John Kelman of AllAboutJazz.com has been busy this week with King Crimson reviews. Earlier in the week he penned a review of The Collectable King Crimson Volume One found here. Today he has lent his wit to The Condensed 21st Century Guide to King Crimson 1969-2003, calling the two disc set “a concise collection that almost perfectly represents Crimson’s long and multifaceted career.” You can access this review here and at the link below.

Ex-Police guitarist Andy Summers has revamped his website at AndySummers.com and has included a video player with some very interesting clips. Of interest to surfers of this website are excerpts from two 1980s videos with Robert Fripp, the title track from the album I Advance Masked and ‘Parade’ from the album Bewitched. Unfortunately the clips only clock in at just over 30 seconds and one and a half minutes, but they are interesting nevertheless and somewhat comical. You can view these videos and others by clicking the link below.

Andy Summers has also recently released his personally penned memoir One Train Later and it is indeed quite a good read. There are a few references to Robert Fripp, including a down on his luck Andy getting a referral from Robert and one Michael Giles to land a gig with Neil Sedaka with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Summer’s book has been getting great reviews and is also worth checking out.

Bruford’s DVD release Rock Goes to College has been put under the microscope by John Kelman at All About Jazz. The favorable review also sheds historical perspective on Bill Bruford’s first forays as a band leader and the talented musicians comprising Bruford. Click the link below for the review.

John Kelman at AllAoutJazz.com continues his regular reviews of King Crimson and related artists with a thorough look at the Crimson reissue of the four CD boxed set The Great Deceiver (Live 1973-1974). Previously out of print for some time, The Great Deceiver showcases Robert Fripp, David Cross, John Wetton and Bill Bruford at the peak of their improvisatory powers. Kelman writes that “none of the other incarnations could match this Crimson for its energy, unfettered sense or exploration and ability to let things happen in a completely unconsidered way.”

To read the entire review, click on the link below.

The original members of Asia are currently on a 25th Anniversary Tour of the U.S. with Cleveland’s House of Blues on tap for tomorrow. The band has also announced dates in England for November and December. It’s expected that more European dates will be announced later as well as dates in Japan and possibly another U.S. leg.

The original line up of Asia took the music world by storm in 1982 and consisted of progressive rock superstars John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe and Carl Palmer. Asia’s self titled first album was the biggest selling album in the world that year. The current tour features the Wetton era hits with a dose of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes and even ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ reportedly worked into the set list.

This week also marks the release of Asia’s The Definitive Collection on CD. Another in what seems like an endless stream of reissues of Asia’s hits, this all Wetton hit package has 16 tracks including Geoff Downe’s remix of ‘Go’. If you live in the States, Best Buy has an exclusive CD/DVD version that contains all six of the band’s music videos from the early 1980s. While clearly influenced by the embryonic stages of MTV, the videos make for some interesting viewing. This deluxe version is on sale for just $7.99 through Saturday at Best Buy only.

If you’re into Asia’s brand of prog pop, you can visit their revamped official website at the link below. The tour dates page is sure to be updated, so keep abreast of any changes, cancellations or additions.

The October issue of Guitar Player magazine contains a career overview of King Crimson with a fully illustrated two page spread that breaks down the Crimson album catalogue into three categories: Inspired, Required and Tired listening. While the choices and analysis might create hot debate, Barry Cleveland has done his homework in nailing down the historical detail behind King Crimson.

As an added bonus, the October issue of Guitar Player contains Barry Cleveland’s review of Robert Fripp’s “Exposure” reissue. If you find yourself drawn to Barry Cleveland’s writing, you may want to check out his website. An amazing electronic looping guitarist in his own right, Barry Cleveland offers over a dozen free MP3 downloads and numerous links to his music writings at his official website.

To read Guitar Players retrospective article on King Crimson, click on the link below.

Guitar One magazine’s October issue in its monthly ’set list’ column has listed Adrian Belew’s whammy bar histrionics in the classic ‘Elephant Talk’ track as the “Weirdest Guitar Sound Ever Recorded.” The Rhino King is number one in the top ten list and beat out other guitar luminaries such as Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai Buckethead and Jimi Hendrix among others.

Bob Keelaghan writes, “When Belew joined Robert Fripp’s reformed King Crimson for 1981’s Discipline, he stunned guitarists by harnessing the effects in his rack to sould like a herd of animals. In this case, an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff running into a Deluxe Electric Mistress flanger helps transform a guitar into a roaring elephant.”

While Guitar One does not make their articles available online, the issue is a worthy addition to any guitarists collection. You can check out the Adrian Belew website at the link below for all things Adrian, including tour dates. This reporter will be catching Ade in the flesh on Saturday night in Lake Worth, FL.

The September issue of Guitar Player magazine has a two page article on the ambient improvisations of Slow Music featuring Robert Fripp, Peter Buck, Bill Rieflin, Fred Chalenor, Hector Zazou and Matt Chamberlain.

The article is written by Guitar Player associate editor Barry Cleveland, himself an extraordinary looping electronic guitarist with CDs featured at the DGM mail order shop. To read the article in its entirety, click on the link below.

John Kelman, the resident King Crimson and related artists expert at AllAboutJazz.com, has reviewed the remastered and expanded Exposure at their fine website. Calling Robert Fripp’s first solo outing a “classic nearly thirty years later’, you will find a link to this worthwhile read below.

All four of the original members of Asia have announced the dates for the first leg of a world tour commencing in September in the U.S. One of the most successful super groups of all time, John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe will be reunited with many more dates to come. For the current announced shows visit John Wetton’s official website at the link below.