King Crimson - The Collectors' King Crimson Volume One [3CD Box Set] (1999) (Repost)

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King Crimson - The Collectors' King Crimson Volume One [3CD Box Set] (1999) (Repost)

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Retailing at around $90 for less than three hours of music, this Japanese import seems designed to test the most die-hard King Crimson fan. That's not the half of it, because the truth is, it's also a very good set, up to a point. The most notable element here is the presence of the first decent body of concert work by the early 1972 lineup of Boz Burrell-Mel Collins-Ian Wallace, which was the band that most fans ever got to see, among all of the early incarnations of the group. Add on the presence of a killer early performance by the John Wetton-Bill Bruford band, and one of the earlier extant shows of the group's original lineup, from the Marquee Club, and the package seems unbeatable - and pretty much, it is. Disc one contains a July 1969 Marquee Club show, made off of an audience tape. Among other highlights is "Drop In," a group composition that Robert Fripp later recycled into "The Letter" from Islands - it features some impressive playing by the entire band; Fripp could play circles around almost every other rock guitarist in England, and Greg Lake's bass work displays an almost John Entwistle-like power and sinew, while Michael Giles impresses, as always, on drums, and Ian McDonald's sax bursts out off the stage. "I Talk to the Wind" features some surprisingly elegant harmony singing, and a more passionate lead vocal performance than Lake gave on the record. The otherwise unavailable "Travel Weary Companion" is a jam with a lot to recommend it, including good playing and interesting changes in tempo. "Improv" and "Mars" work far less well as recordings, suffering from terrible overload. Disc two, recorded professionally in concert at Jacksonville, FL, on February 26, 1972, is the highlight of this set. This King Crimson was a virtuoso performing unit and it's a scandal that it's taken close to 30 years to get this out to the public. "Cirkus" get its first official live airing, and Mel Collins' sax and flute work gets some of the better showcased moments of his career, and Ian Wallace gets an opportunity to play some of the most complex drum patterns of his career here. The fidelity is above average for a live recording of this vintage, which is essential in capturing the delicate textures of "Cirkus" and "The Sailor's Tale." Disc three, from October 17, 1972 at the Beat Club TV show in Bremmen, was the first formal show by the John Wetton-David Cross-Bill Bruford-Jamie Muir lineup. It consists of one killer jam ("Improv: The Rich Tapestry of Life") and early versions of "Exiles" and "Larks' Tongues, Pt. 1." Each disc has a separate jewel case, which come packaged together in a slipcase accompanied by several sets of notes by Fripp.