CIRKUS - THE YOUNG PERSONS' GUIDE TO KING CRIMSON LIVE

This is another of my favorite live albums, it was some of the first King Crimson discs I ever listened to, so I have a special love for it. The difference here is that despite being a two-CD live album, it is not exactly a live album, I mean, an entire concert recorded and released, no, it is a compilation of various shows given throughout the band's long, unique and successful career. What I like about it is that it comprises representative tracks that fans surely love, and that "Cirkus" was released as a double-CD album. This is "The Young Person's Guide to King Crimson Live", so have a seat, relax and enjoy the music.

Ironically, the first CD does not feature old line-ups songs, so it is not a strictly chronological album. Here, we can appreciate songs from the Belew era,with Levin, Mastelotto and company, taken from shows performed from 1984-1998 in places such as Mexico, Canada, Japan and USA. The name of this first CD is "Neon Heat Disease" in which we will find songs such as "Three of a Perfect Pair", "Dinosaur", "Thela Hun Ginjeet" or "Elephant Talk", songs perfectly recognized and love by fans of the band, and especially of the Belew-era. Here we can also listen to a great performance of the old and classic "Red", and some improvisations as they usually do.

While in the second CD entitled "Fractured" we can listen to older performances from their first albums, comprising the different eras before Belew, though the performance of "Larks Tongues in Aspic" was taken from the 1996 Mexico City show, being this the only exception. The other live tracks were taken from older performances that took place in USA or Amsterdam, back in the 1969-1975 period. So besides Fripp, the names totally change here with musicians such as John Wetton, Mel Collins, Ian Wallace, Greg Lake, etc., what an outstanding quantity and quality of the musicians that have shared their grain of sand to this unique and fortunately still live band. The songs that one will find here are classic such as "21st Century Schizoid Man" "In the Court of the Crimson King", "Starless" or "Easy Money", excellent performances from I bet memorable shows.

So this live guide is really useful if you want to know the band's different eras, you will listen to their distinctive sounds, but after all you will always know that you are listening to King Crimson. My final grade will be four stars. Get it, you won't regret.

Enjoy it!

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