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| King Crimson - Deja VROOOM |
 Released: 1999 Label: Discipline Global Mobile Cat. No.: DGM9810 Total Time: 90:00 | |
Reviewed by: Clayton Walnum, March 2001 I've been fortunate enough to see King Crimson in concert five times over the years (my record is still Yes, which I've seen 14 times). But for those who haven't had this great privilege, video technology comes to the rescue in the form of Deja VROOOM, a DVD that documents the band's tour as what has been called the double-trio format. The double trio -- consisting of two guitarist, two bass players, and two drummers -- is one of the most adventurous ensembles that our guitar hero Robert Fripp has put together, and the performances on this DVD are guaranteed to tickle the fancy -- and even raise the goose bumps -- of most any King Crimson fan. Most of the songs here come from the albums KC recorded with Adrian Belew, who has been with the band since the early 80s when Fripp put together the KC incarnation that recorded the albums Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair (love that title!). That Belew is one of the best song writers on the planet does much to boost this collection, and his plaintive voice wrings magic from the music. The newest songs on this DVD come from the Thrak album, which was recorded with the same double trio and is the album that the group was supporting with this tour. There are a few tracks from pre-Belew Crimson, represented by "Red," "Talking Drum," and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part II," all of which are instrumentals and so relieve Belew from having to copy other KC singers. Beyond the wonderful performances documented here, the DVD features enough extra features to drive any 21st century man (or woman) schizoid. First, several of the tracks feature multiple camera angles, enabling you to choose to focus on a particular musician's performance rather than viewing the band as a whole. There's also a song construction set that enables you to assemble your own version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" from a set of rhythm sections, instrumentalists, and vocalists that have performed with King Crimson over the years. As the DVD booklet says, "What if you could have the rhythm section from 1969, the vocalist from 1974, and the instrumentalist from 1996?" Other features include Tony Levin's "Road Movies" (clips of the band on the road), Robert Fripp commentaries, and more. This is a must-have package for all KC fans. In fact, this DVD is good enough to warrant the purchase of a DVD player if you don't already have one. Those of you who don't have DVD players, and don't want to spring for one, should check out the VHS tape Three Of A Perfect Pair Live, which documents a much earlier Crimson tour. More about Deja VROOOM: Track Listing: Circular Improv / VROOOM VROOOM / Frame by Frame / Dinosaur / One Time / Red / B'BOOM / THRAK / Matte Kudasai / Three of a Perfect Pair / VROOOM / Coda: Marine 475 / Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream / Elephant Talk / Indiscipline / Talking Drum / Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part II / People / Walking On Air Musicians: Contact: Website: www.king-crimson.com Discography
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