King Crimson
Band members Related acts
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line up xx (1970) - Mel Collins -- sax, flutes - Robert Fripp -- guitar, mellotron, devices - Peter Giles -- bass - Gordon Haskell -- vocals, bass - Greg Lake -- vocals - Peter Sinfield -- lyrics - Keith Tippett -- keyboards
line up xx (1970) - Mel Collins -- sax, flutes - Robert Fripp -- guitar, mellotron, devices - Peter Giles -- bass - Gordon Haskell -- vocals, bass NEW - Andy McCulloch -- drums, percussion - Peter Sinfield -- lyrics - Keith Tippett -- keyboards
- Bill Bruford -- drums, percussion - Boz Burrell -- vocals (replaced Gordon Haskell) (1970-) - Mel Collins -- sax, flutes (1970-) - David Cross -- violin, viola, keyboards - Robert Fripp -- guitar, mellotron, devices - Michael Giles -- drums (1969) - Peter Giles -- bass (1969-) - Gordon Haskell -- vocals, bass (1970) - Greg Lake -- vocals (1969-70) - Andy McCullough -- drums (replaced Michael Giles) (1970) - Ian McDonald -- keyboards (1969) - Peter Sinfield -- lyrics - Keith Tippett -- keyboards - Ian Wallace -- drums (replaced Andy McCullough) (1970) - John Wetton -- vocals, bass
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- Asia (John Wetton) - Bad Company (Boz Burrell) - Brain (Michael Giles, Peter Giles and Robert Fripp) - Boz People (Boz Burrell) - Bill Bruford (solo efforts) - Circus (Mel Collins) - Cupid's Inspiration (Gordon Haskell) - Emerson, Lake and Palmer (Greg Lake) - Family (John Wetton) - Fleur de Les (Gordon Haskell) - The Flowerpot Men (Gordon Haskell) - Foreigner (Ian McDonald) - Robert Fripp (solo efforts) - Giles, Giles and Fripp - Greg Lake (solo efforts) - Gordon Haskell (solo efforts) - McDonald and Giles - Ian McDonald (solo efforts) - Shy Lambs (Andy McCullooch) - U.K. (Bill Bruford and John Wetton) - John Wetton (solo efforts) - John Wetton and Phil Manzanera - World (Ian Wallace) - Yes (Bill Bruford)
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Genre: progressive Rating: 4 stars **** Title: In the Wake of Poseidon Company: Atlantic Catalog: SD-8286 Year: 1970 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 3166 Price: $30.00
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In the wake of the band's 1969 American tour drummer Michael Giles and keyboardist Ian MacDonald handed in their resignations. They were followed out the door by singer/guitarist Greg Lake. Robert Fripp convinced Lake to temporarily return to the fold for the next album (the band reportedly paid Lake by giving him their touring PA system). With the addition of ex-Circus sax player Mel Collins and keyboardist Keith Tippet the band went back into the studios.
Personnel changes continued during the recording sessions for 1970's "In the Wake of Poseidon". Though Lake had agreed to complete the album and handled most of the vocals, ex-Fleur de Les singer/bassist Gordon Haskell was brought in as insurance and ended up handling vocals on the pretty ballad 'Cadence and Cascade'. Ex-World drummer Ian Wallace was also added to the lineup. In the midst of the turmoil, guitarist Robert Fripp and lyricist Peter Sinfield were left as the band's creative center. The pair may have borrowed liberally from their earlier catalog and outside sources ('The Devil's Triangle' was a blatant rip of Gustav Holst's 'Mars: Bringer of War' - Holst's estate apparently refused them permission to record the work), but the fact they managed to record anything was impressive. Even if the results sounded much like a continuation of "Court of the Crimson King", or as some critics complained, a complete remake of the debut, the album was worth hearing. Sure there was lots to remind one of the debut. Adapted from a live piece the band use to perform, 'Pictures of a City' in turn borrowed more than a little from the earlier '21st Century Schizoid Man', while the title track recalled the debut's 'Epitaph'. Similarly Sinfield's hippy/dippy fantasy lyrics ('check out the title track') recalled much of the debut. Still there were a couple of strengths included the pretty mellotron-powered ballad 'Cadence and Cascade' (apparently inspired by a pair of band groupies) and the earlier jazzy single 'Catfood'. Moreover, given there was little marketing support for the album and the band didn't tour, it sold well, hitting # 31 in the States and going top-5 in the UK.
