Fifty Shades of Crimson: Robert Fripp and King Crimson

I have this book on kindle and the Sid Smith hardback KC book, and the two books complement each other well. Smith, being the go-to man for writing liner notes for King Crimson albums, writes as an insider, but skates over solo projects of members, while Tomsett writes as an outsider and goes into more detail about solo projects, particularly Fripp's wide range of detours.Tomsett's book, unlike Smith's, deals with some of the recent tours by the reconstituted KC, but skates over them a bit too much for my liking - but I think the present band is extraordinary in the way it interprets tracks which have rarely, if ever been played live before.Because Tomsett isn't reliant on KC for a living, this book is a bit more critical of the actions of KC members than Smith was prepared to be, but it's a long way from being a hatchet job. All the criticisms seem reasonable enough to me.All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I like all eras of KC, though the Belew era seemed to runout of steam a bit, and this book deals well with all eras. Smith's book may have more insider insights, but Tomsett's book has a slightly wider remit and an outsider's view. You pays your money and takes your choice, I suppose. I like both books a lot.

A good addition to any prog rock music book collection. I already have the Sid Smith and Eric Tamm books and this fits in nicely alongside those two volumes. Well worth having.

This is a superb account of the many incantations of KC since the late sixties. What I particularly enjoyed was the way the author tracks all the band members after they leave KC, especially Wetton, Bruford & Lake. The author doesn’t pander to Mr Fripp, but discusses him, albeit compassionately, as the difficult person he can be to work with. The sections on Frippertronics & Soundscapes didn’t grab me, I much preferred reading about my three favourite line ups: the original band, Fripp/Bruford & Wetton and the Disciplne era.A great book, a worthy testament to the fantastic body of work produced by Mr Fripp & King Crimson.

Fantastic writer I knew nothing about King Crimson bought on a whim and nit disappointed this is a great read