King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black LP
For a band that favoured the presentation and honing of material in live performance prior to studio recording, it was inevitable that with the increasing portability of quality recording machines, the concert performance would, in effect, become the basis of the subsequent studio recordings.
With "Starless and Bible Black" King Crimson, reduced to a quartet following the departure of percussionist Jamie Muir, took that step. Half of the album was sourced from live gigs - much of it from a concert at the Amsterdam Concertegebouw in November 1973 (the complete concert was subsequently issued as 'The Nightwatch' album and fully detailed on 2014's "Starless" boxed set).
While some of the material was developed or overdubbed in the studio, other tracks were presented exactly as per the concert setting with the audience applause removed.
With the band's burgeoning live reputation, increased tour schedule and commitment to improvisation, the use of the live material led to the album being the most accurate representation to date of the lineup's uniquely powerful live sets. Side 2 of the original vinyl in particular, allowed the band to present a pair of lengthy tracks - the title track drawn directly from the Amsterdam concert and Fracture with additional studio overdubs - that demonstrated the manner in which live improvisations were forming the foundations for much of their material.
"Starless and Bible Black" demanded the attention and concentration of the listener. Crimson's audience responded to the challenge, making it a much loved album by the band. As with the other recordings by the mid-1970s lineup, the intervening years have seen the album's reputation increase among fans & musicians alike, while the then unusual approach to using live performances as core elements of subsequent studio recordings has become increasingly commonplace.
The album's return to the vinyl format is newly cut from masters approved by Robert Fripp. The heavyweight vinyl is housed in a reprint of the original sleeve.
Tracklist:
1. The Great Deciever
2. Lament
3. We'll Let You Know
4. The Night Watch
5. Trio
6. The Mincer
7. Starless and Bible Black
8. Fracture
About this product: this reissue is pressed on 200g black vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.