Notes
Pictures is taken at a medium pace, and after an uneven beginning, Crimso find their feet, with an assertive solo from Mel Collins that really stakes out their presence and makes punters sit up and take notice - a neat trick if, as KC often were, you’re sandwiched between bands as diverse Humble Pie, Ten Years After or Yes. On this leg they are headlining and in a decidedly take-no-prisoners state of mind.

Certainly a belligerent-sounding Ladies will have not only caught punters attention but pinned back their ears as well. The same can probably be said for a tumbling and extended improvised section on the transition from Formentera Lady and Sailor’s Tale.

Up until Sailor’s Tale the concert had been dominated by Collins’ formidable presence. Now it’s the guitarist’s turn to drop some jaws. The solo maps out a different space from anything preceding it; a deeply emotional outpouring that sounds as though the notes are being squeezed from deep within the psyche as much as the fretboard. It’s one of Fripp’s best moments, and the end theme where Fripp’s weaving laser-beam tone is being chased by the Mellotron brass setting is utterly thrilling as they hurtle over the edge and disappeared into Wallace’s exuberant drum solo.

However it’s Schizoid Man that steals the show here. The way in which the seemingly anarchic titanic forces unleashed by both Fripp and Collins are suddenly marshalled into precision-guided weapons of shock and awe is what gives Crimso such an edge that made other bands just stand back in amazement. The fast-running notes at the end of the tempestuous soloing sections are delivered with exquisite attention to detail in what is a phenomenally powerful reading of the piece.

An edited version of Sailor’s Tale from this concert also appeared on Earthbound, first released in 1972. This gig was chosen as the second disc in the King Crimson Collectors Club series and was first released in 1998. The CD is currently out of print with no plans to repress.
 

All previews are MP3 192kbps

Personnel
Boz Burrell - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocal
Mel Collins - Sax, Flute, Mellotron
Robert Fripp - Guitar, Mellotron
Ian Wallace - Drums, Backing Vocal

Audio Source: Soundboard Cassette

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