This concert was originally released on CD as KCCC 36 and it’s another high-energy performance by the band. The Great Deceiver is almost brutal as it ploughs open the evening. Wetton’s bass really is more akin to a baritone lead guitar in his hands particularly in the first improv, a prelude to a riotous Dr. Diamond.

The second improv is a superb example of the back-line leading from the front; ever-eager to get off the starting blocks, Bruford kicks off a fusillade of percussive battering with everyone else in caught in the tailwind. Though undermixed here, Cross’s violin is wonderfully effective adding a light and dextrous melodic content to the bluster and braggadocio.

You can hear Wetton’s appreciative groans between the second and third verses of a majestic Starless. When they go into the ominous bass section Bruford similarly enjoys himself, detonating all kinds of rhythmic bombs about the place prior to the jazz-rock work out wherein Cross’s solo whips up a micro-storm all of its own. The third improv is a lovely pastoral interlude with Fripp’s introspective chords and Cross’s elegiac melody. Short but quietly stunning in its own way. Easy Money begins in the usual way but the funk-driven shuffle with Fripp’s chordal picking in the instrumental section is remarkably effective punctuated as it is with Wetton’s jabs and Bruford’s tireless hi-hat. This section alone is worth the price of admission.
TRACK
TIME
01
The Great Deceiver
03:55
02
Improv I
02:11
03
Dr Diamond
05:00
04
Improv II
06:08
05
Exiles
06:00
06
The Night Watch
04:54
07
Lament
04:17
08
Starless
12:13
09
Improv III
02:05
10
Easy Money
07:01
11
Fracture*
04:00
Written by Alexander Dylan Sugar
Must Have for Fans of Wetton Era
This might be my favorite of all shows from this lineup. Improv II is a musical tornado and probably my favorite improv from any KC lineup. Two superlatives right off the bat is how good this show is. You can hear the energy the whole band is putting out right up through Wetton's enthusiastic vocals. And at least to my non-technical ears, the sound quality seems right up there with Nightwatch and USA.
Written by Samuel Langer
Great show and improv II!
The Crims were on the top of their game this night. All the songs on this concert are masterfully executed and the audio sounds great. Improv II is simply awesome and Billy was really leading the band. Definitely buy this concert! Just a note: 1-2 minutes at the end of improv II are the intro to Exiles.
Written by Jeff Oaster
More from the German tour
There is a lot to like about this concert, and this stretch of shows in general. But first, a caveat: The times listed on the songs are way off. The improvs are (in order of appearance 2, 6 and 2 minutes long. Starless is complete, and Fracture is only the first four minutes.As I had mentioned, the German tour in Spring 74 had a lot of interesting stuff going on. For one, Starless was being taken for a test drive. It had only been performed a few times prior to this show. Their modus operandi ...
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