DISCIPLINE

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You simply can't mess with this album. For instance, Frame By Frame kills me every time I hear it, with Fripp's rapid-fire guitar patterns gunning me down while Belew unleashes ungodly noises from his guitar over top of it. Indiscipline is like a "Beginner's Guide to Bill Bruford." Sheltering Sky is bliss. This album is where Crimson needed to go, because with it we get a whole new era of Fripp, which is "math guitar guy." Have you heard his albums with the Crafty League of Guitarists? Those are some of my favorite KC albums, and they don't even have drums! Hello 1980's..

In the early 80's Fripp started a new band and had planned for naming it Discipline , but at the last minute decided to rename it King Crimson. I personally wished he had not for, of all KC eras, this one is the one I like least, but this is only a personal view. With ex-KC member Bruford and ex-Gabriel sideman Tony Levin and Talking Heads-collab Adrian Belew, Fripp set out to make complex music and decided that the music would be more contemporary while retaining some of the typical Crimson characteristics. However, I find that this very line-up is possibly the most dated and has not aged that well: Everything of those three records spells early 80's.

From the David Byrne-like antics of Adrian Belew to the electronics percussions of Bruford to the rather peculiar (for the times) Chapman Stick of Levin, this album is full of experiments (which make this album progressive per-se) but those very experimental features have now become the biggest problem (IMHO) to enjoying this album. Elephant Talk (with the strange Elephant guitar wails), Frame By Frame and Thela Jun Ginjeet are the backbone of this album displaying some excellent technical musicianship in shorter and poppier tracks than ever before, but there are also some real yawners (Matte Kusadai) and some very irritating tracks (the title track and its anti-title track). As for the most adventurous track Sheltering Sky, it does not approach anywhere close to the superb preceeding album tracks. I remember seeing some live footage of them playing in front of a red curtain and the musicianship was really impressive, but man was that virtuosity ever cold. A bit like the feeling I get whenever I get to hear this album.

This version of Crimson is definitely too poppy for me and even sounds new wavish to these ears!! I truly believe that a real classic or a masterpiece prog album should have a timeless sound quality and sadly for Crimson , this is not the case with this album and the next two.

This disc was truly groundbreaking. It introduced the Chapman Stick to the world and Bruford played a nearly all electronic drum kit, with very little use of cymbals. Fripp gets a second guitarist (Adrian Belew) whose use of the Roland guitar synth creates new innovative sounds and textures. Belew's vocals add a new poppy twist to the King Crimson sound. Many stand out tracks and one killer instrumental.

The cover features one of the coolest Celtic knots ever. KC RULES!!!!

"Beat", "3 Of A Perfect Pair" & "Discipline"... 3 Of the classic CRIMSON prog albums which are too hard to distinguish for me. All 3 albums remain a highlight in my progressive rock collecting years and a milestone in the genre. Each album contain brilliant and highly sophisticated prog music with amazing musicianship. If you are not amazed with Fripp's Frippertronics, or Levin's commanding bass lines, or Belew's talents (too many to mention) or Brufords Jazz like complex drumming then there is something wrong with your head!. At times songs border on the line of Industrial genre, but are careful to never go over the edge. Highly conceptual and highly recommended!

A modern "Art-rock" album, characterized by the incredible excursions of Levin and Bruford, a great use of electronic samples and a surprising change of route too, regarding the old Romantic albums (well actually I prefer these latter, but it never minds...). Adrian Belew is a good vocalist, sometimes his voice has a strange tone, in other circumstances is more clear, but anyway he's very interesting as a "disciplined" musician (He's also a good guitarist). The unique problem can be the modern sound for whom is not in the habit with this kind of music, but finally the output is exceptional.

Recommended!!

This is the real RED album!! First of all, it is very important to say that this record contains no keyboard! To make such a progressive rock album without keyboards in the 80's was a risky project! Nevertheless the unlikely feasible challenge was achieved! If you like fast and scattered electric guitar notes, combined with the unique varied Bruford's drums, then you should enjoy this album! Tony Levin amplifies the scattered mix of guitars by playing a very synchronized stick instrument. Levin also plays an honest bass, quite present. Adrian Belew's "frippian" style perfectly matches Fripp's more experimental, bizarre and darker one. Belew's lead vocals are EXCELLENT, sounding a bit like Bono of U2!! Bruford sometimes uses electronic drums, and I have noticed that he does not very often use the cymbals; so, the beat, although very complex, has a certain ancient tribe style. There are miscellaneous electric guitar sounds. Mostly the tracks are not catchy at all, even not emotional, except maybe "Matte Kudasai", a beautiful relaxing song enhanced by Belew's awesome lead vocals and ethereal volume effects on the guitars!

The rhythmic "Elephant talk" genuinely reproduces elephant sounds using a very unusual electric guitar sound! "Indiscipline" has very unpleasant & experimental guitar sounds; one can listen to a moody Belew talking to himself! On "Sheltering sky", the textures reveal the probable presence of synthesizer guitars. The last track, "Discipline", as the word explains, shows a very synchronized, structured and sequenced team work: Fripp, Belew and Levin play very fully interlocking scattered notes, supported by Bruford's more discreet drums, especially on the first part: it clearly reminds Gary Green of Gentle Giant at his best!! "Discipline" is among the best tracks of the record. "Frame by frame", containing Belew's memorable lead vocals, has a style similar to the "Discipline" track, except it is more accessible and catchy.

There's the feeling that, on "Discipline", ROBERT FRIPP is finally able to execute the mix of mathematical precision and sonically stunning vision he always intended for KING CRIMSON. The last CRIMSON album ("Red", recorded in 1974) had revealed an evolution in the band's sound toward more tightly conceived and often lovely compositions, but that pales in comparison to the intricate, evocative arrangements found on here. Often plagued by unwieldy or undertrained lineups, the new KING CRIMSON is comprised of consummate professionals: the returning FRIPP and BILL BRUFORD are joined by ADRIAN BELEW (a distinctive guitarist who played with TALKING HEADS on the prescient "I Zimbra") and bassist/stick player TONY LEVIN (a veteran of countless sessions). Each player has clearly defined roles within the band: FRIPP and BRUFORD conduct numerous little musical transactions, complemented by LEVIN's undulating bass and BELEW's ululant guitar. As a vocalist, BELEW is no liability. "Matte Kudasai" shows him capable of rendering a sincere ballad, while "Indiscipline", "Elephant Talk" and "Thela Hun Ginjeet" lean toward intelligent narration. It may well be that KING CRIMSON and FRIPP's solo work have come to fruition on "Discipline".

My introduction to KC and still my favorite- even though I prefer the rawness and 'feel' of the earlier 60s and 70s albums, "Discipline" is the most complete and flawless work KC has yet produced, an ideal combination of experimentation, instrumental brilliance and perfectly realized songs. "Beat" and "3 of a Perfect Pair", though also wonderful, seemed to tighten the reins more; on Discipline the instruments are allowed to spread out and weave a hypnotic tapestry that is organically psychedelic and yet embracing choice elements of the glossy, synthetic 80's. "Matte Kudasai" is one of my all-time most-loved songs, a tender but eccentric track; "The Sheltering Sky" is mesmerizing and exotic; "Indiscipline" is both heavy and lyrically intriguing, as is "Thela hun Ginjeet" which exemplifies the 'world-music' influence that creeps in throughout the album. Levin's bass (and the unique Chapman Stick) is one of the defining sounds of this album, and Bruford rolls and tinkles through a collection of percussion, rivalling grandmaster Neil Peart in complexity and precision and pehaps besting him in uniqueness. Belew remains my favorite guitarist to this day, but he has never shone as brightly as on this recording, contrasting against the intricate precision and genius of Fripp- a yin-yang dualism that I am convinced both have missed in subsequent days. I cannot find a single flaw on this release (every so often, the lyrics on "Elephant Talk" strike me as a tad too contrived, and this is extreme nit-picking!)Even the most minimal Prog collection should include this one.

I would like to redo my review of this album. I made it intially when i was new here and new in my musical adventure. Now that I am more "mature" i think that i can do better. Now here we go:

Stunning. Absolute brillance here. This is THE best Crimson album. Other albums come close to it, esp. Larks' Toungues in Aspic and It The Court..., but none can surpass it. Obviously it is the best of the 80s Trilogy. The music is deffinatly different than anything before it. It was truely groundbreaking, so much so that they made three albums based on this sound. The introduction of Belew and Levin, and keeping Bruford, were very good decisions that Fripp made. Belew is excellent with vocals (writing and singing). Levin plays the stick really well. And of course Bruford is unmatched on drums. Deffinatly the best line-up Crimson ever had.

