Search - King Crimson :: Ladies of the Road (Mlps)

First album = jazzy, good; second album = just plain obnoxio

Patrick Alexander | Las Cruces, New Mexico | 12/04/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The title says it all. The first of the two albums would unquestionably be worth getting on its own--great live music from an under-represented period of the band's history, although personally the jazzier, more saxophone-heavy Crimson isn't to my liking as much as the later, proggier bits. When you stick the second album into the mix, it's a crap shoot. If you really like early 70's King Crimson improvisations with lots of saxophone, you might like that second album. Personally, I've listened to it two or three times, generally wishing halfway through that I hadn't stuck it in the cd player and only listening the whole way through because of some combination of laziness and determination."

Islands of Jazz

B. A. Dilger | Charlotte, NC USA | 05/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the 1971-72 band of King Crimson, Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, Boz Burrell, Ian Wallace (and Peter Sinfield). It really became a jazz band with Crimson roots during the American Tour. This recording is heavy with jazz and saxaphone and Fripp's electic guitar. While not the highest rated KC band, these dudes could crank! Listen to their earlier release "Earthbound" and think that this is a cleaned-up version. If CD1 doesn't impress you try CD2. It's essentially the middle movement of 11 "21st Century Schizoid Man" in a row taken at their concerts. For 50-some minutes. Yes, it is loud, and Fripp's guitar seems to go on endlessly."