The Road to Red

I *finally* nabbed this treasure trove by one of the very greatest progrock bands (Hendrix considered KC as THE best, and one does not quibble with Jimi), drooling for a long time before I could finally could spare the ducats, and let me say, first of all, that the other reviews were very interesting and helpful, so thanks to those who took the time to tender thoughtful accolades. The positive reviews put the lock on my decision to buy, but, in the negative critiques, I kinda get that people don't really understand 'bootleg mentality', and that's the only real problem here. I have a quite a few prog boots in my 50,000 piece music collection, and they've provided me with a great deal of pleasure over the decades, but thi one......THIS is mindblowing! Hearing the same songs well over 20 times each may seem tedious to some, but we lunatic progfaces can't get enough of the endless variations in rendition, improv, and solos, yes even unto John Wetton's voice occasionally breaking and the band losing its tempo every so often, so caught up are they in furious chops. Those, y'all, can be as intriguing as anything else. Mike Vernon treated rockers to the same sort of thing in the incredible 'Fleetwood Mac: The Horizon Years' box, which carried many false starts, chopped studio run-throughs, and etc. along with the band's initial glorious quartet of LPs, Peter Green always a wonder, but this Crimson box literally teems with ceaseless wrinkles on the now-famed ouevre, so much so that one is never in doldrums. Each time, I thought "Oh man, they can't top THAT!!", and then they did. Ladeez 'n gentz, that's part of why we buy and cherish this kind of gig.Regarding sonic virtues, everything here is of a quality I wish all *live* boots could boast. The moments when the band falls heavily into the pocket, which they do quite a few times, are transcendent, the foursome a juggernaut of power, literacy, and majesty. I can't recommend 'Road' highly enough, but there IS one little problem: now that I've listened to every moment of it, certain discs several times, I *have* to get the other boxes, I gotta!, and, dammit, I don't have the coin for 'em...though...hmmmm, there IS a bank down the street that's not all that secure, and maybe, under cover of night, I could.............Oh, and, yes, Hendrix was THE guitar god, but let me induce a bit of arrythmia and the vapors in the stodgy prog-crit world - 99% of it inaesthetic, illiterate, and maladroit - and say that the honor is actually shared among two, not one, Robert Fripp being the second in a dead heat. And before you might wish to steam over that, keep in mind that it isn't just my opinion, it was also Jimi's.Okay, now argue me.

GreetingsI listened to King Crimson during the 70's when I was a teenager. I was not aware of the reissues throughout EG records or fan club releases throughout the 80's and nineties.I collected all Robert Fripp LP albums during the 70's. I last heard KC on Discipline when it was released. I was also not aware of the Great Deceiver issues in 4 volumes or the Night Watch CD previously released. My favourite album remains the first - In the Court of the Crimson King and I will never tire of that.I bought this compilation for Road to Red on Fripp's reputation alone and I am just blown away! I was also not aware of 30th year anniversary releases so this just came a big pleasant surprise to me.The recordings are generally very good (compared to Led Zeppelin bootlegs for e.g.). This is a historic record of that version of the band in 1974.The packaging is genuine. There is no hype and commerciality present. The box contains interesting contemporary information, and copies of recording tape box exteriors etc - and reflections from Fripp.All just real information with the full variety of live recordings and versions without looking like a Pink Floyd re-release (oh yeah! the Syd Barrett remix of Dark Side of the Moon in 5.1 stereo).The band with Fripp on guitar and mellotron, and Bruford's drumming are just as relevant today as when recorded. Thank you for the soundboard recordings!! and the fan recordings and studio remixes!!I was motivated to start to play all 23 discs so that I get a full appreciation of the shear power of this lineup live - I never listened to this album when it was released - stopping with Lizard and picking up with USA and Discipline. This is an eye-opener.The passing of 40 years does not diminish the originality of the recording, or the vitality of the lyrics and singing delivery, or the violin playing and impromptu live arrangements.This is a valuable time capsule to that era, and to prog rock in general.I now have all the albums on vinyl (Island originals) and they sound great - but this boxed set is a statement - regardless of whether you have heard any of the recordings before or individual songs released in another format of live material previously.Wow!

I love this period of King Crimsons Career. Red being my fav. Crimson record to date. It took me a long time to come around and buy this. Normally a sticker price this high means I skip it but I am glad a didn't. The 20 plus CD's, the DVD-A and two Blu rays are excellent. The Blu ray with four complete shows on in it in 192/24 is cherry on the cake. Sound verys from show to show. Some are multi tracks, others are cassette sound boards and there is even a audience bootleg from one of the shows. They really took their time and did this right. In some cases using bootlegs to fill in the gaps of missing music. This was an act of love. The team that put this together must really love the music. In fact the only down side is you don't get the video included on the DVD-A/CD version of Red released a couple of years back. But I assume most die hards have that. It also contains a couple of versions of the USA live album. But again not everything that was on the individual release. If you are a passive fan pick up the "Night Watch" or the "Great Deceiver" sets. But if you love this record like I do this will put a big smile on your face. Starless alone will put a grin on your face. Hopefully I will have the money to pick up the other two before they sell out. Now if they would only bring the new version of KC to Toronto for a show I would be a happy man! Oh and when do we get the 5.1 of Thrak?

This shows King Crimson at their improvisational best! Every show offered in this sensational box set is a soundboard quality audio presentation, culled from what is widely accepted as Crimson's most powerful incarnation, the '73/'74 line-up, and all 16 concerts are from the final three months of this incredible Super Group'sexistence. So, after playing the material live for virtually 14 months, what you hear is a group at the very peak of their collective abilities. Extremely powerful stuff! Every show offers at least one, but usually two improvised jams which will cause your jaw to drop right into your lap.Also included in this 24 (!!) disc box set is King Crimson's final album from the '70's, RED, presented in all formats...Blu-ray - DTS-HD Master Surround, LPCM 5.1 Surround, including 'Bonus' live tracks and studio tracks, and the wonderful live album, USA, also in all recording formats!This is an absolute MUST for the King Crimson fan.In a word...Heaven.

Very comprehensive from long time ago but still very incredible.Good for rock musicians to listen and also well remastered.Thanks for this .J.

収められている音源の全てが素晴らしい。曲の途中からだったり音質がわるいのもあるが、演奏はどれも素晴らしい。「太陽」「暗黒」ときて曲が揃っているだけに前二作のボックスよりも広がりがある。

There are other reviews out there that will do this better.This boxset is for people who absolutely adore the Wetton/Bruford/Fripp/Cross line-up and features a staggering amount of content. If you're not too keen on the lineup or hate the song Easy Money, then you'd best look elsewhere.I'd give this collection 5 stars as the presentation is top notch as is the content.The only downside is that some of the recordings are cut short, but there's not much that can be done about that.My personal favourite is June 25th in Quebec.A great journey from start to end, This is the true Road to Red.