"Providence" is... okay. It's certainly the worst on Red
I know it's just semantics, but I have trouble thinking of Providence as "the worst" track on
Red. It's my least favorite, for sure, and the only one I skip, and at that, only sometimes. But the improvs to me are in their own category. On each album, we get "regular" songs and one or two improv tracks. On
Red, this is the improv track. It's always been a part of King Crimson and what they're about, and Fripp obviously feels strongly that this side of the band should always be represented. I can't even compare "Providence" to the written, rehearsed tracks because it's not even the same kind of performance. I compare it to the other improvs on the other albums.