Little by little, KING CRIMSON‘s ’70s oeuvre nears the end of its reissue programme, with only “Islands” and “Starless And Bible Black” left to see a now-regular CD / Blu-ray treatment that packs Steven Wilson mixes – stereo and surround – and David Singleton’s Elemental ones which allow the listener to concentrate on various details of a familiar album. And now, the first of these two records has been prepared for release and will see the light of day on September 25th, eleven months after "In The Wake Of Poseidon" and "Lizard" were out.
The band’s only studio platter to feature the sadly departed Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace, “Islands” is one of the most underrated and at the same time most fiercely loved offerings by Robert Fripp’s collective, its numbers regularly cropping up in the ensemble’s latter-day repertoire. To see – and hear – its fleshed out with a plethora of work-in-progress bits will be a rewarding experience. Vinyl lovers will have a chance of getting the Elemental Mixes on a hefty piece of plastic, too.
Islands
CD
Steven Wilson’s 2026 mixes:
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies Of The Road
5. Prelude: Song Of The Gulls
6. Islands
David Singleton’s Elemental Mixes:
7. Formentera Lady
8. Sailor’s Tale
9. Ladies Of The Road
10. Islands
Islands:
Elemental Mixes
Blu-ray
I. 2026 Dolby Atmos, DTS HD-MA 5.1 Surround & 24/96 Stereo
1-6 – as on CD
II. 2026 Instrumental (24/96 stereo)
1. Formentera Lady
2. The Letters
3. Ladies Of The Road
4. Islands
III. 2026 Elemental Mixes (24/96 stereo)
1-6 – as on CD
IV. Complete Recording Sessions (24/96 stereo)
Islands Studios – July 22nd, 1971:
1. Ladies Of The Road Early Uptempo (takes 1 & 2)
Command Studios – August 2nd, 1971:
1. Ladies Of The Road (takes 1 to 5)
2. A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls (takes 1 to 3)
August 25th, 1971:
1. Checking Levels
2. Ladies Of The Road (take 1)
3. Band Jam
4. Ladies Of The Road (takes 2 to 4)
August 26th, 1971:
1. Band Jam 2
2. Ladies Of The Road (takes 1 to 5)
3. Ladies Of The Road (backing and overdubs)
4. Ladies Of The Road (vocals and overdubs)
September 1st, 1971:
1. Ian Drum Check
2. The Letters (Section One, first two verses)
3. The Letters (Section Two, riff)
4. The Letters (Section Three, solo takes 1 & 2)
5. The Letters (Section Four, last two verses)
6. The Letters (intro overdubs)
7. The Letters (riff overdubs)
8. The Letters (vocals and piano, last two verses)
9. The Letters (backing and flute, last two verses)
September 8th, 1971:
1. Formentera Lady (first two verses, takes 1 to 5)
2. Formentera Lady backing and overdubs)
3. Formentera Lady (vocals and overdubs)
September 9th, 1971:
1. Band Blow
2. Sailor’s Tale (bass, drums and overdubs)
3. Sailor’s Tale (sax and banjo guitar overdubs)
4. Sailor’s Tale (piano and guitar overdubs)
5. Sailor’s Tale (Mellotron overdubs)
October 1st, 1971:
1. Prelude (rehearsals and flute takes 1 to 3
2. Islands (takes 1 & 2)
October 2nd, 1971:
1. Prelude (takes 1 to 3)
October 3rd, 1971:
1. Prelude (takes 1 and 2)
2. Islands (master – piano, guitar and wind overdubs)
3. Islands (master – keys and Mellotron overdubs)
V . Original Mixes – 30th Anniversary Master (24/96 Stereo)
1-6 – as on CD
VI. Live at Summit Studios – March 1972 (Quadraphonic Sound)
1. Pictures Of A City
2. Cadence And Cascade
3. Groon
4. 21st Century Schizoid Man
5. Improv: Summit Going On
6. My Hobby
7. The Sailor’s Tale
8. The Creator Has A Master Plan (incl. Summit and Something Else)
