King Crimson - 1981-12-12 Expo Hall Osaka Japan (1981)

A slightly more muffled sound on this bootleg recording does not detract from the fun and games the team are getting up. Whereas the previous gig took a little while to warm up, Crimson hitting the ground running, despite a few fluffed notes in set-opener Discipline. There’s a rolling energy present on stage that extends into an frantic alt funk-driven Thela which somehow transmutes into a glowering brutality of Red - best described here as a slow moving juggernaut. Those mangled, twisted chords at the end are downright scary. After the darkness, comes the light and Matte with Ade in tender form.

After an ethereal breather via The Sheltering Sky, Frame By Frame bursts the bubble. Although the initial opening bars are missing here there’s nothing missing about the frantic urgency with which this piece isn’t so much as attacked. Neal And Jack And Me gets another airing though it lacks the confidence of the previous performance.

Manhattan was the early working title of Neurotica, and still a long way from receiving its lyrics. A barn-storming version (and quite possibly the best number of this set), Belew pulls off some amazing string-bending gymnastics and Fripp flies in at the end with a sprightly, tightly controlled solo. By comparison, Elephant Talk sounds positively staid!

After a slightly deranged Indiscipline, the Roland organ loop and the audience stomping and cheering makes for an oddly charming bonus track!