This album has, for a while, been my best kept secret as a King Crimson fan. Released in 1997, this is the first of four volumes, and is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. These live recordings capture the 1969 lineup in top form--in other words, it was when Greg Lake is on vocals, and all was right in the world. The audio quality fluctuates greatly from song to song, but all the tracks are very listenable.

Highlights of the album: "The Court of the Crimson King" from a BBC session with even clearer vocal harmonies and bass than the original; a raw bootleg of "21st Century Schizoid Man" whose searing vocals and blisteringly fast "Mirrors" section will melt your face; a downright evil rendition of Holst's "Mars;" and a punchy, jazzy performance of what would later become "Pictures of a City" (labeled here as "A Man, A City").