Average Rating: (From 16 Reviews):
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Pretty good show
From Matt George of Escondido, California on .
I was surprised to hear the improv....it rocks out as usual for this tour, except I found it weird to actually hear the audience clapping along in unison to the beat at the beginning of the improv....can you imagine a KC audience doing such a thing?
It's just....sacreligious.
Sometimes they screw up the songs (e.g. Starless), like at Brescia a week and a half b4 (a really screwy show), but otherwise I would recommend this one.
Very good in it's own right
From Jerry Smith of Tacoma, Washington on .
Dispite the fact that this show is usually overshadowed by the next night, this show is quite good too and stands on it's own quite well. A great set list and very nice playing.
So beautiful !!!!!
From Frank Moeckel of Wilkau-Hasslau, Germany on .
Wonderful music !!!
2 of a perfect pair
From cheffubus of st. george, Utah on .
this show and the day after(mainz) are two awesome performances by this highly talented and always experimental band! the sound on both are great(i think mainz is a little cleaner)and the playing on both is superb...my only complaint is where are the rest of these shows...both cut out at "fracture" and im sure there was a lot more...kind of a bummer but still essential discs! also thanx for these club issues; a great way to support a band and get superior quality live recordings w/o supporting the bootleggers!
Classic and Historic
From Matthu Stull of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on .
Yes, the exiles is nice. The 2nd improv is, may I say 'classic and historic'!!! not to mention bitchin' Bruford bumps some booming beats. I wanted a little more from Easy Money, but hey. Definitely add this to your collection.
Am I listening to the same CD as the others?
From TomP of Letchworth, England on .
Most disappointed with this release. Bass is non-existent, the performance lacks the usual power and the Starless track (much praised elsewhere, thus my title) seems very disjointed and ordinary, with Fripp missing his timing frequently. There are much better performances and sound / mastering available elsewhere on DGM, so I guess they must be scraping the barrel now, comments on KCCC 30 seem to echo this.
Wonderful
From Jürgen Pasch of Heidelberg, Germany on .
Do it again in Heidelberg! We like it.
live in heidelberg 1974
From silvia bellotti of vercelli, Italy on .
A masterpiece for ever
A Crimso Necessity
From Steve Cade of Lincolnshire, UK, England on .
Bass beast and Rythmn Machine power away with some excellent weaving from "The Man" and "Fiddlertron". The different nuances of Fracture and especially Dr Diamond, make this a requirement for all Crimson Buffs. I wonder what re-union of these four would concoct should (if ever) it happen?
Q: How do you tell when touring musicans are tired? A: KC CC - Live Heidelberg, 1974
From rick mascarini of Clifton Park, New York on .
Great disk. And, as anyone who has done touring on the road w/ other musicans is likely to pick out on CD, glimences into mis-cues, rushing to get through the "gig", and waning enthusiasism, all shine on this wonderful collecting from March 1974. Kudos to the KCCC for providing this gem from the road ... and one that would not otherwise be available from any other music industry source.
There seems to be an urgency in the music that was not present in the late 1972 / all of 1973 recording: What's interesting here is when RF starts into 'The Night Watch' from the jam ... but BB is insistant that 'Starless' is on the set-list... and keep pushing the group forward (I can just see the look on the player's faces as this was unfolding). This causes the guitarist to inprov into another key and re-join the group (and not miss a beat, mind you). This is a band thinking on their feet (as it were). When DC is offered a solo in the jam that follows 'Exciles', he really doesn't want it ... a few bars into it and RF picks up the slack. BB and JW are joined at the hip in one of the most powerful drum/bass units ever in rock. The march though the set list as if on a mission - that might include squashing the lead players in flight.
The songs lead into one another ('Easy Money' into 'Fracture' ; 'Startless' into 'the Night Watch', as two examples), creating a sense of "let's get this over with" ... or was it an experiment? ... something this band had done earlier in late 1972/early 1973 and was trying to rekindle? Maybe. Or just tired musicans on the road looking for ways to keep it interesting for themselves and the audience. Either way, a wonderful piece of KC rock history presented in loving color by the Collector's Club.
