Please share your thoughts, guys. Has anyone actually listened to ALL of the contents of ALL of the Box Sets that's been released so far? It's an extremely overwhelming amount of material, but I'm planning to start my deeper dive into the band. I have heard all of their studio albums (Red and ITCOTCK remain to be my faves) and I've been wanting to go deeper into the band's work for a long time. So the Box Sets seem like a pretty good place to start. However, it's such a vast amount of music that it can be quite intimidating just to even approach it. I'd really appreciate it if someone could guide me in my journey through these amazing collections. Fripp & Co. has given us so, so much. We're very, very lucky to have these recordings made available to us at this time in these neat, beautiful, comprehensive packages. What a time to be alive as a Crimson fan!
I've scoured the internet but I can't seem to find reliable, insightful and thorough literature or discussions about the subject. And that's what brings me here.
What particular highlights can you point me to? What do you think is the best Box Set overall? What can you say about the sound quality or the quality of the performances for the live stuff included? Are the remixes preferable over the original mixes for the albums? What other thoughts would you like to share based on your experiences with these sets?
Much gratitude in advance, from one fan to another!
The list of the Box Sets I'm referring to:
- Larks' Tongues in Aspic (2012) – Covers 1972–1973 recordings, sessions, and live shows.
- The Road to Red (2013) – Documents the 1974 American tour, studio recordings, Red, and USA.
- Starless (2014) – Covers 1973–1974 recordings, Starless and Bible Black, and European/American concerts.
- THRAK BOX (2015) – Focuses on the 1990s double-trio era (THRAK and related live/studio material).
- On (And Off) The Road (2016) – Covers the 1981–1984 80s quartet era (Discipline, Beat, Three of a Perfect Pair).
- Sailor's Tales (2017) – Spans 1970–1972 (In the Wake of Poseidon, Lizard, Islands, Earthbound, and live shows).
- Heaven & Earth (2019) – Covers 1997–2008 (the "ProjeKcts" and The Power to Believe era).
- The Complete 1969 Recordings (2020) – A 26-disc comprehensive history of the debut album In the Court of the Crimson King and 1968 pre-Crimson/live material.