THE POWER TO BELIEVE (40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

Personnel: Adrian Belew (vocals, guitar, electronic percussion); Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn (guitar). Liner Note Author: Robert Fripp. Recording information: Studio Belew (03/11/2002-01/18/2003); The Tracking room (03/11/2002-01/18/2003); Thunderbird Studio, Nashville, TN (03/11/2002-01/18/2003). Editor: Pat Mastelotto. Photographers: Pat Mastelotto; Bill Munyon. When King Crimson hit the road in 2003 in support of The Power to Believe (2003), they brought with them this very interesting piece of multimedia memorabilia only available at live shows. The Power to Believe Tour Box (2003) includes both a glossy 20-page, full-color book as well as a 65-minute audio CD containing excerpts from recent interviews as well as a few musical nuggets that almost got away. The contents are smartly boxed in a standard Amaray case -- the same that retail DVDs are packaged in. The disc commences with seven tracks (approximately 16 minutes) taken from a pre-tour press conference. The Q&A features Adrian Belew (guitar/vocals/electronic percussion/lyrics/spoken word), Robert Fripp (guitar/spoken word), as well as Trey Gunn (Warr guitar/spoken word) and was held at the Hollywood, CA-based Sushi on Sunset, Saturday January 18, 2003. This is a rare opportunity to hear from three-fourths of this lineup, since they generally do precious little promotion for their albums or tours. This is followed by a thrashing demo of "Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With." Although the "middle-eight" guitar solo doesn't contain the same fervent and incendiary urgency that both the subsequent EP and album mixes would incorporate, the spirit on this aural snapshot is not all that far away from the final version. This is quickly followed by a brief revisitation to the Sushi on Sunset press conference, in which Fripp opines with regards to the "sound quality" of the newly remastered Peter Gabriel [2] DVD-A (1978). As Fripp produced those sessions, his answer is enlightening, yet typical. The previously unissued "Message 22" flows with a catchy propulsion that drives the melody as well as Belew's heavily vocoder-laden vocals. Lyrically, the dada-driven phrase "The number you are calling is not accessible" appears to have been influenced by a bungled phone call. However, the track is primarily an instrumental jam that soars and boogies with all the agile counterpoint and sinuous syncopation that this quartet has become synonymous with. "Emerald Banter" contains nearly a minute from the recording sessions for "Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With," segueing into the second previously unreleased track, "Superslow." This is arguably the most satisfying piece on the disc, as it is full of the band's unique personality and brooding swagger. The start-stop sonic gymnastics are palpitation-inducing and those with heart conditions are warned to listen at their own risk. This is followed by over 20 minutes of interview snippets of Fripp on Japanese television. As always, his answers are illuminating and often provide much more insight than initially evident -- such as his desire to hear the current personnel tackle older King Crimson works. The final musical selection is the beautiful and haunting three-movement "Sus-Tayn-Z Suite." This instrumental title has roots that date back to PROJEkCT TWO -- a fraKctilization of the greater Krim with Belew, Fripp, and Gunn. These particular renderings showcase Machine producing what in essence is a Fripp soundscape-esque performance. It takes on added significance in light of the last-minute scheduling conflicts that cut short the work that King Crimson did with the master knob-twiddler. ~ Lindsay Planer