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Release date: July 10, 2026.

Taken from the live soundboard recordings from the band’s electric four-night run in September 2014 available on 2 CDs or 2 LPs.

For King Crimson, New York was never just a tour-stop – it was a recurring stage in the band’s mythology. Starting with the 1969 Fillmore East breakthrough and running through those early-’70s returns, climaxing in the Larks’-era farewell to that chapter at Central Park in 1974. 

And when Crimson kept mutating, the city kept calling them back. Robert Fripp later pointed to the six shows at the Savoy in 1981 (after rehearsals tucked away in the garment district) as a high-water mark, and later line-ups - the Double Trio, Double Duo, and a 2008 quintet with newly recruited Gavin Harrison at the Nokia Theatre  continued the Manhattan connection, right up to a major reset at the same venue (by then the Best Buy Theatre) in 2014.

That 2014 band looked like nothing else on the circuit: three drummers lined up across the front - an idea Fripp described as a sudden “point of seeing - turning rhythm into a moving, interlocked engine”. 

Crucially, they didn’t treat the back catalogue like museum pieces; they played it as living material, rebuilt with microscopic attention rather than copied note-for-note. The “drumsons” delivered a choreographed surge and uncanny unity (Harrison joked it felt like “one drummer with six legs and six arms”), and a calmer group chemistry let the seven-piece hit with brute force and fine detail at once - refreshing older classics and giving newer pieces extra muscle. 

In New York, moments like Starless, framed with a deliberate red-light nod to 1974, landed as proof that Crimson could honour its past without slipping into nostalgia: a band that kept reinventing its own language, still pushing forward with no obvious limit.

From 2014 to 2021 King Crimson played music that was, in keeping with Robert Fripp's approach, "new whenever it is performed", freshly minted each night for a new audience to hear. The band would frequently stay in one city for more than one night so that demand for tickets could be met while still appearing in venues where all of the audience could both see and hear fully. 

2014 NYC is the beginning of a new series (to be released on 2LP and 2CD), compiled from those runs of concerts at a single venue/city and commences from the first year of touring with a set taken from the band's four-night run in NYC in September 2014. 

Later this year (Autumn 2026), there will be a 2 x Blu-ray release of King Crimson’s entire 19-date U.S. tour from 2014 which will also include this compilation. 

KCLPX2014 - 2LP 200-gram vinyl set

Side A 

Introductory Soundscape
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part I)
Pictures of a City   

Side B 

Side C 

Side D 

VROOOM
Coda: Marine 475
The Light of Day
21st Century Schizoid Man

DGM5033 – 2CD 

CD1 

1. Introductory Soundscape
2. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part I)  
3. Pictures of a City
4. A Scarcity of Miracles
5. Banshee Legs Bell Hassle
6. Level Five
7. The Letters
8. The Sailor’s Tale 
9. Interlude
10. The ConstruKction of Light
11. Red

CD2 

1. One More Red Nightmare
2. VROOOM
3. Coda: Marine 475
4. The Light of Day
5. The Talking Drum
6. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part II)
7. Starless
8. The Hell Hounds of Krim 
9. Improv: Hoodoo
10. 21^st Century Schizoid Man 

King Crimson 2014 (photo: Scarlet Page).

A large part of the DGM Archive is taken up by the tape store. With the vast majority of the King Crimson and Fripp-related masters and multitracks already digitised, we rarely need to return to the original tapes for audio—except, of course, when we do. Then it is a matter of baking tapes (to drive out moisture to prevent the tapes shedding oxide when played) and finding a suitable machine to play them on, which almost always means outsourcing. Over the years, many digital formats have come and gone; some items once central to our everyday work now gather dust on the shelf or are filed away in drawers. Despite all the innovations in digital storage, the bottom line remains: analogue tapes are still by far the most reliable medium for preserving master recordings.

1. U-matic (1971)

Introduced by Sony in September 1971, a 3/4 inch magnetic tape cassette. This was a professional analogue video format widely used in the TV broadcast industry, where it replaced 16mm film as the news gathering medium of choice in the mid 70s. It was reliable, easy to use and provided instant playback, a significant advantage over film, which required processing. It employed a rotating head helical scan mechanism, which allowed more information to be written to a piece of tape than the previous linear serpentine method of data storage used on reel-to-reel tapes with mainframe computers. With a PCM adaptor audio could be saved to tape as a pseudo video signal, and it became the industry standard for delivering CD masters. It is also one of the reasons for the 44.1kHz sample rate standard being adopted for CD audio, as it simply carried over from the rate used for writing data to U-matic tape, chosen as it was compatible with the number of lines and frame rates of both of the video standards, NTSC (North America) and PAL (Europe). U-matic was never a format that could be played at DGM, it was solely for delivering the audio master to the CD replication plant. This example contains The Cheerful Insanity of Giles Giles and Fripp for the CD edition released by Decca Records in 1992 with the catalogue number 820 965-2.

