There’s an in-your-face swagger about this version of Schizoid Man, especially in the fast-running lines which have a barbed aspect to them as compared to the surgical precision more usually associated with this section.
Fripp’s introduction to The Sheltering Sky goes into some odd areas, which is to say that it sounds somewhat distracted and not altogether engaged. Thankfully Gunn is very much there in the moment with a lyrical, meditative solo that seems to evaporate in the sunlight of the enfolding soundscapes. It’s a quietly beautiful moment.
There’s no lack of presence when it comes to Fripp’s soloing in the first half of the THRAK improv as it scorches and singes, although the second half doesn’t quite ignite despite being fanned by some of Bill’s snazzy jazz cymbal work. The jazz bug takes proper root in the set closer, Neurotica, a mix of the manic and the fearlessly frantic.