Level Five Review

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(More customer reviews)...Is it worth it though? I would say yes. I loved Heavy ConstrucKtion, but the version of ConstrucKtion of Light on Level Five is superior for a few reasons, the most important of which is that Pat Mastelotto's drum kit sounds like more of an acoustic drum kit. Like I said, Heavy ConstrucKtion was great, but at times I tired slightly of what sounded like a purely electronic kit. This is a welcome change, and makes King Crimson sound infinitely heavier (more appropriate for the tour with Tool from which the tracks on this album are taken).
Dangerous Curves and Virtuous Circle (tracks 1 and 3) sound like improv to me, and King Crimson never disappoints with their improv. They seem to be creating a more ambient, melodic mood with these 2 tracks than other live improvs. Level Five (track 2) is the new structured composition, and is the most worthwhile track on the disc. Dark and brooding, heavy and lurching, it shows why King Crimson is Tool's daddy, and why father and son decided to tour together (I heard that Danny Carey even sat in on Red and Frame by Frame some time on tour, it would have been amazing to hear that on this disc). That being said, the track Level Five sounds (to some small extent) like a synthesis of some of the ideas explored in Larks' Tongues pt. IV and FracKtured. Still sounds good and surprisingly fresh though.
A great version of The Deception of the Thrush appears here as well (my favorite is on Disc 3 of Heavy ConstrucKtion though), which benefits endlessly once again from Pat's new drum kit. A nice bonus improv at the end as a pleasant surprise.
Ultimately, I would say that the best reasons to buy this album would be to hear Pat's better sounding kit, and Trey Gunn's Warr Guitar (which is FINALLY balanced nicely in the mix to the point where you don't have to strain a little bit to focus on it). Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew are in top form as well. The band seems to have moved to the Level (Five) of synthesis between songwriting and instrumental chops appropriate for King Crimson's fifth major incarnation.

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Japanese 2002 release featuring 5 tracks, 'DangerousCurves' (new song), 'Virtuous Circle' (new song), LevelFive (new song), 'The Deception Of Thrush' & 'TheConstruKction Of Light'.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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King Crimson: Deja Vroom (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)It was a thrilling visual document of Crimson's stunning return to form after a too-long hiatus, and it was an exploration of the then-fairly-new DVD format that's much more difficult than it needs to be. My rating is an average: five stars for the performance & extras, three for the "user-tailored interactive experience" of navigating the damn thing. Deja Vrooom is probably a proposition for the already-converted, so anyone new to this band and/or this lineup would be well-advised to check out Thrak or Vrooom Vrooom first.
First the cons. Rather than listing options, the menus cycle through them as if it's a memory game. The novelty of using a KC title for each function ("The Mincer" for a short essay on critics, "Vector Patrol" for choosing custom settings) is cute but too confusing. The video quality isn't spectacular and there's an occasional lighting-halo effect around the players; it's not terrible, but could be much clearer. On the other hand, this kind of raw powerful music really wouldn't be served by a slick super-sharp video anyway.
Pros: the performance itself is a stonker. The six-man lineup injects new life into older KC material and shows a smoothness & cohesion even beyond their studio recordings. It's always fascinating to watch just *how* everybody makes all that noise with their instrument of choice (or instrumentS in the case of Tony Levin - check that electric double-bass!). The impeccable skill and grace with which it's all pulled off is of course extraordinary. Extra points for the multiple camera angles available on some tracks.
Extras: a few of Tony's road movies (nice though inessential), Robert Fripp's essays on The Evil Music Industry (informative but I'll wait for the Cliffs Notes), an extensive band history/discography up to 1997, plenty of extra photos & artwork, and a "Schizoid Man" custom-mix feature. There's a mention of 'hidden features,' but apart from a solo RF Soundscape accessed through the TV-listing page, they must be well buried indeed.
Buy it? If you like this phase of the band, absolutely. The live visual aspect always adds another dimension to this music, even if Fripp still avoids anything brighter than a 100-watt lightbulb, and I say it's still well worth dealing with the other nuisances to get to it.
(Tracklist: Circular Improv - Vrooom Vrooom - Frame By Frame - Dinosaur - One Time - Red - B'Boom - Thrak - Matte Kudasai - Three of a Perfect Pair - Vrooom/Marine 475 - Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream - Elephant Talk - Indiscipline - Talking Drum/Larks' Tongues in Aspic II - People - Walking on Air.)

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The Name of This Band is Talking Heads Review

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(More customer reviews)This is one of the greatest live rock albums ever released, which always made me wonder: why the hell wasn't it ever released on CD? Fortunately, that omission has been corrected and then some.
I, like most of the other reviewers here, bought this on cassette in the early 80s, and listened to it over and over and over on my Walkman. Once CDs became the dominant form, it seemed like this release was just going to fade away and I started cautiously eyeballing the extra-long cassette with its extra-thin tape to allow for 40 minutes per side. I found the double-LP set in a used record store, cued up an XLII and made a safety copy.
But now not only is that no longer necessary, but the CD is almost double the length of the original set. Great remastered barebones live Talking Heads from 77, 78, 79, 80 and some other rarities. It charts the early evolution of the band from Izod-wearing art schoolies to rhythmic world beat hipsters, dropping off just before the "Stop Making Sense" period began.
The new version sounds amazing (maybe I'm just used to my muddy old dubs) and it's almost box-set-like in its set list and packaging. It's a record to make your day.

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Formed in NYC in the mid-'70s by David Byrne, Chris Franz, Tina Weymouth, and ex-Modern Lover Jerry Harrison, Talking Heads soared out of their humble CBGB's beginnings to become Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and one of the most adventurous and influential bands ever. The onstage energy that propelled their rise to fame was documented in the 1982 double-LP set THE NAME OF THIS BAND IS TALKING HEADS, now available on CD for the first time. Following them through several early evolutions from '77-'81, this live gem - a 1982 Top 40 Billboard Album- is a riveting portrait of a stellar band on the rise. For its CD debut it's been expanded with over 30 minutes of rare and mostly previously unreleased bonus material.

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