King Man

Robert Fripp and constituents take to the airwaves of KFML in Denver, CO March 12, 1972 for this installment in the Collectors' King Crimson club. This live show – for an assembled radio studio audience – has been bootlegged ad infinitum. However, here listeners are treated to optimal fidelity as the originating source is from a pre-broadcast multi-track tape…

As Robert Fripp had done with King Crimson's first live LP, Earthbound (1972), USA (1974) is a single-disc concert package documenting the quartet during its most concurrent swing through North America. As with its predecessor, USA was also issued as a sonic cenotaph of the concurrently defunct Krim…

One of the pioneers of the progressive rock genre. The first official rehearsal of the band was on January 13, 1969. The first line-up comprised guitarist Robert Fripp, lyricist and lighting man Peter Sinfield (who “invented” the name of the band), composer and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, bassist and vocalist Greg Lake, and drummer Michael Giles…

Few bands of the era offered as much variety in material from night to night. King Crimson’s propensity for improvisation & fondness for playing its newest material – often unreleased on record at the time of the concerts - is legendary. Fewer bands still, whether by accident or design, recorded so many of their live shows…

King Crimson’s final album of the 1980s is augmented with extra tracks newly mixed for the 2016 edition on CD. As with other albums in the King Crimson CD/DVD-A series, the stereo CD features a new stereo mix by Robert Fripp and Steven Wilson plus additional tracks, while the DVD-A features 5.1 mixes of the album by Steven Wilson and high resolution stereo mixes of the original and new stereo mixes. Additionally, the original album bonus tracks from the 30th anniversary CD are included as is the promo film for ‘Sleepless’, a song originally released as 12” single which became an unlikely hit on the New York dance scene of the time.

This set compiles what Robert Fripp contends is "a comprehensive overview for new ears of all that is necessary in the Crimson corpus." Going on to acknowledge that "old-generation completists might disagree with some choices, but material not included here is available for new-generation completists, should they wish." Enthusiasts' personal preferences aside, The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson, Vol. 1: 1969-1974 (2004) is the first of two four-disc volumes gathering the entire recorded output of the band in its variety of personnel. Each CD contains highlights from a specific era, either in the studio or live, and the material is presented in chronological order.

Repackaged in this box are four live King Crimson concerts that were initially unleashed via the band's Collectors' Club mail-order series or as à la carte downloadable files. Granted, the primary target for anthologies such as this is not the casual enthusiast or curious listener. However, that unspoken guideline should be suspended for 2006's The Collectors' King Crimson, Vol. 10 due to the remarkable breadth of its contents…