Now for the songs. All of them are excellent. Elephant Talk is a great opener. I love the lyrics, very clever and oringial. Belew really sings here, and Fripp is great with the giutars. I love the way he can make them sound. Frame By Frame is another classic. Great job by everyone here again. Matte Kudasai is very eerie. Wonderful snaking guiart work, and Belew is very gentle while singing. Another winner. Next is Indiscipline. Bruford is insane of the drums. The only reaction i can muster is Wow!. Again, great lyrics, a very mysterious oura is given out. "I like it". Next is the haunting and abrasive Thela Hun Ginjeet. I love the set up for this song. Belew went traveling the streets at night, for inspration, and encountered "gang" members. When he returned to the studio, Fripp had the genius to turn the recording device on when Belew was telling his tale. This put so much emotion into the song. Great bass line as well on here. Next is The Sheltering Sky. A wonderful (and first) instramental. Another eerie song. Fripp is fantastic on this song. Wonderful job by Bruford too. The final song is the title track Discipline. Another good song, and another instramental. It remindes me of Frame by Frame. Not that that is a bad thing. A solid song on all accounts.

This is an amazing album. Any Serious KC fan needs this album, as it set a path for thier direction in the 80s. Absoulte brillance (as i said). Recommended Higher than humanly possible.

A fresh and unique album which saw King Crimson test new waters and Discipline could be well up there with their debut In The Court Of The Crimson King, Larks Tongues In Aspic and the powerful Red albums. King Crimson seemed dead and buried forever but in the early eighties under the moniker Discipline, Fripp regrouped but soon the name King Crimson re-emerged and they returned again after a six year absence. They definitely progressed further up the prog ladder with Discipline taking the lead from the New Wave, Fripp had worked with Brian Eno and David Bowie and forged his new discipline on those projects. "Matte Kudasai" is a stunning song and Adrian Belew's vocals are excellent throughout, something which always plagued King Crimson. Other highlights include "Frame by Frame" and "Thela Hun Ginjit", and the guitar work again is superb in execution and though both have very differing styles both Fripp and Belew compliment each other well without getting their egos in the way of each other and Bill Bruford's drumming is as tight as you would expect from the former Yes man. Memorable album that may take a few spins to get into.

When I first saw this, yet another reincarnation of the King Crimson entity Frripp was reluctant or even perhaps nervous to resurect the name King Crimson and they were , for a while before the release of this album, touring under the name of Discipline. Bruford was back,Levin was recruited on bass and we had this strange man named Adrian on second guitar. Heavy tracks strap yourself into the ejection seat fo the introduction. The album continues on with Adrian Belew's bizarre lyrics particularly on Elephant Talk and Thela Hun Ginjeet. The listed tracklist on this site is not acurate and I shall contact the webmaster to make the necessarry corrections. A great King Crimson return from the dead. Do not hesitate to add this to add this to your progressive rock collection.

During the late 70s, popular music was undergoing rapid and massive changes. Almost overnight, punk and "new wave" had crashed onto the airwaves, and drop-kicked that god-awful disco back into the vacuous abyss from which it had slithered. The dancing, prancing, preening nose-candy crew, as well as many fans of classic "dinosaur" rock, may have lamented the changes (many of the reviewers for this site still express a sweeping disdain for "80s music," as if the output of that decade were all "of a piece"), but I welcomed them. I had found disco to be just about as interesting as watching paint dry, and was very glad to see many new groups like XTC, Talking Heads, U2, Simple Minds, and the Police displace the ubiquitous Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Eagles' "Hotel California." (A good enough song, but played WAY too often!)

Some old prog acts folded, unable to adapt to the altered climate, while others tried to re-shape their sounds to fit the new musical mold -- with mixed, but generally unsatisfactory results. King Crimson guitarist and helmsman Robert Fripp, never one to stick to formula, responded by reforming and revitalizing his pioneering band, and releasing a trio of fine new albums. DISCIPLINE, BEAT, and THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR took Crimson to drastically new places, but 1981's DISCIPLINE, the first of the lot, was the one that set the tone, and established a standard that the next two would not quite equal.

A very large part of DISCIPLINE's success is down to the new lineup. Prog master percussionist Bill Bruford had been lured back into the fold, ably manning his new electronic kit and conventional drums in his practiced, inimitable style. Fripp, on guitar and "devices," remained Fripp; as ever exploring new territories on his axe. Yet it was the inclusion of stalwart session bassist Tony Levin, and guitar "gee-whiz kid" Adrian Belew to the crew, that would prove to be Fripp's brilliant ace in the hole.

Levin had already made himself known to progressive rock fans on others' albums (notably, Peter Gabriel's first three discs), where his thunderous Chapman "stick" sound had provided a solid and instantly identifiable underpinning. The stick, first popularized by Levin, was a unique new instrument that allowed the bassist to perform both bass and "lead" parts simultaneously. (I was lucky enough to see him play the stick live with the "Yes in name only" Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe, and was amazed by the instrument's versatility. Obviously, much of what I had assumed was guitar on the 80s Crimson albums, had been produced by Levin and the stick!)

Vocalist and second guitarist Adrian Belew -- already established as a force to be reckoned with through his work with Zappa, Bowie, and Talking Heads, among others -- now brought his trademark synth axe, and feedback-laden, careening sound to the new incarnation of Crimson. (According to Fripp, the virtuoso American guitarist had been recruited "for the pop element.") As an added bonus, Belew's impassioned, David Byrne-esque vocals, and smart, often whimsical lyrics imparted a new vitality, engaging stage presence, and sense of humour to Crimson -- this band could now do anything!

Each of the seven tracks on DICIPLINE is a winner. The instantly likeable album opener "Elephant Talk," with its three-part, percussive stick and guitar riffs, clever, alliterative lyrics, and Belew generated "elephant" wailings and shrieks, takes the band to weird and wondrous new territory, and serves to loudly proclaim "the old King (Crimson) is dead -- long live the King!"

Next up, "Frame by Frame" keeps the newly upbeat mood and frantic pace going -- this is one terrific song! Please, play it "loud and proud!"

The sensitively-sung "Matte Kudasai" is simply lovely, and here Fripp serves up some of his tastiest licks since Crimson's vaunted early days. His sustained, looping "Frippertronic" effects, as developed and demonstrated on his ambient collaborations with Brian Eno, had now come into their own, and finally found their proper setting. Beautiful!

Track four, "Indiscipline," is a dangerous, menacing masterpiece. Levin's floor-shaking stick, Belew's paranoia-drenched vocals and lyrics (that could well tell the tale of my time with Prog Archives -- wink wink) and accomplished use of feedback, coupled with Bruford's frantic, insistent drumming, and Fripp's screaming lead, come together in a song fully as good as any the band have ever released. To quote the lyric, "I LIKE IT!"

Don't touch that dial (or volume knob!), because the best is yet to come: "Thela Hun Ginjeet" is perhaps my favourite of a first-rate set. The band is AMAZING here, and Belew's "true-life" narrative of his scary encounter with members of a street gang, all set to a driving "jungle" beat, is absorbing every time.

Number six, the evocative instrumental "The Sheltering Sky," reveals another new facet of Crimson. This is one to listen to in the dark -- great stuff!

Finally, the appropriately-named title track is a masterful exercise in four-part syncopation, as the drums, stick, and two guitars integrate perfectly in a seamless, infectious whole, and bring this excellent album to a lamentably early close -- would that there were seven more tracks! (Oh well, BEAT and THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR were soon to follow....)

DISCIPLINE is an absolute masterpiece of 80s progressive rock. It resoundingly demonstrated that the old bands could not only survive in the prevailing musical climate, but flourish, and take the genre to new and wonderful places. Essential!

There are times where a band wants to expand their material and their music, and sometimes to get this done they must make a 180º turn. Now the problem with that is that almost always the result is well.crap!!! Take Yes with (Beverly Hills) 90210 for example, or Genesis in the ´80. Well basically all the BIG names in prog pretty much sold out or sucked in the ´80...but there are also exceptions and no exception is bigger than King Crimson's Discipline! How is it possible that this is the same band (well not exactly the same...we all know KC members tend to change a lot) from the dark and heavy Lark's tongues in aspic makes this ...almost popish industrial music??? Well. I don't know, but the result is incredible!!!

Fripp, you freaki´genius, you have done it again!

What the hell is this? I have read lots of good reviews of this album but i was very disapointed when i got this. "Discipline" barely sounds like King Crimson. Fripp and Brufords essence in the album is hard to find. None of the lush soundscapes and distortions that made "Red", "In the Court of the Crimson King" and other albums of the 70s so good. This is a very stripped down and repetitive, 80's sounding record. Slash from Gun's n Roses called it Mind Blowing, but when i listened to this album i just wanted to blow my brains out!

