USA

My father was never a huge fan of prog, but he saw King Crimson lvie in the 80's, and said it was one of the best concerts he had been to. Everything I'd read about King Crimson told me they were a band that couldn't be appreciated until you heard them live.

This is my first experience with a KC live album, and I'm quite impressed with it. The sound quality isn't as good as it could be, but very good considering the time it was recorded

All of the songs on here sound better than their studio versions, with more complex solos, and a lot more improvisation.

Schizoid Man sounds exactly like I imagined it would with this lineup. No horn section, but the guitar work is a lot more impressive, and it also as a very strong violin solo by David Cross. John Wetton bass playing is a lot heavier than Lake's, though Wetton vocals don't fit quite as well, and just don't sound right when they're distorted. Of course, Bill Brufords drumming is as powerful as ever.

The live version of Starless kind of puzzled me when i first heard it. The lyrics are changed, and I'm not sure if it's because this was an earlier version, or if Wetton just forgot the lyrics.

King Crimson probably has live albums that are far better than this one, but since this was my first, I really don't know. This is still a very good record though, excellent addition to any prog music collection.