Epitaph Vol 1 & 2

Debut albums seldom stand up to an artist's or band's overall output, but King Crimson's first offering In The Court Of The Crimson King is regarded as one of the most powerful debuts in rock history, progressive or otherwise. With a lineup that included drummer Michael Giles, Ian McDonald playing an assortment of woodwinds and keyboards, lyricist Peter Sinfield, Greg Lake on lead vocals, and founding father and guitarist Robert Fripp, the band found themselves touring constantly, and this became the only album and tour as Greg Lake went on to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Ian McDonald joined Foreigner, and Michael Giles left the band and became a studio musician.These live performances help to cement the legacy of that first band, with radio sessions for the BBC, and live material from the Fillmores East and West in late 1969. Many of the songs were repeated, which will allow you to choose a favorite version if you like, from these otherwise rare versions of the material. Liner notes are included, with short notes written by each member of that first lineup of King Crimson, as they recollect those days of touring, and especially those Fillmore shows.I rated this collection excellent because the performances were exquisite, the material has stood the test of time, the sound quality is more than acceptable, considering the age of the recordings, and the package is everything you would expect from King Crimson. Robert Fripp has led King Crimson all these years since, and has continued to employ the finest talent available. But you never forget your first exposure to excellence like this, and this collection brings back that original lineup with great satisfaction.

Five stars for the historical purposes. The band is fantastic though much much looser than Crimson today. Some of the recordings are bootleg quality but overall the sound is good. It isn’t a collection I will play often but interesting

Great music, decent live recording. Probably not the best place to start your Crimson journey, but a good place to visit if you’re already on it.

Efficient delivery and packaged with care. Perfect! A+

Track Listing:1. Beatnik - 1605 Munro (Jankowski) 4:292. Amanecer - Sur Pacifico (Ribas/Joui) 4:513. Sister Sue - Birds May Bite (Adams) 3:284. The Crossing - Tobin Buttram (Buttram) 3:005. RV (Relation Vacation) - Steve Ball (Ball) 2:566. A Touch Too Soon - Nigel Gavin (Gavin) 2:277. Cristales 45 - Santos Luminosos (Nunez) 0:548. Presto Sonata - Casting Shadows (Corelli) 1:309. Spoonful - The Normal People (Dixon) 3:1810. Free For The Taking - Janssen & Jensen (Janssen/Jensen) 5:1511. The Soldier - Fernando Kabusaki (Kabusacki) 3:1412. Pinau - Playmovil (Scaravilli/Piola) 1:0813. Jean Jean - Bill Hibbets (Hibbets) 5:3314. Vitrina - Commendatore Zucchini (Nunez/Olivera) 3:0815. Snowing In Spain - GSQ (Halvorsen/Abuladze/Erickson) 6:12Produced for the Inner Knot by Amy Priore, Bill Hibbets and Steve BallLINER NOTESSteve Ball Online Diary - Thursday July 10, 2003"Ongoing discussion with Amy and Bill in the DGM office in LA about a potential project for the fall:a compilation of music from former League of Crafty Guitarists and Guitar Craft-related musicians. There seems to be a need for this for both audience and musicians.I remember speaking with Jim Sullivan, Boston Globe Music Editor in 1989 about the fact that over the next 20 years he was likely to see an entire generation of musicians sprout up all over the world full of former members of the League. He had just seen the League play the Paradise and was intrigued by these strange musicians and their odd tuning and practices.Fourteen years later, Jim would likely be surprised by the list of current and former League and Guitar Craft musicians who are soon to receive an invitation to participate in a compilation. The draft list of invitees is impressive. Perhaps later this month or next, I'll have the gumption to share this list. For now, best to get the project planned and launched first."Special thanks to: David Singleton (who named this project ! ), Robert Fripp, and the extended global Guitar Craft family.