200 Gram Vinyl with Download. Bonus Material Codes for MP3 downloads of transfer of original 1975 vinyl with first pressing run. The album's return to the 12" vinyl format is newly cut from masters approved by Robert Fripp. The super-heavyweight vinyl is housed in a reprint of the original sleeve. The first pressing run of this edition also contains bonus MP3 codes giving access to a download of a transfer of an original 1975 pressing. For a band that favoured the presentation and honing of material in live performance prior to studio recording, it was inevitable that with the increasing portability of quality recording machines, the concert performance would, in effect, become the basis of the subsequent studio recordings. With Starless and Bible Black King Crimson, reduced to a quartet following the departure of percussionist Jamie Muir, took that step. Half of the album was sourced from live gigs - much of it from a concert at the Amsterdam Concertegebouw in November 1973. (The complete concert was subsequently issued as The Nightwatch album and fully detailed on 2014's Starless boxed set.) While some of the material was developed or overdubbed in the studio, other tracks were presented exactly as per the concert setting with the audience applause removed. With the band's burgeoning live reputation, increased tour schedule and commitment to improvisation, the use of the live material led to the album being the most accurate representation to date of the lineup's uniquely powerful live sets. Side 2 of the original vinyl in particular, allowed the band to present a pair of lengthy tracks - the title track drawn directly from the Amsterdam concert and Fracture with additional studio overdubs - that demonstrated the manner in which live improvisations were forming the foundations for much of their material. Starless and Bible Black demanded the attention and concentration of the listener. Crimson's audience responded to the challenge, making it a much loved album by the band. As with the other recordings by the mid-1970s lineup, the intervening years have seen the album's reputation increase among fans & musicians alike, while the then unusual approach to using live performances as core elements of subsequent studio recordings has become increasingly commonplace.
- Single title, limited edition vinyl releases of titles previously available in boxed sets only
- Original studio albums remixed by Steven Wilson & Robert Fripp*
- Limited to 2000 copies per title
- Pressed on 200 gram vinyl
- Cut by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering
Tracklisting
Please note that Starless And Bible Black is currently not in store but is an imported title from an overseas supplier.
Most of the time it takes around 2-3 weeks for the item to arrive here and be sent out but it can take longer if there are any delays.