King Crimson - 1973-03-18 London, UK (1973)

It takes several minutes before one's ears adjust to the sonic murk of this audience recording even after Alex ‘Stormy’ Mundy has worked his sonic magic over its contents. “I have managed to make it 10 times more listenable! You should hear the cassette!,” says DGM’s in-house hero.

Regardless of the sonic shortcomings, it’s possible to discern the Crims were on fiery form just three days into their UK tour in the week of the release of Larks’ Tongues In Aspic. The speed with which they tackle LTIA Pt.1 during this period is always a cause for wonder. The swells of the climactic build in Easy Money, even though partially diminished beneath the wave of distortion, remains impressive.

The real surprise, however, is the segue from Easy Money into the riff that would later form the central instrumental section of Fallen Angel. In this setting David Cross uses it as a platform for some very effective soloing, gliding over the see-sawing groove before the piece slowly dissolves towards the introduction to Exiles.

The ensemble comes out of Book Of Saturday with an improv that begins with a slow march that eventually becomes wreathed in swaying lines from Cross and Fripp as Wetton and Bruford stoke up the intensity in what is a great improv. The recording may be flawed but the gig is fantastic!
Robert Fripp - Guitar, Mellotron
John Wetton - Bass, Vocals
David Cross - Violin, Mellotron, Keyboards
Bill Bruford - Drums