King Crimson 40th Anniversary Editions

Posted by: DenisA on 15 July 2009

Details confirmed here.

Forty years ago this month King Crimson went onstage at Hyde Park London as part of a bill topped by The Rolling Stones. The concert propelled the band from being the “hottest new band in London” to “hottest new band in the UK” overnight.

This status was confirmed when their classic debut album In the Court of the Crimson King achieved a UK Top 5 chart placing upon release in October that year. Such chart success was quickly replicated elsewhere with the record entering the US top 30 and replacing The Beatles’ Abbey Road at the top of the Japanese International Artist chart by the end of the year.

To celebrate 40 years of the Crimson Kings, DGM & Panegyric proudly announce the release of a series of CD/DVD-A editions of the original King Crimson studio albums.

Each CD/DVD-A release features the full original album plus bonus tracks on the CD. Two of the titles – Lizard & In the Court of the Crimson King feature entirely new 2009 stereo album mixes by Steven Wilson & Robert Fripp.

The DVD-A presents each album fully remixed into stunning 5.1 Surround Sound with Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) in the producer role and King Crimson founder member Robert Fripp as executive producer.

The 5.1 mixes are accessible in full MLP lossless audio on DVD-A players & DTS 5.1 on standard DVD players/DVD Rom drives. Additionally, High Resolution stereo is also accessible on the DVD-A (24/96 DVD-A & 24/48 DVD/DVD Rom).

Selected DVD-A titles in the series will also feature era specific, rarely seen, King Crimson video footage. Each album is presented in a double Digipack, with booklet artwork featuring new sleeve notes by Robert Fripp and King Crimson biographer Sid Smith alongside archive material and photos, enclosed in an outer card slipcase.

The first three titles are set for release this year with further titles to follow throughout 2010:

Red - September 21st 2009
In the Court of the Crimson King - October 12th 2009 (various editions)
Lizard - October 26th 2009

Additional information about individual titles.


Red – (KCSP 7 CD/DVD-A) September 21st release.



CD: Features the original album plus three extra tracks, stunning pre-overdub trio versions of Red & Fallen Angel and the full version of Providence.

DVD-A: Features the original album in Hi-Res Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound editions, with the three additional tracks from the CD plus Journey to the Centre of the Cosmos also available in Hi-Res Stereo. The trio version of Fallen Angel and the full versions of Providence and Journey to the Centre of the Cosmos are also available in 5.1 Surround Sound.

Video footage: Rarely seen footage from French TV from 1974 featuring performances of Larks’ Tongues in Aspic II, The Night Watch, Lament & Starless


In The Court of the Crimson King – October 12th release – Available in three editions.



(KCSP 1 CD/DVD-A edition)

CD: Features entirely new 2009 stereo edition mixed from the original pre mix multi track tapes by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp, plus bonus tracks including early versions of I Talk to the Wind, the backing track for Epitaph and the session that produce the opening wind effect for 21st Century Schizoid Man.

DVD-A: Features the original album in 5.1 Surround Sound. The 2004 master edition & the 2009 new mix also appear in Hi-Res Stereo, along with several bonus tracks from the original recording sessions.
Video Footage: Newly re-sequenced archive footage of 21st Century Schizoid Man from the legendary Hyde Park concert.

(DGM 5009 2CD edition)

CD1: as per above.

CD2: Features the 2004 master edition plus bonus tracks including the Morgan studios instrumental recording of 21st Century Schizoid Man, the John Peel Top Gear recording of I Talk to the Wind (not previously released on CD) and a transfer of the original single a/b side of The Court of the Crimson King.

(KCCBX 1 4CD/DVD-A Boxed set – Limited edition.)
Full details to be arranged.


Lizard – October 26th release.



(KCSP3 CD/DVD-A edition)

CD: Features entirely new 2009 stereo edition mixed from the original pre mix multi track tapes by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp plus three bonus tracks: Lady of the Dancing Water (alternate take), Bolero (alternative version originally from Frame by Frame) and a studio run through of Cirkus from the original recording sessions.

