lineup, but still pales next to the other three parts.

"Left side", 1.5 stars. "Right side", 3.5 stars - total 2.5 stars, rounded down.