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Sylvian/Fripp
CD Reviews
Damage
Review by Jason Hillenburg
Robert Fripp's collaborations in the late 1980s and early 1990s with David Sylvian, in retrospect, clearly laid the groundwork for King Crimson's album Thrak.

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John Wetton - Anthology Volume 1: Studio Recordings
Review by G. W. Hill

This anthology of songs from John Wetton is quite strong. It’s not all progressive rock, and for the most par even when it lands there, it’s more in the AOR end of the spectrum.


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King Crimson - Audio Diary 2014-2018
Review by Gary Hill

This new five-CD collection is pretty amazing. I've said before, and will repeat it here, that this new version of King Crimson might well be the best lineup they've had, particularly in terms of live shows.


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King Crimson - Beat
Review by Gary Hill
Of the trio of studio albums originally released by this version of King Crimson, this was the middle child. It was also a little less adventurous than either of the other two.
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Fripp & Eno - Beyond Even (1992-2006)
Review by G. W. Hill
This is a collection of previously unreleased collaborations between Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. As one might imagine the majority of this music is firmly rooted in atmospheric territory.
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David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees/Words With The Shaman
Review by Steve Alspach
With the demise of Japan (the band, not the nation, y’all), David Sylvian launched his solo career with Brilliant Trees. Some of the songs still have a dated feel to them, but it shows Sylvian to branch out musically.
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King Crimson - Discipline
Review by Steve Alspach
These were interesting times for Robert Fripp, ye olde scholastic of the progressive rock scene. In 1978 he had released Exposure, an album that he described as "A Day in the Life" for that period.
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Theo Travis - Double Talk
Review by Gary Hill
A modern legend in both progressive rock and jazz circles, Theo Travis and crew have crafted a killer album that showcases both sounds.

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King Crimson - Earthbound
Review by Gary Hill

This is a good, but not great, live album from King Crimson. The first thing holding it from the “great” title is the sound quality.


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Fripp & Eno - Evening Star
Review by Gary Hill

Anyone looking for the powerhouse music that you tend to expect from King Crimson here will be disappointed. This is an atmospheric work, but there is still plenty of Fripp to be found within.


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Robert Fripp - Exposure
Review by Steve Alspach
Robert Fripp's first solo album (not counting the side projects with Brian Eno) was considered "A Day in the Life" for the 1970s. Fripp proves himself to be the "21st Century Schizoid Man" because this album runs the gamut from harsh metal to more ambient dreamscapes.
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King Crimson - Eyes Wide Open DVD
Review by Bill Knispel
Following two plus years as a “double trio,” and nearly two years of fractionalization through a series of ProjeKCts, King Crimson returned to active duty in 2000 as a streamlined quartet with the album The ConstruKCtion of Light. A second album in this newer “double duo” format titled The Power to Believe, followed in 2003.
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King Crimson - Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With
Review by Bill Knispel
Happy With What you Have to be Happy With was the second consecutive EP release from King Crimson, and presented a look at additional material that would, along with the instrumentals presented on the Level Five EP, form the majority of the band’s (at the time) forthcoming studio album The Power To Believe.
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King Crimson - Heroes EP
Review by Gary Hill
This new EP from King Crimson is intriguing. It's bookended by their take on a David Bowie classic (the full version and a single edit). 

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King Crimson - In the Court of King Crimson written by Sid Smith
Review by Steve Alspach
Few bands in progressive rock have a more colorful past than King Crimson. As Sid Smith says in the preface, the history of King Crimson is the "triumph of spirit over adversity. And sometimes the triumph of adversity."
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King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King – 40th Anniversary Edition
Review by Gary Hill
Porcupine Tree’s Steve Wilson was tasked with the job of remixing this classic progressive rock album.
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King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (50th Anniversary Edition)
Review by Gary Hill

This new four-disc (three CDs and one Blu-Ray) edition of King Crimson's debut disc is great. It has several variants of the music presented here.


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King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 Blu-Ray/DVD Edition
Review by Gary Hill
King Crimson is an unusual beast as a musical entity. I've been fascinated by the band about as long as I've known about them.