I could not believe i was listening to one of my beloved prog rock giants when I heard this. Adrian Belew from Talking Heads does not fit into the band at all! John Wetton and Greg Lake were much better vocalists than him. "Elephant Talk" displays a horrendous display of annoying vocals and lyrics. I don't know what the hell King Crimson were thinking on this album, nor how this album has recieved so many positive reviews. "Elephant Talk" is definetly the worst track, but it pretty much sets the standard guitar tone that is going to be heard on all the other tracks.

"Frame by Frame" and "Indiscipline" are some of the more interesting pieces on the album. The latter having some cool drumwork (though it is short and nothing compared to the work on Red) being ruined by Adrian talking over the song. Looks like he gave up on singing. Shouting and talking over some mindless guitar work is not going to make a decent track. This one really upset me as i thought it had an interesting start. The worst bit has to be "I repeat myself when under stress, I repeat myself when under stress". What the hell is that all about?

"Thela Hun Ginjeet" follows more of the same style guitar work. All the other albums had lots of variation and expansion on the sound of their instruments on each track. Most recognisably on their debut when the insane opening track with distorted guitar and vocals leads into a heartwarming display of great vocals and instrument work. "Discipline" offers the same guitar styles and sounds over and over again, and they don't sound like they have stretched themselves to include any of their wonderful guitar distortions, woodwind work and great lyrics and vocals. This one definetly deserves a miss! Very disapointing indeed!

Rewrite number 6, I think? Oh well, who cares.

One thing you need to understand: This is not King Crimson. Or, at least, this isn't the King Crimson that became legendary in the prog world for their debut album through Red. This is, just, different. And, for me, not all that great. I really can't fathom why almost everybody here finds it to be a masterpiece. It simply eludes me. I've dropped this from a 3 to a 2 because I believe it's for the fans only. If you like Crim, by all means, move on to this, see what you think of it. If not, steer clear of this album.

Elephant Talk: First of all, I hate that noise that is supposed to sound like an elephant. Honestly, it isn't that good. It's annoying, actually. The song, as a whole, is decent. Belew doesn't sing here, either. He talks. For the whole song, it's talking. Great. Not a Crimson classic like most people call it.

Frame By Frame: The opening riff is pretty annoying for me. Belew starts to sing here, but I think he ranks behind (in no order) Lake, Haskell, Boz, and Wetton. He is their worst, in my opinion. Anywho, this seems to be a nice enough song, but, like most of the album, it doesn't pull me in.

Matte Kudasai: A pleasant track. The softest song on the album, and Belew's best song on this album. But, honestly, that's the most I can say for it. It's a nice, and even pretty at points, simple song. Not I Talk To The Wind beauty, though. That's untouchable. But, it's nice.

Indiscipline: Far and away the best song on the album. I really do enjoy this song a lot. Even Belew's speaking bits during the song are good and work well with the rest of the menace and hard-driving of the rest of the song. It makes up for a lot of the not-so-good stuff on this album, but not enough.

Thela Hun Ginjeet: Ok. When I was in West Virginia, I was talking with one of my rock-climbing guides about music. He was one of the few people I know that have heard of and liked King Crimson, so naturally, I jumped on the oppurtunity to talk about them. He told me how one of his friends had played the song Thela Hun Ginjeet on the guitar for him and his friends, and he was really enthusiastic about it. That deflated any energy I had to talk about the band. This song doesn't grip me. Belew's vocals are really really annoying here. And the talking bits are not good.

The Sheltering Sky: I enjoy this song at points. It has a nice melody at times. But then, that really high-pitched noise comes in over it and destroys it. I would enjoy the song far more if it wasn't there. But, it is. So I dislike it more than I would have.

Discipline: Fits its name. You need Discipline here. This is the song that, above all others on the album, doesn't grip me at all. I lose interest basically the second the song is put on. It just, ah, does nothing in the least bit for me. My mind goes somewhere else, and it comes back saying "That was a waste."

I had very high expectations for this album, having seen all the praising reviews for it. I got it at the same time I got Lizard and Red. Lizard I gave a 4. Red, I'm still unsure about, either a 4 or a 5. This, ugh, 2. I can't give it a 3. That would imply that it's decent. Eh, it's better than decent at points, to be honest. But overall, it's a less than decent album. It's for the fans of Crimson, nothing more, nothing less. 2/5.

Though I'm not a fan of 80's aestethics, I'm a huge fan of the KING CRIMSON albums which they did during the early years of that decade. Their music fusions very different elements creating an unique, hypnotic realms of sounds and rhythms which made me very impressed. The wild improvisational desire is here restrained with tight disciplined principles in order to create more compact and analytical compositions. There's still place for improvisation, like in the track "Sheltering Sky", but the polyrhythmic passages of two guitars need exact structures in order to be played. Also the personnel of these records is awesome, TONY LEVIN is just so suberb bass player! It's difficult to name any favorite tracks, this is a very good quality piece of art! Maybe the title track is the most dullest one.

A phenomenal, awe-inspiring work from King Crimson. After the long hiatus following the release of the masterpiece Red, fans were left to wait for 8 years until they would here from King Crimson again. Originally, the lineup went by the name Discipline instead of King Crimson, but Robert Fripp decided it was time to bring back the name, so instead of the band name being Discipline, the album title became Discipline. And that is exactly what this album is, a much disciplined work that is drastically different from anything that Crimson had done up to that point. Gone are the improves and never ending instrumental sections, and they are replaced with rather tight and cohesive shorter works that are just as great as the tracks they did 10 years before. The debut of the lineup consisting of Adrian Belew, formerly of Frank Zappa and the Talking Heads, Bill Bruford, of Yes/Genesis/King Crimson/UK fame, Tony Levin, who had up to then worked with Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, and David Bowie, and finally guitar mathematician Robert Fripp. This album features aggressive intricate stick lines from Levin, accurate and precision drumming from Bruford, outstanding vocal work and guitar synth work from Belew, and then great guitar work from Fripp. From a musical standpoint, you couldn't get any better musicians together to create such utterly original music before. The sounds created on this album were unheard of at the time, and they soon became the King Crimson staple during the following years.

The album opens up with Elephant Talk, which features aggressive guitar work from Fripp, a commanding and catchy bass line from Levin, spot on drumming from Bruford, and a standout performance from Belew. His rough spoken vocals are very reminiscent to Greg Lake's vocals on 21st Century Schizoid Man all those years ago. The guitar synth work from Belew on that track successfully mimics elephant sounds, which is a great addition to the band's overall sound. Other stand out tracks are Frame By Frame, which features a catchy and aggressive bass line from Levin, some very soft guitar work from Fripp and soft drum work from Bruford, and some great emotional vocals from Belew. This song, along with Thela Hun Ginjeet, feature polyrhythms as in the guitars are playing in 7/8 and the rhythm section is in 4/4. The next stand out track is Matte Kudasai, which features soaring guitar work from Belew, who's guitar work swells in and out from the slide he uses. Thela Hun Ginjeet is also a great track which features some very jungle inspired rhythms (the guitars are in 7/8 while the drums and bass are in 4/4) and great vocals and spoken dialogue from Belew, who retells a story of an encounter he had with a gang while he was recording the track. It in the end had total significance with this track. And the final stand out track is the Sheltering Sky, an over the top instrumental which is Bruford's highlight of the album, his percussion is quite simply some of the best he's ever done.

Overall, this is a superb effort from this incantation of King Crimson; more good things were to come from the group in the following years. This is one of my favorite Crimson albums, and it deserves no less than 5/5 because every track is utterly perfect in my opinion. They hit the ball out of the park with this one. 5/5.

Mid Seventies Mr. Fripp shocked the progrock world with his unexpected move to disband King Crimson, he seemed the only person who could find a good reason! Almost 10 years later Mr. Fripp delighted the progrock world with the exciting news that King Crimson was resurrected, .. AND MR. FRIPP SAW THAT THIS WAS GOOD! Their new album "Discipline" (originally the new name for this band) prooved that King Crimson was the only progrock dinosaur that was able to re-invent the name progressive rock, what an amazing album and what an important role for the creative and innovative guitarplayer Adrian Belew featuring a sensational elephant-like sound on his guitar on "Elephant talk". The climated on this album are very varied, from mellow with twanging guitars to sultry ("Matt kudasai") and propulsive ("Thela Hun Ginjeet"). And Mr. Fripp showcases a very distinctive guitarstyle, based upon repetetive scale-excercitions, UNIQUE! Of course I took my change to witness a King Crimson gig (for the very first time in my life), everybody was blown away by the creative power of this band! WHAT AN EXCITING AND VARIED PROGROCK ALBUM (and what a poor progrock sound from Genesis and Yes in those days!).

