Rating: 
Summary: Eyes Wide Open : In a Word: Excellent
Review: Reviewer #1 is correct! I first heard King Crimson back in 1969 when 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' was released. I was in a garage band at the time. I remember me and the other guys hearing that album for the first time and being absolutely blown away. The musicianship, complexity and style were so radically different than anything we had heard up to that point. I've been totally into progressive rock since. That is the only style of rock that does not bore me.If you love prog rock, buy this album. You will not regret it. Also, the recording quality is excellent! Clear, full and powerful!
Rating: 
Summary: Another great snapshot in the family album
Review: Since my favorite band did not see fit to come to Texas in this incarnation (even though two of its present members have strong roots here), I had hoped and prayed that King Crimson would release something like "Eyes Wide Open". I saw them when they came through on the absolutely mesmerizing "THRaK" tour, and I felt like "Deja Vrooom" captured that performance in a very convincing fashion. Although the production quality of "Eyes Wide Open" may not be as high as that of "Deja Vrooom" if it captures a fraction of what this version of King Crimson is capable of, this version is easily the most convincing since the '81-'84 "Discipline" line-up. It might even be more consistent. "Eyes Wide Open" is a two-disc set of two separate performances, one from the "Power to Believe" tour (Japan, 2003), and the other from the ConstruKCtion of Light" tour (England, 2000). Although I feel like the material on "The Power to Believe" is overall a bit stronger than "The ConstruKCtion of Light", the 2000 performance might be a bit more compelling than 2003. The first thing that you will notice is Adrian. The actual time between Disc 2 and Disc 1 is three years, but by watching him you would think ten years had passed. I know that Crimson is not concerned with their image, but I have some genuine some concern about Adrian's health. He goes from looking like somebody's eccentric dad, to looking like the crazy old man next door, and there is a noticeable difference in the energy level of the performances. He seems much more energetic in on the "ConstruKCtion of Light" tour. One of the high points of the whole set is on disc 2 when he asks the crowd "Do you ever wonder what one of us sounds like......... I do!" and proceeds to absolutely SHRED "Three of a Perfect Pair" on an acoustic guitar - totally solo! In comparison, on disc 1 he sits on a stool for "Dangerous Curves". When has the hyperactive Adrian EVER sat down? To be realistic, however, pointing to problems in Adrian's stage presence is splitting hairs. Adrian might be showing his age, but any musician would be challenged to recreate what he does. He rides the music like a wave, and is the perfect foil to Fripp's Spocky-Vulcan playing style. It might not be inappropriate at this point to give Fripp-Belew a Lennon-McCartney status, especially if you have a doctoral degree in calculus. By the way, Fripp is Fripp. He seems more at ease reconciling the differences between his soundscapes and his angular blistering melodic lines than ever before. Like Miles Davis and Frank Zappa, he assembles musicians that epitomize synergy, and constantly challenges them with nothing more than the strength of his musicianship. No cognitive concept or aesthetic vision supercedes this strength. He is a master and a visionary, but is content to hide in the shadows during the accolades of his fans. Would that every musician revere music in this way. Outside of the longstanding relationship between Fripp and Belew, "The Power to Believe" left me with some troubling questions about how some of its songs would be executed live, especially in the case of the drums. How do you rectify the seemingly electronic sequencing of "Level 5" with its inherently improvisatory feel? Well, you get a drummer that can run a drum machine and play drums SIMULTANEOUSLY with no visible click track. There are fills that Matstelotto plays, and others he triggers that automatically line up with the sequence as he plays with it. In essence, Pat has a virtual auxiliary drummer that he both plays with and communicates with as he sees fit. The mind friggin' boggles.... However, as a Stick player, my greatest joy is getting the opportunity to (repeatedly) watch Trey Gunn express himself on the similarly touchstyle Warr guitar. The double-edged truth about touchstyle guitar is that fully appreciating the technique of the player is difficult on a recording. It takes a finely tuned ear to even discern a touch guitar in the mix, especially when there is processing involved. Trey's approach is so unique, as is his technique, that is really must be seen to be believed. I have been at a loss to even think of how to practice what he does. He plays so emotionally and with so much utter control of the instrument that it absolutely brings a tear to the eye. At one point, he puts his guitar on a keyboard stand like a lap-steel (which opens up a whole different set of technical options) and comfortably plays like the instrument as if it was meant to be played in this fashion. For his grand finale, he wears one guitar and keeps the other on the stand and plays them simultaneously, as if he were the Rick Wakeman of touchstyle guitar. Overkill? Probably. Impressive? Undoubtedly. His recent departure is A HUGE loss to the history of KCrimsoning. Okay, so why four stars? Here's my beef: twice Adrian overdubbed guitar solos. During an up-close, his hands are obviously not doing what the guitar is. I would rather hear mistakes and sound problems any day than have my belief in what I am watching and hearing is not honest. These two incidents make me question whether other things I am hearing are what were actually happening. I think that KC should know that anyone who watches this DVD has enough musical savvy to tell an overdubbed solo The Lowdown: Although "Eyes Wide Open" may not boast high-end presentation that "Deja Vrooom" did, it is still a technical bonanza for those of us that look at musical performances as a venue for constant growth. More than any other, this particular incarnation of King Crimson had the opportunity to evolve into a particularly compelling unit, and "Eyes Wide Open" convincingly conveys a great feeling for what they were trying to say and how they said it.
