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May 07, 1981  |
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Polytechnic Manchester, England |
 Gimme a few more stars to throw on this one December 5, 2009
Written by DeVito
Back around 1976 or ’77, as a 15-/16-year-old, I started listening to Crimson. Unfortunately Crimson had broken up a couple years earlier, and the various surviving “progressive rock” bands were stepping all over their dicks in their rush to sell out. Punk held no interest for me (still doesn’t, although I can appreciate it on a conceptual basis). I mostly lost interest in rock and was getting into Coltrane and Miles, Oregon and Old & New Dreams, Ravi Shankar and Balinese Gamelan, and just generally trying to sample (or in some cases devour) a half-century of recorded music. But Larks’, Starless, and Red were staples that carried me a long way too. When Discipline came out, I don’t remember what I thought it would be like, or if I was expecting any particular kind of style or thing; all I remember is dropping the needle on the record and being hooked -- listening to it over and over and being obsessed with it.
I love the Discipline Crimson. It was the first King Crimson lineup I saw live, so it holds a special place for me in that regard, but it’s more than that; the feel of this group was just so different. It was unique then and it’s almost more unique now, if that’s possible. The opportunity, so many years later, to hear these early recordings is just beautiful -- and I don’t give a rat’s ass about the lo-fi sound, or any of that; it’s just beautiful. To hear Creation is a special privilege in any context. If you’re concerned about audio fidelity I’d say the audio here is similar to that on the Moles Collectors Club release (that is, listenable bootleg). So what. The music is thrilling. For me, “The Sheltering Sky” is the pinnacle of this set -- I love this tune and always have. I’ve been alternating listening to this and the 8/15/2001 concert for the last couple of weeks. What a breadth of perspective. When I was young I didn’t expect to live very long, or particularly want to; but I’ve grown to appreciate what this world has to offer. I hope I can hang around for a while. --DeVito
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| Fan Review |
Gimme a few more stars to throw on this one Sat., Dec 5, 2009
Posted by: DeVito
Back around 1976 or ’77, as a 15-/16-year-old, I started listening to Crimson. Unfortunately Crimson had broken up a couple years earlier, and the various surviving “progressive rock” bands were stepping all over their dicks in their rush to Read more
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| Fan Review |
Manchester fun 1981 Fri., Dec 4, 2009
Posted by: eviLMGD
Much life has been breathed into this ol’ boot; and a must-have it is, too. A few clams here and there (it was only the sixth (?) gig of this team after Read more
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