Alex “Stormy” Mundy has skilfully reconstructed the third date in on what would be the last tour for this incarnation of King Crimson[endtease] from a well-known bootleg source and a soundboard cassette. It finds the band on slightly unsteady form in places during the early part of the concert as David Cross’s out of tune mellotron threatens to derail Easy Money, itself an unusual choice for the opening number.
Fripp’s solo begins with the “zero of the signified” type running lines pattern, sounding at times as though he’s trying to straddle the abyss-like differential that hangs between the tuning of the rest of the band and the wayward tron.
After a perfunctory Lament and a much-needed spot of tuning-up, Fracture is where the band begins to gel with Bruford excelling with some precocious percussion, and Cross turning in a wonderfully atonal vamp on an overdriven pianet.
The improvisation flirts with the opening lines of Exiles but oozes into a groove not unlike the stately ascending middle section of Sailors’ Tale. There’s a brief respite from all the density and busyness via what amounts to an exceedingly rare albeit brief drum solo as we transition into what is arguably the most intense Talking Drum the band ever performed.
To describe this version as frenzied doesn’t get close: LTIA2is almost an anti-climax here compared to the ferocity unleashed during Talking Drum in which Cross and Fripp’s interweaving lines are simply magnificent.
Connoisseurs of Clams Crimsonesque will appreciate John Wetton’s contribution around the two and a half minutes mark into an otherwise triumphant rendition of LTIA2. Not be outdone by his band mate in the brown moment stakes, David Cross momentarily forgets to engage the distortion pedal on a relatively rare keyboard solo in the climactic section. Such minor deviant moments cannot however detract from what is a fantastic addition to the DGMLive catalogue.
