Neal and Jack and Me:Live 1982-84

Rating:
Summary: Nice, nice, very nice
Review: Finally, I now have a live version of THE SHELTERING SKY, which seems to be excluded from all those live albums they've been cranking out lately! Also, this DVD contains the SLEEPLESS video I've been told about for years and years. Now If they'd put CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE FEATURING ROBERT FRIPP on dvd...

Rating:
Summary: Good sound, good video, excellent performance!
Review: I just got this DVD the other day, and can compare it with the
faint memories of the original Live In Japan special, and the
even fainter memory of actually seeing them live in 1984.

First off, the sound quality is as I remembered it -- a bit
grainy, but you can hear what's being played. The stereo
separation has been improved, though.

The video quality is also as I remembered it -- quite grainy at
times (sometimes this was intentional, other times, I think not).

What's really important, though, is that these videos capture
the 1980s King Crimson at the height of their powers. Happily,
this is also as I remembered it. It's all about the music, and
these folks roared.

Rating:
Summary: This Amazing Foursome Captured At Its Pinnacle
Review: I owned these original videotapes 20 years ago. I had been a fan of the music but it wasn't until I saw these tapes that I realized just how amazing these musicians were (well, I did know about Bruford...). If you never got the chance to see them live then put this collection on your MUST OWN list. You'll never listen to King Crimson the same way again once you've seen Levin conduct a one man symphony with the Chapman Stick, marveled as Belew conducts audio surgery on the amp feedback with his Roland guitar synth, or grinned a mile wide watching Fripp practically fall off his stool as he contorts his way through the likes of Sartori in Tangier. Heck, I'd pay the price just to see one of these songs. Two whole concerts? That's a bargain and a half. If you are somebody who appreciates musicians at the cutting edge of their craft, then you can't help but be transfixed by this collection.

Rating:
Summary: See What You Missed! - Great DVD
Review: I say "See What You Missed" because so many music lovers never got a taste of how great this band was during this incarnation. These guys were full of invention and taste. Robert Fripp (guitar) continued to steward the band into new, highly progressive territory and continued to bring his significant skills in composition to the table. Adrian Belew (guitar, vocals) was in his prime, like a mature Jimi Hendrix, a master player and an engaging frontman. Tony Levin (bass & stick) contributed perfectly tasteful bass parts and Bill Bruford (drums & percussion) was at his absolute best during this era, when he was experimenting with electronic drums. Bruford's parts are constantly tasty and add an element of anarchy and excitement to this intricate music.

"The Noise" from 1982 is a great filmed performance that shows the band at their best. The 1984 performance is crisper and contains more material, and is great also.

The music mixes sonic experimentation ala Hendrix in his prime with a framework influenced by African & Asian music as well as 20th Century minimalism (Glass, Reich). Perfectly. Great band, great DVD. They tended to make fans out of whoever saw them live and I would guess this DVD will make you a fan of this band if you aren't already.


Rating:
Summary: An Essential Document
Review: Make no mistake about it, this line up of Crimson went where no one went before with music. The double trio would not have been possible without the successes and failures of this band, and these two concerts show both, redeeming the failures considerably. One could argue that Bruford's departure from the double trio had more to do with the King's next course of action than any active creative input, and his absence may be the one thing still haunting Crimson and its Prime Minister. Levin has returned to the stick and that only serves to make conspicuous Bruford's absence. Mastelloto's is not a simple fate.
As to here, though, neither of these shows is the absolute and categorical triumph of ABSENT LOVERS, the double CD of the last show in Montreal. No matter, they present the King in full roar. The Spanish film at Frejus suffers from a less than wonderful sound, although the DGM team has performed a miracle in getting it to sound as good as it does. The Japan show is hampered by absolutely silly video tricks that are just plain amateurish, especially when stacked in this compilation with Tony Levin's home movies and photos!
The Japan show does have a tremendously enhanced audio component to it. KC was never much of a visula treat, in fact they are often humourously casting aspersions on most pyro and other technics, and such is the case here. We are offered two concerts with Belew in various styles of Hugh Hefner pajamas (Fripp so desperately wants girls to like Crimson, hmmm), and Fripp in either black tux or white dinner jacket. God bless him, he singlehandedly redeems every English dweeb on the planet. Thank God his wife and his sister got him to look in the mirror. He dresses much better these days. Levin and Bruford command the rhythm, in much the same powerful and protean way that, say, Maria Callas commanded an operatic score: no quarter asked or given. The four of them were like that. Fripp and Belew are the absolute best paired guitarists ever, and they so thoroughly compliment each other that hearing either of them solo compells you to think of the other.
The material had its highs and lows, and they are clearly on evidence here. But do yourself a favour. If you enjoy these shows, go to DGM's website and order ABSENT LOVERS. You will be in for one of the most rewarding nights of music in your life. Fripp talks often of MUSIC leaning over and taking one into its confidence. There are flashes of that in these two shows, it positively infuses every moment of the Montreal show.

Rating:
Summary: "...I like it!"
Review: Since I was introduced to the album Discipline, I have been a drooling King Crimson fan, albeit one who has never been able to see them perform. And while I have enjoyed the various permutations of the band, the 80s line up has always been my favorite. This disc is the first chance I have had to actually see them play, and I'm still catching my breath. Being a drummer, I especially enjoy seeing Bill Bruford play his mutant sets (each concert features a different mutation) and I am amazed at how gracefully he plays some pretty difficult parts. Tony Levin is stunning; Adrien Belew is...well, a musical analogy to Andy Worhol; while Robert Fripp seems to be a kind of post-modern Bach with his absurdly complicated musical arangements and his devotion to artistic innovation. These two concerts feature King Crimson at one of their peaks of genius.

Rating:
Summary: great performance by great musicians
Review: There's no spoofing the complexity of performing the kind of music presented here in a live venue. This is simply brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: outstanding collection from an excellent era
Review: This DVD features live cuts from the albums Discipline, Three of a Perfect Pair and Beat, with a little Lark's Tongue in Aspic for extra measure. Lineup includes: Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford and founder Robert Fripp. Recording quality is quite good for an off-the-board live mix, helps to 'turn it up' a bit as the compression levels aren't the same as a studio recording. I'm a musician and I've listened to the Discipline album carefully for may years, and finally seeing just what the players (Bill Bruford in particular) are doing is fascinating, these are some of the best prog-rock players ever making interesting, subtle and complex music. Bill Bruford plays the 'mutant' drum kit which is made up of octabans, rototoms, timpani, and electronic drums, word is that Mr. Fripp asked for less cymbal from the drummer as this interfered with the sound of the guitar...Mr. Bruford responded by playing ride cymbal patterns on high-pitched toms....a very different sound and a great one. Tony Levin is a monster on Chapman Stick, Adrian Belew's guitar synthesizer work is neet, and Fripp's great chops, unusual scale choices and arc-welder tone all come through loud and clear. Favorite tracks? Neal and Jack and Me, Indiscipline (the Frejus version), and The Sheltering Sky - guitar parts are like skywriting calligraphy. Downsides? They don't play the track "Discipline", Adrian Belew has always been a great guitarist with an ok voice.....