I think the live shows, at least in part, suffer from a lack of sonic depth, and you can tell better from Wetton's bass in what I linked to. Wetton's bass was a monster in the better recordings I do have, so the lack of timbre in the viddy I posted certainly affects Fripp's tone adversely. But I'll spare you the studio version.
But that middle section is a common complaint from those who aren't overly familiar with Crimson. The point of it all is to build tension; and it's not two notes, it's unison passages of several notes spaced out over the four times through the changes. By the final pass, the whole band has ramped it up.
After the fourth pass, it interludes, then the frenetic section is a double-time recapitulation of the middle section (in 13) with 4/4 breaks at the turnaround. The dearth of tone you refer to in the middle section may also be a purposeful interjection to more greatly highlight the distorted madness of the recapitulation. The point of the tune in general is to paint a stark reality, as it were. You can't have brutal intensity without its antithesis.
But that middle section is a common complaint from those who aren't overly familiar with Crimson. The point of it all is to build tension; and it's not two notes, it's unison passages of several notes spaced out over the four times through the changes. By the final pass, the whole band has ramped it up.
After the fourth pass, it interludes, then the frenetic section is a double-time recapitulation of the middle section (in 13) with 4/4 breaks at the turnaround. The dearth of tone you refer to in the middle section may also be a purposeful interjection to more greatly highlight the distorted madness of the recapitulation. The point of the tune in general is to paint a stark reality, as it were. You can't have brutal intensity without its antithesis.