USA is a live album recorded towards the end of King Crimson s final US tour of the 70's in June 1974. It was issued as an epitaph for the band in Spring 1975 as a single album. Its critical reputation grew immeasurably in the intervening years to the point where a review of the 21st Century Guide to King Crimson boxed set in 2004 identified the album as the point '...where Fripp maps out the guitar blueprint for the entire post-punk movement.'