Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: King Crimson
Label: Discipline Global Mobile
Release: 2001
Running time: 58:11
Rating: 4.5/5
Opinions are still pretty divided on which of the many incarnations of prog rock titans King Crimson was the best. If the main yardstick is name recognition, meaning how widely the individual musicians’ names resonated, then the most notorious King Crimson lineup was surely the one from 1973 to 1974. Besides the brilliant guitarist and stern overlord Robert Fripp, it featured bassist/vocalist John Wetton (ex-Family, later Asia and a whole bunch of other bands), drummer Bill Bruford (ex-Yes) and violinist/keyboardist David Cross (who later worked with Jade Warrior).
The early version of this King Crimson incarnation, hooked on jazz-rock improvisation, also had an extra drummer and percussionist, the unforgettable ‘dadaist’ Jamie Muir. He left the band after just one year, officially because of a broken arm but unofficially because of differing artistic and value visions, so that he could go on to become a Buddhist monk. Muir played on only one King Crimson album, the masterpiece »Larks’ Tongues in Aspic« (1973). True to his nature, Fripp wasn’t exactly shaken by this, and when King Crimson played Mainz on March 30, 1974, the show this very good-sounding official live recording comes from (first released in 2001 on an independent label), he was already busy planning the next studio album.
In 1974 this version of King Crimson didn’t just improvise freely onstage wherever it could. It also played brand-new compositions that ended up on the studio release »Starless And Bible Black« (1974) a few months later. What’s more, some of the »Starless And Bible Black« tracks were recorded ‘live’, that is, at various concerts during the 1974 tour.
King Crimson opened their Mainz show with two short improvisations, »The Savage« and »Arabica«, with the song »Dr Diamond« wedged in between, which for unexplained reasons never made it onto any King Crimson studio album. As for their ambient sides, both improvisations have fitting titles, while »Dr Diamond« could just as well be called »Dr Fripp«, since the guitarist’s brutal, mathematically precise passages dominate it. Wetton, who also impresses with his complex bass lines, shifts convincingly between rage and melancholy in his singing, while passionate violin passages spice up the whole thing. The violin always lent this version of King Crimson a certain rustic touch. Bruford’s drumming is a real feast for fans of big technical drum-kit wizardry and audacious time changes.
»Exiles«, one of the most beautiful songs of this era, with Cross’s violin arrangements shining in particular while Wetton convincingly demonstrates why he was always one of the most highly regarded prog rock singers, softens the pretty uncompromising and chaotic start of this gig. The improvisation »Atria« is stuffed with avant-garde shavings, and the atmosphere comes closest to some kind of psychedelic nightmare where zombie politicians long ago gobbled up the last of the money they stole. It’s followed by »The Night Watch«, another proper classic with ‘head and tail’, inspired by Rembrandt’s painting ‘The Night Watch’, and accordingly ruled by mighty baroque arrangements. This version isn’t played with the same fire and sensitivity as the one on »Starless And Bible Black«, since Wetton sings a few verses a bit too hastily, while Fripp on mellotron and Cross on violin do the lion’s share of building the majestic atmosphere.
The peak of this recording is the performance of the melancholic epic »Starless«, which came out in its studio version on the masterpiece »Red« (1974), the farewell album of the Fripp/Wetton/Bruford trio. The whole band does really well here, violinist Cross especially, who is only a guest member on »Red«. »Lament« is one of the strangest creations in the King Crimson story, and it’s also marked by an extremely sarcastic lyric, so Wetton’s vocals feel right at home. This version too lets you hear the remarkable composing-and-arranging duality of this incarnation of the legendary band, with constant swapping between chaotic and melancholic moments.
»Trio« also came out on »Starless And Bible Black«, and it’s no surprise that Fripp put exactly this improvisation on the shortlist for the album, since it has some very pleasant ambient motifs that soften the dark, brutal, sarcastic and chaotic nature of most of the creative output from this King Crimson era. Closing the recording is a very good performance of the »Larks’ Tongues in Aspic« standard »Easy Money«, where Wetton especially shines with his sarcasm-laced vocal mannerisms, while his bandmates crank up the dramatic atmosphere with improvisational breakouts. The deeply sarcastic lyric by Wetton’s friend Richard Palmer-James, about vampiric capitalism and financial speculators, is sadly more relevant than ever.
The improvisational merry-go-round »Live in Mainz« is one of the better live documents from the Wetton-era King Crimson vault, and also a historical testament to a brilliant band that was already starting to come apart at the seams. You can hear on every performance that the band was in great spirits in Mainz. In the liner notes, Wetton wrote that most of the crowd’s ovations came from Americans, since Mainz was home to one of the many American military bases in West Germany at the time, but it’s kind of hard to believe that Uncle Sam’s soldiers took their families to gigs by bands like King Crimson. After the American leg of the tour and the release of »Red«, it was all over in 1974 for this version of the band, which for many people still remains the favorite version of the ‘Crimson Kings’.
Lineup
John Wetton – vocals, bass guitar
Robert Fripp – guitar, mellotron, electric piano
Bill Bruford – drums, percussion
David Cross – violin, mellotron, electric piano
Production
Davind Singleton and Alex Mundy
Track list
1. Improv: The Savage
2. Dr Diamond
3. Improv: Arabica
4. Exiles
5. Improv: Atria
6. The Night Watch
7. Starless
8. Lament
9. Improv:Trio
10. Easy Money
