When King Crimson returned in 2014 it reimagined several numbers which had been untouched and unplayed for 40 years or more. Sailor’s Tale, The Letters, and the title track from Islands, all eventually found their way into the live set list. But not Ladies of The Road.
What virile young men might sing about in 1971, even with their tongue slightly in their cheek, would be a profoundly awkward and uncomfortable fit for post-mature men in the 21st Century.
This brand new instrumental mix by Alex ‘Stormy’ Mundy takes us into the album sessions at Command Studios and without Boz’s vocals, the construction of this wonky Crimson blues is presented in crystal-sharp definition.
Various guitars, including some intended as guidelines, flutes, Mellotron flutes, and sax, weave between Ian Wallace’s restrained timekeeping and Boz’s rather melodic bass. There’s an intriguing ending motif from Fripp, after where the finished record version fades out, that sounds like a springboard to a different piece entirely, revealing for the first time in fifty years another ‘what if’ thread for Crimheads to unravel and ponder.
