Hark Lungs in Attic
Listening to Keep That One, Nick, a compilation of session tracks, I think it's remarkable that Larks' Tongues in Aspic has turned out the way it has. Those session clips suggest it was a slog to get anything right. When I got to know the album, it proved to be a mixed pleasure. I felt that LTiA Pt 1 and Book of Saturday were very good, but the rest of the tracks left someting to be desired. The playing sounded tentative, the production was very dry and there was occasional distortion. Certainly, to my ears Starless and Bible Black and Red were far more successful recordings. I found a bootleg recording of the 1973 Amsterdam Concertgebouw gig, which featured all LTiA material, except LTiA Pt 1. On that recording, the LTiA material comes to life in a way the studio recording cannot manage. That is not to say that a studio recording is per definition a stale affair, but the studio environment, the ticking of the clock (expences) and the determination to get it note perfect, all conspire to quell any energy or intensity. There are exceptions - the Vrooom EP from 1994 is a rare example of a hot studio recording. The 2012 LTiA remix by Steven Wilson did show some improvement - better sound, more effective mix, no more distortion. Listening to this album has become more pleasurable, but for me the albums' chief achievement remains the quality of the compositions.