King Crimson - The 21st Century Guide To King Crimson Volume Two: 1981-2003 (4CD Box Set)

The 21st Century Guide To King Crimson Volume Two: 1981-2003 (4CD Box Set)
The aim of The 21st Century Guide To King Crimson is to replace the Frame
By Frame 4-CD compilation (1991), taking advantage of technological
advances, ten years of additional live and studio Crimsonising, and twelve
years of archiving live material. Frame By Frame's 3 studio + 1 live albums
are being replaced by this two-volume 8-CD Guide, a comprehensive overview
for new ears of all that is necessary in the Crimson corpus. Old-generation
completists might disagree with some choices, but material not included in
the Guide is available for new-generation completists, should they wish.
The Guide can only exist now that the complete King Crimson recorded work
(live and studio) is, for the first time, in one place: DGM; and a place
where, arguably also for the first time, it is not being driven to serve
the interests of business.
Robert Fripp
Wednesday 21st. July, 2004

The companion to last year's well-received box set which covered the years
1969-1974 - Volume II of The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson includes
material from the classic 80s quartet, the 90s double trio lineup, the more
recent double duo lineup & The ProjeKcts spin-off R&D groups drawn from the
periods 1981-1984 & 1994-2003. Two CDs each of remastered studio & live
material assembled from the best source tapes to the highest HDCD standard,
packaged in a fold out book containing the CDs & booklet housed in an outer
slipcase. The booklet features a diary style timeline of the band detailing
complete concert listings, recording dates, archive photos, posters,
reviews, memorabilia & an introduction by founder member Robert Fripp.

With the current fascination for 'post punk' 80s rock music, the timing of
this release could hardly be more apt. The 80s King Crimson's role as one
of the
definitive bands of the era is every bit as deserving of the sort of
reappraisal their influential 72/74 lineup has enjoyed in recent years.
The passage of time seems to help, in particular with bands such as
Crimson, who always insisted on looking towards the future rather than the
past, however rich their musical legacy. The 90s double trio lineup was
one of the most powerful bands of the era, perhaps the most powerful
Crimson of all the varied lineups, while the subsequent double duo &
ProjeKcts groups continue to test the boundaries of contemporary rock.
Constant change & musical reinvention has helped the band maintain a loyal
audience while building a fresh fan base with each new release. Elements of
Crimson's sound & influence seem to be everywhere at present - from Tool
(with whom Crimson toured) to Muse, from Radiohead to Dream Theater.


How ironic that King Crimson, the first group saddled with the term
'Progressive rock', and equally, the first to reject the term, should be
the only band of the era still actively making musical progress more than
35 years after their 1969 recording debut. The 21st Century Guide to King
Crimson is the essential document of that musical journey. Volume Two is
the latest installment.
ADRIAN BELEW/BILL BRUFORD/ROBERT FRIPP/TREY GUNN/ TONY LEVIN/PAT MASTELOTTO
CD1 - In The Studio: 1981 - 1984 1. Elephant Talk 2. Frame By Frame
3. Matte Kudasai 4. Thela Hun Ginjeet 5. The Sheltering Sky 6.
Discipline 7. Heartbeat 8. Waiting Man 9. Neurotica 10. Requiem 11.
Three Of A Perfect Pair 12. Sleepless Bonus Tracks: 1982-2004 13. The
King Crimson Barbershop 14. Form No. 1 15. Bude 16. Potato Pie 17. Bude
18. Einstein's Relatives
CD2 - Live: 1982 - 1984 1. Entry Of The Crims 2. Larks' Tongues
In Aspic Part III 3. Thela Hun Ginjeet 4. Matte Kudasai
5. The Sheltering Sky 6. Neal and Jack and Me 7. Indiscipline
8. Sartori In Tangier 9. Frame By Frame 10. Man With An Open Heart 11.
Waiting Man 12. Sleepless 13. Three Of A Perfect Pair
14. Discipline 15. Elephant Talk
CD3 - In The Studio: 1995 - 2003 1. VROOOM 2. Coda: Marine 475 3.
Dinosaur 4. Walking On Air 5. B'Boom 6. THRAK 7. Fearless And Highly
THRaKked 8. Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream 9. Radio II
10. The Power To Believe I 11. Level Five 12. Eyes Wide Open
13. EleKtriK 14. Facts Of Life: Intro 15. Facts Of Life 16. The Power
To Believe II 17. Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With
18. The Power To Believe III 19. The Power To Believe IV
CD4 - Live: 1994 - 2003 1. VROOOM VROOOM 2. Neurotica
3. Prism 4. One Time 5. Larks' Tongues In Aspic: Part IV 6. ProzaKc
Blues 7. The ConstruKction Of Light 8. FraKctured 9. The World's My
Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum 10. Sus-tayn-Z
11. X-chayn-jiZ 12. The Deception Of The Thrush 13. 2 ii 3