Such is the quality of this bootleg it makes your ears squint. Despite the very best efforts of Mister Stormy’s necromantic rites, there’s not too much of the music that is able to rise up from its sonic sarcophagus. Interestingly the concert contains side one of Islands played in it’s running order. Here, for the first time in the DGM archive, we hear Fripp’s revved up chordal solo as it was played on the studio version of Sailor’s Tale. It’s just a pity that a lot of the detail within it is sadly subsumed. Also following the shape of its studio counterpart is The Letters with Boz now belting the “Impaled on nails of ice” line loud and clear. Also of note is a live version of Islands itself. From what we know of the setlists of the band, this song wasn’t played too often, so hearing it for for the first time in the DGM archive is a cause for celebration. Recast as something of a mellotron power ballad (in lieu of Mark Charig’s playful cornet solo) it’s just about possible to make out how lovely this track was in concert, although the coda seems slightly fluffed just a second or two before the tape cuts out.