2. Beta (Betamax) (1975)

It lost the battle with VHS to become the standard video cassette format for the consumer market, but was the preferred choice of professionals because of its higher resolution and reliability and replaced the U-matic in the television industry. It became an audio mastering format when Sony introduced the PCM-F1 which used pulse code modulation to convert the digital data to video signal, David Singleton recalls having one of these when he was operating his mobile studio in the 80s. This example, from Marcus Studios in London, contains a compilation of tracks including alternate takes from Exposure, remixed by Brad Davis in 1983 for eventual release as the album’s ‘Second Edition’ on LP and cassette in 1985. Could we play this one now? No. As with most of the other formats here, the hardware is no longer in working order.

3.  3.5” Floppy Disc (1983)

Holding 1.44Mb, there isn’t enough storage for much more than a set of sleevenotes on one of these or a few low-resolution JPEGs. Ubiquitous in any office that had a personal computer in the 80s, it was a thin flexible disc with a magnetic coating, housed in a plastic enclosure. Its days are not completely done, surprisingly it's still finding a use in the aviation and military sectors, for example, the remaining Boeing 747-400 Jumbo jets in service still apparently use 3.5” floppies to update their avionics software. Our office relic was once used (and re-used) to transfer sleeve notes between computers at DGM, including text for The League of Crafty Guitarists - Live and A Blessing of Tears. 

4. Exabyte (8mm Data8) (1987)

A computer data storage tape, now discontinued, widely used for backup and archiving throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Based on 8mm video cassette technology, it similarly used a helical scan recording method. It required a dedicated tape drive such as the EXB-8200. For a while DGM backed up masters to Exabyte. This one contains a 1993 edition of In The Court of The Crimson King from Virgin/EG Records.

5. SyQuest Disc (1986)

A removable hard disc widely used in the graphic design industry, and also used in music for audio backup and sampling. This example contains Quark Xpress and Photoshop files for the inlay and CD label artwork for Thrakattak, designed by Bill Smith Studio in 1996. The disc holds a whopping 44Mb, which meant another disc was required to contain the CD booklet. It became obsolete the moment Zip disc arrived. Like regular computer hard drives it was best not to drop these. 

6. DAT (Digital Audio Tape/DDS) (1987/1989) 

Developed by Sony, the smallest of the formats in our selection, it uses a 4mm magnetic tape inside a cassette and used the same rotating head/helical scan technology as the VHS/Betamax video formats. There had been plans to use it for video recording as well as in domestic audio to replace the analogue compact cassette, but neither were adopted, and it became a professional digital audio medium heavily used in the 90s. It could record at 48, 44.1 and 32kHz. It was discontinued in 2005, replaced by direct recording to hard drive and SD card. It was used routinely by King Crimson and on Fripp-related projects to make stereo soundboard recordings in the 90s, and a running DAT was often used to record studio sessions and rehearsals. It was also the standard format for creating a finished album master at DGM. The example comes from the Virgin Records tape archive, and contains The Concise King Crimson, a 1993 compilation released on CD. This would have been a digital master of the album, but still required a CD Mastering Engineer to create a U-matic master with time code and PQ coding containing the track information for use by the pressing plant. 

7.  CD-R (1988)  

Probably the only one from our selection that we could actually play without very much difficulty. Introduced in 1988, the earliest CD writing hardware cost $35000, this would fall to as little as $20 two decades later, and CD writing drives became a built-in feature to most PCs. DGM acquired the SADiE Windows-based digital editing system in the early 90s and used CD-R to create audio masters containing the necessary PQ coding to be sent to the CD manufacturer and used for glass mastering without the need for a U-matic tape. The disc is written using a laser to heat the organic dye coating to create non-reflective spots that serve the same function as the pits pressed into the surface of a standard CD. It only had an average life expectancy of 10 years though, with dye degradation and failure of the reflective layer being the most common problems. Only the more expensive gold CD-R has been good for longer-term archival storage. Seen above is a CD-R of the 2002 30th Anniversary 24-bit remaster edition of THRAK, released by Virgin in a mini gatefold sleeve. This used HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital) - an encoding/decoding process that claimed to increase the dynamic range and resolution of 16-bit CDs to 20-bit quality. 

8.  DLT III (CompactTape III) (c. 1990–1992) 

A digital linear tape format housed in an enclosed single-reel cartridge. Before DDP images could be uploaded over the internet, DLT was the industry-standard medium for delivering DVD masters to pressing plants for glass mastering. Known for its reliability, far superior to a burned DVD-R, which could be prone to dust and errors, and for its high storage capacity, sufficient for the high resolution audio, surround sound and video content. A separate DLT was required for each layer in dual-layered DVDs. This one contains the data for the Starless And Bible Black DVD-A, authored by Opus Productions and included in the 40th Anniversary edition of the album released by DGM in 2011. 

