Recorded: 1969; Released: 1998
Tracks: 21st Century Schizoid Man; Drop In; I Talk to the Wind; Epitaph; Mantra (not listed); Travel Weary Capricorn; Improv (including Nola and Etude #7); Mars; Trees.
Best track: Mars
Track to skip: nothing
The first release from the King Crimson collector’s club doesn’t disappoint. Recorded (believed by guitarist Fripp) on July 6, 1969 at the Marquee club in London (Trees was recorded on 10/17/69). If that’s correct (no one knows for sure) then this was recorded the day after Crimson played with the Stones at Hyde Park.
Besides the excellence of the playing, the main attractions to this CD are the inclusion of I Talk to the Wind (only time a live version has been released) and the totally unreleased Trees which none of us Crim-heads knew about before the announcement of this disc. Both are excellent and reasons enough to get this.
Yes, the sound quality of this thing is only OK. It doesn’t bother me, just imagine you’re listening to a real good quality bootleg. The album has an intense Schizoid Man to start things off. Wow. This is a really solid gig these guys did and it still amazes me that a band existed in 1969 that was THIS intense and creative.
I Talk to the Wind is beautiful and Mars is probably one of the best versions released so far by the band. Damn, this version of Mars sounds like the soundtrack to the end of the world! The improv is pretty good, better than most of the ones that this lineup did. The best way to describe this CD: INTENSE. Everything is intense. Wow, this thing is totally electric. As for Trees, the beginning part has 3 part harmony (sung by Lake, Giles and McDonald) and sounds how the Beach Boys should have sounded if they used their talent to more than just pop songs about surfing. This beginning section is just beautiful. The song then goes on to what would in a few weeks become parts of Pictures of a City.
This is a very good release (not really sonically, but performance-wise) and one that you should totally get.
Rating: 90
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