Rating:
Summary: The best music DVD ever
Review: The best...amazing production, incredible musicinship....great songs.... You wont be disappointed.....
Rating:
Summary: EKcstraordinary!
Review: The Crimson King and its Prime Minister have moved through various assemblies in service to Music itself. There are few neo-Platonists as true to the Socratic Spirit as Robert Fripp. It has been his good fortune to be aligned with like minded souls who have sought to play beyond what they know. In the process they have created some of the most sublime and terrifying and beautiful music of the final quarter of the Twentieth Century and first part of this new millenium.
What you have here are 2 records of what happened when 4 brave men, some with facial hair and glasses, have walked on stage, thrown away the safety net and set about a series of dialectics dynamic and courageous. Terrible falls can occur, but at other times, what majesty! The unique thing about these two sets is that they offer the afficinado 2 angular visions: one a crafted filmologist's disciplined account, considerably more satisfying than some of the naff effects from the DEJA VROOM Japanese concert, and one that of the punter, like you and me, shot from the seat of someone not within the inner knot of DGM. Both are brilliant. It is a work essaying the phenomenological epistemology of Wilfrid Desan. Is King Crimson itself the Planetary Man?
The music delivered is extraordinary throughout, and one of the heroes of the effort is Pat Mastellotto. Having received the thankless task of taking over the drum chair from Bill Bruford, Mas has become his own beast. Certainly one way of looking at the Crimson history is in three parts: the period that anticipated the dialectic between Fripp and Bruford, the period of the dialectic itself, and the afterglow. This afterglow has resulted in a new dawn, whether or not its last is still open. Mastellotto, part of the double trio, which actually departed long before its mission may have been fully realized, displays extraordinary courage just by showing up. Add to that the integrity to forge his own rhythmic direction and you have a Court that has once again shown Darwin a thing or two about adaptation.
Belew, Gunn, Mas & Fripp do more than just survive. Beginning with TCOL and moving into TPTB, this quartet has cultivated its own repertoire. It is one full of dangerous curves, fractured paths, and ultimately the power to believe in what they are about. The concerts have been amazing in Philadelphia, and the shows captured here upend all manner of presuppositions. You are best advised to approach this music tabula rasa.
Not since John Coltrane and Miles Davis have musicians pushed themselves not just for the act of musicking, but because there was something other about the entire enterprise. These documents exhibit those moments when the particpants are cuaght in that something other. It is altogether eKcstraordinary.
Rating:
Summary: A taste of the live crim.
Review: This dvd set I believe captures the live crim in their raw element. If your a fan of either The ConstruKction Of Light, Heavy ConstruKction(TCOL live plus improvs), and/or The Power To Believe(and especially the ProjeKcts), this is one you need to own.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastik
Review: This is the best KC concert put to DVD to date. From the first song with beautiful soundscapes to the final track where trey plays an amazing solo on the warr guitar. This is a must for any KC fan!!!
Rating:
Summary: Crimson - Perfected
Review: This is the one you have to have. These musicians are at the absolute top of their craft and creative powers. I'm hyper-critical and I must honestly say that I am blown away by this band. I've listened to their latest 'Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With' about 150 times. I'm still not tired of it. The DVD is tremendously produced (the Japan disc) and there is a bonus disc of a London show that's grittier but just as fun. Buy it, you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: A great live document
Review: This two disc DVD set covers mainly the material from the last studio album, "The Power to Believe" and features two separate performances. The first disc is a concert in Japan from 2003 and the other is from Shepherd's Bush in the UK, recorded in 2000. The first disc in particular has absolutely stunning production, both visual and audio. The Fripp soundscape at the start sounds particularly beautiful on a good system. The production values on the second disc aren't quite as good, but it was intended to be an "unofficial bootleg". It does have the cool feature of randomly interspersing live improvised songs, so you can see a different performance each time you play this disc (a nice touch). The band are in great form throughout, particularly Trey Gunn. His Warr Guitar playing is quite spectacular. I'll admit to being a huge Tony Levin fan, but Gunn holds down the bottom end very capably. My only quibble (and keeping the package from getting a 5) is the setlist. I would have liked to see some of the older stuff, but in the end that's OK, as I like their newer material as well. For those looking for the older songs, try Deja Vroom.
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