ELEMENTS OF KING CRIMSON

I write this on the day the box set was released. I assume only Crimson fans of a certain level would be looking in on this, so for those masses: For one: this release does have merit. I suppose it's intuitive to label an inferior release a "money grab" and quality material a noble gesture to the fans. Knowing King Crimson, it's neither. The songs, or experiments, or variations, or extracts all contained within are just plain nice to listen to, which brings me to the second point: the sounds. In some ways this material reminds me of the recent John Lennon "stripped" release of the album , Double Fantasy. Here, as with that release, familiar (and sometimes not so) songs are revealed in a simpler , almost purer, form . There are few overdubs, much more space between instruments, and often a more visceral feel. As indicated in the liner notes, some of these versions were unbeknownst even to band members, or only remembered as recorded pieces to be used as structural guides for band members to "work out" the piece at a future time or solo over for the later creative process. With that said, yes, a result is sometimes a take with less passion, so to speak. That has the strange effect of creating an easier listening experience, as opposed to the more active experience KC music usually demands. I rather like it. There's a previously unheard version of Cadence and Cascade with Greg Lake on vocals; this makes for a cool version. There are also some live cuts added from each of the Five versions of the band. Highlights from disc one include a nice alternate take of Sailor' s Tale, with a less intense, but more fluid version of one of Fripp' s more killer of solos. The Talking Drum , which drifts into two conjoined sections from Lark' s Tongue p. 1. The editing here and elsewhere on the discs are reminiscent of Zappa' s Guitar albums (and his YCDTOSA series) that blend snippets of archival material from various times, locations and bands. Even though this collection covers roughly forty years, it isn't jarring or mismatched; That's really the most outstanding part of this collection: it works well in one sitting. In fact , I find myself anxiously waiting for the next phase of KC to appear after every three or four pieces. As for the versions themselves, that's best left for individual listeners to pass judgment, or rank or appreciate to varying degrees. What I can report is that the mixing and sound quality is excellent. It does seem that Steven Wilson's presence (even though he was involved in only a few of these mixes) always signals a product with great integrity and quality. I wouldn't label "The Elements" a completist-only release; these discs are very good, and would appeal to all types of fans. Highly Recommended.

King Crimson has done a little bit of expanding on their 2015 “Elements” box set. This set contains songs from 1969 to 2014. It’s curiously started with ‘Wind”, an extract from the very first song of the ‘Court of the Crimson King’ album – sort of a Crimson ‘wink wink’. What follows is a mix of extraordinary unreleased instrumentals, overdubs, extracts, rehearsals, live pieces and more.There is an enormous amount of original and unique material here. ‘Catfood’ jazzes itself without the crazy piano, ‘Islands’ is redone with a glorious oboe, ‘The Hell hounds of Krim’ is a great percussion explosion, ‘’The Power To believe’ has a demo and a 2003 Live version from Milan set. ‘Larks Tongue in Aspic’ has four different interpretations and ‘Islands’ contains three. The hilariously clever ‘Elephant Talk’ is here in its 12” version glory. ‘Vroom” showcases twice with its decadent and sultry persistence. In fact, many classic songs are portrayed in a variety of styles and sometimes the ‘live’ sets are so tight, it’s difficult to tell them from the studio versions until the audience applause at the end. But that’s King Crimson.Nearly every album has some presence on this double CD box set and the mixing is clear and concise. This box set is a brilliant marketing scheme following 2014 and there are sure to be more in the coming years. All are welcome. It's also nice to have a large booklet insert that has a lot to say about King Crimson and its members and thier style of work. There’s nothing better than King Crimson than a mash-up of King Crimson.

This is the fifth Tour Box Robert Fripp has put out since 2014. They basically contain live tracks from the current incarnation of the band, a band that has been around for almost 50 years, as well as fragments from past band iterations and unreleased rarities.King Crimson has been around so long because Fripp basically ends the band on his whim and eventually reconstitutes it with different or returning players and a change in style. The style changes but the high level of musicianship and creativity remains. I prefer the band from my early years, when I first discovered them, in the early 70s. Back then, they were a powerful unit able to go from delicate moments of beauty to raging, complicated eruptions of metallic fury.I listened to disk 1 as I read the accompanying booklet. Done reading, I put the booklet down, lay on the bed, closed my eyes and just listened. I let the music seep into me. It was glorious. I listened and eventually merged with the music, appreciating every nuance and surprise being delivered by superior musicians.It was a perfect way to spend my time.If you have never listened to King Crimson, this is as good a starting point as any. Those who have followed the band for years have to be delighted with the current lineup as it picks and chooses from a vast back catalog and brings something new to something old. Enjoy them while you can.

