Why Earthbound would actually be awful if it sounded well

I've been obsessed with King Crimson's "Earthbound" for a long time. What a dangerous album! Blasts you hard with its sheer raw power.

I actually much prefer it to "USA" and their other live albums. I mean it.

But the funny thing is, objectively, "Earthbound" breaks all the so-called rules of what a killer live album should be, doesn't it?

It sounds awful. Even the 2017 hi-res edition sounds like a mediocre bootleg at best.

Compare it with "USA" and the difference is stark. "USA" has that wonderful soundstage, with D. Cross beautifully panned to the left, pretty much where he would have been on the stage.

Bruford's drums sound incredible on it, too. Wetton's bass, mixed slightly behind Fripp and Cross, accentuates the sonic foundation only he can lay down (listen to that brief moment when he turns the fuzzbox on in Larks II... really sends shivers down your spine.)

And "Earthbound"? It sounds like nothing but a wall of distorted sound in comparison. No soundstage. No panning. No mix whatsover. At times, it's hard to tell what anyone is playing.

It's not Crimson's best live album. "USA", "Starless..." (the live part, naturally) and many others have been praised as canon for years.

Even their archive releases - "The Great Deceiver", "B'Boom", or "Ladies of the Road" - have gained a much higher status.

Hell, it's not their best lineup by any stretch either. And "Earthbound" doesn't even contain their best playing from that era.

And yet, to me, "Earthbound" beats any other Crimson live album.

I play it more often than "USA", "Vroom Vroom", "B'Boom", "Deceiver", "Epitaph" or "Ladies.." (the Crimson live records I own) and its partially because the sound is so harsh, raw, and so distorted.

In fact, I don't think I'd love it so much if it sounded any better.

I can't imagine "Schizoid Man" without Boz Burrell's bass being so distorted. It's actually so distorted that it can do little more than drive the song. And drive it does!

"Peoria" is pretty much all about that amazing groove laid by Ian Wallace, and his drums are so wonderfully distorted there. And could you even imagine Mel Collin's solo having such an impact if the sax sounded cleanly, and wasn't, at times, swaying in the stereo image?

"The Sailor's Tale"... oh gosh... those moments when the sound gets muffled and then comes back to (relative, of course) clarity just make the performance to me.

And the improv in "Groon" would just not have the same impact if it sounded clean. Note how that completely distorted kick drum drives their playing. Bass is practically a one note boom here but that does have its charm. And it certainly pushes the playing forward. Not ot mention that the audience shouts during the drum solo practically make you feel you're there (and it's also because they, at times, completely overwhelm the sound.)

You can't listen to "Earthbound" for musical intricacies. It's not that Crimson record.

But when you surrender to its power and rawness, it's almost impossible to resist its energy.