If there was ever a massive daunting catalog (other than Zappa), it's KC. I have a decent amount of studio stuff but I have never gotten any live recordings which is likely high blasphemy but I don't care. But I would like a couple representative documents pre-75. So is there anything close to a consensus on what to seek out (and what to avoid)?
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USA
The Night Watch
Crimso is my passion so here goes...there's a simple answer and a complicated one to your question.
The simple answer: Buy "USA" and stay away from "Earthbound". Also, buy "The Great Deceiver", "Epitaph" and "The Night Watch" (if you can still find them).
The complicated answer: Fripp has released an absolute ton of live shows from '69 - '74. Most of these were released in what was called "The King Crimson Collectors Club" (or KCCC) beginning in the late 90's. I believe most of these are long out of print, but every once in a while one will pop up for sale on the https://www.dgmlive.com/shop.htm website. Here are the ones I think do the best job of documenting live Crimso from that time period, though they may be difficult to find.
1) KCCC Live in Hyde Park 1969 (The 1st big show)
2) KCCC Live in Detroit 12/13/71 (The Islands band)
3) KCCC Live at the Zoom Club (the LTIA 5 piece band)
4) KCCC Live in Mainz (the SABB band)
Finally, if you find you must have as much live material from the '74 band as you can possibly find...I think there are still some copies of the 24 disk "The Road to Red" box set around...but this is really for completist maniacs (like me)
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Earthbound
USA
The Nightwatch
The Great Deceiver (4 CD's)
Epitaph
USA (extended CD version)
The Night Watch
KCCC Live@Summit Studios, '72
The Great Deceiver
Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes
Actually, the vast majority of the KCCC CDs are still available from DGM. Unfortunately, the Summit Studios '72 disc, which is particularly essential, is one of the few that are currently sold out; however it is still available as a download.Originally Posted by WytchCrypt
The Great Deceiver
The Night Watch
The Collectable King Crimson Vol. 1
Epitaph
Please don't ask questions, just use google.
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I think Mo' nailed it here. These would be my choices too, although if the Great Deceiver can't be found, The Nightwatch should keep you busy for a while.
Not sure if you ever heard it, but 'On Broadway' (Thrak tour) is a great sounding double disc gig from '95 or so.
The Night Watch is the 1973 Amsterdam concert Fripp raved about for years. It features the live versions of "Starless and Bible Black" and "Fracture" which the following year the band mixed out audience applause and added a few overdubs for the studio album S.A.B.B. It's an outstanding performance with only 1 flaw...which is the mellotron dropping out of the song "The Night Watch". It's definitely worth owning.
Another concert Fripp raved about was the Fillmore East which we will never hear because Sinfield misplaced the original tape. Michael Giles discovered a audience recording in his attic of 3 tracks from the Fillmore East..and is featured on Epitaph. It's just a tease and the soundboard recording of the Fillmore West (on Epitaph), is not that impressive being an off night for the band.
Great Deceiver , 4 cd set..is a must. Many of the 74' concerts contained the same set list. Mainz for example. Try locating Live Plymouth 71' for the best live version of "The Sailor's Tale".
Great Deceiver
I still need to get Night Watch despite having 27 Crimson albums
Asbury Park 74
Zoom Club 72
Bremen 72
Brescia 74
Ian
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Oh, good to know. I had a look at DGMlive before I answered the post and searched for KCCC and they only showed 3 for sale...maybe I looked in the wrong place?
Ya Summit Studios is fantastic...especially the hippy-stoner-DJ and Ian Wallace's Monty Python gumby routine
Check out my solo project prog band, Mutiny in Jonestown at https://mutinyinjonestown.bandcamp.com/
Check out my solo project progressive doom metal band, WytchCrypt at https://wytchcrypt.bandcamp.com/
I'd add "Ladies of the Road", so you'll have something covering that particular period, 1971-1972.
In the DGM mail order store, if you select "The Collectors' Club" under Current Category, you should see them all.
I'm not sure what they're doing with the Club...it was announced that they would close the series with #50, but #47 (the first Club DVD) came out over a year ago and there's been nothing since, while prior to that they'd been churning out three or four releases a year. (Maybe they wanted everybody to save their money for The Road to Red.) And Club #42 has still not come out.
Can't add anything, what I have has already been mentioned..
I can't add much more myself here, although I'll throw a slight variation in:
Sometime in the early 00's KC released an archive for the double trio called 'Vroom Vroom' which was half from the Broadway show and half from Mexico City. If memory serves, one disc focused mostly on their songs while the second was more about the instrumental/experimental stuff. There are some MONSTROUS run throughs on that set, including a killer take on Larks II...might actually be my favorite single release from the double trio (aside from ThrakAttak).
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
Vroom Vroom nails it for me as far as the double trio goes. I also enjoy the Argentina DVDs (KCCC #47) a lot for the visuals. There is also a KCCC Live at the Wiltern which is very good. Not sure you need more of that era.
Lots of good suggestions but to me this one is essential to understanding the original lineup.
^^^ Agreed about Epitaph. That one was almost as much of a brain-melter as was the Great Deceiver!
I bought the fall tour Double trio download bundle in FLAC. 28 shows.
I also bought the Red and Larks big Box sets.
Probably too much. Oh well.
It can be insightful and especially the audience recording of the Fillmore East. I was very disappointed in the production of everything on it. This band deserves better representation! For example, Genesis Live with Gabriel is a half way decent recording. This band deserves the same. Unfortunately...apart from the Fillmore East....all live recordings sound like a hopper flushing. All that amazing potential and there is barely anything to show for it in a concert recording. Imagine the band playing "Trees" and there is nothing arriving close to clarity. If you didn't know the song from McDonald & Giles...you wouldn't realize what the H they were playing. It has a booklet which is very informative, the Fillmore West is just okay, the Fillmore East is a tease..because you want to hear a better recording of an outstanding performance, and the BBC tape of "In the Court of the Crimson King" is worthwhile.....but!...this particular line up deserved a better fate.
I don't really agree. There is plenty of good sounding stuff from the original lineup. "Barely anything"? Come on ... I'm sure most bands of that era wish they had as much available!
The Croydon show was probably only released because it had "Trees" on it.
Epitaph now exists as two volumes with two CDs each. The first volume is all very good sound. The second volume is essential because of Plumpton. While Hyde Park may have been historically significant, the performance at Plumpton about a month later is transcendent. I simply cannot imagine anyone not thoroughly enjoying this show because of sound quality issues.
If Pete Sinfield found that original Fillmore East tape and Robert Fripp and Steve Wilson released it....we would all be quite blown away! Seriously, the impact that particular show would have on us?
I'm already blown away.
Maybe I missed it in scanning through the thread, but Live At Central Park (7/1/74) is one of the greatest live shows in Crimso history. The final show until the Belew-era seven years later.
I believe that Fripp has made particular note of this show reaching a level of magic that was extraordinary.
Essential.
I see that one is available for a FLAC download on DGM. How is the sound quality?
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
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