King Crimson: Starless And Bible Black
Author: Andy Robson
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Musicians: |
John Wetton (b, v) |
Label: |
Panegyric |
Magazine Review Date: |
November/2011 |
Catalogue Number: |
KCSP 6 CD/DVD-A |
RecordDate: |
1973 |
The 40th birthday party continues, if now totally out of whack with real time, but then, hey, this is the Crims and who knows what dimension we move within. Enough to say that as ever for this series, this is a splendid package, as befits not simply one of the great rock albums, but one that has influenced an endless array of all kinds of musicians. Bonus material was always going to be tricky with this line-up for as Bruford regularly attests, getting anyone to write was a nightmare. Subsequently live material and jams fleshed out the bones of the original albums songs. Yet it works, epically. Wetton’s vocals are magisterial and surprisingly tender on the extraordinary ‘The Night Watch’ and has any album kicked in with greater attack than ‘The Great Deceiver’. The interplay of Wetton and Bruford is monstrous (Fripp recalls leading the band “from the back” as the pair launch into one volcanic riff after another) but there’s still plenty of Cross to give colour and contrast. Bonus material there is though; as well as the compulsory contemporary remix, there’s a truly scary ‘The Mincer’, the deeply rare ‘Guts On My Side’ and on video a classic ‘Easy Money’ and a reminder that the Crims were always a band to listen to, not necessarily watch.
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