With tracks as unique and electrifying as "Elephant Talk", "Indiscipline" and "Thela Hun Ginjeet", not only this album easily made long-time fans delighted when it was released, but it also landed itself instantly in a position with which future albums of the band have to be measured. Here, by assembling quirky guitarist Adrian Belew, bass wizard Tony Levin and inimitable drummer Bill Bruford, the group founder Robert Fripp successfully set the new life of the group, which he disbanded in 1974.

The opener, "Elephant Talk", set the tone. It rocks. It moves. Levin do the "stick" (a bass-like instrument) magically, and, along with the ever-unpredictable drumming of Bruford, it drives the groove all the way to the end of the song. While Fripp and Belew, they deliver wonderful texture of guitar playing, combining their signature techniques and sound. Good thing add effectively: Belew's vocal somehow fit the music marvelously.

What follow after the first mind-blowing entry are even well-rounded songs with varied moods. All of them are arranged in such an order that the effect to the listeners is so gripping. All of them showcasing again the masterfully executed instrumentation. Some highlights are the complex guitar soundscaping "Frame by Frame", the heavy rocker "Indiscipline", the funky "Thela Hun Ginjeet" and the atmospheric "The Sheltering Sky".

Having such heavyweight materials, this album deserves all the praise that has been given to the other Crimson excellent efforts released previously.

A very enjoyable album showing a new face by King Crimson. Adrian Belew's entrance (what a great vocalist and show man this guy is!) marks a new era, where the epic symphonic style gives room to a more accessible but still highly creative musical approach. Even if i prefer the preceeding albums much more, i have to admit the importance of Discipline for the band's carrer since it proved that King Crimson could enter the 80's without the wills of selling out like crazy as many other prog bands did. Sure, the songs are shorter, and much better structure, but they are definitely not pop, so you can still enjoy this without prejudice just because it was released in "that" decade. A worthy job by the kings.

When this album came out, it did not really attract me, and it disappointed me because gone were the styles of early King Crimson sound of the seventies. I thought the kind of this music was more of a new wave type of music so I did not want to listen into deep. I put the cassette at my rack and never played it anymore. I blame the new guy under the name of Adrian Belew. My prog mate` in Bandung (at the time I was still in Bandung), Ian, tried to infuse me with good points about the album. Nah, am not interested - too new wave stuff.

Things changed significantly when couple of years later I saw the laser disc (LD) of King Crimson LIVE IN JAPAN - which later in the 2000 the label re-launched the show in the form of DVD set "Neal and Jack and Me" with other live set, Frejus. Because I never purchased the video of KC finally I bought the LD considering that I like Fripp and Bruford works. It blew me away at first sight because I did really enjoy the show - and in fact I like the Belew's guitar and singing style. You know what I like most about the show? The track titled "Indisciplned" which its studio version I usually called as an "unstructured" song because it's basically no melody. I was wrong. In fact, this is the best track from this album. I like the unusual time signatures especially when Bruford drum starts the song off and its further drum fills. Really marvelous.

In this newly reformed group King Crimson - after Jamie Muir (who inspired Jon Anderson to create Yes "Tales From Topographic Ocean) left King Crimson during "Lark's Tongue in Aspic" - composed new material which reflect the new direction. New line up with new music. All songs are great songs combining those with relatively complex composition such as "Indiscipline" as well as melodic one like "Matte Kudesai". All were composed in the same vein of music where bass lines by Tony Levin are so tight (which later appear in the group like Red Hot Chilli Pepper), jaw dropping drum work of Bruford. All were overlaid with two distinctive guitar styles with Belew at rough edge and Fripp using synthaxe which sounds like a keyboard. "Elephant Talk" was once my favorite as well.

Overall, this is the return of King Crimson with new music direction and well crafted composition. Nothing is similar with its previous work - that's why King Crimson is truly a progressive band. Highly recommended. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

King Crimson - Discipline

This was the beginning of a new era, after symphonic and jazzy sound of "In the Court of the Crimson King", and after the powerful Wetton era with some masterpieces like "Red" or "Larks Tongues in Aspic", King Crimson in 1981 had a great change , a new line up ( again), but this was not only a change in line up, but a dramatic change musically talking, Adrian Belew was the new singer and guitarist, Tony Levin took the place of Wetton as a bassist, while Bill Bruford and Robert Fripp stayed with the band.

1981 was a year which made the beginning of a new era and style of King Crimson, "Discipline" was the guinea pig, this is the first of an 80`s trilogy, and for me the best of them. A guitar oriented sound, Adrian Belew has too his unique and special style to play guitar, and maybe he hasn't got the best voice, but its quite good, and Tony Levin who worded with Peter Gabriel before joining King Crimson, is one of my favourite bass players, he and his bass makes a perfect couple, also he is well - known for playing stick, maybe he is the best stick player around, and that particular sound of Levin skill made another great point of this change.

"Elephant Talk" is the first song, when I saw a video of them playing this song, I was amazed because I couldn't believe the sound and how the hell can you play that intro, this is the first appearance of Mr. Levin stick, it is a great song, short song compared for example with Starless and 21st century for example, and much more guitar oriented, this is a clear example of how the album is. "Frame by Frame" is another super guitar oriented song, Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew with both guitars playing fast chords at the same time, but each one in different time and tempo, which makes a great sound, I love this song, in fact I can play it in guitar, but it would sound better if another friend learn it. "Matte Kudasai", is a beautiful song, it has some strange sounds, like if you are hearing the winda nice diluted sound of guitars, it is a nice song to enjoy and maybe to rest, also the lyrics are good. Indiscipline is probably the weirdest song, it so complicated because all the members are playing at the same time, but each one for his own side, drums here, bass there, but always gather to make an special and unique sound, it stars so soft, with a slow sound of instruments and soft vocals, suddenly all became crazy and play louder and louder, it is amazing. "Thela Hun Ginjeet" is another great guitar oriented song, I don't really know what the title of the track means, but anyway, it has good sound with vocals between great drumming, it looks like if Adrian Belew was talking to you. "The Sheltering Sky" Is an instrumental song, it is really good because in the most of KC albums they have done at least one instrumental song or if not great instrumental passages, this song is absolutely beautiful, it has the sound of congas and a particular sound, I don't know, but it sounds like If you were blowing a leaf, while a nice guitar is sounding, and also this is the largest song, great song to enjoy. "Discipline" is the last song, another instrumental song, but it has a powerful guitar oriented sound, I love the bass here , but guitars takes the show here, it sounds like if five guitars were playing at the same time, it is really amazing.

So after all, I like much more Wetton`s era , and what if he could stayed in the band, maybe another masterpiece we don't know, but with Discipline they marked a completely and great new sound, I really love this album, it was promising for that time, but the next 2 albums are not as good as this. Discipline is highly recommended to all of you, I'm going to give it 4 stars. Great! Excellent addition to any prog lover.

First of all, a word of warning to all KC newcomers: this album has very little (if any) connection to the band's '69 masterpiece, the legendary "In the Court of the Crimson King", which reputedly marked the official birth of the symphonic prog era. The only thing those two records - separated by 12 years - have in common is the presence of KC's mastermind (or just plain 'master'?), groundbreaking guitarist Robert Fripp. As to the rest... no mellotrons or other such keyboards, no majestic vocal performances, no visionary lyrics. Just a rythm section to die for, two gifted guitarists that try to outdo each other at every opportunity, an incredibly expressive vocalist with an endearingly lazy American twang, and oodles of intriguing ethnic influences - notably Javanese gamelan music.

On the other hand, it would not be entirely correct to say that "Discipline" has absolutely no roots in KC's '70s production. Indeed, I would dare say that it takes up where "Lark's Tongue in Aspic" left off - there's more than a touch of Jamie Muir's crazy percussive brilliance in Bruford's performance on this album. As a matter of fact, I think Muir would have felt completely at home on this record, especially on the exotically atmospheric masterpiece that is "The Sheltering Sky".

One extremely clear influence on "Discipline", particularly on the vocal tracks, is that of celebrated New Wave band Talking Heads, easily one of the most 'progressive' (in the true sense of the word) representatives of that so-called, post-punk movement. It's no wonder, seen as guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew collaborated for some time with TH before being invited by Fripp to join the new incarnation of KC. Belew's manic, emotionally-charged vocal delivery is noticeably influenced by David Byrne's, although I have to say that Belew is vastly superior as a vocalist. Needless to say, his style is many miles removed from Greg Lake's smooth, quintessentially English tones, or John Wetton's rawer yet powerful delivery: his vocals may be an acquired taste, but they are much better than they're usually given credit for - and, most important of all, they suit the music perfectly.

