:::The Great Deceiver - Jazzlover is back!:::

Posted: Saturday 19 March 2011 by jazzlover in Etykiety: , , ,
15

For decades, Crimsonheads around the world, if you wanted to know what the second-era KC sounded like, you either had to buy the USA live album with its rather muddy sound or had to rely on diverse quality bootlegs. One may understand that bootleggers are ripping off the artistes, but in Crimson's case, the fact that the only live albums available were rather poor quality (listen to Earthbound to dig what I mean), and the many improvisations that the group was experimenting on stage were excuses enough for fans dishing out money for pirated tapes. In the mid-90's, some groups became well aware that those bootlegs were of extreme quality and there was not reason for them to bootleg the bootlegs and making money of those now-finally legal tapes. ELP, Tangerine Dream and Crimson are three of the groups in progressive rock that have adopted this strategy, and are we not so happy they just jumped the gun?
But now Crimsonheads are faced with a dilemma: Which of the three main releases to get? The four CD box-set being reviewed here, the single concert release of The Nightwatch or the finally re-released (and improved sound wise and great bonus tracks) USA Live? Clearly on of the main criteria of selection will be the sound, which would almost automatically dismiss the third potion if it was not for the fantastically superb and superlative improv Asbury Park still not available elsewhere. Another criteria will be the price for a single Cd (USA), a double set (Nightwatch) and this heavy box-set (probably a limited edition too and a hefty price) and in this case the first eliminated in the previous criteria is the clear winner.
The first Cd from this set is made up of one concert in Providence (stretching on to the second Cd) where the sound is as pristine as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, but the track list contains absolutely awesome and one of the two improv Cosmos is simply astounding (and maybe the closest sounding to Asbury Park from USA), only two tracks for the patchy SABB album, a superb rendition of Easy Money and icing on the cake a version of Starless with David Cross on violin: fabulous. The Providence improv is much more entertaining than on the studio album too.
The second 2 finishes the Providence concert, gives a piece of a Penn State Uni concert (with a superb improv to closer off the disc) but is mostly concentrating on a Glaswegian concert ending with a rare Cat Food and the Peace theme from the Poseidon album. Even with those minor surprise and many improvs, this second disc is not as brilliant as the first one, partly because the track selection is less successful, but the continuity is broken by three separate entities. Only one declared improv but another four are just as well improvised.
The third disc is a bit less disjointed, but another piece of the Penn State concert ends it. A whopping four improvs (most of them average quality - which means they develop into nothing special - but great to hear anyway) grace this disc and one strange Doctor Diamond, which is (as far as I know) a full composition never available anywhere else - and a worthy one too. The closing improv is one hell of a scorcher too!!!
The last disc is certainly not the least of the four is also split in two concerts, one at Toronto's Massey Hall (I am just sick thinking I was only 10 when this gig happened around my turf) and a Swiss show. The Canadian gig has a demented improv and a calmer based on Trio. The Swiss has some rather unusual improvs on the No Pussyfooting theme but also another two part improv and a definitive version of Talking Drum as a closer.
As far as repeats arte concerned, throughout the four Cds, the only track you will hear more than twice is Easy Money (3.5 times) and Night Watch (three times), which out of 47 tracks total is rather fair.
But life is never that simple, and soon or later, the Crimsonhead will want the other releases, which is another debate altogether, is it not?
In my case, I consider this box-set indispensable and even more than absolutely essential (it has a superb booklet and tons of improvs), and I still like the USA live album for historical reasons, so The Nightwatch might just be the odd one out. Any takers for my copy of it? ;-)
:::Review by Sean Trane:::

King Crimson - The Great Deceiver Live 1973 – 1974 (1992)

CD ONE

Palace Theatre, Providence, RI
June 30th 1974

1. Walk On ... No Pussyfooting (0:49)
2. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two (6:24)
3. Lament (4:39)
4. Exiles (8:57)
5. Improv: A Voyage to the Centre of the Cosmos (15:03)
6. Easy Money (7:13)
7. Improv: Providence (10:19)
8. Fracture (11:14)
9. Starless (12:04)

CD TWO

Providence ... continued (encore)

1. 21st Century Schizoid Man (8:27)
2. Walk Off From Providence ... No Pussyfooting (1:21)

