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Robert Fripp: Guitar, Mellotron, Peter’s Pedal Harmonium & Sundry Implements

Mel Collins: Flute, Bass Flute, Saxes & Vocals 

Boz Burrell: Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals & Choreography

Ian Wallace: Drums, Percussion & Vocals

Peter Sinfield: Words, Sounds & Vision

 

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One of the highlights of the King Crimson 50th anniversary CD/Blu-ray editions to date has been King Crimson producer David Singleton’s series of Elemental Mixes as he uses the full spectrum of available studio sessions for each album to produce very different takes on the familiar songs and pieces.

 

Speaking about the Elemental Mix approach, David Singleton said: “Ever since the concept of an Elemental mix was first suggested, I have approached these with equal measures of hate, dread and love.”

 

Dread and hate because you are, in effect, staring at a perfect jigsaw (the finished version of the Mona Lisa) wondering how you might roll back the years and get closer to the moment of creation - often by finding hints of alternative routes that were never followed, allowing you to perceive the familiar in an unfamiliar way - presenting the pieces not in a "perfect mix", but unadorned, as they would have been had you been sitting in the studio.

A task which always seems utterly impossible.

….Until it isn’t. You need to find one new piece to introduce into the jigsaw - otherwise all you have is a stripped-down version of the existing (an instrumental version of a song) which is rarely that exciting.

And then comes the love as the creative process works its magic. What if Formentera Lady had begun not with the cello but with a piano fantasia from Keith Tippett - where might that lead? 

If these are popular with fans, as they appear to be, it is, I think, largely because they are creative - and exist right on the edge. Flirting with the impossible.

For King Crimson fans, Islands – 2026 David Singleton Elemental Mix is both a compelling standalone listening experience and an essential companion to the original album — offering fresh insight into the sessions, a renewed immediacy to the performances, and a rare opportunity to hear this distinctive work from a radically different angle.