It must be pointed out, however, that the tracks which feature more or less traditional singing amount to only half of the album. As a matter of fact, the true strength of "Discipline" lies in its magnificent instrumental tracks: the tense, electrical storm of "Indiscipline", slashed by almost violent guitar flurries and featuring a slightly disturbing recording of Belew's voice repeating "I repeat myself when under stress"; the ambient-influenced, African-tinged mood piece of "The Sheltering Sky" (inspired by Paul Bowles' novel of the same title, like The Police's "Tea in the Sahara"), which provides a welcome respite from the overall intensity of the album; and the title-track, which rounds things off in style with Fripp and Belew's duelling guitars weaving in and out of Bruford's and Chapman stick master Tony Levin's thunderous, intricate rhythmic background.

Of the tracks featuring vocals, my least favourite is the atmospheric, laid-back ballad "Matte Kudasai", an alternative version of which is provided as a bonus track. It's not a bad song by any means, showing Belew's softer side as a vocalist: it's just that it feels somewhat out of place among the other, more exciting and innovative tracks. On the contrary, opener "Elephant Talk", spiked by all sorts of weird noises (courtesy of Belew's notorious "elephant guitar"), a real vocal tour de force, with Belew half-singing, half-reciting his whimsical lyrics, sets immediately the scene, making it clear what the new KC are all about. Much in the same vein are the following "Frame by Frame", dynamic though not as frantic; and the funky, percussion-driven "Thela Hun Ginjeet", featuring a recording of Belew's spoken narration of his narrow escape from muggers in NYC.

KC have always been quite famous for their stunning cover art. "Discipline" is no exception, though - just like the musical content of the album - the cover is much more minimalistic and streamlined than the baroque masterpieces that were ITCOTCK and "Lizard". Incidentally, the background colour is that shade of dark red commonly known as crimson, framing a spectacularly intricate Celtic knot. Deceptively simple, extremely stylish, just like the album it contains. However, don't be mistaken into thinking that "Discipline" might be a triumph of style over substance: although it may not everyone's cup of tea, it is a truly progressive album, one of the real masterpieces of any subgenre. Essential.

Ah, the memories. I was in 11th grade and 16 years old and had been a major progressive rock fan going on three years. Discipline was released September 1981. Then King Crimson came to the Atlanta Agora November 13, 1981. I was very fortunate to have been able to attend even though I was too young to be in a night club. Of course, I didn't go for the booze. The music was the thing. Was privileged to see a few other good progressive acts there, too (Bruford - One of A Kind tour, Hackett - Cured tour, Metheny - Offramp tour, Gentle Giant - Civilian tour). Didn't get turned away until I was 19 and trying to get in to see Seve Morse and they had just raised the drinking age to 21. The Agora burned down or rather out not too long after that. I swear I had nothing to do with it. The Crimson concert was a big party with a bunch of my older brother's friends attending. We pushed a few tables together in balcony area. One of the coolest concert t-shirts I ever acquired. I was the only one at my high school to wear one. Most of my "peers" were strangers to prog. Having already experienced most of KC's back catalog by this point, it came across as quite a departure. Fripp's work up to that point showed unafraid to explore new territory. Discipline was certainly no exception. Exposure is more of bridge from Red to Discipline than his League of Gentlemen material.

With the Chapman Stick opening lick, you knew you were in for something completely different. Tony Levin had used the Stick on Peter Gabriel II, but I don't think he had ever played it the way he often did on this album. Sort of thinking outside the bass as it were. I don't think Fripp had played often with another guitarist before, if ever. Very interesting the way they could match each other and do rhythmic patterns reminiscent of some of the work of composer Steve Reich, but also kind of a live musician Frippertronic effect. Adrian Belew was also starting to experiment with effects style licks - the seagull sounds on Matte Kudasai, that guitar soaring/rushing sound (starting at 3:12) in the Sheltering Sky that can give you goosebumps. I think this is also the first instance of Bill Bruford using electronic drums. The experimental nature of this material made for great listening. Definitely the best of the three studio albums from this lineup.

What a triumph. Of all the old prog dinosaurs, King Crimson was the only one that managed to reinvent itself in 1980, at a very difficult time for prog. (Former members Greg Lake and John Wetton, of course, will doubt if it really was a triumph.) Using the African-inspired funk of mid-period Talking Heads (particularly the album REMAIN IN LIGHT) as a stepping stone, Fripp and his boys managed to record some of the most intricate music ever composed for two guitars, drums and bass. 'Twinned guitar gamelan' they used to call it, or something like that...

Whether you like this album or not will depend to some extent on what you think of Talking Heads, since Crimso did not just build upon the Heads' funk; they even employed a lead singer (Adrian Belew) who closely modelled his style on David Byrne's high-pitched, neurotic vocals.

When I'm in a lousy mood, I can't stand Belew. I must admit that, for me, John Wetton will always be the Crimson singer par excellence. But when I feel upbeat or jittery, dear Adrian doesn't bother me, and you have to admit his virtuosic guitar playing (often indistinguishable from Fripp's) is an absolutely essential part of the new Crimso.

The case can be made that most of the material here is better heard live (e.g. on the superb ABSENT LOVERS), since the original studio album tends to sound a little clinical. I only really found out how exciting 'Elephant Talk', 'Frame by Frame' and 'Thela Hun Ginjeet' were when I saw them performed live by the KC 'double trio' in the 1990s. But DISCIPLINE is the album that first introduced this wonderful music to the world. Masterly stuff, from start to finish!

I think of this album as a completely pointless exercise in experimenting how many different arpeggios and guitar ostinatos can you create, how long are you able to keep on repeating them and how boring can your music get because of that.

Yes, after the brilliant, often masterful Wetton-era-Crimson's releases, Fripp decided to resurrect the legendary band that prog created, but only in name, because this 1981 record has nothing in common with the 70's releases by a band that, incidentally, had the same name and same guitar player. Even less has this album in common with the 1969 original masterpiece, In the Court of The Crimson King. If you love that release and all the other Crimson albums until Red, and you want to buy something that will sound remotely close to that, then you better stay away from Discipline, lest you get extremely dissapointed.

The music here is, as I said, pointless rhythmical experimentation, or attempt at one if we tell the truth. Picture something close to Gordian Knot (if you have yet to discover the classics but know some of the contemporary prog-bands) but a few steps DOWN the ladder. Every, every song in this album follows a similar pattern: the guitars (yes, there are two guitars in this Crimson) start playing arpeggios, riffs, ostinatos, under which the bass (stick) plays a monotone yet still jazzy harmony, and the drums play precise, over- calculated rhythms with almost no use of cymbals and a unique use of fills (no accent fills, no building-up fills, you'll only find fills where the notes in the bass and guitars allow for that). Over all of these, the vocal melody (melody?), usually a bland, linear, arrogant- sounding voice.

The pattern I described is not a bad thing per se. The problem arises when it's used till death as in this album: for the sake of experimentation, Fripp decided that every song would be an essay in repetition, a textbook on how to repeat a musical idea till is devoid of any interesting features. Songs have almost no variation here: they start with the guitars (or stick), the drums make their entrance, and then what we hear at this point is exactly what we'll be hearing in 3 or 4 minutes, when the song ends (no long songs here by the way). No choruses, no diverse sections, no change, no dynamics, no melody, no nothing. Hence my point: this is pointless (pun intended).

To say a word about the musicians, they are, off course, top-of-the-line... I mean, what else can you expect from the likes of Fripp, Brufford and Levin? Excatly: MUCH MORE THAN THIS. But, on the other side, you get what you asked for: dazzling guitar harmonies? You got them; incredible drumming? got that; amazing bass-playing skills? check... the only thing missing is making all those elements produce MUSIC, not only senseless jamming. Add to that the emotion-less vocals, produced by what sounds like an android with no feelings, and you got pretty COLD music.

About each song? All are very similar, let's just point out two that stand out (or low I would say): Matte Kudasai, the "ballad", a slow track that at times resembles an actual song but, because of the heartless singing, it's just more of the same rhythmic jamming, only slower; the other that stands out (for all the wrong reasons in this case) is Thela Gun Ginjeet: an atrocious song with non-english, pretensious oriental lyrics which takes the repetition problem to new levels: not only is the music repetitive, but now we have annoying unintelligible words as well! Awful... From the others, I would pick Elephant Talk as the most listenable of the crop, and Frame by Frame as the most "melodic" one, if one can call such blood-less music melodic.

