King Crimson - Thrakattak (Live 1995) (@256)

King Crimson - Thrakattak (Live 1995) (@256)

(Review from progreviews.com)

In King Crimson's long history they never put an album out quite like this one. Consisting of eight improvisations tacked together in a seemingly random manner, THRaKaTTaK is not for the faint of heart. There are moments of great violence followed by lengthy soundscapes and sparse percussion. There are a couple of moments that might sound somewhat avant, but on the whole this doesn't quite make it up there with the mindset of RIO. It's still rooted in Fripp and Crim's ethos, which precludes the kind of alien quality most really good avant-prog seems to have.

Nevertheless, this is a release that is worth exploring for Crimson fans who would like to hear something different. On the one hand, you have to admire the bravery of the band to release something like this at this point in their career. At times they approach the searing success of their 70s improv efforts, except from a less accessible end.

Line-up :
- Adrian Belew / guitar, vocals
- Bill Bruford / acoustic & electronic drums, percussion, marimba
- Robert Fripp / guitar, soundscapes
- Trey Gunn / Warr guitar
- Tony Levin / NS Upright bass
- Pat Mastelotto / acoustic & electronic drums, percussion

Track List :
01. THRAK - 2:20
02. Fearless and Highly THRaKked - 6:35
03. Mother Hold The Candle Steady While I Shave The Chicken's Lip - 11:18
04. THRaKaTTaK Part I - 3:42
05. The Slaughter of the Innocents - 8:03
06. This Night Wounds Time - 11:16
07. THRaKaTTaK Part II - 11:08
08. THRAK reprise - 2:52