Imagine if Bill Bruford had shown ‘admirable restraint’ on this improvisation? Well, you don’t have to imagine. Mister Stormy has deftly removed the Bartley Butsford batterie enabling listeners to focus solely on the interplay between the remaining trio. Mind, it would be hard not to, given the monstrous roar of Wetton’s agile bass work and banshee howl emanating from Fripp’s rig.
In terms of their timbral quality and volume David Cross’s contributions, squeezed up within the ferocity generated by Wetton and Fripp, are found to be somewhere between a rock and a hard place.
The ensuing improvisation is bracing enough and a brilliant reminder of how much ground these players could cover. Yet there’s an added frisson when the lines from what would become One More Red Nightmare emerge through the turbulent squall. Less than a fortnight after this gig Wetton, Fripp and Bruford would be in Olympic Studios giving the piece its true and final form.
Imagine if Bill Bruford had shown ‘admirable restraint’ on this improvisation? Well, you don’t have to imagine. Mister Stormy has deftly removed the Bartley Butsford batterie enabling listeners to focus solely on the interplay between the remaining trio. Mind, it would be hard not to, given the monstrous roar of Wetton’s agile bass work and banshee...