DVD-A: Features the original album in 5.1 Surround Sound. The 2004 master edition and the 2009 new album mix also appear in Hi-Res Stereo, along with the three bonus tracks from the CD.
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by BigH47
Do they play on "real" CDPs?
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by DenisA
The way I have interpreted this is a seperate CD1/2 & DVD-A for each release.
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by BigH47
That's what I was hoping.
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by Nick Lees
You have to wonder at re-mixes, but I guess you'd have to trust those two. They'll definitely have to go some to match the recent DGM re-issue of ITCOTCK (which was the first to feature the recently discovered original master tapes).

Must...resist...must...resist...must...oh s*d it.
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by Whizzkid
Where are the LP editions?



Dean..
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
Originally posted by Whizzkid:
Where are the LP editions?



Dean..
In my record cabinet been there for years Smile
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by DenisA
quote:
Originally posted by Gary Shaw:
You have to wonder at re-mixes, but I guess you'd have to trust those two. They'll definitely have to go some to match the recent DGM re-issue of ITCOTCK (which was the first to feature the recently discovered original master tapes).

Must...resist...must...resist...must...oh s*d it.

Gary,

From above, it looks like a CD1-2009 v CD2-2004 shootout of ITCOTCK is being lined up. Also, here are the diary entries of Robert visiting SWHQ over the last couple of years. The word from DGM is that the 5.1 mixing is the dogs.

ATB Denis
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by DenisA
quote:
Originally posted by Whizzkid:
Where are the LP editions?
Dean..

Dean,

Dunno, info only came out yesterday. Perhaps his wife could persuade him (search for latest Toyah release - The Humans) Razz
Posted on: 15 July 2009 by Whizzkid
quote:
Originally posted by DenisA:
quote:
Originally posted by Whizzkid:
Where are the LP editions?
Dean..

Dean,

Dunno, info only came out yesterday. Perhaps his wife could persuade him (search for latest Toyah release - The Humans) Razz




Thanks Dennis I'll give her a bell over the weekend.



Dean...Smile
Posted on: 17 July 2009 by DenisA
King Crimson - Red (CD/DVDA preorder) here for September 21st release (N.B. Stock may arrive earlier).
Posted on: 17 July 2009 by Lontano
All seems a bit quick to me. 30th anniversary edition of Red was released Nov 2004. 40th five years later. When will the 50th be out?
Posted on: 17 July 2009 by Jet Johnson
......So HI-RES DVD-A ain't quite dead ....Huzzah!
Posted on: 17 July 2009 by MilesSmiles
quote:
Originally posted by Lontano:
All seems a bit quick to me. 30th anniversary edition of Red was released Nov 2004. 40th five years later. When will the 50th be out?


Winker, I'll keep my black triangles for now but will be interested to hear some reviews on sound quality.
Posted on: 18 July 2009 by stephenjohn
I hope they re-issue Earthbound. My Favourite. I suspect it isn't high on the list tho'
SJ
Posted on: 12 August 2009 by DenisA
Steven Wilson on re-mixing King Crimson.

Posted on: 12 August 2009 by graham55
I have strong suspicions that punters are being taken for a ride with these endless re-re-re-releases of supposedly ever better remasterings. Surely the last Crimson King reissue, five or six years ago, and supervised by Robert Fripp, was supposed to be the very last thing in sound. But now we are led to believe that, by playing around with a computer, remixing it and using a whizz-kid who probably wasn't even born in 1969, he's done better yet.

I don't buy it.

And I shan't buy it either!

Graham
Posted on: 12 August 2009 by DenisA
For the record, Steven Wilson was born Nov 1967 and grew up with ITCOTCK Winker

In the article above, Steven states that Robert sat alongside him and co-produced during the remixing process. This was a labour of love for Steven which was fully endorsed by Robert. The main aim of the project was to produce 5.1 surround mix's, so the target audience would be limited anyway.

As always, this either appeals to the buying public or not. From all accounts, the word from DGM is that these recordings are the 'dogs'.
Posted on: 12 August 2009 by graham55
Denis, that makes him two years old at the time it was released. I just don't believe that he actually "grew up with it", not that I'm calling him a liar.