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King Crimson - Islands
Review by Bill Knispel
King Crimson’s Islands album (1971) marked two milestones. On one hand, it was the band’s return to live performance, as Crimson had not played any live shows since December of 1969.
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Julie Slick - Julie Slick
Review by Gary Hill
Julie Slick is a bass player who came to the attention of many through her work in the Adrian Belew Power Trio.

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King Crimson - Larks’ Tongues In Aspic (The Complete Recording Sessions)
Review by Gary Hill

This is quite an interesting set. It's been released in honor of the 50th Anniversary of King Crimson's Larks' Tongues in Aspic album. We get two CDs here along with two Blu-Rays. 


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King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic
Review by Gary Hill
This album is kind of a legend in King Crimson circles. People have such a high reverence for it.
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King Crimson - Level Five
Review by Bill Knispel
Following the “research and development” phase that was the ProjeKCts, King Crimson resumed its most recent return to recording and performance. Having jettisoned Bill Bruford (who returned to primarily jazz playing via Earthworks) and Tony Levin (who returned to live work with long time collaborator Peter Gabriel), Crimson recorded and released the more electronic album The ConstruKCtion of Light in 2000.
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The Grid / Fripp - Leviathan
Review by Gary Hill
Robert Fripp provides guitar and soundscapes to this.

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Travis and Fripp - Live at Coventry Cathedral
Review by Gary Hill

This is a live album featuring Theo Travis and Robert Fripp.


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King Crimson - Live in Birmingham, England in September 2015
Review by John Pierpoint

I had never seen the mighty King Crimson play live before - not surprising, as I was only ten years old when the band last played my home town in 1974!


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King Crimson - Live in Chicago
Review by Gary Hill

King Crimson has one of the most interesting and complicated histories in all of progressive rock. The lineup is one of the most dynamic, too.


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Robert Fripp - Live in Milwaukee, WI, October 2005
Review by Josh Turner
This was an odd opener for Porcupine Tree. It took me awhile to unravel how they came up with this strange selection.
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King Crimson - Live in Vienna
Review by Gary Hill

It seems that there is quite a bit of live material being released from this version of King Crimson. That's a great thing because this line-up might be the best ever.


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King Crimson - Lizard
Review by Bill Knispel
Lizard is one of two “lost” King Crimson albums. Generally overlooked in favor of either the megalithic debut release or the embryonic prog metal that made up the band’s mid-1970’s output, Lizard shows the band moving more toward Robert Fripp’s musical ideals and concepts.
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King Crimson - Lizard – 40th Anniversary Series
Review by Gary Hill
The third King Crimson album, this version is part of the 40th Anniversary series of reissues. It is presented here in a few ways.

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King Crimson - Meltdown - Live in Mexico
Review by Gary Hill

This is truly an amazing set. Looking at just the product itself, without even considering the performances will tell you that.


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Robert Fripp - Music For Quiet Moments
Review by Gary Hill
A collection like this is hard to capture in a track by track review setting. These tracks are, by definition, more atmospheric and textural.

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King Crimson - Music Is Our Friend: Live In Washington D.C. and Albany 2021
Review by Gary Hill
I have to say that for my money, the modern incarnation of King Crimson really is probably the best. The reason I say that is that there are distinct periods of the band throughout their history.

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King Crimson - Neal and Jack and Me DVD
Review by Bill Knispel
King Crimson’s ‘return to the throne’ in the 1980’s must have been viewed with a degree of skepticism. The band made a name for themselves in the 1970’s with their dark blend of symphonic grandeur and intense heaviness, mixed with an improvisational spirit that would drive them to push every song and performance into parts unknown.
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Fripp & Eno - No Pussyfooting
Review by Gary Hill

This is difficult CD to write about. It’s certainly hard to delve deeply into these tracks and describe them. .


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Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (aka "1" and "Car") (vinyl)
Review by Gary Hill
This was Peter Gabriel's first solo album after he left Genesis in 1975. This 1977 release was also the first to bear the title "Peter Gabriel."

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Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (aka "2" or "Scratch") (vinyl)
Review by Gary Hill
This is Peter Gabriel's second solo album. It's definitely quite a bit different than the first one.

