What a dynamite gig this is - full of twists and surprises.[endtease] There are times when both band and audience combine to make something special that goes beyond the night merely being a “good show.” This is one such occasion and thankfully for us recording engineer George Chkiantz was on hand with the mobile recording studio to capture it all for posterity.
Whilst hindsight has made us familiar with the set list, try putting yourself in the shoes of the folks at the Glasgow Apollo that night. Large sections of the evening were devoted to completely new music that the punters would’ve been hearing for the first time. Perhaps it's this which makes the atmosphere here so electric.
Although portions of it have previously appeared on Starless and Bible Black and disc two of The Great Deceiver set, this is the first time it’s been presented in its uncut and unedited form.
For example, when The Night Watch appeared on TGD the original guitar solo had been replaced by one from Zurich. We now get the track without edits and it sounds just fine – clearly John Wetton thought so as he can be heard enjoying Fripp’s playing to the max.
We can now also enjoy a superb version of Fracture complete with its jazz-rock middle section (that would later be reused in Starless) and a forceful rendition of Lament.
This was a thrilling gig to have been at – just listen to the demands for more at the end of the formal set. As they wait for Schizoid Man you can almost hear the jaws dropping when they realise they’re about to hear Cat Food. Wonderful from start to finish.
