On Off The Road: 1981-1984

Description

This Limited Edition King Crimson collection is a mix of live and studio
material. It includes stereo and 5.1 surround sound editions of the three
albums issued in the eighties – Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and The Three
Of A Perfect Pair (1984). On (and off) The Road also includes the final
concert from each of King Crimson’s tours of this era: Japan 1981 (new to CD),
Germany 1982 (new mixes for this edition), Canada 1984 (issued as Absent
Lovers in ’98 but remastered for this edition).The complete 1980s King Crimson
boxed set!3CDs feature Steven Wilson & Robert Fripp new stereo mixes of
Discipline (2011), Beat (2016) & Three of a Perfect Pair (2016)4CDs feature
the final concert from each of the band’s tours: Japan 1981 – new to CD,
Germany 1982 – new mixes for this edition, Canada [Absent Lovers] 1984 –
remastered for this edition2CDs feature additional studio recordings: a CD
newly edited & expanded from sessions for the ‘abandoned’ third album & a
“making of”CD featuring studio snippets & outtakes from across the studio
recordings3 DVD-A discs (hybrid discs compatible with all dvd players & rom-
drives, region free, NTSC) feature the three original studio albums in high-
resolution stereo (new & original mixes), 5.1 Surround Sound mixes with
additional audio & videos on all three discs3 Blu-ray discs containing
material as on DVD-A discs plus extensive additional video material including:
Frejus live (Discipline), Alabama-Halle (Beat) – footage unseen since original
1982 broadcast), Japan 1984 (Three of a Perfect Pair) & additional hi-res
audio optionsTOAPP Blu-ray also features previously unseen footage from the
final run of 1984 Japanese concerts + 2 sets of “single camera footage”
recordings with shots focusing on each of the individual musiciansAbsent
Lovers concert is also included in a new Surround Sound mix on TOAPP BD.12″
box with booklet, memorabilia, new sleevenotes & eyewitness accounts of KC
liveWhen Robert Fripp declared in 1974 that King Crimson had ‘ceased to exist’
nobody could have foreseen that the band would return in 1981 with a radically
different line-up & sound, elements of which had, perhaps, more in common with
the then current post-punk new wave than the band’s notional progressive rock
past. Returning initially under the name Discipline for low-key gigs & then as
King Crimson proper with an album called ‘Discipline’ & as different from the
1970s King Crimson, as the 1970s line-ups had been from the 1960s band, the
new quartet of Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew (Zappa, Bowie, Talking
Heads) and Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel/Paul Simon), rapidly established itself
as a force on the live circuit. The longer songs of the 1960s & early 1970s &
the extended improvisations of the live performances from the earlier touring
bands were replaced with a series of short taut songs & instrumentals imbued
with a minimalist aesthetic that featured complex interwoven guitar lines from
Fripp & Belew, (coined ‘rock gamelan’), Adrian’s distinctive vocals & sharply
apt lyrics, Bruford’s new armoury of electronic percussion & Levin’s fluid
bass & Chapman Stick lines. With ‘Discipline’ charting in a number of
countries including the UK & USA, the clamour for the band’s tours was further
enhanced, often to a greater extent than could actually be fulfilled – not for
the first or last time with a King Crimson line-up – due to the other time
demands made on the individual musicians. Despite such pressures a further
album ‘Beat’ appeared & charted in 1982 & when ‘Three of a Perfect Pair’ hit
the UK Top 30 upon release in 1984, it was clear that King Crimson had managed
not just to retain a large percentage of it’s original fanbase but had
successfully reached a completely fresh audience also. However, three albums
and a number of tours in as many years, for a quartet all of whom had
substantial non-KC musical commitments, strained the line-up beyond it’s
natural limit & King Crimson was again retired from active service, not to
return until the mid-1990s. On (and off) The Road presents a complete overview
of this enduringly popular line-up. All three studio albums are presented in
remixed stereo editions on CD (Discipline in it’s 2011 mix), as are the final
