King Crimson DVD: Eyes Wide Open

How many of you went out and bought this? I finally had it shipped to me and frankly, a little disappointed. Some of the songs i really wanted to hear weren't on there (i guess it IS a concert DVD). But the part that bothers me the most is the sound. It's just a simple 2.0 mix. Couldn' they have done a little better?

And even then, sometimes it seems like the guitars are switching sides when they're not supposed to be. What's up with that?

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Originally Posted by kingcrim05

How many of you went out and bought this? I finally had it shipped to me and frankly, a little disappointed. Some of the songs i really wanted to hear weren't on there (i guess it IS a concert DVD). But the part that bothers me the most is the sound. It's just a simple 2.0 mix. Couldn' they have done a little better?

And even then, sometimes it seems like the guitars are switching sides when they're not supposed to be. What's up with that?

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I think this is one of the best new concert DVDs available out there. It's freaky how a band that's been around for nearly 40 years can actually be peaking creatively right now.

WRT the missing songs, it's my understanding that the band wanted to focus on the recent albums because their older stuff has been beaten into the ground on live albums, videos and boots. This is the music that this incarnation of the band created. I say let them play it. Personally, I LIKE the newer material better for the most part anyway. Sure, I can use a dose of "3 of a Perfect pair" or "Frame by Frame" or "Red", but I'll live.

WRT the 2.0 sound, the concert was in 2.0 so the 2.0 mix is better than some fake 5.1 mix. I think it sounds great. Surround is overrated for concerts unless it's a quad concert like Pink Floyd used to do. What do you want to hear behind you? Some drunk guy screaming for Freebird? Not that the Japanese audience made any noise anway. They look like cardboard cut-outs sitting there!

The guitar switching is actually occuring. Belew and Fripp trade notes, overlapping each other. It's their trademark sound. Is this what you meant?

My only gripe with this DVD is that the second disc concert is too low-fi and amateurish. It looks like crap. I'd have been perfectly happy with only one disc for a few bucks less.

I realize that belew and fripp do a lot of trading beats and off beats. I'm not an amateur to KC. However (and iv'e only listened to the first disc once, and not even all the way through) some guitar parts were not where they should have been.


Any if you think concerts are in 2.0, i have to ask what venues you've attended where the sound doesn't bounce around. Concerts, to my ears, have a rough sound. There are sounds bouncing all over the room. I'm glad they didn't put the audience in the back 2 speakers (like in Rush's RUSH IN RIO, which has way too much audience in the mix) but i feel as if they could have done better.

Maybe i'm not a big of fan of crimson as i thought i was.

As a drummer though, the drumming was spectacular.

Yeah, with your monniker and all I was afraid I might be speaking down to you WRT the way they trade notes like that. No harm, no foul. I think it's great the way the guitars separate out like that.

Yeah, the echo bounces off the rear of the hall, but frankly, I think that most bands would get rid of that if they could! I'm perfectly ok without the questionable acoustics of the hall.

That crowd in the Rush DVD is exactly what I DON'T want. Altho, they fed the band a lot of energy (missing on the KC disc 1, but not disc 2) and I loved the way they "sang" along to the instrumental "YYZ". Great fun.

Yeah, Pat Mastelloto is rock solid. His play seems less . . . fussy(?) than Bruford's. And that thing that Trey Gunn plays is amazing. It's half Chapman Stick and half frettless. Very cool.

The Japan concert is in 5.1 also. You have to select the tracklist and there you will find an audio set-up. 2.0 is the default.

The other concert is in 2.0 only.

Darren

Frik.

I wish I could find this set used somewhere.

Dave