Perhaps not a major surprise, completion of the album was followed by another round of personnel changes; Haskell was replaced by Boz People vocalist Boz Burrell and McCullough replaced by ex-World drummer Ian Wallace.
I always liked the Tammo De Jongh cover art; entitled "The 12 Faces of Mankind".
"In the
Wake of Poseidon" track listing: 1.) Peace - A Beginning (Robert Fripp - Peter Sinfield) - 0:49 rating: **** stars Hearing Greg Lake a cappella was breathtaking .... shame 'Peace - A Beginning' was just a song fragment, rather than a full fledged tune. 2.) Pictures of a City (Robert Fripp - Peter Sinfield) - 8:03 rating: **** stars The instrumental opening section sounded like something out of a '60s spy flick with the combination of Collins' sax and Fripp's edgy guitar giving the song a slightly ominous feeling. It had a distinctively jazzy vibe, but at the same time 'Pictures of a City' had a massively big groove. Under the alternate title 'A Man, A City', the tune was apparently an early staple in the band's live repertoire. 3.) Cadence and Cascade (Robert Fripp - Peter Sinfield) - 4:27 rating: **** stars 'Cadence and Cascade' found Gordon Haskell handling lead vocals. While his voice wasn't nearly as dramatic as Lake's, I'll have to admit he sounded quite good on this sweet ballad. 4.) In the Wake of Poseidon (including Libra's Theme) (Robert Fripp - Peter Sinfield) - 7:56 rating: **** stars Even if you weren't a big progressive genre fan, the title track served as one of the band's sweetest ballads. The combination of a pastoral melody, Lake's instantly recognizable voice; Robert Fripp's tasteful Mellotron, and Michael Giles' drums was wonderful. Listening to 'In the Wake of Poseidon' I can always feel my blood pressure drop a couple of points.
(side
2) 'Peace - A Theme' showcased Fripp's acoustic guitar on an instrumental continuation of the opening number. Pretty, but too brief. 2.) Cat Food (Robert Fripp - Peter Sinfield - Ian McDonald) - 4:54 Built on a killer Michael and Peter Giles groove and Tippett's dysfunctional keyboards, 'Cat Food' was easily the album's most mainstream and commercial offering. YouTube has a nice clip of the band lip synching the song for a a March 1970 Top of the Pops episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmRbSFvh_90 Easy to see why an edited version was tapped as a single:
- 1970's 'Cat Food' b/w 'Groon' (Island catalog number WIP 6080)
3.) The Devil's Triangle (Robert Fripp - Ian McDonald) - 11:39 rating: ** stars As mentioned earlier, the three part 'The Devil's Triangle' featured the band at their most experimental and not exactly their most accessible. Parts of the suite came off as a blatant rip of Gustav Holst's 'Mars: Bringer of War' Merday Morn (instrumental) Hand of Sceiron (instrumental) Garden of Wurm (instrumental) 4.) Peace - An End (Robert Fripp - Peter SInfield) - 1:53 rating: **** stars The first half of the song snippet featured a cappella Lake ... The second half brought in some pretty acoustic guitar and has always reminded me of something Eric Stewart might have written for a 10cc album.
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Genre: progressive Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Starless and Bible Black Company: Atlantic Catalog: SD-298 Year: 1974 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5183 Price: $12.00
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Hailed as being one of the best King Crimson albums, over the years I've struggled to get it ... I've played "Starless and Bible Black" countless times and it still doesn't do much for me.
Self-produced, the album offered up a challenging mix of studio material and live concert performances (with audience applause edited out). Clocking in at 41 minutes, the collection was minimally accessible with nothing here in danger of garnering the band radio exposure. I'll readily admit that most of the themes were lost on me - modern society's myriad of ills? A song about a Rembrandt painting ('The Watcher')? Beats me. The opener 'The Great Deceiver', 'Lament' and part of the title track were studio pieces, while tracks like 'We'll Let You Know', 'Trio' and 'The Mincer' were apparently in-concert improvisations with substantial post-production work. Most folks will probably be appalled by this comment, but my choice for standout track is the previously mentioned instrumental 'Trio'. In contrast to most of the album the largely acoustic number featured a fairly mainstream structure and a pretty melody. In contrast the title track and 'Fracture' showcased two extended jazz-rock fusion instrumentals. Critics seemed enthralled by the performances and technically they were quite impressive, but in a practical sense they simply didn't do much for my ears. Backed by a brief American tour the collection managed to hit # 64. Following the conclusion of the tour Cross tendered his resignation. (For trivia fans, co-writer Richard Palmer-James was better known as Supertramp guitarist Richard Palmer.)