Un trabajo imprescindible para todos los fans de la buena música. King Crimson de todas las etapas con temas imprescindibles versioneados en directo, en estudio o en pruebas, junto con temas nuevos nunca editados antes.Gran calidad en música y sonido. Están todos de todas las etapas y se disfruta en estos tiempos como un soplo de aire fresco en la música de estampa actual.

Esta boxset que en principio solo se iba a vender en sus recientes conciertos y a través de su página oficial se agotó enseguida y ante la enorme demanda han tenido que ponerla otra vez a la venta en sectores más amplios,lo cual me alegra porque ya me había quedado sin ella y ahora la puedo disfrutar.El contenido es muy interesante para el conocedor de la banda claro,una recopilación en dos discos de toda su carrera pero a través de tomas inéditas,alternativas,algunas editadas ya (si tienes las 40th anniversary editions) otras no,muy bien enlazadas entre si y pequeños extractos de sus ensayos con la nueva formación que son casi testimoniales por su escasa duración pero aún así bastante interesantes,esperemos que saquen nuevo material.El sonido también esta a la altura de las ultimas ediciones mencionadas antes a cargo de Mr.Steven Wilson. Como recopilatorio prefiero los 2 volúmenes de "21st century guide to KC" que están lujosamente editados y documentados pero como complemento de aquellos(éste también está bien presentado en formato digibook)es perfecto por sus rarezas y hará las delicias de todo fanático de King Crimson.Valoración final:bastante recomendable.

Elements Tour Box es una muy agradable y potente colección de canciones de King Crimson de 1969 al 2014. Dos CD, 29 temas, de ellos 11 sin editar con anterioridad, elementos de grabaciones editadas, actuaciones en vivo, tomas alternativas, ensayos…todo ello en una muy elegante presentación y bien de precio. De esta forma uno puede valorar las diferentes etapas del grupo así como los elementos que combinan. No es una colección de éxitos, es algo mas …Se que muchos pensaran que es una operación comercial mas, pero estimo que da una excelente perspectiva del trabajo del grupo. Para los fans contiene rarezas y para los neófitos una sorpresa de como suenan, sonaban y sonaran la banda de Robert Fripp. Muy bien rematerizada y con un folleto con fotos curiosas y explicaciones aun mas curiosas. En el mejor de los casos una gran oportunidad de escuchar de nuevo a King Crimson.PS Esta caja se edito antes de la ultima gira de KC en los EEU en el 2014. En realidad es casi una guia de trabajo de la banda. Es realmente interesante

Toda nueva entrega de King Crimson es siempre bien recibida para mi, y aquí tenemos 2 excelentes CDs registrados en el año 2.015 con los mismos componentes que en el álbum Live In Toronto.Este álbum tiene el hándicap de que carece de muchas partes vocales, que para mucha gente no lo es y yo lo entiendo perfectamente. Para mi en principio hay 2 temas magistralmente interpretados sentimentalmente que son Islands (Que da título al cuarto álbum editado por el grupo) y Bolero. Les siguen interpretados con gran fuerza y contundencia musical Larks Tongues In Aspic y Fracture, luego One More Rednightmare (Este si con voces solistas) y Elephant Talk con el bueno de Adrián Belew que nos deleitó con aquellos 3 maravillosos discos de los años 80 a saber Discipline, Beat y Three of a Perfect Pair.El tema Larks Tongues In Aspic pertenece al álbum del mismo título y el tema Fracture al álbum Starless And Bible Black, dos maravillosos discos de principios de los 70, que Robert Fripp sacaría en su primera época antes de disolver el grupo.El segundo CD es música de King Crimson años 90, música de alto riesgo, de alto voltaje. Dos magníficos CDs que añadir a tu colección de King Crimson.

Formidable cette collection des Tour box de 2014 à 2017 (toujours en cours). Il y a bien entendu un aspect promotionnel certain mettant en avant les dernières production de DGM autour du groupe ( extraits des boxsets édités dans l'année, morceaux live de l'année précédente, etc.) mais il y a aussi et assez souvent de l'inédit (les perles rares si recherchées par les completistes du groupe !Parfois un choix éditorial permet de juxtaposer des interprétations qui se trouvaient réparties sur des œuvres très différentes ou parfois même exécutées à des année de distance par des musiciens différents. Ces très intelligentes mises en perspective nouvelles permettent d'accéder à une nouvelle compréhension de l'œuvre ou de voir le temps faire son œuvre entre le feu initial de la création et la lente maturation tout au long du parcours cahotique (?) du groupe aux si multiples aspects ( changement de personnel, évolution personnelle de Fripp, ...).J'adore ces Tour box et ne saurait manquer de vous les recommander...