EARTHBOUND

King Crimson release a live album and it turns out to be a poorly recorded (in the crowd Amstrad tape deck) affair and arguably, no, definitely the least inspired line ups that Fripp organised, in fact organisation is what is lacking when it comes to this era King Crimson and especially the whole release of this live album. "21 Century Schizoid Man" from the off lacks a power and the bootleg quality of the album drags it back a few steps though the album gets worse, there is a jam somewhere which is fucking terrible. Boz Burrell (bass/vocals) and Mel Collins (saxophone) at this time were members of the King Crimson and the almost constant change of personnel, and clashing personalities, were having a big effect on the bands stability. There are many stories of conflict between both the afore mentioned with King Crimson's leader Robert Fripp and the band does sound as if it is pulling apart. "Sailors Tale" deserves a decent production to gain some dynamic aural symphony of sound but obviously fall flat, which would just sum up the life of this line up completed by drummer Ian Wallace. Again, Fripp would regroup but the next stage would produce the goods for the band, Earthbound is a disjointed effort that may just be the honest testimony to whole experience of the Fripp/Burrell/Collins/Wallace version King Crimson. Sits almost uncomfortably and very shabby beside the other albums in the King Crimson canon.