Rating: 
Summary: Like the concert, but better visually !
Review: Great use of the DVD medium, special features, etc. Saw them in concert but you can "see" them better this way. Only music video available right now that is a must-have. Crank it or not, it still sounds great !
Rating: 
Summary: Dissapointed
Review: I consider king Crimson to be one of the best if not the best progressive bands. Personally I preferred earlier incarnations of the group. However I just couldn't wait to buy this DVD just to see these guys perform. The only member who seemed to enjoy himself was Levin. All the rest of the group just stood there like zombies especially Fripp. Granted, they are excellent musicians but I for one would not pay to see these guys live if that is how they perform. There was no life or soul in there performance. On the same day that I bought this DVD I bought Bjork's "Live in Cambridge". It just totally blew me away.
Rating:
Summary: A warning
Review: I gave it three stars because King Crimson is an excellent band - for a lesser band I'd have given it zero. The picture quality is pretty bad - there's a weird reflection of light coming off of the players. It surely doesn't live up to the potential for quality in Dvds and is by far the poorest looking concert DVD I own. Also, the show feels uninspired and certainly not special in any way. The cd Bboom is from the same tour and is a great performance - try that. And there are breaks between each song - why?If you must see this lineup of Crimson live again and can deal with something substandard then buy it. It is great to view the musicianship up close. But you might be dissapointed like me. They just put out a new DVD which just has to be better than this one. I'm not trying to trash KC or even the disc, but if I would have read a review like this I might not have bought it. I'm less concearned about saving the money (seems overpriced too though) than I am with saving the dissapointment of having my great memories of those fantastic years altered by this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: deja vrooom!
Review: I have only been a fan of king crimson for about 2 years. it all started when i saw deja vroom on VHS. i was instantly hooked. before i even owned any cd's of theirs, i purchased deja vroom on dvd. it was an experiance i can't forget, and a purchase i don't want to. about a year ago i saw king crimson live in milwaukee, i was only maybe 10 feet from the band. it was my first concert ever, and im glad it was! they played quite a few songs that were on the deja vroom, and they sounded exactly the same, awesome. i'm a 22 year old guy, who was amazed by a bunch of old musicians that not many people i know have even heard of. immediately, i began to spread the word, but not many people bought into it. if you want to see an amazing dvd, or an amazing band, king crimson can do both!
Rating:
Summary: Just GREAT
Review: I love King Crimson, and any oppurtunity to see them performing live (they haven't been to Oklahoma in 30 years!!) is something I won't turn down.
Where to start? The concert is from a performance in Japan during the 'Thrak' tour of 1995-1996, and is one of their best live performances that have been commercially released. The concert previously appeared on video as "King Crimson: Live in Japan", but trust me, even if you do have that video, or if you don't even have a DVD player....get a DVD player for crying out loud! It's 2003....get with the times!(..)
The band members performances are really the key ingredient here. The ability to change angles and put the individual instruments prevalent in the mix during 3 of the songs is great, and well worth it for those interested in how the group achieves its sound. Trey Gunn, who plays a two-handed 'Warr' guitar, is a treat to watch perform, as he approaches the tunes in such a practical and inventive fashion. He was primarily covering the bass parts at the time, but I just really enjoy watching the two handed approach. The band altogether is not really very showy, and focuses mostly on playing the music, although Tony Levin does have commanding stage presence at times!
I've only mentioned the bass players....Adrian Belew, the lead singer/guitarist is on key the entire show, and watching him during his wilder guitar solos is something that shouldn't be missed. Robert Fripp, the groups leader and self-proclaimed 'Venal Leader', sits in the shadows most of the show, barely flinching or moving a muscle, with the exception of his fingers, which move rather fast and furiously at some points. He is an incredibly disciplined performer (heck, he even named his own record label and an album of 1981 'discipline), and is wonderful as a leader/guiding force in the group.
NOW the drummers. Bill Bruford is much more restrained and relaxed here than in concerts during the group's 70s-80s concerts. He is of course a fantastic musician, and is most visually entertaining during his percussion breaks and his exciting drum solo during the first moments of 'Indiscipline'. Pat Mastelloto is primarily a percussionist and provides support and various tasks during this period in the groups career (he is, of course, the band's drummer now, and plays a much wider variety of percussion instruments, electronic and otherwise). He stays on the beat, with the exception of a funny goof during the bands first tune of the show.
This was of course, a 'double trio' (two players covering the parts of guitar, bass, and drums)....I can't say much more about the band, really, just wanted to cover the basics.
I would like to comment on the extras. There are a ton of them! The disc itself is double-sided, and in order to access the entire concert and all of the extras, you have to stand up and change the disc out. That may be a problem for some of the more lazy people (including me), but it's no big deal. There are a ton of sound options, writings about the band, video shot by Tony Levin off-stage and during rehearsals....some of the footage is fun, others are incredibly dull (the band, with exception of Bob Fripp, playing at an arcade?), and much of the footage has no speech, but is colored by music from the 'discipline global mobile' catalog. There is also an interesting, but rather clumsy feature where you can mix and match performances and individual parts from the tune "21st Century Schizoid Man" recorded live over the years. It's pretty fun, but the novelty runs out pretty quick....pictures of the group through its history appear in rhythm to the music, as well....
Did I miss anything else? It's a disc that is packed with features, but the music is the thing, and it has plenty of it. There have been some rumours, just TALK of a re-issue of this DVD happening sometime later in the year or next year, but I can't possibly imagine there being much more that can add to the quality and quantity of the disc.
I conclude that the band is on top of their game, and you shouldn't miss it, because if you've happened to wander to this review, i'd imagine that you have at least a small interest in this band....just trust me that it's worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Just GREAT
Review: I love King Crimson, and any oppurtunity to see them performing live (they haven't been to Oklahoma in 30 years!!) is something I won't turn down.
