[stasis]

Hi, I have just bought the 40th Anniversary “In the Court of the Crimson King”.
It is a complete re-master from the previously lost original recordings of the instruments.
In The Court Of The Crimson King: King Crimson: Amazon.co.uk: Music

It is a CD and DVD set and comes as a nicely packaged mini LP and box sleeve.
It has a new stereo re-master and it also has a MLP lossless 5.1 surround as well as a DTS 5.1 mix.

I have had a chance to have a quick listen and for me it is a worthwhile buy.
It is one of the first records I could ever afford to buy and it remains one of my very best albums.
I think this is more than just an opportunity to milk an old album dry.
The album has extras of genuine worth and excellent quality.
It is interesting to listen to the different original versions of the tracks from the album. Some are different purely instrumental tracks and others also have vocals. I think that from listening to the different versions of the tracks that the band could have made several equally good versions of the album.

I was excited at the prospect of a new 5.1 surround mix to add to my SACD and DVD-A collection so the first thing I listened to was the MLP lossless 5.1 Surround mix (48khz 24bit).
I was disappointed by the poor clarity and volume of Greg Lakes vocals.
Everything starts well until the first vocals and I was left wondering if there is something wrong with my setup.
I found the MLP 5.1 mix to be great on some of the tracks and during instrumental passages in particular, however the vocals on the MLP track is very disappointing for me.
Greg Lakes vocals and the poetic quality of the lyrics and the images they conjure are a key reason for my love of this album.
I don’t mean to put anybody of this album it is awesome it is just that I feel that the MLP 5.1 mix could have been better.
The 5.1 DTS mix has no problems and the vocals are very clear.
The stereo CD sounds very good, pity that it was not up to the SACD quality of the Genesis Albums because this material really deserves the best quality available.

If you are unfamiliar with this album it is one of the most original and innovative albums from the late 1960s. It still sounds amazing today, When I first heard this album I thought to myself that this was what it is all about.
I had heard bands that were supposed to be really good but most of them lacked originality or consistency. This album is the real deal and is well worth a listen if you appreciate great composition and musicianship.
I should leave the last word to Jimi Hendrix who saw the band and declared that “King Crimson were the best band in the world” enough said.

Regards stasis.

[Pecker]

That one's mine - thanks for the heads up.

Steve W

[Tetlee]

A friend of mine from these forums is always raving about these, plan to buy all three(Court, Red and Lizard) when I have the spare cash, probably invest in the others too when they're released(he mentioned last night they plan to keep going with the DVD-A remasters).

[ba' heid]

Shame to hear the surround mix is a bit suspect

21st Century Schizoid Man is an immense piece of work and the rest of the disc is not too shabby either.

I still have my vinyl, which I love (good 70s grade vinyl) but I would like a decent release like this.


Talking of crimson does anyone know of any cd release of Fripp's solo work. I still have Exposure, God Save The Queen/ Under Heavy Manners and The League of Gentlemen on cack 80s vinyl and would like to have some of this work on cd or high quality vinyl.