*This is the 30th Anniversary jewel case edition.*
USA was originally released in 1975 to counteract bootlegs taken from live FM radio broadcasts of King Crimson's American tour that were being eagerly sought out by the band's ravenous fan base. The line-up features Robert Fripp, John Wetton, David Cross and Bill Bruford. This edition includes extra tracks that were not included on the original vinyl edition.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Walk On No Pussyfooting
2. Larks Tongues In Aspic Part II
3. Lament
4. Exiles
5. Asbury Park
6. Easy Money
7. 21st Century Schizoid Man
8. Fracture
9. Starless
Average Rating: (From 2 Reviews):
Submit a Review
Awesome! In-your-face gold!
From Riven of Montreal, Quebec on .
USA is now one of my all time favorite live concerts, and one of Crimson's top best.
It's raw, rough, dirty, grungy, and musically flawless and poignantly beautiful.
From No Pussyfooting onwards, the album grips you by your ear nerves. No Pussyfooting is a dark, mournful, and powerfully beautiful piece before the fury of Lark's takes off. This album is loud! If you thought the studio recordings were great but missing in terms of volume or shock (especially if you're accustomed to newer and heavier music)this album hits you right in the face and makes you realize where all the Gen X kids got their ideas from!
Everything on here is the best version of the said song. Lament showcases rawness and fierceness well beyond that of the studio version. Equally, Exiles is exponentially stronger and more involved than on Larks.
Asbury Park is the real highlight though. This piece is walking, strutting sonic crunch. Robert's guitar work is especially visceral, and John's bass rambles on like a funk-grunge monster from the (near) future. My only complaint is the snipping of the end section of the track in which the band blasts into a whole, literally speaking this time,funk-grunge jam. I recommend downloading Asbury Park through the Library section and adding the end of the original track to the end point of the USA track (as on the original David Cross plays a few horrid notes that were omitted for the original album)
Finally, Easy Money showcases John's vocal peak in Crimson before Red. The improv that follows is a dark and mournful piece showcasing some great mellotron work and some passionately disparative soloing from Fripp, perfected with enormous restraint. Great song for a grey autumn day.
Schizoid is great, but not fantastic, but Fracture blows the original to Hades. Starless closes the album on a consistent high point of power and fun. Crimson at their baddest yet!
USA
From Joe Basile of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania on .
Asbury Park is my favorite all-time improv, tied with The Decpetion of Thrash. Starless is worth the price of this CD!
Joe
Submit a Review
