TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Earthbound" - King Crimson (1972)

"Earthbound" - King Crimson (1972)

This has to be one of the more polarizing releases in the King Crimson catalog.  And I get it.  King Crimson's first official live album and it's captured with a more or less glorified cassette recorder. The sound quality is your average bootleg at best.  But honestly, I've heard far worse.  Tempering expectations just a little will definitely make the spinning a less jarring experience.

After floating "Earthbound" on the turntable a few times, I think I'm going to keep it.  As Roger Ebert might say, "I'm giving this a marginal thumbs up, Gene."  The album is obviously lacking in sound quality...varying from one song to the next.  However, the songs are played well and are interesting enough to make the spin worthwhile for fans of the band.  The songs are crazy abrasive one moment; raw and funky another.  The jams jam with improvs taking the lead on occasion.  Overall, hate the sin but love the sinner.  Jack this rack up and put away the nice china.

"Earthbound" - King Crimson (back)

Favorites include the trippin' nasty..."Groon"...which first appeared on the B-side of "Cat Food."  Here it gets a 15-minute workout with a drum solo that doesn't suck.  "21st Century Schizoid Man" is played pretty straight-up, before quickly turning into a 911 banger.  Boz Burrell's vocals offer a nice slice of madness to the classic.  And Fripp is Fripp.

Admittedly, I purchased this album to fill in a spot in my collection.  Nice copies in the wild can be found for cheap.  Usually around the $10 mark.  Any more than that is just squeezing.  "Earthbound" is absolutely not a must-own.  Nor is it the place to begin the journey.  But it is the band's first official live album.  And also the first time a live performance of "...Schizoid Man" was released to the public...which is historic rock-n-roll, if nothing else.

Island Records label

Cat #
86 254 ET
SIDE A  DEADWAX
S 86254  A-1  Made In Germany (stamped)   
SIDE B  DEADWAX
S 86754  B-2  Made In Germany (stamped)

"21st Century Schizoid Man" - King Crimson / "Earthbound" (1972)

TRACKS:
A1  "21st Century Schizoid Man" 11:45
A2  "Peoria" 7:30
A3  "The Sailors Tale" 4:45
B1  "Earthbound" 7:08
B2  "Groon" 15:30

PERSONNEL:
Robert Fripp - guitar
Mel Collins - alto, tenor and baritone sax, Mellotron
Boz Burrell - bass, vocals
Ian Wallace - drums
ADDITIONAL:
Hunter MacDonald - VCS3 synthesizer, recording engineer

Good stuff.

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