August 05, 1982
	Place De Nations    Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Place Des Arts Review   May 20, 2006
Written by gregjames

Subjective Background: As an “under 40” Crimhead, this was the 1st version of the band that I heard and nothing was the same after that day. (For me, that day was in the week before Christmas in 1984 and I was still in high school). Therefore, the only live gigs from this era I’ve seen are the Frejus and Japan videos. So, the versions there are the live standards against which subsequent versions are judged. (For me, “The Sheltering Sky” and “Indiscipline” have yet to sound better than at Frejus). So when another complete show from this era became available, I had to jump. Listening to this gig has reawakened the chest-thumping excitement I first felt about the 80s band and haven’t felt for some time. Interestingly, this gig roils the emotional memory much stronger than the “Absent Lovers” release ever has. This is good stuff.

The Venue: I’ve only been in the Place Des Arts once (in 1988) to see a performance of the ballet “Giselle”. In other words, this building is pretty fancy and a bit high brow, if you know what I mean. Perhaps the venue contributes to the stately versions of several of the tunes. The tempo of some them strike me as being a few bpm slower than the studio versions and the lads really stretch out to great effect. “Waiting Man”, “Red” and “Elephant Talk” stand out in this regard.

Sound Quality: The Sound Check is obviously bootleg quality but the gig itself ranges from good to very good. Poor Adrian had the gear gremlins biting his ankles for much of the gig though. He was plagued with a nasty “huzz” (a cross btw a “buzz” and a “hum”) in his channel which began during “Red”, persisted thru “The Howler” and into “Frame”. Then the guy had to work with his guitar synth crackling and totally dropping out for brief moments during “The Sheltering Sky”. Consummate pro that he was (is), he prevailed to put in a very strong performance all night.

The Mix: Different from anything in the canon I’ve heard to date. Each player has a very defined plot of land in the aural landscape here, perhaps reflecting RF’s assertion that they had drifted from being a “group” to 4 individuals by this point in time. Fans of RF’s playing (i.e. anyone reading this) will revel in his audibility throughout the gig. Absolutely thrilling to hear his contributions to “Waiting Man” in particular so clearly.

The Tunes: Well, there are some killer takes on the repertoire here, at least 5 of them definitive live versions from this era (to my ears). Fans of “Ooh, Mr. Fripp” from the LoG bootleg will no doubt enjoy RF’s variations on the speedy bits of “Frame”. After flagging a bit during “Sky” and squabbling over what tempo “Neal” was going to be played at, the lads nailed “Discipline” and (TL I believe) can be heard calling “That’s great!” in the L channel after the last note. “Neurotica” you’ve all heard and can attest to its incendiary qualities. This “Elephant Talk” is my fave to date so far, even supplanting the 1994 Official Bootleg version. RF’s endless stream of variation is absolutely stunning and AB’s guitar sound just before the elephant blasts is perfect. TL is dead on for the whole show (duh) and my fave BB moments are the whole of “Sky” and his solo before “Indiscipline”. This is clearly an excited player at work and exciting to listen to. Too bad he chose “Thela” as an opportunity for a drum solo too, as his playing is clearly over the top on this occasion. People looking for the magical group cohesion that attracted me to this band won’t find it on this track, but may find hints which led to it’s demise here.

In sum, a lovely recording which will bookend your cd copy of “Absent Lovers” quite nicely. Essential listening to any fan of the 80’s Crim, but still not the elusive “perfect gig”. You’ll have to go over to the Projekct 4 gig from Boulder for that...

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