While there have been many line-ups of King Crimson, each of the different performing groups of musicians has made its contribution to the band’s consistent and ongoing reputation as one of the best live rock bands of any era. Every decade from the 60s to now has had at least one and sometimes more Crimson live line-ups and CirKus – originally issued in 1999 as a 30th anniversary celebration of the group’s live output – offers an effective introduction to Crimson as a touring outfit.

From the Fillmore West in San Francisco in 1969, via the Concertgebouw Amsterdam in 1974, Through the Spectrum Montreal in 1984, and on to Nakano Sun Plaza Tokyo in 1995 & various other points in between, all eras of Crimson are represented with a variety of the band’s most enduring music.

Crimson live has always been a very different beast in the concert hall compared to the studio recordings and CirKus reflects this. It’s the ideal starting point for any curious listener who might be interested in the broader live Crimson catalogue.

But make no mistake; CirKus is no mere sampler. Carefully chosen, cunningly sequenced and with the audience sounds/ambience cross-faded to sound like two continuous concerts CirKus makes for a complete and fascinating listen in its own right.