"Starless
and Bible Black" track listing: 1.) The Great Deceiver (John Wetton - Robert Fripp - Richard Palmer-James) - 4:02 2.) Lament (Robert Fripp - John Wetton - Richard Palmer-James) - 4:00 3.) We'll Let You Know (David Cross - Robert Fripp - John Wetton - Bill Bruford) - 5:46 4.) The Night Watch (Robert Fripp - John Wetton - Richard Palmer-James) - 4:37 5.) Trio (instrumental) (David Cross - Robert Fripp - John Wetton - Bill Bruford) - 5:41 6.) The Mincer
(David Cross - Robert Fripp - John Wetton - Bill Bruford - Richard
Palmer-James) - 4:10 (side
2) 2.) Fracture (Robert Fripp) - 11:14
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Genre: progressive Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Earthbound Company: Polydor Catalog: 2343.002 Year: 1972 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: Price: $12.00
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er.)
"Earthbound"
track listing: 1.)
(side
2)
Earthbound is a live album by the band King Crimson, released in 1972 as a budget record shortly after the line-up that recorded it had broken up. It contains the band's first official live release of their signature song "21st Century Schizoid Man", and an extended live version of their 1970 non-LP B-side "Groon". It also contains two improvised tracks with scat vocals from Boz Burrell. The album's sound quality is relatively poor, because of being recorded onto cassette tape (a low-fidelity recording medium, even by 1972 standards) by live sound engineer Hunter MacDonald. The liner notes to the original LP cover and recent CD reissues of the album state that it was "captured live on an Ampex stereo cassette fed from a Kelsey Morris custom built mixer ... in the rain from the back of a Volkswagen truck." Atlantic Records, the original distributor for King Crimson in the United States and Canada, declined to release Earthbound because of its poor sound. Because of the origins of the masters, the sound could not be significantly improved on later CD reissues of the album. An expanded CD-DVD version of the album was released on 13 November 2017. The CD is expanded to twelve tracks, whereas the DVD features hi-res audio of the album along with much additional audio material including a live radio session in surround sound.[3] Contents 1 Track listing 2 Personnel 3 References 4 External links Track listing Side one No. Title Writer(s) Notes Length 1. "21st Century Schizoid Man" (including "Mirrors") Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald, Peter Sinfield recorded at the Armoury, Wilmington, Delaware, United States, 11 February 1972 11:45 2. "Peoria" Boz Burrell, Mel Collins, Fripp, Ian Wallace recorded at The Barn, Peoria, Illinois, United States, 10 March 1972 7:30 3. "Sailor's Tale" (instrumental) Fripp recorded at the Baseball Park, Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 26 February 1972 4:45 Side two No. Title Writer(s) Notes Length 4. "Earthbound" (instrumental) Burrell, Collins, Fripp, Wallace recorded at the Kemp Coliseum, Orlando, Florida, United States, 27 February 1972 6:08 5. "Groon" (instrumental) Fripp recorded at the Armoury, Wilmington, Delaware, United States, 11 February 1972 15:30 Personnel King Crimson Robert Fripp – electric guitar Boz Burrell – bass guitar, vocals Mel Collins – alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, mellotron Ian Wallace – drums Additional personnel Hunter MacDonald – VCS3 synthesizer, recording engineer When originally issued in the summer of 1972, Earthbound was the first authorized live recording from this no longer extant incarnation of the band. This album documents King Crimson's stateside performances earlier in that year. However, what is lacked in fidelity is more than compensated for with raw, unrelenting energy and magnetic musicianship. At the time of their then-most-recent studio effort, Islands (1971), King Crimson comprised Robert Fripp (guitar), Mel Collins (sax/Mellotron), Boz Burrell (bass/vocals), and Ian Wallace (drums). The quartet's strength as improvisational members of a cohesive central unit are amply displayed throughout every sonic twist and turn. The collection likewise demonstrates their intuitive instrumental prowess on familiar album tracks such as the blistering reading of "21st Century Schizoid Man" as well as an extended "The Sailor's Tale." Equally as impressive are King Crimson's pervading free-form avant-garde jazz leanings, which inform the exceedingly extemporaneous and rhythmically entrancing "Peoria," which also features some ad-libbed scat lyrical contributions from Burrell. The track "Groon" -- which Fripp once described as occupying the space between a groove and a groan -- may well be familiar to enthusiasts as the significantly more succinct B-side to the 45 rpm "Cat Food" (1970). Like the seven ages of man Crimson's many guises have been distinct, both sonically and philosophically. There's the prog-hippie band of the original format; the funk-hippie line-up of 1971; the serious-minded explorations of the '72 band; even the art-rock New York vibe of the 80s configuration. This always makes King Crimson a tricky entity to pin down in print. Some may argue that this has a lot to do with the gradual