STARLESS

Whereas both the Sailors' Tales boxed set and the Larks' Tongues Complete Recordings box fill out their space with some recordings of less-than-stellar sound quality, owing to high-quality recordings of the band at the time being somewhat thin on the ground, the Starless box is another matter entirely.

Taking in the European tour of 1973 during which the material which fed into the Starless & Bible Black album was recorded, Starless & Bible Black itself, and the 1974 European tour following its release, the boxed set provides the complete surviving "blue tapes" - the legendary soundboard recordings from the gigs in question. Whilst some of the gigs are not present in complete versions due to the tape running out at one point or another, those gigs which were recorded in full are absolutely stellar, and the incomplete recordings are really excellent, with their incompleteness being their only flaw.

With the band enjoying both a dynamite repertoire of songs at this time and a well-honed knack for improvisation which makes every gig worth listening to in its own right, Starless is a true treasury. Don't think of it as a set to be gobbled up all at once - think of it as an instant collection of the very best of King Crimson's output from late 1973 to early 1974, something to pick out one show at a time from rather than listening to them all in rapid succession. Whilst costly, the amount of material you get for your money is truly excellent value; if you are keen enough on the band as it existed in this era to want even one or two of these live shows, you're probably enthusiastic enough to enjoy the entire set.