Islands, the only studio album from the second performing lineup of King Crimson was always more akin to a snapshot of the band than a fully realised image. The CD/DVD-A package assembled as the fifth in the series of 40th anniversary releases provides that much bigger picture. The CD presents a complete stereo remix by Steven Wilson & Robert Fripp alongside a group of additional tracks representing a near complete “alternate album” of studio takes, run-throughs and mixes. The DVD-A presents a complete 5.1 surround sound mix by Steven Wilson, a hi-res stereo version of the 2010 mix, a hi-res stereo version of the original album mix taken from the 30th anniversary master source and almost 90 minutes of additional material – the vast majority of it previously unreleased – including many studio takes mixed from the original recording sessions specifically for this release. The material covers everything from early rehearsals of ‘Pictures of a City’ (one of the final new songs performed by the 1969 lineup) to the previously unheard ‘A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls’ (showcasing early ideas & elements that would appear in fully realised form on later KC albums), a fragment of Fripp playing the tune of ‘Islands’ on a mellotron, a blistering live ‘Sailor’s Tale’ from the Zoom Club & much more, making this an essential release for King Crimson fans.

Islands occupies a unique place in the King Crimson discography. Unlike the previous albums “In the Wake of Poseidon” & “Lizard” which were studio creations, never taken on the road by a performing band, most of the Islands material was performed live. Yet the album manages to offer the continuity of the earlier albums, showcasing Fripp’s growth as a composer & arranger in pieces such as the title track & ‘Prelude: Song of the Gulls’, while simultaneously providing the classic Crimson sonic assault of ‘Sailor’s Tale’, a piece ideally suited to being performed live & one that would stretch & alter with each new performance.

This release fully vindicates the claim that this lineup – short lived though it may have been – had as much to offer musically as any of the more well-known King Crimson incarnations