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Various Artists - Popoff Archive 2: Progressive Rock written by Martin Popoff
Review by Greg Olma
The music world has many characters who work behind the scenes, from producers to engineers to marketing people (and many more). 

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John Wetton - Raised in Captivity
Review by Gary Hill

The latest solo release from John Wetton finds him with a lot of great guest appearances. 


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King Crimson - Red
Review by Gary Hill
For my money, Red is King Crimson's most consistent and powerful album. The disc combines the hard edged sound that I think works the best for Crimson with both highly accessible and very creative song writing to produce an album that holds up exceptionally well.
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King Crimson - Red – 40th Anniversary Edition Remastered
Review by Gary Hill
For me Red has always been King Crimson’s ultimate album. I know, there are those who will point to Larks’ Tongues…, but personally I think this one is more cohesive and to the point.

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Various Artists - Rockin' the City of Angels written by Douglas Harr
Review by G. W. Hill
This book is something very special. A good tag-line for this would be "come for the pictures, stay for the stories."

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Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins - Scarcity of Miracles
Review by Gary Hill

This is billed as one of the King Crimson spin-off groupings and since Mel Collins and Robert Fripp are both included, that makes sense.


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David Sylvian - Secrets of The Beehive
Review by Steve Alspach
After the ambient efforts of Gone to Earth, Secrets of the Beehive found David Sylvian in a warm, almost romantic mood. Enlisting the arrangement talents of Ryuichi Sakamoto, this disc serves as an excellent starter to Sylvian and his music. The rich strings, coupled with Sylvian’s baritone, along with a curious lack of drums, envelop the listener.
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King Crimson - Sleepless – 12-inch Single (Vinyl)
Review by G. W. Hill

It used to be a rule at MSJ that if something was out of print we didn’t cover it.


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King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black
Review by Gary Hill
King Crimson have always been one of the most creative and innovative bands out there. When you expect them to jab they dodge and when you think they are going to dodge you’d better duck.
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King Crimson - The Collectable King Crimson, Vol. 3: Live in London, Pts. 1-2 1996
Review by G. W. Hill
I’ve never had the chance to see King Crimson live. I really regret that.
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King Crimson - The Construkction of Light
Review by Gary Hill
King Crimson has always been an enigmatic group. The band has basically had three previous incarnations; '60's/'70's, '80's and the '90's versions.
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King Crimson - The Great Deceiver, Vol. 1: Live 1973-1974 Volume 2
Review by Gary Hill
This, along with Volume 2, is a reissue of a 4 CD set that came out in the 1990’s. It captures the Larks Tongues In Aspic / Starless and Bible Black era King Crimson in a series of live shows.
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King Crimson - The Great Deceiver: Live 1973-1974 Volume 2
Review by Gary Hill
Here we have the second set of live Crimson tracks just reissued. See my review of Volume 1 for more information about this release overall.
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King Crimson - The Power To Believe
Review by Gary Hill
Since its formation in the late 1960's King Crimson has never been content to stay in one musical place. They were one of the pioneers of progressive rock, and under the guidance of band leader Robert Fripp they have gone through many changes, both in terms of musical style and lineup. I
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King Crimson - Three Of A Perfect Pair
Review by Gary Hill
When King Crimson reformed in the 1980’s to create the Discipline album the sound they presented was quite different from the classic Crimson of the 1970’s. While I liked all of the discs from this Belew, Bruford, Fripp and Levin lineup, I still preferred the “old school” stuff.
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King Crimson - USA
Review by Steve Alspach
Robert Fripp's decision to knock King Crimson on the head may have been a shock to some, but it seemed like the right thing to do at that time.
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King Crimson - VROOOM
Review by Bill Knispel
10 years following the dissolution of King Crimson following a trilogy of world and gamelan influenced albums, the band quietly rejoined forces in a small studio in Woodstock New York to create a new band and a new sound.
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Robert Fripp - Washington Square Church
Review by Gary Hill
These days the idea of people playing live with loops and other triggered backing tracks is not revolutionary at all.

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