King Crimson to Release 27-Disc Box Focusing on Early ’70s Era
The underappreciated period between King Crimson's genre-defining 1969 debut and their John Wetton-era reinvention is the subject of a new box set titled Sailors' Tales.
The 27-disc set includes new stereo remasters of In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970) and Islands (1971). Extras include an expanded version of 1972's Earthbound, featuring 1972 live recordings; six discs of 1971 concerts recorded in Germany and the U.K.; and nine discs of recordings from King Crimson's U.S. tour in 1972 – many of which have never been released before.
Sailors' Tales is rounded out by four Blu-rays and a pair of DVDs featuring concert footage and hi-res versions of the material found elsewhere on the box. The booklet features reproduced memorabilia and new liner notes written by Sid Smith, current Crimson member Jakko Jakszyk and David Singleton.
Sailors' Tales, which is due on Nov. 3, "documents a crucial period in King Crimson’s history, and shows it to be brimming with innovation, experimentation and boundary-pushing energy," a news release says. It's available for pre-order now at the King Crimson shop.
The box set follows King Crimson's unexpected return with a lineup that includes early '70s member Mel Collins. Songs from In the Wake of Poseidon, Lizard and Islands have since become a regular part of their set lists.
King Crimson have another round of dates scheduled for the fall, beginning Oct. 19 in Austin and continuing through Nov. 6 in Milwaukee. They played internationally last summer with a double-quartet format before leader Robert Fripp reconnected with longtime member Adrian Belew, who is expected to join in future Crimson shows.
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