9.  ADAT (Alesis Digital Audio Tape)(1991).

Another video-based audio recording system using standard VHS cassettes, this one used for multi-track recordings. Up to 8 tracks of 16 bit audio could be recorded on high-quality S-VHS videotape. As many as 16 machines could be connected to provide up to 128 tracks. The format made small home recording studios affordable. This example contains surround sound mixes from King Crimson’s 1995 concerts in Japan from the time of the Deja VROOOM DVD. A huge number of ADATs are to be found in the archive from 1990s tours by Sylvian and Fripp and the King Crimson Double Trio, when every night was recorded, with a dedicated sound engineer to handle this. 

10.  Zip Drive (1995)

It offered 100MB of storage on a removable cartridge, which was a significant increase compared to standard floppy disks of the time. The disks themselves were larger and more robust, resembling an oversized floppy. This one contains image captures from the King Crimson videos The Noise, recorded in Fréjus and Live in Japan and artwork for Thrakattak. It replaced SyQuest as the preferred method for delivering artwork, before writing to CD-R became the new standard.

Glossary - Know your DDPs from your DVDs:

DVD  Digital Versatile Disc
DVD-R  Recordable DVD
DVD-A   Audio DVD
DLT Digital Linear Tape
DDP Disc Description Protocol
DAT Digital Audio Tape
DGM a small mobile record label

In 1975 with King Crimson on hiatus (as it would remain until 1980), Robert Fripp's appearances on album or on stage were rare. When he did appear, it was with Brian Eno. Circumstances following an accident in January 1975 led to Eno formulating the idea of ambient music as detailed in the notes to Discreet Music - released in December 1975. The title track of Discreet Music was initially conceived as a backing loop for Fripp to play over at a series of concerts. These concerts took place in Spain, France and England in late May 1975. An audio restored edition of the legendary Paris concert bootlegs has been issued on CD.

 
A short section from that concert, reversed, provided the basic track for Wind on Water - the opening piece from the second Fripp and Eno album Evening Star. The title track that follows features a Fripp solo that is regarded by fans as one of his most beautiful performances. The short, pretty loop called Evensong and Wind on Wind an extract from Discreet Music formed the remainder of the album's first half. Perhaps more pastoral than truly ambient, and in part indicative of the type of music that Eno would feature on his later Music for Films albums this was a firm step away from the long form pieces that had made up No Pussyfooting. As if to balance the equation, the second side comprised a single piece An Index of Metals. Running to almost 29 minutes it is almost the antithesis of the warm inviting music on the album’s first half. Almost forty years on from its original recording, the sense of unease conveyed by the piece remains intact.

Download here: Evening Star 

Also available on CD and LP

Today at 18:00 GMT...

Tomorrow at 12:00 GMT...

The live King Crimson multi-track recording from June 29th, 1974, at Penn State University will be available this summer on CD, following on from the exclusive Record Store Day release of the gig on 200-gram double vinyl.

From the reviews of the vinyl edition:

“A fantastic document of KC as a fierce and remarkably tight unit. The final two songs of the set show just what a monumental proposition KC were in 1974. Fracture is like Django Reinhardt jamming with Black Sabbath in Hell, mutterings of unruly demons building to an astonishing crescendo, while Starless is as frighteningly beautiful as ever, and met with rapturous applause.”   PROG

“Walking on to debut new material in front of their large audience, including two substantial improvised sections, King Crimson sound as if they should have gone on like this uninterrupted for years.…this is the sound of Red being brought to the boil.” UNCUT

Pre-order here from Burning Shed: 1974 Penn State University CD.

This month Stormy goes back to the original In The Court Of The Crimson King album multitracks recorded at Wessex Studios in 1969. 

Here is an instrumental mix of Schizoid Man where Stormy shines a light on the playing of Greg, Robert and Ian, before Michael’s drums enter later on. Stormy says: “I have tried to separate the parts to make them stand out a bit, bringing in the drums at the end section for this dub version.”

King Crimson recording at Wessex Studios in 1969 (photos: Willie Christie).

Recorded at Wessex Studios at the beginning of August, 1969, engineered by Robin Thompson. It was the final piece from the album to be put down on tape with the backing track famously recorded in a single take. Solos from Robert and Ian were overdubbed a few days later. 

Sid Smith says: “KC enthusiasts already know that the mix of surgical precision and raw power in the trio’s playing is outstanding, but to hear it with such clarity is a real bonus”.