Where to start? The concert is from a performance in Japan during the 'Thrak' tour of 1995-1996, and is one of their best live performances that have been commercially released. The concert previously appeared on video as "King Crimson: Live in Japan", but trust me, even if you do have that video, or if you don't even have a DVD player....get a DVD player for crying out loud! It's 2003....get with the times!(..)
The band members performances are really the key ingredient here. The ability to change angles and put the individual instruments prevalent in the mix during 3 of the songs is great, and well worth it for those interested in how the group achieves its sound. Trey Gunn, who plays a two-handed 'Warr' guitar, is a treat to watch perform, as he approaches the tunes in such a practical and inventive fashion. He was primarily covering the bass parts at the time, but I just really enjoy watching the two handed approach. The band altogether is not really very showy, and focuses mostly on playing the music, although Tony Levin does have commanding stage presence at times!
I've only mentioned the bass players....Adrian Belew, the lead singer/guitarist is on key the entire show, and watching him during his wilder guitar solos is something that shouldn't be missed. Robert Fripp, the groups leader and self-proclaimed 'Venal Leader', sits in the shadows most of the show, barely flinching or moving a muscle, with the exception of his fingers, which move rather fast and furiously at some points. He is an incredibly disciplined performer (heck, he even named his own record label and an album of 1981 'discipline), and is wonderful as a leader/guiding force in the group.
NOW the drummers. Bill Bruford is much more restrained and relaxed here than in concerts during the group's 70s-80s concerts. He is of course a fantastic musician, and is most visually entertaining during his percussion breaks and his exciting drum solo during the first moments of 'Indiscipline'. Pat Mastelloto is primarily a percussionist and provides support and various tasks during this period in the groups career (he is, of course, the band's drummer now, and plays a much wider variety of percussion instruments, electronic and otherwise). He stays on the beat, with the exception of a funny goof during the bands first tune of the show.
This was of course, a 'double trio' (two players covering the parts of guitar, bass, and drums)....I can't say much more about the band, really, just wanted to cover the basics.
I would like to comment on the extras. There are a ton of them! The disc itself is double-sided, and in order to access the entire concert and all of the extras, you have to stand up and change the disc out. That may be a problem for some of the more lazy people (including me), but it's no big deal. There are a ton of sound options, writings about the band, video shot by Tony Levin off-stage and during rehearsals....some of the footage is fun, others are incredibly dull (the band, with exception of Bob Fripp, playing at an arcade?), and much of the footage has no speech, but is colored by music from the 'discipline global mobile' catalog. There is also an interesting, but rather clumsy feature where you can mix and match performances and individual parts from the tune "21st Century Schizoid Man" recorded live over the years. It's pretty fun, but the novelty runs out pretty quick....pictures of the group through its history appear in rhythm to the music, as well....
Did I miss anything else? It's a disc that is packed with features, but the music is the thing, and it has plenty of it. There have been some rumours, just TALK of a re-issue of this DVD happening sometime later in the year or next year, but I can't possibly imagine there being much more that can add to the quality and quantity of the disc.
I conclude that the band is on top of their game, and you shouldn't miss it, because if you've happened to wander to this review, i'd imagine that you have at least a small interest in this band....just trust me that it's worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Make Vroom for this DVD in your collection
Review: I must admit, I am an old school KC fan. I have only recently started listening to their later stuff. I am blown away. This band gets better and better as the years go by. This DVD is awesome. I put it on expecting a good concert and a good DVD, This thing is so good. I love the feature where you can focus on 1 person while the song is playing. This band is so tight. The menus leave a little to be desired, but who cares this is a great DVD with some great music. Do yourself a favor, buy this DVD, and play it loud. I must admit I listened to most of it with my mouth open.
Rating: 
Summary: First DVD I Ever Purchased
Review: I was skeptical about even getting a DVD player,while I enjoy films and the occasional concert footage,I'm more of an audio than visual enthusist. My new computer had a DVD drive,so I wanted to check it out. Being a Crimson fan and knowing that they had released the first concert film exclusively conceived as a DVD my choice of a first purchase was simple.This performance by the double trio line-up blew my mind almost the same way the 80's video release The Noise-Live In Frejus had years before.With a six piece Crimson it was difficult to know "who was playing what" without actually seeing them do it,making this a revelation as a viewing experience for the Crimhead who missed seeing them live. The extra are OK; it's fun piecing together different players from various eras doing "Schizoid Man",but the show is the real meat.
Rating:
Summary: A Serious Trip
Review: I would find it hard to classify this music. If you're familiar with King Crimson than you already have and idea. If you aren't, it's like jazz fusion or at times even free jazz meets acid rock. I guess it's what you would call art rock. It's mostly instrumental and really good. It's Fripp on guitar w/ another guitarist who also sings, two drummers, a guy playing what looks to be some kind of bass/guitar hybrid (hard to name the instrument b/c these things are almost always custom made), and somebody on electric and electric upright bass and what looks to be an electric sitar. So you can get an idea just from the instrumentation that they're going to have an interesting sound. I'd like to look up the instrumentation exactly but whoever designed the menu had their ...so you actually have to read the directions that come with the DVD to navigate through it. If anybody knows, pleas post this info. Fripp doesn't solo much (in fact he pretty much sits in the dark at the back of the stage out of sight to everybody but those watching the DVD close up the whole time) but it's still really good. I actually bought the DVD spacifically for Fripp, not being very familiar with the band, and I am not at all disapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Good music, average image, bad menus
Review: I would normally give it 5 stars, however I found the picture quality is average. Some may like to play games with the menu interface but I don't; I buy a DVD to watch and listen, not to dig its menus. Otherwise music and sound is very good...
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