DISCIPLINE

This is without a doubt a 5 star album IMO. Progressive rock, in its many incarnations, doesn't get any better than this. This is one of a handful of the greatest albums by my favorite band. I do sometimes miss the winds, strings and mellotrons of old. However, they are more than compensated for by the arrival of guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew.

Back when this album first came out, the most adventurous rock radio station in my hometown of Chicago used to play Elephant Talk frequently. I'd been a fan of other prog bands for years, but I'd never heard anything like this! I was amazed that these sounds could come out of an electric guitar. I won't discuss the details of individual tracks, because musical taste is so subjective and doing so wouldn't be constructive.

I will say that my favorite tracks are Elephant Talk, The Sheltering Sky, and the title track. Bill Bruford is the best drummer I've ever heard, and The Sheltering Sky demonstrates why that's the case. It's simply astonishing what the 4 members of the group accomplish together on Discipline. One of the things that sets "Discipline" apart from the band's earlier albums is that the group sounds more like a GROUP playing together.

My least favorite track is Indiscipline; I just don't care for the lyrics. I would still rather listen to this than 99% of what's gets played on the radio. On this album, the reunited King Crimson exhibits a more aggresive, contemporary sound which they had hinted at on "Red". That's what makes this a 5 star album.