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Here is yet another live recording to surface from King
Crimson, as most of us have probably lost count by now. Compiled
as a two disc set of both parts of Live in London, recorded
at the Shepherds Bush Empire in 1996, this two track DAT soundboard
recording captured the band when they were playing as the
'double power trio,' where you have Fripp, Levin, & Bruford
playing with and sometimes against Belew, Gunn, & Mastelotto
- it was the time where the Chapman Stick was noted as being
the band's 'signature sound' instrument instead of the Mellotron;
plus Fripp was deep into his post-Eno soundscape experiments,
so we know what to expect here. ****
The show features classics of old ("21st century Schizoid
Man") and of the contemporary ("Elephant Talk" & "Dinosaur"
among others, where the latter was a more recent hit at the
time) mostly touching base in the Belew era, where the occasional
jam session/improvisation and atmospherically textured soundscape
is brought into the mix. For a direct to tape recording the
quality is very good, the stereo imaging is there with all
of the panning intact as well as the separation of the instruments
being highly viable considering the often dense instrumentation
and arrangements involved - thankfully we don't get this muddled
mix. Nevertheless, Volume Three of The Collectable King Crimson
is something else for the fans to add to their collection,
not to mention a nice piece of aural live footage from a band
we hardly ever get to see out on the road.
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