When it comes to King Crimson, everything surprises and yet nothing surprises. Given that King Crimson is a highly evolving band, whatever hey release is surprising to fans. But given the level of talent inside the band through all phases, it isn’t surprising that we’d be in for something special. While wordy, that’s the sentiment I have with the ULTRA definitive reissue of Crimson’s 1969 classic, In The Court Of The Crimson King.

This new reissue of their debut set, In The Court of The Crimson King,  is due on October 23. Fripp and Co. will unleash a massive 20CD Box including a DVD and a DVD-Audio, and 4BDs (Blu-ray). It will be referred to as The Complete 1969 Recordings and will detail exhaustively all connections, live and studio, to In The Court of The Crimson King. On those discs will be not only the original album remixed in Dolby Atmos by Steven Wilson, who intimately understands this album with his previous involvements, but a massive collection of live shows, expanded albums (original and alternate), previous mixes, sessions tracks, and several kinds of hi-resolution Stereo mixes and 5.1 Surround. But I’ll let the unending track-list finish my sentences for me.

The 12″-sized vinyl box will contain a 12″ booklet with new notes, unseen photos, and an introduction to the set by Robert Fripp.

Will it ever get better than this? It wouldn’t surprise me. Still…enjoy, King Crimson fans!

In The Court of The Crimson King (The Complete 1969 Recordings) – King Crimson

CD1 (Live at Hyde Park – July 5, 1969)
01 21st Century Schizoid Man
02 The Court of the Crimson King
03 Get Thy Bearings
04 Announcement (Incomplete)
05 Epitaph
06 Mantra
07 Travel Weary Capricorn
08 Mars
09 Band Reunion Meeting

CD2 (Live at the Marquee – July 6, 1969)
01 21st Century Schizoid Man
02 Drop In
03 Announcement (Incomplete)
04 I Talk To The Wind
05 Epitaph (Incomplete)
06 Travel Weary Capricorn
07 Improv (inc Nola and Etude No. 7)
08 Mars

CD3 (Live at Plumpton Festival -August 9, 1969)
01 21st Century Schizoid Man
02 Get Thy Bearings
03 Announcement
04 The Court Of The Crimson King
05 Mantra
06 Travel Weary Capricorn
07 Improv
08 Mars

CD4 (Live at Chesterfield Jazz Club -September 7, 1969)
01 21st Century Schizoid Man
02 Drop In
03 Announcement
04 Epitaph
05 Get Thy Bearings
06 Announcement
07 I Talk To The Wind

CD5 (Live at Chesterfield Jazz Club – September 7, 1969)
01 Announcement
02 The Court Of The Crimson King
03 Mantra
04 Travel Weary Capricorn
05 Improv
06 Mars

CD6 (Live at the Fillmore East – November 21 & 22, 1969)
November 21, 1969
01 The Court Of The Crimson King (Incomplete)
02 Announcement
03 A Man, A City
04 Announcement
05 Epitaph
06 Announcement
07 21st Century Schizoid Man
November 22, 1969
08 The Court Of The Crimson King (Incomplete)
09 Announcement
10 A Man, A City
11 Announcement
12 Epitaph
13 Announcement
14 21st Century Schizoid Man

CD7 (Live at the Fillmore West – December 14, 1969)
01 Mantra
02 Travel Weary Capricorn
03 Improv Travel Bleary Capricorn
04 Mars
05 The Court of the Crimson King
06 Announcement
07 Drop In
08 A Man, A City
09 Announcement
10 Epitaph
11 Announcement
12 21st Century Schizoid Man
13 Announcement
14 Mars

CD8 (Original Album Expanded – Master Edition)
01 21st Century Schizoid Man
02 I Talk to the Wind
03 Epitaph
04 Moonchild
05 The Court of the Crimson King
06 21st Century Schizoid Man
07 I Talk to the Wind
08 Epitaph
Bonus
09 The Court of the Crimson King (Single A Side)
10 The Court of the Crimson King (Single B Side)

CD9 (Alternate Album Expanded)
01 Wind Session
02 21st Century Schizoid Man (Morgan Studio Version with Overdubs)
03 I Talk To The Wind (Alt 2019 Mix)
04 I Talk To The Wind (Duo Version 2019 Mix)
05 Epitaph (Isolated Vocal 2019 Mix)
06 Epitaph (Alt Take 2019 Mix)
07 Moonchild (Take One 2019 Mix)
08 The Court of the Crimson King (Take 3 2019 Mix)
09 21st Century Schizoid Man (Trio Version 2019 Mix)

