Recorded: 1972; Released: 1999
Tracks: Improv: The Rich Tapestry of Life; Exiles; Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part I)
Best track: all
Track to skip: none
Hooray for 30 minute improvs! Yeah, the improv is about 30 minutes, that’s why there are only 3 tracks on here. This CD is important for serious Crimheads because it was the first commercially available live release featuring percussionist Jamie Muir. Our only other exposure to him was on the album Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (my next Crimson to review). This show (for the Bremen Beat Club) was recorded 3-4 months before the studio album. It’s interesting to hear the growth of the two songs, as well as the players from this to Larks’.
It sounds like the tape of the show was maybe slowed down or something, because sometimes the instruments (specifically violin) sound out of tune. Exiles is just average on this, they drag the tempo too much and it’s pretty lethargic. The improv is pretty cool, but it definitely takes a lot of patience to get through it all. In the 30-minute span of it, the band changes gear about 20 times. It’s pretty obvious to tell that in their improvs this Crimson was heavily influenced by what Miles Davis was doing around the same time. This is especially evident in the reaction of drummer Bill Bruford and bassist John Wetton. Fripp and violinist David Cross obscure it a bit, but Bruford & Wetton play like their trying out for Miles Davis’ group.
This CD is pretty short, but it’s a very good snapshot of how they sounded with Muir. What he does on the improv alone is enough for a good grade on this. The only mildly disappointing thing is that they hadn’t finished writing all of Larks I yet, so where the violin solo would normally come in, they just kinda stop. Very interesting to hear the progression of ideas. Depending on my mood, the ‘72-’74 Crimson is my favorite. They start out with a lot of ambition, but within the next year, they became tied for the best ‘rock’ group at the time (tied with Zappa’s ‘73-’74 band).
Rating: 88
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