Download here: 21st Century Schizoid Man (backing dub)

Or listen to a preview on the official King Crimson You Tube channel:

It was a hive of industry this week as the wiring crew were on site fitting all the data cables and wall sockets. No expense has been spared in making sure there will never be a case of “I can’t find anywhere to plug in”, and that even extends to the toilet, which, as everyone knows, is where someone is going to find the best reverberant sound for their vocals or instrument. Well it worked for Jim Morrison on LA Woman, the internet reliably informs us, and Ian, who heads the electrical team, reminded David from his days working for Supertramp, that John Helliwell’s saxophone on The Logical Song was done in the bathroom at Village Recorders in Los Angeles. Hopefully there’s going to be some tiling in the DGM studio’s smallest room to make it really effective. 

Wired for sound: Ian (with David) and brother Kevin work on the main room, while Bob wires the studio toilet.

Electrical power and data sockets are going in along the baseboards in the live room.

Still to come are the fabric wall covering and, of course, the floor. But first, all the wiring must be completed.

In the tape store the search was on for a missing reel. This proved fruitless, but a lot of interesting things turned up along the way. Although Mr Stormy has extensively plundered the archive already, we think there are still some more hidden gems waiting to be discovered. 

A screenshot of NY3 Takes from reel 9 on January 31, 1978.

Stormy’s current work-in-progress includes the Exposure Sessions, which are being released in full ahead of the 50-year copyright expiry dates. While most of that is still a couple of years away, there is a wealth of material to work through. The second instalment has now been added to the site and is available here, featuring Robert Fripp, Tony Levin and Narada Michael Walden working on Breathless, alongside various versions of NY3 recorded at The Hit Factory in January 1978.

 David, when not managing the studio build, has found time to complete the next full set of Elemental mixes. No details are available yet, but we look forward to discovering more of the music within the music on familiar album tracks from the King Crimson catalogue. Anyone yet to sample those already available can find Larks' Tongues, and Red Elemental mixes to listen to here on the website.

From the archive this week:

RF collaborations: Daryl Hall's Sacred Songs, a quarter track of Bowie's Heroes and a Bryan Ferry B side.

All are from recordings made or released in 1977. The Daryl Hall Sacred Songs is a 1/4 inch master of Side A of the album recorded at The Hit Factory in New York in August 1977, produced by Robert, although the album did not come out until 1980. Bowie’s Heroes sessions had taken place at Hansa in Berlin in July. This is a quarter-track listening copy for playing on a domestic reel-to-reel tape machine. And the Bryan Ferry As The World Turns has Eddie Jobson on keyboards and a solo from Robert, and is the B side of the 7” single This Is Tomorrow released in February 1977, reaching number 9 in the UK charts.

A reference copy of tracks from the Flying Lizards' Fourth Wall album.

Robert plays alongside Patti Palladin, David Cunningham and saxophonist Peter Gordon on Glide/Spin and is also co-writer on Lost And Found. The album was released in 1981 on Virgin Records. 

Soundboard cassettes from the 1974 tour.

Recorded from the mixing desk by sound engineer Peter Walmsley. The Kennedy Centre tape is the source for the concert recording available on the website here: Washington DC, June 27, 1974. The Penn State concert was one of a number of concerts also recorded to 8 track tape by the Record Plant Mobile, so the cassette has not been used. The multitrack sourced recordings are available here: Penn State, June 29, 1974.  

The rhythm section of Tony Levin and Narada Michael Walden joins Robert at the Hit Factory in New York in January 1978 to work on Breathless, New York, New York, and I May Not Have Enough Of Me, But I’ve Had Enough Of You.

Robert’s diary indicates that the sessions were originally planned to have John Wetton on bass. For whatever reason, he was unable to make it, and Tony Levin, who was rehearsing and recording for Peter Gabriel’s second album at the Hit Factory at the time (with Robert Fripp producing), was pencilled in instead.  

Speaking to Bass Player magazine in 2021, about his time playing on Exposure, Tony recalled:

“It was strikingly different music, with compositions that I found very challenging, and I really think it’s one of the albums where I grew as a player, from being in that place even for a short time. I was playing my Fender Precision, which I had grown up playing.

I recorded with a mix of DI and also through my SVT Ampeg, with an 8x10 cabinet, which was my go-to in those days. The sound is a mix of the two, and when you really dig in, with the amp pretty loud, and almost overplay the P-Bass, there’s a crunch and distortion.”

Robert had met Michael Walden in 1974 when he was playing in the second lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and on the same bill as King Crimson at the Cape Cod Coliseum. By the time of the Exposure sessions in New York, the multi-talented jazz fusion drummer had played on records by Weather Report, Jeff Beck, Tommy Bolin, Jaco Pastorius and Allan Holdsworth, as well as two solo albums of his own for Atlantic Records, where he also sang, played keyboards and produced.

Tony Levin and Narada Michael Walden play on the final versions of these tracks, eventually released on Exposure in 1979. Presented here are the complete takes and out-takes from the recordings.

Download here:  Exposure Sessions January 31, 1978.