In a pre-internet age, the first Crimson fans knew about the inclusion of Peace and Cat Food was on the night of the gig. You can hear the surprised reaction to hearing the quiet introduction of the Peace theme. After they go into Cat Food there’s something that distracts Bruford albeit briefly as he misses some of the accents on the turnaround, and Wetton fluffs the lyrics in the third verse. All part of the live experience.

There’s a lovely reading of The Night Watch, which by now in the tour is bedding down well and Fracture creates its own special space that rarely fails to draw an audience in. The moto perpetuo section is dispatched with exacting precision, while the subsequent rock-out blows the doors off the place. Given the mention of distractions earlier, it’s interesting that after a few bars, Book Of Saturday is halted. It’s not clear why at this remove, but when it restarts, it’s about as perfect a reading of the song as you could possibly wish for.

Fripp’s solo on a rather magical version of Easy Money is probably worth the entrance fee alone; inquisitive, unorthodox, and forceful, and when the moment arrives, going for the jugular. It’s not often you get an audience clapping along with an improv but this Saarbrücken crowd is game upon hearing Fripp’s rhythmic comping. Once Bruford puts a groove underneath it all the transformation from something quirky to a terrifying gaze into the maw of Hell is as rapid as it is surprise. Even the band seemed a bit baffled by it as they come to a sudden halt and slide almost seamlessly into a gorgeous version of Exiles.

After the shrill, frantic rush of The Talking Drum and a caustic blast of LTIA Pt 2, set to maximum rearrangement of internal organs, the old warhorse of Schizoid Man brings a rather superb gig to a giddy conclusion.
TRACK
TIME
01
Walk On - No Pussy Footing
02:21
02
Improv Intro
02:43
03
Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part I
08:31
04
Tune-Up
00:39
05
Peace-A Theme
00:58
06
Cat Food
04:28
07
The Night Watch
05:25
08
Fracture
11:51
09
Book Of Saturday
03:32
10
Lament
04:21
11
Easy Money
06:41
12
Improv
05:14
13
Exiles
06:39
14
The Talking Drum
05:48
15
Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part II
06:51
16
21st Century Schizoid Man
09:15
Written by JOSEPH W SHELBY
One of the best audience originated releases
This is perhaps the best audience boot I've ever heard from the 73-74 line-up, and one of the few I've intentionally bought (as opposed to those bundled with the box sets). The team pulled a fantastic balance out of it, with little 'overload' nor the 'hollow' vocals we usually hear. The clarity of the vocals, guitar, and violin is quite impressive. Highly recommended if you're normally (like me) not a big fan of audience tapes.
Written by LUIGI GIUGLIANO
More from the '73 treasure trove
Grateful for this recent weekly batch of '73 KC shows. While I admit some were hard to listen to due to the sound quality of the sources (always noted by Stormy), this here is one of the best sounding shows. Always a treat to enjoy the little nuances from this line-up. Thank you for all the hard work, Stormy!
Written by Chris Inguanta
Surprisingly Listenable
This bootleg is better sounding than some of the previous ones. The source must have been better. Thanks for spiffing it up Mr. Stormy, it sounds great.
Written by George Chacona
Wonderful work Stormy
I've had this gig in bootleg form as The Poison Door for years. It was always listenable enough for return visits, you did a marvelous job putting some polish on this one. Thank you for the upgrade.
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