King Crimson 9: USA

1972’s live Earthbound album signified what Robert Fripp thought was the end of King Crimson, since he hadn’t come across the musicians that would carry the band through Red. Now that the band had once again reached a conclusion, another live album became a bookend.

In sharp contrast to Earthbound, USA—recorded at the end of the tour immediately preceding the recording of Red—sports much better sound overall. With John Wetton and Bill Bruford, this was arguably the best Crimson lineup that didn’t include Tony Levin. Also, given Fripp’s insistence on audio-vérité, some tracks were enhanced in the studio by prog figure Eddie Jobson, who wasn’t even in the band. Still while his contributions are noted, they are well blended into the mix, with David Cross’s original contributions still audible.

After a snippet from “The Heavenly Music Corporation” over the PA, the band crashes in with “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic Part II”. Somehow the finale from that album becomes just as effective an opener here. “Lament” and “Exiles” are ably tackled, also showing how well the Mellotron stayed in tune. “Asbury Park”—like “Providence” on Red—gets its title from the city where it was recorded, and is an improv certainly worthy of inclusion. “Easy Money” follows shortly, although it fades before whatever the actual ending was, and the band is brought full circle with an excellent take on “Schizoid Man”, complete with requisite distortion on the vocal.

By this time Fripp had been sure to record as many of the band’s shows as possible, so there was a lot more where this came from, as would be revealed one day. Despite the overdubbing, USA is still a tight album, and an excellent souvenir of this period of the band, certainly for the time being. In other words, mission accomplished.

To preserve the listening experience of the original LP, two tracks from the same show were added for the 30th Anniversary Edition: “Fracture” and a wonderful “Starless” that predates the Red version. A decade or so after that, the 40th Anniversary Edition presented the complete concert as performed, with full versions of the “Asbury Park” and “Easy Money” improv sections, no Eddie Jobson overdubs, and closing with “Schizoid Man” from the actual show as opposed to the one on the original album from a few days later. A DVD included the soon-to-be customary his-res mixes, plus a remaster of the 30th Anniversary sequence and a transfer of the original LP.

King Crimson USA (1975)—4
2002 30th Anniversary Edition: same as 1975, plus 2 extra tracks
2013 40th Anniversary Edition: “same” as 2002, plus 1 extra track (plus DVD)