Now don't get me wrong, the album has some things going for it: the textures are really interesting (the guitar harmonies are great), the playing is top-notch, and the experimentation itself is something worthy of a look... if only to look away in dismay after getting bored with the OVER-experimentation. Too much innovation could be a bad thing. Could it? Well, I would never have said so before listening to Discipline, but after... I don't know. The problem is, at the end, the repetition, the boring, annoying repetition. And even above that one: the lack of EMOTION. I can say, without risk of being contradicted, that this was the first "MATH" album ever, or one of the first. It's so precise, so scientific, so heartless, so cold, so boring. (note: I don't agree with calling a musical genre "math", for it states that music can be exact like a science, without emotion... but again, this album almost makes me agree with such a horrible term...) And for those that may say this sounds like it influenced Tool: yes, maybe it did. But Tool have power, anger, angst, stress, EMOTIONS... this has none.

I'm all for change in music, I'm all for bands trying to create new sounds and exploring new territories, I'm all for PROGRESSION. Did I expect another Court of the Crimson King? No I didn't. Did I expect Red Part II or Lark's Tongues in Aspic: Revenge? No, I didn't.

Did I expect good music? Did I expect music with at least the minimum amount of emotion? Yes I did.

Did I get it? NO I DIDN'T.

Maybe I can learn to like this. It's very likely that I will.

Hey, I learned math at school. And believe me, that was so much warmer than this.

The start of a new era, Discipline marks the return of the first concrete progressive band, King Crimson. This time, Fripp has recruited Peter Gabriel's bassist Tony Levin, old Crimson bandmate Bill Bruford, and second guitarist Adrian Belew. Rather than unleash more symphonic prog akin to ITCOTCK, Fripp crafts a bizarre jazzy dance combo. Take notes, ELP, this is how you change direction without sacrificing your roots (see ELP's disastrous Love Beach or, better yet, don't). The band manages to craft one of the most unique records you will ever hear.

Tony Levin cemented his status as a bass icon on this album. He pioneered the then- recently invented Chapman Stick, a bizarre guitar with 6, 8, or 12 strings that you slap, tap, and fret rather than pick. Tony went straight for the big gun and brought the 12 string to the studio. Bill Bruford added an electronic drums to his acoustic kit which brought a new feel to Crimson. Fripp, now aided by a second guitarist, wasted no time crafting intricate and weaving guitar lines with melodies and counter-melodies with his new foil. Belew's stint with the Talking Heads seems to be a large basis of the new sound, but wit a Crimson twist. Ergo, you get polyrhythmic cacophony with pop sensibilities. Only crimson could pull this off.

There is no duff material on this release. "Elephant Talk" has to be the weirdest opener in music, with its narration over a futuristic rhythm section. "Frame By Frame" (which features a self-deprecating jab at Fripp's perfectionism) and "Matte Kudasi" are no less bizarre. "Thela Hun Ginjeet" comes alive with Tony's Chapman Stick. "Discipline" and "Indiscipline" are great, and "The Sheltering Sky" is beautiful.

This album is a departure for King Crimson and shows a successful evolution of styles. Fripp has never been one to stick to a winning formula but this lineup proved so fruitful that he kept them for two more albums, the longest streak a lineup of Crimson has ever had.Later, when he used the "double trio" lineup, Belew, Levin, and Bruford came back. Levin and Belew still play with Fripp. Clearly, the avant garde genius saw someone he liked.

Grade: B

They still have it.

While certainly not as impressive as most of their 70's material, Discipline is still a quality record. It may not sound distinctly KC, but the songwriting abilities and talent are all still there. It's still got oddities and quirkiness to it, and you have master Fripp running the show as usual.

I would call this album a grower. It's different than their 70's material so at initial listen you are somewhat disappointed by it. However, after you see/hear what's all going on, it is still quite a good effort and very creative. "I repeat myself when under stress, I repeat myself when under stress, etc." is a genius move and Belew's vocals work great for it because he sounds the most like a "normal" person. Whereas Lake had some eccentricities about him and Wetton had a deep soulful voice, Belew sounds like an everyday chap.

Now, mind you this material is still not as good as LTIA type material, but it's still good stuff and KC never would take the road that many of the other prog giants took. The material is still quite complex and artistic, just a different approach for the 80's and a new lineup, which will bring a different sound.

NOISE ANNOYS

I purchased this album together with "Red" some four years ago. You can imagine how disillusioned I was to listen to this one after the brilliant "Red".

The first time I listened to it (and there were not a lot more hearings except for this review), I thought it sounded rather like Talking Heads after their first great period (1977 through 1979). When I noticed that Belew was on the lead vocals and guitar, I understood it a little better. Not only he played with Talking Heads (he held the guitar as a guest on "Remain In Light" and he toured as well with them in the supporting tour), but he tries to sound as David Byrne as well.

So, King Crimson (or Discipline as they should have been named) meets Talking Heads as Jethro Tull met Dire Straits for a couple of albums.

I stopped to love them (TH) when they went on pure funky and jazzy, so I can hardly love this album. It is repetitive, monotonous and dull. I have a real hard time to find an interesting track here. "Matte Kudasai" sounding a bit more like a piece of music. The funky mood is almost at every corner of this album. When not funky, this album displays the most indigest sounds KC could produce (like "Indispline" for instance). Belew can shout "I Like It", but I don't.

I had always believed that the heart and soul of the band was Fripp (correct me if I am wrong). I can not understand how one person (Belew in this case because I doubt Levin did this, and Bruford already played with Crimson before) could impose all of a sudden a new genre of music to this rather difficult person who used to be the absolute KC leader.

On the booklet that goes with the anniversary remastered edition, one can read : "The presence of Adrian Belew's voice and guitar has a most stimulating effect on Robert Fripp, who picks up where the Lark's Tongues band left off when Jamie Muir departed. Thoughtful compositions, some in the recent Talking Heads vein, energized by a terrifically authoritative rhythm section...".

Well, of course, Levin and Bruford are brilliant musicians (as Fripp) but really "Discipline" is an album I can't stand. So if you want to buy it from me, feel free to post me an e- mail. My version is spotless (I guess I have listened to this "work" about six or seven times (of which four for the purpose of this review only) and you'll get the booklet as well (for cheap, I promise).

My "preferred" track is "The Sheltering Sky" : an instrumental number with nice and subtle percussion work. I must admit that "Discipline" also sounds like a piece of music, but where the hypnotic feel was working very well on numbers such as "Fracture" or " Larks' Tongues Part Two" it quickly turns out to be a bit dull as well on this one.

On the thirtiest years edition, there is one bonus track : an alternative version for "Matte Kudasai" (I wonder whether or not it is a joke).

IMO, this album has nothing to do with prog. It is an experimental and funky work from start to finish. Unfortunately, the same line-up will produce some more records. I only hope that they will be better inspired than on this one. I am quite hesitant for the rating. I guess three out of ten is in line with my feeling. So, for the time being, I will rate it two stars.

So it's the eighties and KING CRIMSON decide to abandon the keyboards?I love these guys! Adrian Belew brings a lot to the table,including humour,but more importantly he adds another guitar to KING CRIMSON's sound.It's hard to believe that 26 years later he is still with KING CRIMSON.Belew had previously played with Zappa,Bowie and the TALKING HEADS.Levin is added as well,having played on Peter Gabriel's first three solo albums. "Elephant Talk" is a beat driven tune with Belew's vocals leading the way.I love Fripp's guitar work 3 and a half minutes in.Belew does a great impression of an elephant trumpeting with his guitar."Frame by Frame" opens with some uptempo and intricate instrumental work.The vocals are good,but it's the complex and intricate guitar and drumming that impresses me the most."Matte Kadasai" is a mellow,slow paced song that i'm not a big fan of."Indiscipline" on the other hand is amazing!It's about some unknown object,that Belew ends up liking.Check out Bruford on this one!I love the heavy sound with both Fripp and Belew playing some great guitar parts.Belew really talks instead of sings,and after he does each time, the instrumental section comes back like a bomb going off!A wall of sonic sound.This is fantastic!"Thela Hun Ginjeet" like "Elephant Talk" has a really good beat.This is apparently a true story of Belew's encounter with thugs on New York city streets.It is pretty funny."I repeat myself when under stress..."haha.And when Adrian laughs he sounds just like Nicklas Cage.Great tune."The Sheltering Sky" has Fripp playing the synth guitar.This song has a different vibe to it.Various sounds coming and going on this incredible instrumental.Again the percussion and guitar work is beyond reproach."Discipline" is another instrumental that sounds so good!Belew and Fripp combine their guitar playing so precisely,as Bruford and Levin only make the soundscape more complete. For me this is easily 4 stars,and a song like "Indiscipline" seems to pave the way for future KING CRIMSON sounds.Great record!

