CD Preview: King Crimson’s Live In Vienna 2016

Those fearsome road warriors King Crimson seldom perform any song the same way twice; neither are their nightly performances as cut-and-dried in structure as many performers. This free-wheeling approach to their music has not only made them an in-demand touring band but it has also created a collecting frenzy for their frequently-released live albums. Crimson may not be the Grateful Dead of the 21st century, but they’re offering a similar fan-friendly experience for loyal fans of their unique and complex music.

On April 6th, 2018 King Crimson will release Live In Vienna, December 1st, 2016, a three-disc box set that captures that night’s electrifying live performance. Mixed from the original multi-track tapes, the first two discs of the box provide listeners with the complete first and second sets from the concert. Disc three includes “a series of soundscapes edited into newly sequenced pieces” featuring band members Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, and Mel Collins, according to the press release for the album. The third disc also features the Vienna show encore as well as the first live performance of the song “Fracture” since 1974. The set is presented in a fold-out digifile package with 16-page booklet featuring tour photos and notes by writer David Singleton, all of it packaged in a slipcase.

The current King Crimson line-up includes guitarist Robert Fripp, bassist Tony Levin, guitarist and vocalist Jakko Jakszyk, saxophonist Mel Collins, keyboardist Bill Rieflin, and three drummers – Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, and Jeremy Stacey. The band spend much of 2017 touring the states, with their June show in Chicago immortalized by the release of the double-disc set Official Bootleg: Live In Chicago, June 28th, 2017. Crimson will be touring Europe and Japan during 2018.

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: King Crimson’s Live In Vienna, December 1st, 2016

King Crimson’s Live In Vienna, December 1st, 2016 tracklist:

Disc One
First Set: Vienna 2016
1. Walk On: Soundscapes: Monk Morph Music Of The Chamber
2. Hell Hounds of Krim
3. Pictures of a City
4. Dawn Song (Suitable Grounds for the Blues)
5. VROOOM
6. The Construkction of Light
7. The Court of the Crimson King
8. The Letters
9. Sailors’ Tale
10. Interlude
11. Radical Action II
12. Level V

Disc Two
Second Set: Vienna 2016
1. Fairy Dust of the Drumsons
2. Peace: An End
3. Cirkus
4. Indiscipline
5. Epitaph
6. Easy Money
7. Devil Dogs of Tessellation Row
8. Red
9. Meltdown
10. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two
11. Starless

Disc Three
Encores and Expansions
1. Fracture
2. Heroes
3. 21st Century Schizoid Man
4. Schoenberg Softened His Hat
5. Ahriman's Ceaseless Corruptions
6. Spenta's Counter Claim

The Elements of King Crimson 2017 Tour Box

If you’re one of the thousands of loyal prog-rock fans that have been enjoying the legendary King Crimson’s recent slate of shows, this news will make your month! This coming Friday – June 16th, 2017 – the band will release The Elements of King Crimson 2017 Tour Box. Like its predecessors from the past three years, the two-disc set features extracts from rehearsals, new live recordings, elements from studio recordings, full tracks, alternate takes, and finished recordings circa 1969 to 2016, many of which are making their first appearance on CD.

Every line-up of the historic band is represented on The Elements of King Crimson 2017 Tour Box, and the set includes a unique performance of “Lark’s Tongues In Aspic” comprised of studio and live tracks interspersed with elements taken from the original studio sessions and rehearsals. The set is packaged in a DVD-sized fold-out digipak-style book case with a 24-page booklet that includes photos of memorabilia, band photos, full info about the 2016 tour, and new liner notes by co-compiler Sid Smith. The Elements of King Crimson 2017 Tour Box can be ordered from King Crimson’s Schizoid shop or from Amazon.com using the link provided below.

The King Crimson 2017 North American tour continues through the end of July – check out tour dates here – and the band has taken the unusual step of placing its three drummers at the front of the stage. In addition to beat-keepers Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, and Jeremy Stacey, this incarnation of King Crimson includes multi-instrumentalist Bill Reiflin on keyboards, guitarist Jakko Jakszyk, bassist Tony Levin, saxophonist Mel Collins and, of course, band founding member Robert Fripp on guitar.

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: King Crimson’s The Elements of King Crimson 2017 Tour Box