This repackaging of three limited edition Collectors' Club releases is a dollar-wise investment for parties desiring to hear the short-lived 1969 incarnation of King Crimson consisting of Robert Fripp (guitar), Ian McDonald (flute/sax/Mellotron/vocals), Greg Lake (bass/vocals), Michael Giles (drums/percussion/vocals), and Peter Sinfield (words/illuminations). Apart from a few BBC Radio appearances, there were no professionally documented performances by the band during their 11-month existence, therefore every sonic remnant is sacred to enthusiasts. Collector's Box, Vol. 1: 1969 (2007) isn't, however, an absolute assessment of the 1969 Crimson, as the four-volume Epitaph (1997) box set boasts an additional three hours of recordings. As the band had precious little material to draw upon, there are multiples of "21st Century Schizoid Man," "The Court of the Crimson King" (although two are just fragments) and "Epitaph" -- all from their debut long player In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) and none of which are alike. In fact, if anything they show the combo's breadth of skill and improvisational maneuverability. There are likewise some superior bonus and rarely played tracks scattered throughout. The Hyde Park disc has audio highlights from a dialogue between the original "team" -- including bandmembers, crew and management -- recorded by Fripp at the launch party for Epitaph (1997) in London -- and a previously unissued instrumental of "21st Century Schizoid Man" that predates the actual album version. Live in Hyde Park also includes "Mantra," "Travel Weary Capricorn," and Holst's "Mars." Live at Fillmore East, 1969 (2004) contains hints of the direction Crimson might have taken had McDonald and Giles not decided to leave after their inaugural North American tour in mid-December of 1969. The number "A Man a City" would be rechristened "Pictures of a City" the following year when it resurfaced as the lead track for the second King Crimson long-player In the Wake of Poseidon (1970). The tune actually dates back further as the intense instrumental section can be heard as "Trees" -- a bonus from the Live at the Marquee 1969 (1998) CD. While on the subject, in terms of fidelity, the Marquee set is definitely lo-fi, but completely listenable. The aforementioned reading of "Trees" -- from a less than pristine audience tape -- may well test the respective audient's ability to cope with the meager audio.