concerts from each year of touring. Two further CDs present newly edited &
extended takes from the ‘Champaign-Urbana’ sessions for the band’s proposed
third album & a ‘making of’ CD which provides a fascinating audio insight into
the studio recordings. New Stereo, 5.1 Surround, original stereo editions &
videos appear on the DVD-A discs. The Blu-ray discs bring full 24/96 stereo &
5.1 Surround sound plus extended video/concert footage including the Frejus
concert, the Alabamahalle concert (unseen since it’s 1982 broadcast) an array
of previously unreleased additional concert footage from the band’s 1984
Japanese concerts, along with audio only options for some of the footage. Two
bonus CDs present the band’s first gig as Discipline, from an audio restored
bootleg at Moles Club Bath & the unreleased live album that was prepared from
the Frejus tapes, with the additional recordings from that concert also
included, complete the audio & visual features. With a wealth of previously
unheard audio and/or upgraded audio – from the band’s first to final
performances, newly issued stereo & 5.1 editions of two of the band’s studio
albums – Beat & TOAPP, the classic Discipline album in stereo & 5.1, audio and
video recordings of some of the best live shows the line-up played plus
substantial new concert footage, all presented to the high standards that have
been a staple of King Crimson boxed sets of recent years, this is an essential
edition for the many fans of this era of King Crimson. All discs are CDs
unless stated otherwise. Disc 1: Discipline Mixed and produced from the
original multi-track tapes by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp (2011). Mastered
by Simon Heyworth and Robert Fripp (4) Disc 2: Live in Japan Taken from an
audience cassette recording at Kokusai Hall, Tokyo on December 18th, the final
concert in 1981. Audio restored & newly mastered at DGM by David Singleton and
Alex R Mundy 2016. (1) Disc 3: Beat Mixed and produced from the original
multi-track tapes by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp (2016). Mastered by Simon
Heyworth and Robert Fripp (4) Disc 4: Live at Alabamahalle Recorded September
29 in Munich, the final concert in 1982. Remastered and recompiled 2016 by
David Singleton and Alex R Mundy with six tracks from new audio sources. (2)
Disc 5: Fragmented Mostly recorded January 17-30, 1983 at C.V. Lloyd Music,
Champaign, IL Recording Engineer: Gary Platt, Produced by Robert Fripp and
David Singleton. Two new bonus tracks 2016. (3) Disc 6: Three of a Perfect
Pair Mixed and produced from the original multi-track tapes by Steven Wilson
and Robert Fripp (2016). Mastered by Simon Heyworth and Robert Fripp (4) Discs
7 & 8: Absent Lovers Live at The Spectrum, Montreal, July 11th, the final
concert of 1984. Mixed by David Singleton & Robert Fripp from the original
multi-track tapes for the DGM release “Absent Lovers” (1998). As newly
recompiled in high-resolution for inclusion on Disc 15 Disc 9: Are You
Recording Gary? An insight into the inner working of the band, and the
familiar heard in an unfamiliar way. Edited & assembled by David Singleton
from original album session tapes, with additional downmixes by Alex R. Mundy
Disc 10: DVD-A Discipline Audio content: 5.1 surround mix; original mix; 2011
mix & additional tracks in 24/96 and Album rough mixes in 24/48 Video content:
Old Grey Whistle Test (4) Disc 11: DVD-A Beat Audio content: 5.1 surround mix;
original mix; 2016 mix & Alternate Album in 24/48 Video content: Heartbeat
promo; two tracks live in Munich (4) Disc 12: DVD-A Three of a Perfect Pair
Audio content: 5.1 surround mix; original mix; 2016 mix in 24/48 Video
content: Sleepless promo (4) Disc 13: Blu-ray DISC Discipline Contents as Disc
10 (audio 24/96) plus: Video content

Features:

Product Details:

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.72 x 12.44 x 1.34 inches; 3.77 Pounds
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Sony Music Canada Inc.
• Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2016
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ August 18, 2016
• Label ‏ : ‎ Sony Music Canada Inc.
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 19
• Best Sellers Rank: #43,375 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl) #20,010 in Rock (CDs & Vinyl)