Onward to the next release !
Regards,
R.
this and mainz top of this period crimson
From Anonymous of Lafayette, Colorado on .
Extremely tight and well recorded. I am particularly fond of this vintage Crimson, and find this and the Mainz recording (only a day or so later) to be two of the strongest available discs. Stong, interesting improvisations, excellent vocals and percussion as well. Highly, highly recommended.
"The Sound of (Starless live '74) Surprise"
From Dan Buxbaum of North Merrick, New York on .
This cd really takes off and enters the realm of 'classic live 73/74 Crimson' with an 'eye opening' version of Starless and then continuing on through the end (not really counting the 3 min. cut version of Fracture which closes the disc). After the 2nd improv enters its ending 'atmospheric' section--with Robert Fripp quietly & intently improv soloing, & with what appeared to be the beginning of The Night Watch about to occur, things take an unexpected turn, with Bill Bruford playing a slow rimshot drumbeat, leading a quick change to mellotron and the beginning of Starless instead. This early in the 1974 tour version of Starless has become my favorite version of this classic piece. The surprising & unexpected entry infuses the whole song (and those that follow) with a jolt of freshness and superb in-the-moment performances by the group. (BB provides his thrilling counterpoint spurring his bandmates on.) This version of Starless has a "not knowing what's coming next" element to it that makes it more exciting (imo) than later more 'cut-and-dried' live versions and the stately studio performance. (Sure John Wetton muffs a couple of lines, but the ensemble playing is truly superb and 'alive' with the "sound of surprise".) Starless is then followed by a very passionate & accurate The Night Watch. Lament and Easy Money are also heavy-duty greatly energized versions carried through on the momentum of what proceded. (From Starless through Easy Money could have easily ended up on 'The Great Deceiver' in terms of superb sound quality and skillful performance. The earlier versions of Dr. Diamond and Exiles are similiar to the Stanley Theater Pittsburgh disc on the 'TGD' boxset (with a very, very slight lessening of sound quality), and therefore aren't 'essential', resulting in my rating of 4 stars rather than 5, but from that supercharged Starless through the end, this cd has become a permanent fixture in my cd player! (58 minutes.)
One of the best KCCC
From François of Crimso land, France on .
Amazing set, very good sound...It's one of the best KCCC!!!Bill's percussives sounded everywhere, John's bass filled space, and Bob's solo on Fracture is outstanding!!!!Extended version of Exiles with David's viola before the main theme...as the notes said they were and worked in a situation of extraordinary artistic freedom...
Amazing performance and superb recording!!!
From Radek of Warszawa, Poland on .
I was listening this CD dozens of times and still have not enough. Amazing performance and superb recording (was it possible in 1974???). Sadly 'Fractures' is cut unexpectably... What improvisation did they play after? Anyway it is one of the best KCCC.
Almost 5, Take One Away For CD Ending
From david atwood of katy, Texas on .
I loved this KCCC selection. It ranks right up there with Summit Studios and Mainz. I'd go as far as claimng this is the best KCCC release - BUT, what the hell happened to the ending???? Three minutes into Fracture, it suddenly ends cold. What happened? Did someone drop too much acid and bump the stop button on the tape recorder? Or perhaps the tape was damaged and Bill Mundy and company had to scrap the rest of the song.
Though this (dare I say heart breaking) one annoyance eists, I still would strongly recomend this KCCC selection. The sound and the performance is top notch. The thunderous bass can even go head to head with those massive woofers that today's teenagers put in the back of their ghetto cars (you can hear them thundering down the street).
Prequel to Mainz
From Richard Romeo of long island city, New York on .
First, kudos on great quality recording--this is the best along with Mainz for KCCC 72-74 fans.
As for the content, the highlights are the extended Exiles (10 minutes); a ferocious improv that reminded me a bit of Asbury Park; and a strong Starless. Fripp stands out on this record--I liken Heidelberg to Mainz--very similar recordings but enough of a difference that you'd want both.
Rich
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