In 2009, DGM launched the King Crimson 40th Anniversary Editions of In the Court of the Crimson King, Lizard, and Red. Each album features a new 5.1 surround sound mix by Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson, additional bonus material, comprehensive sleevenotes and in some cases, a new stereo mix.

By Adam Garrie

Along with Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Miles and Coltrane—King Crimson stand as the most important musical personification of the 20^th century.  Fortunately for subsequent generations, the 20^th century was the great age of recorded sound and thus the music will doubtless be omnipresent in vaunted places for quite some-time into future centuries. 

At the end of the first decade of what we are told to call the ‘naughties’, three of King Crimson’s albums are given a technical  revitalisation thanks to 21^st century technology. For the more myopic of my readers you need only read the following if nothing else: Buy these three DVD-A/CD sets, and that is a recommendation that flirts sportingly with a demand.

Now onto what matters.  First of all, let’s be clear as to the fact that there is no ‘new’ material in these sets.  However, due of the artistic grandiosity of the music contained therein, a ‘re-working’ of such pieces is far more exciting a prospect than  new material by almost any other band of musicians.

Each DVD-A/CD set contains a new 5.1 surround mix and new stereo mixes, mixed and produced by Robert Fripp himself as well as Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree. Of the three releases only Red does not contain a new stereo mix, Fripp finding the original mix suitable for such a re-release, it has however been copiously re-mastered. 

When I first heard of new King Crimson releases in what for lack of more precise nomenclature can be called ‘hi-definition’ formats, I sincerely hoped the format of choice would have been SACD, as I passionately believe that in the digital realm there is no better means of sound reproduction than the DSD sound carried on an SACD.  Alas, Fripp and Wilson settled with the less cumbersome and still very high quality DVD-Audio format.  A hypothesised reason could be the fact that Fripp wanted to include DVD video material on the discs as well as a DTS track that can be reproduced more readily than the more niche DVD-Audio format.  Still seeing as each set comes with a redbook CD version of the new mixes/mastering, one could easily have included a hybrid SACD/CD along with a DVD video disc for the DTS tracks—but c’est la vie.

For whatever reason Fripp and Wilson decided to use 24 bit 96 khz lossless sound, rather than the 24 bit 192khz lossless sound DVD-Audio is capable of.  I dare not speculate as to why.  In spite of my initial technical qualms however, I must say the sound on the discs is stellar.  Refraining from hideous gimmicks like high dynamic rage compression, the discs reveal a depth to all three albums that surpasses any other release.  With respect to the new mixes, all are done in a tasteful yet inventive manner (more about individual albums below), and for those who want an ultra-high quality version of the original stereo mixes all three are here to be heard in 24/192 lossless sound making these discs an imperative listening even for those who consider re-mixing a kind of sin against originality. 

Now then on to the albums....