CD10  (2009 Album Mixes Expanded)
01 21st Century Schizoid Man
02 I Talk to the Wind
03 Epitaph
04 Moonchild
05 The Court of the Crimson King
06 Moonchild [Full Version]
07 I Talk to the Wind [Duo Version]
08 I Talk to the Wind [Alternate Mix]
09 Epitaph [Backing Track]
10 Wind Session [21st Century Schizoid Man Intro]

CD11 (2019 Album Mixes/Instrumental Mixes)
01 21st Century Schizoid Man
02 I Talk to the Wind
03 Epitaph
04 Moonchild
05 The Court of the Crimson King
06 21st Century Schizoid Man
07 I Talk to the Wind
08 Epitaph
09 Moonchild (Edit)
10 The Court of the Crimson King

CD12 (Let’s Make a Hit Waxing)
01 Let’s Make a Hit Waxing

CD13 (Sessions: 01)
01 21st Century Schizoid Man (Morgan Studio Instrumental)
02 Epitaph (Takes 1-3)
03 Epitaph (Takes 4-8)
04 I Talk to the Wind (Takes 1-4)

CD14 (Sessions: 02)
01 I Talk to the Wind (Takes 5-8)
02 I Talk to the Wind (Takes 9-12
03 The Court of the Crimson King (Stereo Takes)

CD15 (Sessions: 03)
01 The Court of the Crimson King (Take 6)
02 The Court of the Crimson King (Takes 1 and 2)
03 The Court of the Crimson King (Takes 3-7)
04 The Court of the Crimson King (Takes 8-10)
05 The Court of the Crimson King (Trailer – Take 1)

CD16 (Sessions: 04)
01 The Court of the Crimson King (Stormy Mix)
02 I Talk to the Wind (Takes 3-6
03 I Talk to the Wind Takes 7-9
04 I Talk to the Wind (Early Take)
05 Drum Check
06 21st Century Schizoid Man (Sax Sound Check)
07 Ahh (Stormy Mix)
08 I Talk to the Wind (Stormy Mix)

CD17 (Sessions: 05)
01 Epitaph (Takes 1-3
02 Epitaph (Takes 5-11)
03 Epitaph [Take 2 (Stormy Mix)]

CD18 (Sessions: 06)
01 Moonchild (Takes 1-8)
02 Moonchild [Take 9 (complete)]
03 Trailer Take and Take Overdubbed
04 Pipe Organ Takes
05 Wind Noise Takes
06 The Court of the Crimson King Takes

DVD (48kHz/24-bit)
01 Complete Studio Sessions
02 Let’s Make a Hit Waxing
03 Stormy Selections (48kHz/16-bit)

DVD-Audio (48kHz/24-bit)
01 Original Master Edition
02 2019 Album Mix (Stereo)
03 2019 Album Mix (5.1 Surround)
04 Hyde Park Film Snippet

BD1 (Blu-ray)
01 Giles, Giles and Fripp – (192kHz/24-bit)
02 Complete Studio Sessions (96kHz/24-bit)
03 Live at Chesterfield Jazz Club (192kHz/24-bit)

BD2
01 2009 Hi-Res Stereo and 5.1 Surround Mixes (96kHz/24-bit)
02 2009 Additional audio and Alternate album (96kHz/24-bit)
03 Original 1969 vinyl Needle Drops of UK Stereo and US Mono Promo LPs (48kHz/24-bit)
04 Original 1969 Mono UK Single A and B Sides and US Promo Single A Side (48kHz/24-bit)

BD3
01 2019 Mixes -Stereo, 5.1 Surround, Instrumental (96kHz/24-bit)
02 Original Master Edition (96kHz/24-bit)
03 2019 Alternate Album and Additional Material Mixes (96kHz/24-bit)
04 Hyde Park Film Snippet (Mono)

BD4
01 2020 Dolby Atmos Mix
02 I Talk to the Wind (duo version) 5.1 Surround (audio through four channels) [96kHz/24-bit]
03 Let’s Make a Hit Waxing (96kHz/24-bit)

CD19 (Selected Recordings – 1968)
Giles, Giles and Fripp
01 Tremelo Study in A Major (Spanish Suite)
02 Suite No. 1
03 Scrivens
04 Why Don’t You Just Drop In (i)
05 I Talk to the Wind (i)
06 Plastic Pennies
07 Passages of Time
08 Under the Sky (ii)
09 I Talk to the Wind (ii)
10 Erudite Eyes
11 Make it Today (ii)
12 Wonderland
13 Why Don’t You Just Drop In (ii)
14 She is Loaded

CD20 (BBC Sessions/Trees – Live)
BBC Sessions
01 21st Century Schizoid Man
02 Epitaph
03 The Court of the Crimson King
04 I Talk to the Wind
05 Get Thy Bearings
Live at Fairfield Hall, Croydon
06 Trees

By MARowe