Sheltering Skies is the first time the Frejus '82 show has been made available as a standalone release, and deservedly so. It's a fine snapshot of King Crimson at the height of their technical powers during a period of reinvention and stands as one of the group's finest live recordings.
Recorded initially for a video release, the audio from the concert will be issued as standalone release for the first time. Also, this is the first time a live album from the 1980s line-up appears on vinyl. The 1980s King Crimson was, in terms of concert performances/album releases, still less than a year old when this album was recorded. The collective decades’ of experience of the individual musicians is funnelled through the enthusiasm and freshness of the line-up and the newness of the material to produce a special concert recording.
There’s a palpable sense of energy and enthusiasm from the audience captured on the tapes at this concert as King Crimson (sharing a European tour with then label band mates Roxy Music) take to the stage in Fréjus, France, in late Summer, 1982. With two albums’ worth of material to draw upon (Discipline, October 1981 and Beat, June 1982) and extensive touring that had already seen the band play concerts in the UK, Europe, USA, and Japan, the live shows - as often with King Crimson – had a dynamism & punch that simply couldn’t be replicated in a recording studio. Add a pair of classic KC instrumentals, (Red & Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part Two), to that mix & all the ingredients were there for a very special performance.
In terms of live performance – the area in which King Crimson had and would always do its more innovative sonic exploration – the group was arguably at its peak circa 1982. The foursome had become comfortable (though that’s assuredly the wrong word) with the material from Discipline, and there was a cracking energy applied to the newest tracks showcased on Beat. That second-of-three was released in mid-June of ‘82, and by late August the band was simply on fire.
One more especially notable recording would come from an August 27, 1982 performance in Frejus, France. Now released commercially – which is to say not via fan-only channels, but through wider retail outlets – Sheltering Skies is a document of that performance.
The set list draws primarily from Discipline and Beat, but torrid versions of “Red” and “Larks Tongues in Aspic” are presented as well. The arrangements strike a fine balance between faithfulness ot the studio counterparts and an exploratory approach that opens up the material. Belew’s vocals in particular often deviate from the studio versions. The improvisational approach that marked mid ‘70s Crimson (as documented on USA) and later “double trio” and “seven headed beast” configurations would largely be set aside. But the music still crackles with unpredictability. The dizzyingly complex musical interplay of cuts like “Thela Hut Ginjeet” demanded much of the four musicians, but in their capable hands it also provided a canvas for flights of musical adventurousness. The aural maelstrom that is “Indiscipline” is even more terrifying in Frejus than in the studio. The subtle magnificence of “The Sheltering Sky” is even more transcendent here than on Discipline.
The music is muscular, tight and daring all at once, and thanks to the confluence of superb sonics and the spontaneity baked into live performance, some listeners may find that they prefer the recordings here over the ones on the studio LPs. Ultimately, there’s no reason to choose. Get ‘em both and luxuriate.
Track Listing:
01 Thela Hun Ginjeet 7:07
02 Matte Kudasai 3:32
03 Indiscipline 10:09
04 Red 6:02
05 Heartbeat 4:10
06 The Sheltering Sky 10:42
07 Elephant Talk 5:05
08 Neal And Jack And Me 5:42
09 Waiting Man 8:32
10 Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part II 7:14
11 The Sheltering Sky 9:31
Personnel:
Robert Fripp: Guitar
Adrian Belew: Guitar, Lead Vocal
Tony Levin: Stick, Bass Guitar and Support Vocal
Bill Bruford: Drums and Percussion
