For many King Crimson fans nothing compares with the band's output from 1972-1974.
Over 21 cds, 1 dvd, 2 blu-ray discs, copious sleeve notes and replica memorabilia, The Road To Red comprehensively captures the essence of King Crimson's US tour of 1974 and the process leading to the one of the band's most important albums.
A total of 16 concerts are featured across 20 discs, with a new Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp stereo mix of the studio Red as the 21st CD.
Commenting on the final live date on The Road To Red, Robert Fripp notes that this was the first gig, "Since the 1969 Crimson where the bottom of my spine registered 'out of this world' to the same degree."
* 20 CDs of live material drawn from:
10 concerts recorded on stereo soundboard cassettes directly from the band's mixing desk - all previously unreleased on CD, audio newly restored at DGM Soundworld in 2013.
5 concerts professionally recorded on multi-track tape. Parts of these shows have been previously included in the USA & The Great Deceiver releases, but they are all included here in full on CD for the first time.
1 CD drawn from an audio restored high quality bootleg of the band's final 1974 New York concert previously available only via mail order and now remastered.
* CD 21 features a new stereo mix of Red by Steven Wilson & Robert Fripp
* DVD (compatible with all DVD players & DVD Rom players) High Resolution Stereo mixes of the Asbury Park/USA concert in its various released/unreleased configurations (24bit/48khz).
* Blu-Ray Disc 1 features full lossless audio 24/192 transfers of four complete professionally recorded concerts newly transferred at the highest possible resolution from the original analogue Dolby SR half inch mix-downs in DTS-HD master sound stereo.
* Blu-Ray Disc 2 features a 24/192 transfer of the Asbury Park/USA concert, a new stereo mix of Red in 24/96 DTS-HD master sound stereo by Robert Fripp & Steven Wilson, and also contains the original stereo mix of Red along with the 5.1 mix of the album in 24/96 DTS-HD + bonus audio material.
* Discs packaged in 8 individual 3 disc digi-packs within an album sized box.
* LP sized booklet with rare/unseen photos, new sleeve notes by Robert Fripp, Sid Smith, technical notes on the recordings by David Singleton, expanded band member diary entries and eye-witness accounts from fans who attended the gigs
* Memorabilia including postcards, album prints, replica set lists & more besides.
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Between April and July 1974 King Crimson embarked on a tour of Canada and America which has come to be recognised as one of the most powerful series of concerts performed not just by Fripp, Cross, Wetton and Bruford but by any band of the era.
The band, who had been rarely off the road - except to record studio albums - chose to perform a selection of recent material from the then newly released Starless And Bible Black, older fan favourites, newly written/then unrecorded material & nightly improvisations at a level described by many eye-witnesses and observers as the most intense gigs they'd ever attended.
A single live LP USA was issued in 1975, a year after the band split but failed to convey the full extent of how ferocious a beast King Crimson was in full-flight. No other band blended powerful rock with an ability to turn in epic improvisations of immense subtlety or strength.
Many of the shows on this final tour had been recorded, either professionally to multi-track tape, or on the band's stereo cassette feed from the mixing desk. These remained unheard until 1992 when selected highlights were released in 1992 on the 4 CD boxed set, The Great Deceiver.
Now The Road To Red offers a comprehensive overview of this final tour and at last does justice to a group who were operating at the very height of their powers.
Every soundboard quality recording known to exist is presented with audio fully restored, all released on CD for the first time. There are also five complete concerts, drawn from multi-track recordings, alongside the restored audio bootleg of the band's final show from New York and a new stereo mix of Red by Robert Fripp and Steven Wilson undertaken in 2012.
A total of 16 concerts are featured across 20 discs, with the studio Red as the 21st CD.
The set also features:
A DVD containing a high resolution stereo presentation of USA (in all mixes) and the new stereo mix of Red.
2 Blu-Ray discs containing the five full length multi-track concert recordings (newly transferred at the highest resolution available from the original analogue Dolby SR source mix-down tapes & presented in 24/192 DTS-HD master sound), new & original stereo versions of Red and the existing 5.1 multi-channel mixes of the album presented in 24/96 DTS-HD also feature on Blu-Ray.
With a fully illustrated album-sized booklet featuring previously unseen photos & a wealth of newly written material + postcards, replicas of hand-written set lists, album prints of the USA & Red covers & other memorabilia, this is an essential release for King Crimson fans.
