It was a missed opportunity that the Winter TU US tour was postponed. To make up for this you can still purchase the “Official Bootleg” that was due to be sold on the aforementioned tour.
This CD weighs in at 36 minutes and 50 seconds (slightly longer than your average “new” improv on a KC re-re-re-packaged re-re-re-release) but despite its slight stature give you an insight into the live TU beast. The music is taken from the band’s second night at the Third Eye Gathering in August. I was at the first show and missed the second, but heck, I now hold a portion of that very show in my grubby little mitt.
The first two tracks finds the band finding their feet and I remember these being played at the show I saw. They are very muscular tracks and if you enjoy the ProjeKcts, you will get a big buzz from these songs.
The band are joined on stage by Eddie Haskell and his singing saw for the third track “Sumo” and it sounds as if someone is torturing a little puddy tat live on stage. Interesting in a LTiA/Jamie Muir kind-of-way.
By track four, Eddie has stopped stroking his saw and has moved over to the jew’s harp (boy, I bet the politically correct brigade are having a field day with that. “It’s not jew’s harp anymore, it’s a JAW’S HARP, I bet they are bleating!”. Anyhoo, it continues the vibe.
The last two pieces on the CD are my absolute favourite and re-inforce my idea for having a female vocalist in King Crimson. The band are joined by Azam Ali who provides some really ethereal vocalising. One way I describe “Bells” is to imagine “The Power to Believe, Part II” but take away the guitars and have a human voice providing the lead. That’s what this is like…
Despite it’s shortness, this is a really sweet collection. Shame that they didn’t compile tracks from both nights (with GGT + Tony Levin) because that would have been just peachy.
But heck, I can’t complain about this…except for the $8 it cost me to get it shipped to the UK. The CD is housed in a flimsy cardboard sleeve and DGM saw fit to use a standard padded envelope, so by the time it had been squeezed through my letterbox and gone through the Alex The Wonderdog patented letter mangling procedure, it could hardly be described as pristine. Oh well…c’est la vie, eh?
Great stuff…more please!

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