Search - King Crimson :: Night Watch

Live albums don't get any better than this

William Scalzo | Niagara Falls, NY | 01/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a huge Prog fan and a huge King Crimson fan, and this was my favorite lineup of my favorite Prog band, recorded live at the peak of their powers, complete with some facinating and revelatory liner notes. Ain't no way you're going to find me saying one bad thing about this fantastic 2-CD document of the band's November 3rd, 1973 concert in Amsterdam.



This is the show that served as the basis for the Starless & Bible Black album, without overdubs and with crowd noise. Even with technical malfunctions, this is one of the best live albums I've ever heard. You think the mighty Crim was going to let a little mellotron meltdown dilute their power? Think again.



Buy this CD. Cue up "The Talking Drum" and let the CD play through to the end. Now scrape yourself up off the floor and put on the best-ever version of "Exiles." Then listen to the whole thing. Marvel at the way KC could go from the raw power of "Fracture" to the delicate and beautiful "Trio." Thrill to the brilliant interplay of 4 insanely talented musicians with a taste for daring improvisation. Shake your head in disbelief at how astoundingly good KC was during this period.



Essential, powerful, gutsy and timeless are just four of the words that come to mind when I think of The Nightwatch. Here's two more: Highly Recommended."

A classic that gets better with age

Dark Star-The Other One | The Bus To Never Ever Land | 12/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very fine concert that has been around in bootleg circles for years. According to the liner notes there might have been another song for this show but it's missing from all of the band's master tapes. There are also a couple of techincal problems-1)David Cross' mellotron breaks down during The Night Watch 2)The end of Improv:Starless and Bible Black is missing due to the reel running out 3)part of these performances were edited, overdubbed and used during the making of the album Starless and appearently when this was put together the had to use some of the misc overdubs because the original parts were erased.



As far as the release itself, it is a must have. The songs on here are done in a fine fashion and most of the tech issues have been handled so well that you won't even notice them. Easy Money starts off rocking so hard that you'll be on your knees begging for mercy. Lament, Book Of Saturday and Fracture are all great versions and will put a great big smile on your face. The Night Watch features David's mellotron going down so he quickly moves to electric piano. The Starless improv is great. Improv:Trios is one of the most wonderful and pretty songs they've ever come up with. The same can be said for Exiles. Improv:The Fright Watch is again interesting. The Talking Drum and Larks, Tongues In Aspic(Part Two) rock as hard as the opening Easy Money. The Schizoid Man also rocks and showing off how great this band can handle an older favorite. If you like King Crimson, get this."

Outstanding Performance, Excellent CD

Joseph C. Helton | 02/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I read through some of the reviews here, and they all tend to reflect my feelings almost exactly. This performance was captured when the quartet of Robert Fripp, David Cross, Bill Bruford, and John Wetton were at their peak. Timewise the performance comes sometime after Starless and Bible Black, but before Red. As for the performance itself, there's not much to find fault with, the show is fantastic, flawless, brilliant. The cd packaging is also of high quality, and the liner notes from Fripp are an excellent addition to a perfect package. Add this to your growing King Crimson collection!"