The Collectable King Crimson: Volume Four [CD]

Two disc 56,49 minutes each approximately. The sound is very good,especially for a live recording. These tracks are from Warsaw,Poland in 2000. The group consists of Adrian Belew-guitar and vocals,Robert Fripp-guitar,Trey Gunn-touch guitar,ashbory bass,talker,and Pat Mastelotto-electronic drumming.

This set begins with a bang with "Prozakc Blues". It's short with a vocal that's forceful yet slightly humorous. "The ConstruKction of Light" is next with lovely,light guitar in almost a duet setting with the drums,with the bass creeping around through the music. This composition is an example of Crimson's (Fripp's) ability to play an intricate song without all the in your face heaviness they are sometimes known for. It stands out for this reason. After six or so minutes the vocals come in. It should be said here that the mix on this set is done very well-the voice and instruments are open and very clean,nothing has to compete with each other. The next track,"The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum" is in juxtaposition with the previous track. The vocals are very visceral and immediate,along with the guitar. The guitar solos on this track are what King Crimson are known for-searing,molten-hot notes that melt the listener's ears. There is an electronic-sounding keyboard effect (much like an electric piano gone a bit haywire) that only serves to heighten the heaviness of this tune. Track four "Imrov: Warsaw",starts out very heavy yet very tentative. Electronic drums are very obvious here along with the bass. This lays the foundation for the guitars,which combine heaviness with a synth-guitar sound. This is a very satisfying track-it combines everything Crimson is known for. Even the quieter passages are solidly in the Crimson fold. They serve to set up the very intense free-form guitars which follow. This track is about eleven minutes in length,and the intensity builds over several minutes,and is very exciting and in your face.

Things lighten up slightly on track five,"Dinosaur",which has vocals to the front with the rest of the band playing some pretty heavy chords behind. "One Time",track six,starts off quietly with vocals and some fairly relaxed sounds from the band. Again,the previous track,with it's immediacy,in relation to this track,gives the listener a true aural ride. The guitars on this track are very beautiful and delicate,along with the guitar-keyboard-like effects. This track is a highlight of the first disc-only for the way the group holds back on the fire-power and plays very intricately,yet very sensitively. And then there's track seven,"VROOOM",which listeners of the band will know very well. Starting off heavy,it then drops back,once again,to some delicate guitar and bass,only to suddenly throw some big sounds into your face. This has always been a favorite of many Crimson listeners and here you can hear why. There's something about a live recording that just seems to bring a composition like this to it's full fruition. While it is a short piece,it makes up for it in intensity.

The last track on this disc is "Cage",which starts off with some very well recorded acoustic guitar,along with vocals,which tell a story worth pondering. At times this track has an almost jazz-like feel,especially the guitar which vamps in a style not unlike some of the modern masters of jazz guitar. The intensity picks up as this track progresses.

Disc two starts off very loud and abrasive with "Into The Frying Pan",which,over some heavily distorted guitar,has a very mannered-sounding vocal. The drumming is very funereal and unrelenting,and gives this tune an extra dose of "heavyness". The tension builds up and continues to build all through this song,with some of the better guitar playing in this set comes blasting out,and almost bowls the listener over,until it all suddenly ends. Now starts track two,"Lark's Tongue In Aspic: Part Four". Longtime Crimson listeners need no introduction here,it's distorted guitars start out in your face and stay there. The drumming on this track is indeed exemplary,Mastelotto's fills and drum rolls are perfectly timed and played with a great deal of brio. This may be the track that,at least on this set,may win the prize for it's combination of heavy metal playing along with it's intelligent arrangement. This music ebbs and flows while never losing any of it's intensity. This is King Crimson,live,at their finest,but no doubt others will have other favorites here. The combination of music and lyrics are what some still prefer to label "prog",but Crimson has gone past that here. All in all a very satisfying ten minutes plus.