And "dogs' bollocks" or otherwise, I just can't be bothered with this sort of spin. After all, they'd hardly be likely to call it "a newly polished dog's turd", otherwise gullible punters might smell the aroma.

Incidentally, how many remixes (particularly 5:1 surround mixes) does it take to persuade anyone to begin to think that we're no longer listening to what Crimson put down in the studio, in relatively crude recording conditions, 40 years ago?

I shan't be taken in by what I regard as a cynical marketing ploy; and I probably won't swap what I've got for the inevitable bi-centenary edition a decade on.

No offence intended.

Graham
Posted on: 12 August 2009 by DenisA
Graham,

No offence taken.

The man Wilson is a 42 year old Whizzkid, but the ITCOTCK appreciation was my attempt at a joke Roll Eyes

Steven and Robert have been recording together since 1993 and have a mutual admiration for each other. Steven has honed his 5.1 skills over the last 6 albums by 'Porcupine Tree' and 'no-man' and approached Robert to try out the KC catalogue. This body of work will probably appeal to a minority and you have stated it will not include yourself. These are not going to reach 'Platinum' sales levels and I'm sure Robert is not trying to rip off anyone.

Lets see the opinions of others when they purchase these iconic albums. It will be interesting to see if we hear more than was on the original recordings, as Robert has stated in his diary.

ATB Denis
Posted on: 12 August 2009 by graham55
Denis, fair enough, my friend. As I said, no offence was intended to you. I'm perhaps guilty of 'shooting the messenger' - not that, I hope, you ever felt under threat! And I'm sorry to have missed the humour (flagged by the smiley in the previous posting) about the 'young' man's age. We shall have to have another drink outside The Barbican next time The Blue Nile are playing!

But I do despair of these constant spurious reasons for trying to make us buy the same music every few years.

That said, bring on The Beatles properly remastered later this year!!!

Graham
Posted on: 12 August 2009 by Jet Johnson
I (kind of) agree with Graham - Fripp must know it's only his loyal fans who will buy these re-releases but as a confirmed devotee of 5.1 (esp Steve Wilson's efforts) I'm looking forward to at least purchasing The DVD-A of ITCOTKC

Of course it's not "accurate" compared to the original analogue masters but IF Fripp had the equipment back then it's quite likely he'd have been interested in producing a Hi-Res DVD-A version?

If the result is "The Dogs" then that's fine by me!
Posted on: 12 August 2009 by graham55
Jet, you almost got the acronym right, but shied away just at the end from (almost) spelling a Linn tone-arm there!

Anyway, if there's a market out there for 5:1 mixes of what 40-year-old albums might have sounded like, if mixed today, who am I to say otherwise? I reckon that my five or six year-old remastering has to be closer to what the band actually put down, though, so no change here.

But, who am I to argue with Robert Fripp? After all:

(a) He played on, and has kept the rights to, one of the first and best ever 'prog rock' albums (whatever he may have done since).

(b) He's been married to the beautiful Toyah for many years now.

Respect is due, I think.

Graham
Posted on: 12 August 2009 by Jet Johnson
DOH!.....ITCOTCK Red Face
Posted on: 13 August 2009 by DenisA
Information on this project started here and has continued with the Quad Squad getting rather excited Smile Comments by Neil Wilkes are very informative.
Posted on: 09 October 2009 by DenisA
5.1 Remaster Playback At Air Studio

On Tuesday 6th October, Crims of varying vintage gathered in Air Studios to listen to selections from the new surround sound mixes. Following an introduction from Robert Fripp, Steven Wilson gave a short talk about his approach to remixing the KC catalogue.

Alongside journalists from the UK, Japan, Poland, America and New Zealand, Peter Sinfield, Michael Giles, Mel Collins, David Cross, John Wetton and Bill Bruford, and Gavin Harrison heard 21st Century Schizoid Man, Epitaph, The Court of the Crimson King, The Battle of Glass Tears and Starless. By way of a preview for next year’s series of 5.1 mixes, Larks’ Tongues In Aspic Part One shook the walls and rattled the windows.

The 40 anniversary edition of In The Court of the Crimson King is reviewed in today's edition of The Times

And if you want to create your own musical enjoyment...

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