DISCIPLINE

Practically inventing a whole new sound, Discipline sees a new Crimson lineup come together that would represent a new pinnacle for the band. This is perhaps the best lineup of the band, in which each member is on equal footing with Fripp. While the Lark's Tongues lineup was also great, it was un-balanced, with David Cross and John Wetton, while still excellent for the role they played, clearly not at the same level as Bruford and Fripp. But with the new lineup represented by Discipline, Adrian Belew demonstrates that he is just as inventive and original a player as Fripp, and he brings fantastic singing and song-writing skills to the table too. Tony Levin, meanwhile, adds a whole new dimension to the Crimson sound with his Chapman stick playing, and together the three interlocking guitar patterns (or, rather, two interlocking guitars and one Chapman stick) revolutionized the Crimson sound. In many ways, they invented the foundation of what is now called math rock. Of course, Bruford really shines here too. A band this original and talented was bound to produce a fantastic album, and Discipline is the result. This is actually the name Fripp originally had for the band, reflecting his philosophy of music in making it, but with Bruford in the mix it was clear the band had to be Crimson. The album is fantastic all the way through, and many of these tracks have become icons. 'Elephant Talk' and 'Frame by Frame' immediately demonstrate the musicality of the interlocking guitar patterns as well as Belew's beautiful vocals and lyrics. 'Thela Hun Ginjeet' shows up Below as a master guitar-distortion fiddler, and Bruford as the new groove king. 'The Sheltering Sky' shows the new Crimson can improvise over a repeated pattern and in doing so create whole new sonic landscapes. But the two real gems here are the twins 'Indiscipline' and 'Discipline'. Never before, and still to this day never repeated, these two tunes are incredibly inspired and original. Belew's 'Indiscipline' story is fantastic - a treatise on the creative process (at least for him, but I also concur) - with just awesome guitar solos and drumming. 'Discipline', meanwhile, is to my mind one of Fripp's masterpiece compositions. Weaving repeated guitar patterns in and out of each other, it reflects the power of its namesake to deliver well-crafted original inventive music. Bruford has compared the guitar patterning to Indonesian gamelan playing, and only now - in the 2010s - has this been picked up in the math rock world. Totally original. I give this album 9.4 out of 10 on my 10-point scale. Totally essential.

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