"Three Of A Perfect Pair" is next,after a longish applause sequence by the audience,which could have been shortened or eliminated. The lovely electro-acoustic guitar is played very delicately in combination with the vocals At one point you can hear the guitarist say that he can't play the solo,while he is playing chords. The song ends soon after that rather abruptly. Track four "The Deception Of The Thrush" begins with a mechanical sound,almost as if chains are being dragged around. There is also a heavily distorted vocal which comes in and out,while the band continue to build the music,only to quiet down again. This is an adventurous track which long time Crimson listeners will be prepared for-others may not. This is very atmospheric,almost horror movie music,with some very distorted notes from the guitars,which is actually very satisfying. Several minutes into this tune some very delicately played notes are heared which swell and ebb very nicely,bringing this track to a close.

"Sex,Sleep,Eat,Drink,Dream" is next,once again with a long section of audience clapping before the tune begins. The guitar here sounds like Crimson's take on some of Hendrix's chords in some of his earlier compositions. It's only after a minute or so that the true "Crimson sound" comes into view,only to,once again,quiet down with some lovely chording. The vocal here is very exclamatory,and sits nicely with the musical arrangement. After several minutes the guitars are out front with some great power chords,which,with a short vocal,bring this track to a close. The last track is "Heroes",written by David Bowie and Eno. While keeping to the melody of the song,the group propels this tune along with heavy bass and guitar sounds,with the vocals kept in a nice range for this song. After all that has come before it,this track is very refreshing and leaves the listener (and no doubt the audience) with having witnessed something unique,and was a good way to end this concert. It's hard to imagine anyone coming away from hearing this and not being satisfied.

The enclosed booklet has the usual notes from Fripp and Gunn,from their diaries,along with a number of photographs of the group members. All in all,another good collection of live King Crimson to go along with the previous volumes.

The prior customer ranked the Japanese 4CD set of the CKCV4 set whereas this review shall focus on the American 2CD Warsaw Concert edition. AMV4 is a Warsaw show in 2000. The Japanese edition is something "completely" different. I saw the 2000 tour (Boulder, CO) and was simply blown away by the show. Whereas the prior incarnation of KC included six members in the double-trio, the 2000 KC line-up were four (Fripp, Belew, Gunn, Mastellotto). The Warsaw show is a fantastic example of the 2000 Construction of Light Tour. Sound quality of both discs in the set is phenomenal. I highly recommend this set to anyone interested in the pared down KC, which I actually preferred to the double-trio because there was mass confusion of sound at times in the double-trio's live shows whereas this quartet simply rocks out and each instrument/player is easily distinguishable from the others. To me, that's a huge bonus. Soooo, enjoy the Warsaw set and enjoy the low price of entry for an entire live show by KC 2000.

Made in JAP in 2001, Serial# PCCY-01493, Playing Time 188:58

This is the 4th release in the series, aimed at japanese "consumers" interested in buying official albums only otherwise available through KC's collectors "fan club".

This time, disc 1 (74:02) is a fairly well recorded concert during the "Starless And Bible Black" tour in Central Park, New York City on July 1st 1974, and features the quartet of Fripp/Wetton/Cross/Bruford. Some interesting versions, including "Lament", "Exiles", "Fracture" and "Starless" out of 10 tracks. If you have the "USA" album, you'll be in familiar territory.

Disc 2 (48:45) is taken from a concert at Moles Club in Bath on April 30 1981, a "warm-up" show for the "Discipline" tour; 8 tracks performed by the Belew/Fripp/Bruford/Levin formation. The recording quality is tolerable except for the vocals which are a bit "drowned"; not a soundboard recording by a long shot; "Red", "Indiscipline" and "Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part II" make this album worthwhile.

Disc 3 (66:11) consists of 1997 rehearsals in Nashville, and are loose, well recorded but lacking structure. The double-trio formation is experimenting with songs ideas: there are 18 tracks on the disc, often including dialogue between KC members as they are performing: a document, perhaps, but for the die-hard fan that will love anything KC releases (and I mean ANYTHING). I personnally would have preferred a live performance, but I bought this disc without having any info about it.

Overall, the first 2 discs deserve 4 stars each, while the third only gets 1 star. Considering it's a japanese import, I would recommend this to true fanatics only.