IS THIS KING CRIMSON? REALLY?

I remember back then i was happy to read somewhere that my favorite band was about to come back in business. When the LP came out, i went to my music store and bought it with trepidation. Just checked who is playing on it. Hummm! Bill Bruford is back, that's good, but no John Wetton this time. Also present a second guitarist, a guy named Belew ,i never heard of. I am back home, can't wait to play the LP, and......BOOM! It starts with ''ELEPHANT TALK'' and i coudn't believe what i was hearing. I was schocked and highly disapointed. And the rest of the album did nothing to change my perception. I try my best to like it, but to no result. May have the KING CRIMSON name, but that didn't mean i have to like it and i didn't anyway.

I was not into TALKING HEADS or new wave music and wasn't ready to get into it just because it was King crimson.So i think i never played this album until a few years ago when i decided to complete my Crimson collection with the miniLP-30th anniversary edition.

By now, my perception on this album is a little bit higher, even starting to enjoy some tracks. The instrumental ''The sheltering sky'' is the highlight and could sound like a real KC tune. The other good thing is that it is the longest track of the album. ''Frame by Frame'' is not bad either with ''superspeed'' play from Tony Levin who is extremely talented , but will never be John Wetton for me at any rate.

The other great plus of this album is BILL BRUFORD contribution; he is so amazing and inventive that you can forget sometimes the things that still irritates me about this album like the terrible vocals of Belew. He is good on ''Frame By Frame'' or ''Matte kadusai'' but horrible on ''Elephant talk'' or ''Indiscipline'' especially tha talking parts. Not very ''Crimson'' i must say.

But i shouldn't have been surprised by the new sound of KC. When you listen to everything what Robert Fripp released before ''DISCIPLINE'', i should have seen it coming! remember ''The league of Gentlemen'' or ''Exposure''

20 years ago, I would have give to this album 1 or 2 stars, but now it sounds a little more pleasant and can understand why some people like it a lot, but not me. So will be 3 stars.

Crimson hits the 80s, and hits them hard.

Like most 70s bands entering the 80s, Crimson had to change with the times, unlike many a prog band, however, Crimson managed to do this with much grace, and produced this fantastic album. The album has a lot of quirk, this likely due to the shift in lineup, and addition of new frontman Adrian Belew, who makes a great arrival, if I do say so. Although the album is mostly in short song format, it still manages to deliver a very progressive sound, likely with the 3 instrumentals and crazy time signatures. When all is said and done, this is likely one of Crimson's finest hours.

There are several standouts to be had on this album, and several Crimson classics. FRAME BY FRAME is an excellent song put together in a very unconventional way, and the quirk of ELEPHANT TALK is just as good. THELA HUN GINJEET is a quirky pseudoinstmental that holds it's own very well on the album, as does MATTE KUDESI, but the real classics here lie in the two closing instumentals. THE SHELTERING SKY is a great, zoned out Fripp-guitar-exercise, showcasing the virtuoso and proving that instumentals still have a place in the 80s. Also, coupled with brother track INDISCIPLINE, DISIPLINE is a great, heavy coda, while it's brother (again with more quirk) is also great and heavy, two more tracks that show life from the newly reincarnated band. What's perticularly nice about this album is that each song works together as a whole, and doesn't have each song as it's own show.

Quirk aside this is definately a great point in the King's career, and though some of the later work would not be as worth checking out, this one definately is. 4.5 stars, an excellent album, recommended to all (but a warning to those who don't like quirk).

Intriguing songwriting, solid grooves, experimental effects and guitar work that will tie your head in knots makes "Discipline" a distinctly unique and thoroughly enjoyable experience-- not to be missed. Some may find Belew's vocal antics an obnoxious distraction (or even annoying), but they grow on the listener very quickly as the interplay of Levin's precise bass and Belew and Fripp's even more precise guitar infect one's attention; nothing could be more different than the band's early material. The mood of the album is darky playful, filled with a cerebral level of musicianship and wit. Certainly the highlight of this era of King Crimson, and highly recommended for those investigating the band for the first time.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 5 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

Now this is something completely different. After the pleasant surprise that was Red I was really eager to explore more of King Crimson's work. Unfortunately, all Discipline has done for me is showing just how great Red is in comparison and every spin of it made me long for Starless and Fallen Angel.

Discipline is totally different. It has the classical '80s sound to it: sterile, clean guitars and crisp sound quality. Like many of the Rush albums from that decade, the music is somehow restrained (disciplined?), yet very frantic, which adds a great deal of tension to the album experience.

Elephant Talk starts the album...and it just leaves me cold. Repetitive, sterile and irritating talking vocals. What is this?

Next up is Frame by Frame with quite possibly THE most annoying looped, speedy patterns I've ever heard. But it soon develops into an excellent passage where both the guitar and Adrian Belew's vocals are really good. Beautiful and atmospheric. Yes! They've done it again! Elephant Talk was just an exception. But no. The loop returns.

Matte Kudasai offers another great vocal performance with tasteful guitar in the background. A nice surprise, hypnotic with time. The mellowness come to an abrupt end with Indiscipline. Grittier guitars and great drums bear witness of the past, only to be interrupted by those annoying vocal parts where Adrian Belew talks! Such a waste of capacity.

And this goes on and on for the rest of the album. Glimpses of greatness in a thick fog of new wave experimentation. Electronic, cold and highly repetitive. The technical skill of the individual members can't save this album. At least not for me.

2 stars.

Review 36, Discipline, King Crimson, 1981

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I began with this album fairly early in my King Crimson collection, and, while it'd be wrong to say that I didn't like it at first, I wouldn't have called it a masterpiece. I simply didn't get the emotional appeal or interest or complexity of many of the songs. Fortunately, I revisited after a while on the progressive road, with a much better musical ear for what exactly was going on, and on that listen it blew me away. Emotion and visuals oozed from the detailed music, and I got a real sense of interest, particularly from the rhythm section. First impressions can be deceptive: a Crimson masterpiece of the highest calibre.

Elephant Talk kicks off the album very much as it will continue, with some dazzling guitar interplay from Fripp and Belew, a deceptively simple-sounding drum part from Bruford, who manages to contribute a unique feel effortlessly, and Levin's array of bass sounds. A number of grinding guitar solos (presumably from Fripp) and a brilliant elephant impression from Belew complete the sound side of the song. Lyrically (supplemented by Belew's excellent, shouting and rather confused-sounding vocal) the song is incredibly funny ('yes, it's words with a d this time') and quite appropriate. Begin

Frame By Frame, with a driving guitar duet from Fripp and Belew (as well as some top notch strectching bass from Levin) gives Bruford a little more space to play around very adeptly with his percussion, showing a very impressive control of the time and space of the song, as well as using some faster and slightly louder drums. The gorgeous vocals and rather grim, yet interesting lyrics expand perfectly. A minimalistic end again features. I can't explain quite why, but listening to this is an incredibly emotional experience for me.

Matte Kudasai is the album's not-quite-ballad, spotlighting Belew's vocals, with Fripp providing a shimmering array of guitar laments, from near-crooning to careful s. Tony Levin's bass carefully gives a rhythm to the piece, while Bill Bruford's tapped percussion is really quite an interesting change from the classic 'it's a ballad, the drummer starts playing near the end' approach.

Indiscipline is the album's loud cut, with a stabbing bass and clattering drum opening leading onto another great combination of the guitars, with a very powerful solo from Fripp featuring prominently. A maddened Belew takes the vocals again with utter success, managing to convey the lyrical insanity brilliantly. A break exhibits the band's ability to slow down or give the illusion of slowing down without breaking their energy at all. Bill Bruford continues to hammer out powerful percussion parts, at times very heavy indeed, and Fripp similarly handles his wailing soloing. Again brilliant.

Thela Hun Ginjeet (anagram) gives an interesting combination of ideas, going much more psychedelic and post-punk than the previous cuts. Tony Levin is given the opportunity to stand out with a catchy bass part with cleverly timed breaks to emphasise the others, and Bruford again shows a variety of percussion times. Fripp/Belew provide a lightning fast rhythm guitar as well as grounding wails, psychedelic screeches and nervous twitches. Over all this general madness, a tape of Belew accounting a worrying encounter with crime, and occasional chorus vocals burst in.

The Sheltering Sky is a very relaxed instrumental with some energetic effects, both from a sax-like guitar and a gorgeous mellotron-like sound (am I dreaming?), while Bruford, Levin and another guitar provide a swirling background with hollow percussion. A full, and lush soundscape, with every note contributing to a gorgeous atmosphere. Some great guitar solos on here, and a perfect end with Bruford just dropping off.