move from democracy to benign dictatorship by guitarist Robert Fripp yet these three CDs which span the period 1972 to 1995 seem to indicate that the true cause of such a multiple personality disorder seems to stem more from the sum of the parts. While it's true that Fripp was the only constant throughout the band's history every individual player has always been allowed to stamp their identity on subsequent releases. If Fripp's really got a lot to answer for, its the unerring ability to choose the right men, at the right time. These albums each have plenty to recommend them. The first two CDs in this latest addition to the 30th anniversary clean-up of all of the band's major label work are both long-awaited items available in digital format for the very first time. Earthbound is possibly the band's most atypical album. Infamous for its utterly non-digital genesis (recorded on a cassette recorder) its 'official bootleg' ambience sits strangely in the canon of a band infamous for their sonic precision. The truth is that at this point Fripp had hooked up with a bunch of musicians who, as he once put it, loved to 'blow'. Improvisation, always a key part of Crimson's modus operandi, here becomes 'jamming'. Mel Collins' squawking sax combines with Boz Burrell's scat singing on "Peoria" to produce the closest they ever got to funk. Yet the standard of musicianship remains high. "Groon" has to be one of the most adventurous things they ever attempted: all tricky jazz chords and knotty time changes and "The Sailors Tale" retains its feeling of wild abandon. Believe it or not, this is a snapshot of a touring band primarily having fun. By the time USA was released, Fripp had eschewed the rock star lifestyle for spiritual retreat, leaving behind a two year legacy of a version of Crimson in many ways at their peak. This album documented their final stateside tour. Bill Bruford's masterful drums, John Wetton's skull-crushing bass and David Cross's conservatory violin (inexplicably replaced by Eddie Jobson on "Larks Tongues In Aspic Part II") could, on any given night if the stars were favourable, gel in fearsome displays of dexterity ("21st Century Schizoid Man"), or simply produce the most awe-inspiring noise based only on (seemingly) telepathic interplay ("Asbury Park"). This reissue comes with two extra tracks including a version of the worryingly complex fretwork of "Fracture" -a piece Fripp wrote to be so difficult that he had to keep practising it constantly while on tour! For many fans this remains their greatest incarnation. By 1995's Thrak, Bruford was back along with other previous members Tony Levin (stick bass and baldness) and Adrian Belew (Beatlesque vocals and equally out-there guitar). However, in true Crimson fashion Fripp's vision of this incarnation (apparently glimpsed while driving through a Wiltshire village) was of a double trio; thus the extra drum and bass of Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn. Infinitely more polished, this album also tends to re-hash several older themes ("VROOM" is "Red" made even bigger and harder) while still displaying a band hungry for adventure. They're never content to let a smooth production job take the edge off such behemoths as drum duet "B'Boom" or the harrowing dissonance of the title track. This is all nicely balanced with Belew's tendency to push the band into more standard 'song' mode. Crimson had successfully reinvented themselves for the 90s and continue to do so to this day - always more than 'prog', 'art' or any label you care to place on them. These three CDs represent three totally different bands, doing totally different things, but in the same way. They remain rock's greatest conundrum. King Crimson will release expanded 40th anniversary edition of their live 1972 album Earthbound on CD and DVD later this month (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) Robert Fripp onstage in Santa Monica in 1972 Robert Fripp onstage in Santa Monica in 1972 (Image credit: Getty) King Crimson have announced that they’ll release a 40th anniversary edition of their live 1972 album Earthbound later this month. It’s set to launch on November 17 on CD and DVD and contains an expanded version of the original album featuring the Crimson lineup of Boz Burrell, Robert Fripp, Mel Collins and Ian Wallace. Regarded as one of the earliest “official bootleg” releases by a major rock group, Earthbound was recorded during the band’s US tour in 1972. Sponsored Links The Most Realistic PC Game of 2022 Raid Shadow Legends The new CD features an expanded 12 track version of the original five track album, while the DVD is presented in 24/96 hi-res stereo audio. RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU... CLOSE The DVD also features the Summit Studios performance in a new stereo mix and in quadraphonic sound, along with the album length Schizoid Men sequence of edits of 21st Century Schizoid Men taken from the Ladies Of The Road live album. Earthbound 40th Anniversary Edition will be presented as a double Digipak format in a slipcase with new liner notes by King Crimson biographer Sid Smith, along with rare photos and archive material. The album is now available for pre-order. I have never been