(Please be advised that this is a reissue of the 30th Anniversary Edition. It contains no bonus tracks and comes in a jewel case.)
King Crimson: Adrian Belew (vocals, guitar, synthesizer); Tony Levin (vocals, electric bass, Chapman Stick); Robert Fripp (guitar, synthesizer); Bill Bruford (drums, percussion).
After spending the second half of the '70s on various solo projects, the irrepressible Robert Fripp decided to reinvent King Crimson. Instead of building on the group's '70s legacy, Fripp burned his bridges and started from scratch, even though KC drummer Bill Bruford returned to the fold for the '80s version of the band. The new Crimson was influenced equally by funk, world music, Balinese Gamelan orchestras, minimalism and the new pan-cultural sounds being made by the likes of Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel (in retrospect, the former's REMAIN IN LIGHT, which featured future Crimson guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew, seems an undeniable influence).
The interlocking melodic/rhythmic patterns of Fripp and Belew's guitars, Tony Levin's Chapman Stick and Bruford's electro-acoustic kit combined the Gamelan approach with a Phillip Glass-like repetition. With each cycle, a note or phrase would change slightly, altering the rhythm and focus of the pattern. The effect is both hypnotic and invigorating. Fripp's frenetic guitar-synth excursions and Belew's feedback-heavy post-Hendrix leads merge with this technique to fine effect. Belew's David Byrne-like tenor, unpretentious lyrics and pop (!) songwriting sensibilities make the package complete.
Track Listing:
Elephant Talk
Frame By Frame
Matte Kudasai
Indiscipline
Thela Hun Ginjeet
Sheltering Sky, The
Discipline
Matte Kudasai - Alternate Version
Average Rating: (From 4 Reviews):
Submit a Review
Desert Island List
From Chris Cowan of Austin, Texas on .
This album and Larks Tongue in Aspic are the my favorites. Without a doubt, Discipline is on my desert island list.
Transformation is Restless
From Paul Engle of Phoenix, Arizona on .
If you had to choose only One recording from the mighty Crim, this would be it. It provides a sample of the foundation of what King Crimson is all about. It is as fresh today as when it came out, primarily because King Crimson is a living organism that will not be tamed...even by time.
Musicians at their best
From Jeremy Manley of Puyallup, Washington on .
Incredible!!!!!
High Water Mark --- Fripp & Co. Redifine Crimson
From Greg of Urbana, Maryland on .
This is the one for me ... not only my favorite and most consistently satisfying Crimson album, but one of my all-time favorite albums (out of a collection of well over 1500!). When I meet people whose taste in music I dig, this is the disc I pull out to say "have you heard of ..." with first.
The introduction of the uniquely American sound of Adrian Belew & Tony Levin brought an invigorating rush of rhythmic elements that complemented the fluid playing of Bill Bruford and quintessentially English sound of Robert Fripp's arpeggiated guitar playing. It's hard to define the "rhythm section" of this version of KC because they are ALL the rhythm section. Although Belew's overdriven guitar SEEMS to be the lead (or solo) instrument, he is often following a much more rigid melody line than Tony Levin's wild Stick improvisations. At the same time (incredibly enough), Tony Levin is much more the one holding down the rhythm than Bruford's constantly shifting rhythmic palette.
The delight that is "Elephant Talk," with its wonderful Stick-bass line and great lyric idea, is only the beginning. Brash and in your face ("Indiscipline" & "Thela Hun Gingeet") sits side by side with gorgeous and melodic ("Matte Kudasai" & "The Sheltering Sky"). The meticulously crafted "Frame By Frame" and "Discipline" have often given me what I can only call musical hallucinations ... I think I hear beats where there are none, and I'm never sure how those four instruments are drifting apart rhythmically before ending up firmly in the same place to start the next round.
Although undeniably influenced by Talking Heads (whom Belew had been working with) and Peter Gabriel (with whom Tony Levin has never stopped playing with), this record is a standout slab of unpretentious progressive pop world music. Hilarious, gorgeous, majestic, and simultaneously minimalist and complex, turn this one up and enjoy the grooves.
:)
Submit a Review
