In the cut and thrust of live performance, it’s perfectly possible to have one’s attention pulled in many different directions and therefore miss out on some of the subtleties that fly by.
In a piece like The Letters, where silence plays a key role in the drama, Bill’s fairy dusting was clearly evident at the start of the song.
However, during the melee of the blowing section, his delicate additions to mood and colour could be overlooked. Cynics can say that what he’s playing ‘doesn’t matter’ or that it ‘isn’t important.’ But King Crimson never was a place for cynicism and this isolated track, with its haunting, understated bittersweet beauty, easily demonstrates the elegant truth that lies at the heart of that aphorism.