a fan of bootleg recordings due to their lo-fi audio quality, and even though “Earthbound” was an official bootleg release, it still fell into that realm for me, plus Atlantic here in the USA didn't even bother to release it. However, listening beyond the bootleg quality reveals an incredible time capsule of the Island era King Crimson incarnation containing some of Robert Fripp’s most uniquely unsettling guitar work and incredibly wild solos by Mel Collins. Earthbound first became available in 2002 on CD with a mystique that enhance interest in the album, which is now expanded further to a 12-track version compared to the original 5 track 1972 album. Additionally, this all new anniversary edition includes a DVD featuring Earthbound in 24bit / 48kHz hi-res stereo audio. As great as the performances are on the bootleg live concert recordings, the sound quality is simply dreadful for an audiophiles ears. Still don’t agree with me? Then listen to the vinyl transfer, ugh. Distortion stretches across every track, with the cymbals the most exemplified, and even the bass sounds like it wants to jump out of the grooves. Yet, I wager even the somewhat cleaned up hi-res version transferred from the stereo masters found on the DVD will be the best you’ll ever hear this treasured album. Sound quality aside, let’s remember it is all about the music, right? There is plenty of ear bending improvisational segments mixed among extended classic versions of their early repertoire on Earthbound. Ian Wallace really kicks it on drums on the extended version of “The Sailor’s Tale.”King Crimson fans who don’t care for jazz infused rock and crushing Avant Garde should probably just skip this album, for everyone else, read on. For audiophiles, satisfaction is easily found when moving to the next chapter on the DVD where we find a sonic overhaul of the Summit Studios performance which originally aired live on Denver’s KFML on March 12, 1972. These are the only surviving multi-track live recordings from the 1972 tour and are newly mixed in both quadraphonic and stereo. Additionally, this release also features 15 minutes of material not included on the original mail order only CD of Summit Studios issued by DGM in 2000. You’ll also find the album length “Schizoid Men” sequence from the “Ladies of the Road” live album. Likewise, for broadcast collectors, this disc contains music performed after the allotted broadcast window had elapsed, providing new material for you to check out. Of course, it comes down to immersion, balance and dynamics, some of which can be found on the Summit Studio recordings. This is not an encompassing quad mix, rather the quad version puts the listener into the performance space several rows back from the stage. Reflections eminate from the back channels while the band roars from the front. The four musicians weave jazz riffs over heavy rock rhythms with Boz Burrell vocals and furious bass anchored between the front channels. There is a night and day difference in audio quality compared to the Earthbound recordings, although the Summit Studio recordings still don’t match the other remixes of the early King Crimson catalogue. Dynamics are pretty good, especially for a one off live radio broadcast. It seems that the DTS codec is 24bit / 96kHz, and I say it that way, because the LPCM stereo version is only 24bit / 48kHz. Usually these are reversed, with the lower bit rate given to the surround version. I get the sense that upsampling occurred from the multi-track transfers when creating the quad mix. Robert Fripp’s guitar dominates the right channel, while flute and saxes played by Mel Collins blow from the left channel. There is a real sense of space that surrounds the musicians, which is extremely noticeable as the sax frenetically flows through its solos. As one would expect audience applause generally falls to the back channels, and overall this recording has extremely low unwanted distortion. Producer and sound engineer David Singleton has maintained an excellent overall balance when remixing the Summit Studio sessions from the original multi-trakcs, providing a very live quad audio mix. Even the boxy club feel of Ian Wallace’s drums which spread across the front channels while reflecting in the rears add to the appeal of this live performance. Staples include “21st Century Schizoid Man,” “Pictures of a City,” and “Sailor's Tale.” You may find yourself repeatadly spinning “The Creator Has a Master Plan” with its hypnotic jazz groove that spills into a nasty 12-bar blues lick, then returning you back to where you started. ` The stereo version takes a different approach with a push of the saxes and softening of the drums. The overall mastering is higher in volume compared to the quad version, and Fripp’s guitar slaps off the left channel, giving it a more central focus during sustained notes, rather than its placement in the right channel. I didn’t find much depth to this version, and it lacks some focusing that is more evident on the quad mix, especially related to the drums. This doesn’t make the stereo version a bad mix, just different, and not my personal preference. For some, the multi-part album length version of “Schizoid Men” found in its own chapter