'starless and bible black' is the sixth release in the acclaimed king crimson 40th anniversary series. the classic album has been mixed for 5.1 surround sound from the original studio masters by steven wilson (porcupine tree) and is fully approved by crimson founder robert fripp. cd features a completely new stereo album mix by robert fripp and steven wilson. cd also features extra tracks, some previously unreleased, including the full version of 'the law of maximum distress / the mincer improv', a 1973 live version of 'dr diamond' (always popular live but never recorded by the band in the studio) and a restored audio bootleg recording of the extremely rare, performed once only, 'guts on my side'. dvd-a (compatible with all dvd and dvd rom players) features a 5.1 dts mix and high resolution stereo mixes (24bit/48khz). dvd-a players can, additionally, access a 5.1 lossless audio mix and lossless stereo mixes (24bit 96khz). dvd-a features both the original album mix and the new album mix in high resolution stereo. dvd-a also features video footage of 'easy money' and an improv from new york's central park 1973. dvd-a also features a number of audio extras including the extra tracks featured on the cd, further live recordings all in high resolution audio and radio edits of 'the night watch' from the usa and original radio adverts from 1973. presented as a 2 x digi-pack format in a slipcase with new diary entries by robert fripp made during the mastering session for the album and new sleeve notes by king crimson biographer sid smith along with rare photos and archive material. coming as it does between the startling inventions of 'lark's tongues in aspic', and the far-reaching repercussions of 'red', when it comes to assessments of the king crimson canon, 'starless in bible black' has often been overlooked. yet even a cursory listen reveals this to be a powerful record, brimming with confidence borne out of the band's increasing mastery of the concert platform. though the public weren't aware of it when it was originally released in march 1974, 'starless and bible black' was in essence largely a live album, an experimental hybrid of in-concert material (much of it wholly improvised) and studio recordings. often the two are so finely dovetailed together it's difficult to tell them apart. only two tracks on the record (the great deceiver and lament) were fully recorded in the studio. the night watch contained a live introduction, while the instrumental backing to the mincer was excised from an in-concert improvisation with vocals overdubbed later. the rest of the tracks were taken from concert recordings from the uk and europe with the audience carefully edited out. 'starless and bible black' demanded the attention and concentration of the listener. crimson's audience responded to the challenge, making it a much loved album by the band. as with the other recordings by the mid 1970s line-up, the intervening years have seen the album's reputation increase among fans and musicians alike, while the then unusual approach to using live performances as core elements of subsequent studio recordings has also become increasingly commonplace. robert fripp once talked about an album being a love-letter and a concert akin to a hot date. 'starless and bible black' combined the best of both worlds, making it the most accurate representation of that line-up's uniquely powerful identity.