{"product_id":"1974-penn-state-university","title":"1974 Penn State University","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eTo coincide with the releases of “Starless \u0026amp; Bible Black” in March 1974, King Crimson set out on a run of shows that many fans consider to be that line-up’s peak with the late music critic John Kelman (All About Jazz) describing them as being at their “heaviest and most guitar-centric version of Crimson to date” where “even 24 hours represented a significant difference in how this group approached form-based material”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIn the final week of June, as the band neared its conclusion as a live act, four of these concerts -including the Asbury Park show from which much of the original 1975 released “USA”, single live LP was derived – were recorded to multi-track tape but, with the exception of that release, lay unreleased until the 1992 assemblage\/mix \u0026amp; compilation of “The Great Deceiver” boxed set by Robert Fripp \u0026amp; David Singleton which was centred around those performances. In the notes to that set Robert Fripp described the band’s 1974 tour as a period of “balanced disarray” characterised by “chaotic and intense” performances and “powerful, almost brutal improvisations”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWith the rapid growth of CD in the 1980s came an equally rapid growth in bootlegging and by 1992 there were over 120 different King Crimson bootlegs – many focusing on poor quality recordings of the 1973\/74 touring band whose reputation among fans and influence on a generation of musicians continued to grow. The first pressing run of “The Great Deceiver” sold out within weeks \u0026amp; was \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e    \u003c\/span\u003ere-pressed by DGM in the same format before being split into two double CD sets in the early 2000s. The release also did much to re-establish King Crimson’s critical reputation, especially in the UK.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eOf the four multi-tracked concerts, Penn State was a last minute addition to the schedule and required gruelling additional journeys there and back, book-ended, on the original tour schedule, by the geographically easier Asbury Park, New Jersey on the 28\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e and Providence, Rhode Island on the 30\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, leaving audiences then \u0026amp; since, grateful for the band’s willingness to use a ‘rest day’ for an unplanned performance.\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e. \u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eDespite the travel complications, the Penn State gig featured two of the best improvs from this tour - \u003ci\u003eIs There Life Out There?\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eIt Is For You But Not For Us\u003c\/i\u003e, which sounded, in many respects, no less fully composed than the recently released \u003ci\u003eFracture\u003c\/i\u003e or the yet to be recorded \u003ci\u003eStarless\u003c\/i\u003e. For most attendees, the majority of the material would have been heard for the first time, not an uncommon feature of King Crimson gigs in that period, though unthinkable for most bands today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eRecently released on 200-gram double vinyl exclusively via Record Store Day in April 2026, ‘1974 Penn State University’ is now being released on CD from 19\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e June, 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eTracklist\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003col class=\"ol1\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eWalk On: No Pussyfooting\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eLarks' Tongues in Aspic (Part II) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eLament\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eExiles\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eImprov: Is There Life Out There?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eEasy Money\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eImprov: It Is For You But Not For Us\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eFracture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003eStarless\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e21\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Century Schizoid Man*\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e*from Central Park, July 1\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e, 1974\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LAF","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":51669483618621,"sku":"DGM5032","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0096\/1884\/9839\/files\/DGM5032_cover.jpg?v=1777986150","url":"https:\/\/sisterray.co.uk\/products\/1974-penn-state-university","provider":"Sister Ray","version":"1.0","type":"link"}