Official Bootleg Volume One

AMG Review of Official Bootleg Volume One

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

Anyone who missed seeing the original King Crimson circa 1969-1970, or any of the direct offshoots through 1972, or who wants more than the various official studio and archival live releases, has to check this CD out. Some portion of it -- less than half -- is a re-creation of classic moments from the original conceptions of songs such as "Formentera Lady," while much of the recording adds distinctly new improvisations to them, making this an exercise in "déja new" more than déjŕ vu. Collins' extended sax solo and McDonald's grand piano on "Formentera Lady" allow it to run rings around the original version off of Islands, and by itself makes this disc worthwhile (especially when you hear how they work their way back to the original song). The band, which sounds as though it's been playing together for years, also has fun with "Ladies of the Road," Collins' and McDonald's saxes, the Giles brothers' rhythm section, and Jakko Jakszyk's guitar romping over the basic songs -- indeed, Michael Giles could reclaim his rightful reputation as Crimson's finest drummer based on his work here. Curiously, when they do "21st Century Schizoid Man," it's the one place in the Crimson repertory where they don't do much embellishment, though they don't have to, melding the best elements of the Mark 1 and Mark 3 bands. Though there is no singer present who is as compelling a vocal presence as Greg Lake or Gordon Haskell, the group also holds together well vocally throughout this album -- between them, Jakszyk, McDonald, and Peter Giles come up with an attractive approach to the lyrics. The only presence missing from this Crimson expatriate band is Peter Sinfield, but as he was never a performing member of the group and his lyrics are all over the place, he's sort of "here" too. The packaging also recalls Crimson's early-'70s releases, a mini-LP gatefold with appropriate art work.