Walk On to Glasgow ... Glasgow Apollo
October 23rd 1973

3. Sharks' Lungs in Lemsip (3:22)
4. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One (7:50)
5. Book of Saturday (3:03)
6. Easy Money (6:41)
7. We'll Let You Know (4:55)
8. The Night Watch (5:17)
9. Improv: Tight Scrummy (8:58)
10. Peace - A Theme (1:01)
11. Cat Food (4:36)

Penn State University
June 29th 1974

12. Easy Money... (2:20)
13. ...It Is for You, But Not for Us (9:12)

CD THREE

Pittsburgh, PA - Stanley Warner Theatre
April 29th 1974

1. Walk On ... No Pussyfooting (0:59)
2. The Great Deceiver (4:27)
3. Improv: Bartley Butsford (3:12)
4. Exiles (7:19)
5. Improv: Daniel Dust (4:09)
6. The Night Watch (4:40)
7. Doctor Diamond (5:12)
8. Starless (12:26)
9. Improv: Wilton Carpet (5:53)
10. The Talking Drum (5:29)
11. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two (abbreviated) (4:08)

Penn State University
June 29th 1974

12. Applause & Announcement (2:12)
13. Improv: Is There Life Out There? (14:51)

CD FOUR

Toronto, Massey Hall
June 24th 1974

1. Improv: The Golden Walnut (11:47)
2. The Night Watch (4:27)
3. Fracture (11:53)
4. Improv: Clueless and Slightly Slack (8:12)

Zurich Volkshaus
November 15th 1973

5. Walk On ... No Pussyfooting (0:53)
6. Improv: Some Pussyfooting (2:27)
7. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One (8:16)
8. Improv: The Law of Maximum Distress, Part One (6:32)
9. Improv: The Law of Maximum Distress, Part Two (2:33)
10. Easy Money (7:32)
11. Improv: Some More Pussyfooting (5:53)
12. The Talking Drum (6:04)

Credits
- David Cross / violin, mellotron, electric piano
- Robert Fripp / guitar, mellotron, electric piano
- John Wetton / bass guitar, vocals
- Bill Bruford / drums, percussion

15 komentarze:

  1. E-mile says:

    and what just happened now? Not gonna grab it, can't give it a spin in THIS lifetime [:-), but I remember standing at your "blog-grave" not so long ago? Did the doctor misprenounce your untimely passing [:-)
    JL, good to see your still among us!
    peace, E-mile

  1. jazzlover says:

    Looks like I am doomed to my blog, sic!
    Addiction is too strongly developed to put my work away.
    Anyway, I decided to look after my two babies as I got recovered from a bad times I have had recently.

    Peace!
    jazzlover

  1. Anonymous says:

    welcome back and thanks for shareing your great music with us around the globe.

  1. Yamamoto1208 says:

    Yeah! Champagne! Welcome back and thanx for sharing.

  1. Que bueno que estes de vuelta, jazzlover, ya no te escribo en inglés porque mi manejo del idioma es pésimo.
    Pero quiero que sepas que para mi es todo un placer seguir visitándote y encontrar excelsa música, como la que hoy nos compartes.

    Saludos.

  1. jazzlover says:

    Thanks Folks!

    I am also glad that I have found my way to get back to run my blog and be among you again.

    Peace!

  1. Andrew says:

    Thanks for the great music!

    Andrew

  1. Anonymous says:

    welcome back... i found this great blog and was sad thinking it was dead!

  1. Great news, glad to have you back. It would have been a heck of a loss.

  1. Glad to see you back & striking hard: Oh my Lord, The Great Deceiver! Jesus, The Free Spirits! And so on… Man, you're spoiling us. Hope bad times are hehind you. Many, many thks & love to your babies: children are the salt of our lives. Yours truly deserves a man like you, a man who knows the meaning of sharing. Peace.

  1. Anonymous says:

    Many thans for this, but the CD2 is repeated 2 times. CDs 3 & 4 are missing. Please check. Best regards.

  1. jazzlover says:

    Just double checked. everything is in the right place, dude!

    Regards
    jazzlover

  1. Anonymous says:

    You´re right master, forgive my short
    vision and thanks for your prompt reply.

  1. Anonymous says:

    Thank you very much, really, for all the superb music, for sharing this incredible music.

    Pablo(from Buenos Aires, Argentina)