Live in Chicago (King Crimson album)
Live in Chicago, or Official Bootleg: Live in Chicago, June 28th, 2017, is a live album by the English progressive rock band King Crimson, released through Discipline Global Mobile records on 14 October 2017.[1] The album was recorded on 28 June at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Illinois during the band's 2017 United States tour. It is the first full-length release by the eight-piece incarnation of the band and features new songs and rearrangements of compositions mostly from the early 1970s.[2][3]
| Live in Chicago | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 14 October 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 28 June 2017 | |||
| Venue | Chicago Theatre, Chicago, Illinois | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 155:45 | |||
| Label | Discipline Global Mobile | |||
| Producer | King Crimson | |||
| King Crimson chronology | ||||
| ||||
The performance
For the American leg of King Crimson's 2017 tour, the band was composed of three drummers, two guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a flautist – a lineup known as the "double quartet".[4] Much of the performance is made up of old King Crimson material rearranged to fit the band's new format. Founding King Crimson member Robert Fripp said about the performance, "If we are looking for a KC live show; Chicago was exceptional," and bassist Tony Levin called the show "one of our best."[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [4] |
| The Spill Magazine |  [5] |
| Team Rock | [6] |
Live in Chicago received positive reviews. Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman praised the album extensively, writing that it "is not just another superb entry in a series of fine live recordings from this current—and soon to be longest-lasting—edition of King Crimson. It's also reason enough, even for those who've seen the band many times since 2014, to make catching King Crimson on its next return to their neck of the woods a most definite slam dunk."[2] Chris Roberts of Team Rock lauded the performances, saying the encore of "'Heroes'" was earned.[6] The Spill Magazine critic Aaron Badgley wrote, "It is almost like a whole new album by King Crimson. This is an excellent live album, and an example of how good live albums can be."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bellscape & Orchestral Werning" | Robert Fripp | 2:29 |
| 2. | "Larks’ Tongues in Aspic: Part One" | David Cross, Fripp, John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Jamie Muir | 9:27 |
| 3. | "Neurotica" | Adrian Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Tony Levin | 4:54 |
| 4. | "The Errors" | Jakko Jakszyk, Gavin Harrison, Fripp | 4:54 |
| 5. | "Cirkus" | Peter Sinfield, Fripp | 7:31 |
| 6. | "The Lizard Suite" | Sinfield, Fripp | 11:21 |
| 7. | "Fallen Angel" | Wetton, Richard Palmer-James, Fripp | 6:01 |
| 8. | "Larks’ Tongues in Aspic: Part Two" | Fripp | 7:08 |
| 9. | "Islands" | Sinfield, Fripp | 9:50 |
| 10. | "Pictures of a City" | Sinfield, Fripp | 9:59 |
| Total length: | 73:34 | ||
| No. | Title | Writers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Indiscipline" | Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin | 8:01 |
| 2. | "The ConstruKction of Light" (Part I only) | Belew, Pat Mastelotto, Fripp, Trey Gunn | 6:20 |
| 3. | "Easy Money" | Wetton, Palmer-James, Fripp | 9:34 |
| 4. | "The Letters" | Fripp, Sinfield | 6:37 |
| 5. | "Interlude" | Fripp | 2:29 |
| 6. | "Meltdown" | Jakszyk, Fripp | 4:22 |
| 7. | "Radical Action II" | Fripp | 2:28 |
| 8. | "Level Five" | Mastelotto, Fripp, Gunn | 7:03 |
| 9. | "Starless" | Bruford, Cross, Wetton, Palmer-James, Fripp | 14:55 |
| 10. | "'Heroes'" (David Bowie cover) | Brian Eno, David Bowie | 4:27 |
| 11. | "21st Century Schizoid Man" | Greg Lake, Ian McDonald, Michael Giles, Sinfield, Fripp | 15:55 |
| Total length: | 82:11 | ||
Notes
- "The Court of the Crimson King" was printed on the night's setlist but was not performed.[7]
- On the setlist, "The Errors" was titled "Radical Action III".[7]
- This show marked the first recording of "The Errors", though it was performed throughout the American leg of the summer 2017 tour starting in Seattle.[1]
Personnel
- King Crimson
- Robert Fripp – guitar, keyboards, liner notes
- Tony Levin – bass, chapman stick, voice, photography
- Gavin Harrison – drums
- Pat Mastelotto – drums
- Jeremy Stacey – drums, keyboards
- Jakko Jakszyk – guitar, flute, voice
- Bill Rieflin – keyboards
- Mel Collins – saxophone, flute
- Additional personnel
- David Singleton – photography, liner notes, production, mastering
- Chris Porter – mixing
References
- "Live in Chicago, June 28th, 2017". Discipline Global Mobile. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- "King Crimson – Official Bootleg: Live in Chicago, June 28th, 2017". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- Live in Chicago (CD liner notes). King Crimson. Discipline Global Mobile. 2017. KCXP5003. Retrieved April 5, 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Kelman, John. "King Crimson: Official Bootleg: Live In Chicago, June 28th, 2017". All About Jazz. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
- Badgley, Aaron. "Spill Album Review: King Crimson – Official Bootleg: Live in Chicago, June 28th, 2017". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- Roberts, Chris. "King Crimson – Live In Chicago, June 28th 2017 album review". Team Rock. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- Levin, Tony. "Chicago Show". Tony Levin Road Diary. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
