Palatza Delo Sports Turin Italy

“Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen from King Crimson,” says Robert Fripp on the thirteenth date of the band’s European tour on this very good quality audience recording that finds the band at the peak of their powers.“It’s very exciting once again for us to be in Italy...I would like to request, a considerable number of the audience please for a little silence. Yup?”

With hindsight today’s eager ears will recognise many of the initial elements of the improvisation that comes out of this rendition of Easy Money those which appear in We’ll Let You Know. There’s also the bonus of hearing the ‘jazz-rock’ riff that would later be used in Starless and if that weren’t enough, stay tuned for Fripp’s quotes of the rising theme of Sailor’s Tale as he solos.

The group are still eight gigs away from Fracture’s definitive reading in Amsterdam but all the components are in place here though the Mellotron part after the grinding section still sounds somewhat tentative. The version of Talking Drum that emerges from the final improv of the gig is superb with David Cross’s violin soloing being a particular high point in what is a thrilling, roller coaster ride of a track. And listen out for the breathtaking control of dynamics in Schizoid Man. Phew!