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  The band was simply on fire... December 1, 2012
Written by jeffoaster
It’s really great that we have access to a bunch of the shows from this German tour. There is so much to like, and the band was scorching for this stretch of shows. The improvs, which tended to be less of a full piece and more of extended intros, are really terrific. The lead-in to Doctor Diamond is downright menacing, and the longer pre-Exiles piece is one of the finer intros to Exiles - I have a soft spot for the Pittsburgh one the following month - but this one is right up there. Starless is still a work in progress, but still a very dominant piece, with Bill Bruford "kicking ass and taking names" as a colleague of mine once said about him.
My favourite Crimson bootleg April 6, 2012
Written by Kibitz
The hottest show from the hottest leg of the ’74 tour, and I’ve heard every available bootleg from this era. This is the one you need to buy. Bruford’s funkiest and most authoritative performance ever. Wetton’s heaviest, most daring basswork...and his vocals sound unhinged, soulful, ferocious. Sometimes he screams the lyrics.
This set features what is, in my opinion, THE definitive version of Easy Money (the middle section building up to the final verse is UNREAL, my friends). Also the greatest version of Doctor Diamond, set up with a truly menacing improvisation (and when the band finally slams into the riff the first time around--Dear God, the power). Arguably the best ever version of Starless--it’s at least a contender. Exiles is a beautiful, propulsive, acid-drenched meteor churning towards earth from some other dimension.
The whole set is mind-blowing. THIS is the band in prime form, hitting their peak before they tired out and lost some of their dynamic by the end of the tour.
Get it.
KC Club Release? September 3, 2011
Written by Starless4over13
The previews sound great - I’d love to see this on CD! I’ve got 3/29/74 (Heidelberg), 3/30/74 (Mainz), and 4/1/74 (Kassel) on my shelf. See that big gaping hole in there? From the samples and the first review, it sounds like 3/31/74 should be in every Crimso collecKtion. Keep up the fine work...
April 24, 2011
Written by chrisklenox
There must have been something in the air in Germany! This may be the most intense King Crimson recording I have ever heard. The enery level on this is through the roof. If I could only have one live recording of this band, this would be the one I would choose. Thank You DGM Live!
3/31/74 Pforzheim May 26, 2006
Written by okemopoma
WOW, excellent show. Really get a taste of Crimso on the road in ’74. Sound quality is excellent. Kicks the almighty booty. Best Dr. D I have ever heard. Bruford really shows that you can only play with Bill on his own terms. He just cant play the same thing the same way twice. Awesome concept. Really screws up the band and makes things "interesting". Bands need ques to stay together. Billy likes to change the ques. Perfect example in Lament. It takes everyone a full measure or two to get back in sync. Classic. Thats what I loved about this line-up. You never knew what might happen from gig to gig. Also, probably the best Starless ever recorded. Its the Swan Song of this version of Crimso. Explains to me why they broke up. When you have nothing left to say, why say anymore. Bravo. Looking forward to more "stuff" from the closet.
Yikes!!! February 23, 2006
Written by djscomics
Man, I love this stuff......mayhaps it makes my review a bit biased, but then again, I think it makes me a bit more subjective. If this sucked, I would say so. This does not suck. In a really big way. Like an unleashed raging beast....ferocious in its beauty and beautiful in its ferocity, Crimso comes out of the blocks and delivers a classic performance. Not for the faint of heart....if you don’t dig this era of the Crims, give it a wide berth.....if this floats your boat, then dive in. Highly recommended....if Mr. Fripp posted every show from this era, I would happily download them all......there never was another band like this one.....whether that is a good thing or not is entirely up to the listener.
A dynamic and funky performance December 17, 2005
Written by rhammill
I still have no clue how many stars to give these things. Some highlights- Great Deceiver:
One of only two (?) released performances so far. I haven’t listened to
the one on ‘The Great Deceiver’ recently, but I recall feeling it was a
bit weaker than the studio version, largely because of the missing
guitar doubling the bass (played by John on the studio version). I
don’t have the same sense this time around, maybe it’s just a more
energetic performance. In any event, this version rocks, even with
John’s strained vocals. Improv I:
Crimson ’74 improv, what’s not to like? This show is of the several
short lead-in improvs vein (I wonder if there was another one to set up
‘Great Deceiver’ missing from the recording). Anyway, this one is an
atmospheric lead-in to: Doctor Diamond:
Is it fitting that the song about a train from hell starts with one of
the most spectacular train-wrecks I’ve heard from the band? Wow, an
extremely sloppy intro, complete with David failing to stop with the
band for the first verse. The vocals are about as rushed an
unintelligible as I have heard for this song. The middle section is
great though, Robert and David are clearly separated and discernable in
the mix. Improv II:
More atmospherics. It seems that each of them is giving a cue to launch
this piece (Bill with the whistle, John with a driving ascending bass
line, or Robert with an accented note, but nobody takes the lead,
instead it just builds to a group crescendo, then stops dead with just
Bill keeping a steady beat before beginning again…sometimes you’d swear
these were planned. I love this stuff. It is a nice set-up to Exiles,
almost as impressive as the improv>Starless on the Brescia recording. Lament:
Although often sounding as filler, Bill’s gong after the first line
makes it clear that this is different. The opening section is slower
than normal and to me works much better. Bill’s percussion throughout
is fresh and funky. One
thing that has become more noticeable as the ’74 shows continue to be
released is how the rhythm section changed through this tour. Bill in
particular starts the tour with some truly inventive percussion (like
Brescia, the second show of the tour). By this show (still early in the
tour) the percussion is less (but still interesting and often
unexpected), By the end of the tour (Providence, Central Park), the
percussion is minimal and Bill is in full power-drumming mode. This
shift is already happening here, check out the interlude in Starless –
Bill and especially John is itching to get rocking again (and by the
sound of the guitar solo that follows Robert is happy to oblige). This
type of thing is all over this show (check out the funky guitar/drum
riff in the second verse of Easy Money, not to mention the solo - I
could go on and on). In fact, the only limp performance here is the
fragment of Fracture. Suffice to say, if you’re a fan of the ’73-4
lineup, then you won’t want to miss this. It’s a dynamic, driving,
often funky show.
4.5 stars actually December 5, 2005
Written by pillbug
Just downloaded this to tide me over while waiting for USA to come in the mail. A great concert, excellent sound quality and musicianship. The vocals are a bit strained on the high notes of Great Deceiver but you can tell he gives 100% effort. I downloaded the MP3 version and it sounds better than the 128k claimed bit rate. All of my MP3s are 192k and this sounds no different. Also downloaded the artwork and made my own CD. Very cool.
Another Great Night November 24, 2005
Written by mflaherty
This is not the full concert, but don’t let that stop you; we
should just be thankful for what has survived. The band was
burning that night, particularly John, who in his passion (vocally)
hits a few wrong notes, but more than makes up for it when he hits the
right ones--and even more so with that bass. The second improv is
paricularly strong, as is "Starless". The sound quality is
excellent.
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