may just make this edition worth the price of admission. While available elsewhere, it is a perfect addition to this set taking the base song of “21st Century Schizoid Man” to an entirely new level that radically does unseat the monkey mind. Once again fidelity is lacking, although available in LPCM 24bit / 48kHz stereo. All in all, from an audiophile perspective I can’t recommend Earthbound, but from a performance perspective this is music to my ears. Recommended for fans who enjoy improvisational riffing that will take you into the Avant Garde realm, and of course collectors who must have it all. I must note that for those with deep pockets and a desire to check out the balance of live recordings from this era should consider the Sailor’s Tale box set, which includes everything on this Earthbound edition on a Blu-ray, among many other discs in that box. n all the time spent listening to music, and albums of the progressive rock sub-genre, there’s been an infinite amount of recordings to go through. Many of them are pretty damn good, and are lasting proof of how innovative these groups could be. There have also been albums that show a far more pretentious side to the artists themselves. In order to get to the good stuff, you must stumble upon a dud. Every prog-head has had a dud, whether it is Love Beach or Tormato, there’s always going to be an album that you’ll try to like, but it never clicks. One of these albums is Earthbound, which until the late 1990’s, was the only live (official) document of the short-lived “Islands”-era line-up, featuring the late Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace, along with saxist Mel Collins. The album is infamous for its extremely-poor audio quality, a result of the album being hastily picked by Robert Fripp from the collection of tapes gathered over the group’s final U.S. tour that winter. On Earthbound, there are few things to be familiar with, as the only recognizable recordings include: 21st Schizoid Man, The Sailor’s Tale, and Groon. Everything else, however, are what Fripp calls “jams”, and not actual “improvs”, for this particular incarnation of King Crimson were more accustomed to blues-based jams and not the meticulous improvisations that was somewhat present in the previous live incarnation and would be a big part of future incarnations of Crimson. Kicking off the album, Schizoid Man, even in its poor quality, is able to sound pretty stellar. The group, grinding along intensely, with Burrell's growling vocals, gives an edge to the apocalyptic lyric; although it doesn’t really show Burrell’s vocal prowess as it did with other performances. The improv drives the song along even further, building up to an explosive finale, before being abruptly cut off. One of the two new songs on Earthbound, Peoria is much more relaxed than the previous track, giving Mel Collins a chance to show his chops as a saxist. Burrell also uses this time to mumble around, weakening the track itself. Earthbound although, is about as good as indulging in cat food, with Burrell adding even more unnecessary scat vocals to the track, although it is pretty rousing and cheerful. Behind these two jams showed the internal issues of the band. Fripp losing control of his own band, was the victim of a mutiny of some sort. The other tracks, The Sailor’s Tale and Groon, feature impressive playing by the band, the latter being one of the best renditions of the track, despite being cut off earlier than usual. Groon features the band working as a unit, before Wallace takes the helm for his VCS3-infused drum solo, channeling Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Only after the solo is finally over, does the band come back in before fading out, ending the album. Earthbound, throughout the long forty-one years it has been out, has always been known for how jarring it was to the ear and how it went against everything Fripp had done quality-wise in the previous and coming years. It was and is notoriously weak, to the point where Fripp attempted to “delete” the album, rendering it hard to find, before customer demand forced him to release it several years later. It was bad to the point where Atlantic Records, the band’s North American label, absolutely refused to release it, and was released on E.G.’s budget label due to its quality alone. Thinking about, this album could’ve been much better, and definitely much worse. From what was released twenty years later on the “King Crimson Collector’s Club”, Fripp had far much more shows to choose from, but for one reason or another, chose the worst possible recordings, surprising for someone who is known for high quality recordings. In general, there was so much wasted potential, both on this album, and for this particular incarnation of King Crimson. I really wanted to like it and all, but with the exception of Schizoid Man and Peoria, there’s simply nothing here to enjoy in this mess of bogged-down sound that is called a “live album”. To put this review in four words: “It’s not worth it.” Nothing here is worth your time, and while there are some enjoyable aspects to Earthbound, the effort put forth here is just downright shameful.
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