KING CRIMSON — Larks' Tongues In Aspic (1981) Three Version (1987, Japan, EMI-Toshiba, 32VD-1122) + (1988, Virgin Japan, VJD-28003 | Serie Big Artist Collection) + (2012, RM | 2CD | King Crimson 40th Anniversary Series) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

King Crimson reborn yet again -- the then-newly configured band makes its debut with a violin (courtesy of David Cross) sharing center stage with Robert Fripp's guitars and his Mellotron, which is pushed into the background. The music is the most experimental of Fripp's career up to this time -- though some of it actually dated (in embryonic form) back to the tail-end of the Boz Burrell-Ian Wallace-Mel Collins lineup. And John Wetton was the group's strongest singer/bassist since Greg Lake's departure three years earlier. What's more, this lineup quickly established itself as a powerful performing unit, working in a more purely experimental, less jazz-oriented vein than its immediate predecessor. "Outer Limits music" was how one reviewer referred to it, mixing Cross' demonic fiddling with shrieking electronics, Bill Bruford's astounding dexterity at the drum kit, Jamie Muir's melodic and usually understated percussion, Wetton's thundering yet melodic bass, and Fripp's guitar, which generated sounds ranging from traditional classical and soft pop-jazz licks to hair-curling electric flourishes. Bruce Eder
Tracklist :
1. Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part One (13:36)
Bill Bruford / David Cross / Robert Fripp / Jamie Muir / John Wetton
2. Book Of Saturday (02:56)
Robert Fripp / Richard Palmer-James / John Wetton
3. Exiles (07:41)
David Cross / Robert Fripp / Richard Palmer-James
4. Easy Money (07:53)
Robert Fripp / Richard Palmer-James / John Wetton
5. The Talking Drum (07:27)
Bill Bruford / David Cross / Robert Fripp / Jamie Muir / John Wetton
6. Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two (07:08)
Robert Fripp
Credits :
Robert Fripp – Guitars, Mellotron, Electric Piano, Devices
John Wetton – Bass Guitar, Vocals, Piano on "Exiles"
Bill Bruford – Drums
David Cross – Violin, Viola, Mellotron, Electric Piano, Flute on "Exiles"[9]
Jamie Muir – Percussion, "allsorts"
(assorted found items and sundry instruments)
Producer – King Crimson

THE MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY - The Music Improvisation Company 1968 – 1971 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD covers the historic beginnings of the British free music scene and its founding fathers: Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Hugh Davies, and future King Crimson drummer Jamie Muir. These recordings come off amazingly well on CD, considering the first four were recorded in mono. And while there are six pieces here, it's almost impossible to talk about them as separate entities, since what was at work in the group consciousness was to create a free jazz music in the U.K. that was distinct from what was happening in America and elsewhere in Europe at the time. Therefore in the brave spirit of rabid experimentation and oh so serious creative spirit, we have an amalgam of recordings that suggest the future of a free music that turned out very differently than its origins suggest. This collective is exactly that; none of these players -- especially not Parker or Bailey -- had developed into the kinds of soloists that they are today, not only in terms of technical expertise, but in terms of vision. What one can hear in the bravado here is indecision, and a questioning of improvisation's precepts; these queries would become liberating obstacles in the long run. The one constant here is the dynamic that became the trademark of a new, multi-linguistic music that has remained and evolved over time. This is document does sound dated, but only in that it reveals the origins of a continuing narrative. It's is a necessary addition to anyone's library who is interested in improvised music.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Pointing    7:10
2    Untitled 3    6:32
3    Untitled 4    4:10
4    Bedrest    7:38
5    Its Tongue Trapped To The Rock By A Limpet, The Water Rat Succumbed To The Incoming Tide.    8:55
6    In The Victim's Absence    10:35
Credits :
Electronics [Live Electronics], Organ – Hugh Davies
Guitar – Derek Bailey
Painting, Percussion – Jamie Muir
Soprano Saxophone, Autoharp [Amplified Auto-harp] – Evan Parker

EVAN PARKER - The Ayes Have It (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

According to producer Martin Davidson, these two recordings (tracks one through four, and track five) were not released earlier because each was simply too short to fill an entire CD. Each features a group led by Evan Parker that only performed once as a unit. Parker is in his usually good form at both sessions, which were recorded more than seven years apart. Nonetheless, the two recordings are very different, due to the personalities of his colleagues. The first four tracks (recorded in 1983) are less than ten minutes each, and, without detracting from Parker's fine efforts, the distinguishing characteristics come from Paul Rogers' energetic bass and Jamie Muir's unusual contributions on percussion and toys -- the latter of which, although used highly selectively, adds a fascinating dimension. The 36-minute track (recorded in 1991) with the superb Dutch trombonist Wolter Wierbos offers an extremely rare opportunity to hear him with Parker in a small group. The results do not disappoint in the least -- although apparently due to the extreme heat and humidity, the trombonist stopped playing midway through the nearly 40-minute performance because of problems with his contact lens. Until then, Wierbos is in top form, the similarities to the playing of trombonist George Lewis evident in part, but with this artist displaying a more primitive-sounding approach. While the two sessions have ostensibly little in common (other than the common appearances of Parker and Rogers, and both having been recorded in London, England), each easily stands on its own as an excellent example of the free improvisational spirit of the period. Steve Loewy  
Tracklist :
1    Aye 1    9:16
2    Aye 2    4:02
3    Aye 3    8:54
4    Aye 4    9:29
5    The Eyes Have It 36:30
Paul Rogers - double bass
Percussion, Music By – Mark Sanders
Evan Parker - soprano & tenor saxophones
Trombone, Music By – Wolter Wierbos
Credits :
1-4
Percussion, Toy [Toys] – Jamie Muir
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker
Double Bass – Paul Rogers