Discipline is more up-tempo, with a greater level of cooperation between the band, who seem to merge together into one dense unit with everyone changing ideas at once. Tony Levin gives us more inspired bass-work, providing a rather fluid texture, while Bruford again manages to add and subtract without me even noticing half of the time. Fripp's guitar stays entirely with the piece and yet contributes to some swelling breaks. Everyone manages to add in and stand out evenly. A perfectly level track, and a great conclusion.

The alternate version of Matte Kudasai provides an equally satisfying end, with a rather expansive guitar parts, somewhat more conventional in nature, and a healthy, relaxed feel. Retains the original's feel and expands upon it without simply being a repeat. No harm done. Good bonus material.

In short, an incredible album, and not one to give up on if at first it doesn't catch you. I'm not quite sure why I like it so much, and why parts of it are quite so emotive for me or interesting to me (I'm not a musician, so theoretically I shouldn't really care about most of the effects used, but... I do). Essential listening, though any introduction to Crimson should be done with multiple eras of the band.

Rating: Five Stars Favourite Track: Frame By Frame

Discipline is the eigth studio album from King Crimson and it´s a comeback album. After a 7 year hiatus ( where Robert Fripp concentrated on other projects) since what most people see as their best album called Red, it´s a welcome return. Robert Fripp has again drafted Bill Bruford on drums, Adrian Belew ( Frank Zappa, Talking Heads and Bowie) is new on vocals and guitar while Tony Levin ( Peter Gabriel) is new on bass/ Chapman stick. Discipline is an album that you either hate or love. Many old time King Crimson fans have a hard time with the new eighties sound while many others hail Robert Fripp´s innovative and progressive approach to music.

The music has changed a lot since the seventies version of King Crimson which means that this third incarnation of King Crimson sounds almost like a new band. It was Robert Fripp´s intention to call his new band Discipline but he had a change of heart at the last moment and decided to use the King Crimson monecker.

The most significant change is the addition of Adrian Belew. A new vocalist always means something special to a band. His voice isn´t very distinct but it suits the music well. Personally I think he is a much better singer than John Wetton ever was or will be. The addition of an extra guitarist really boost the new sound of King Crimson.

The album starts with the song Elephant Talk which also brings humour into King Crimson´s universe and continues with the excellent Frame by Frame. Note the extremely fast guitar playing in this song from Robert Fripp and the beautiful sounding chords played by Adrian Belew. Matte Kudasai is another great song. It´s a bit more subtle than the two opening songs. You could call it King Crimson´s version of a power ballad. Indiscipline is a great noisy strange track where Bill Bruford shows some of his power. Thela Hun Ginjeet with it´s many samples and strange lyrics also has many great moments. The instrumental The Sheltering Sky is another highlight on the album while the title track which is a the last is also a great track.

The musicianship is astonishing to say the least. The interplay between the musicians and the individual performances are unique. Tony Levin´s use of the Chapman Stick brings something very special to this album that you won´t hear very often.

The production is just the way I like it. Clean and a bit cold. Everything is right in the mix and your in for an excellent audio experience with this album.

The cover art is very simple. Some sort of logo on a red background. I don´t know why but it suits the music well.

I heard this album for the first time about ten years ago and really didn´t like it much. It was too eighties sounding and cold for my ears back then. My taste has changed a bit since and I absolutely adore this album today. I´ll only rate it 4 big stars but I fully understand those who choose to give Discipline all 5 stars as it is one of the most innovative and groundbreaking albums on Prog Archives. I might upgrade this some time in the future. I hold it in equally high regard as In the Court of the Crimson King and Red. Discipline is a highly recommendable album.

Being a band that could easily walk away from making music, or return to making the same music they made before, or, like all their weaker-willed (ha) progressive peers like Yes and Genesis, turn to making pop music, Discipline is a refreshing album for King Crimson to make. You see, they not only reformed in the 80s, but they reimagined themselves and they progressed.

Fans of symphonic prog and the 70s incarnations of King Crimson, beware. There are no keyboards. There is no Greg Lake or John Wetton: just Adrian Belew, formerly seen often with Frank Zappa, a good singer and guitarist who writes some odd lyrics. But here we have the band reformed, with a couple new members, and with a completely different outlook on music. One of the key ingredients here that makes it so unique is the ubiquitous Tony Levin, an impressively mustached bassist with a serious thing for blowing minds with his Chapman Stick work. He lays down not rhythms but explosive pulsings of music that the band uses for polyrhythmic background. The energy level he brings to this band is something before completely unseen in the usually melancholic band. The aggression here is more focused, more upbeat than haunting. In all, King Crimson took the pressure to conform to pop and instead used the ideals of pop in a completely progressive way.

The album opens with the perfect showcase of Levin's talents. Elephant Talk is a fast-paced bass-driven tune with a very odd underlying beat. This song might turn a few more off because of Adrian Belew's insistence on spoken vocals. In the end, though, it is an entertaining track that proves that this band is not going to lay down and die. Discipline continues with Frame by Frame, a more progressive tune with more blistering bass and this time blistering guitar playing over the top of it. The drums also fill this track nicely. Belew's voice finally comes into full play, and we find that the man can really, really sing. He is the most technically skilled of any of the Crimson vocalists, even if he might not be as popular or famous as Lake or Wetton. Neat delays on the guitar create interesting polyrhythms, especially at the end of this song. Matte Kudasai picks up where Frame by Frame dramatically leaves off, this time treating us to a gentle ambianced track. Belew's vocals, if impressive on the previous track, are gorgeous on here, providing such a sad and haunted feeling that it really makes the song a memorable one. The instrumental anti-title track, Indiscipline, wanders in next, utilizing the similar sorts of wild interconnectedness of the first two songs to provide for some ingenious and complicated composition. Spoken words over the top of this might disappoint some fans, but they fit well.

The second side begins with the odd Thela Hun Ginjeet, a track which features both a lot of spoken words by Belew and an interesting harmonied chorus. The music is fascinating here, again; not quite as powerful or wild as some of the earlier tracks, but nicely melodic and insane when it needs to be. There is something of a jungle feel to this track, especially to the drumming. This might be the strongest song on the record. It then melts into The Sheltering Sky, the longest track here. This features a more traditional Crimson soundscape and some really melodic vibes. The album then closes with the title track, a much more laid back take on Indiscipline, with slower bass and drumming, playing with a single idea and developing it into a five minute instrumental. The guitar closes out this album with a terrific sound.

In all, this is Crimson's strongest album between Red and The Power to Believe. If you are interested in the band and wonder where they progress to, this is it. It's a very unique style of music, and anyone who appreciates Tony Levin on the bass will most likely enjoy his work here.

I do think it's good.

In history, in musical context, in relevance - this album could be observed from many corners. But I won't be comparing it with other KING CRIMSON periods or nothing of the kind. I'll just stick to music.

At the very beginning, I must say this review will be pretty much useless, and I won't say much about the music itself (comparisons, descriptions) because I can't describe music with my own words. However, I'm still inclined enough to write a review..

Have you ever been wondering WHAT happened with music in the 80's? Why it changed so drastically? Why it embraced new values (both musical -- compositional and production ones; as well as a new zeitgeist) so quickly? Why the old spirit evaporated so quickly, and how the musicians and music fans of the 70's managed to be in 80's?

Take a typical 70's record and take a typical 80's record. (Eagles' 'Hotel California' and Paul Young's 'No Parlez'?)

Most likely, they would sound quite different. Of course, stripped down to the bones, they're both rock records comprising drums, bass, guitar, vocals and verse-chorus structure. But when I say 'differences', It's not necessary to explain; you know what I'm talking about.

In the case of KING CRIMSON's 'Discipline', the record is a good balance between both worlds. Of course, it's undeniably an 80's record sound-wise, but taking a lot of 70's heritage in structure and songwriting. I am aware of very few ones that are a perfect bridge between two decades; Tull's 'A' comes to my mind, and perhaps Tangerine Dream's song 'Rising Runner', Holger Czukay, and perhaps a few others.

'Discipline' contains no keyboards. Which is unusual for a band that came from 70's prog rock movement, especially in the decade of the emphasized cheesy electronics.

'Discipline' is not inclining towards any particular trend - it's unique, yes, and we can say it's out of time (and ahead of its time too), but despite all the unusual guitar sounds, despite the unconventional structure, it's timbres are not too far away TALKING HEADS (as in a context of an 80's band) or many other bands of the time.

Yet, it sounds natural, spontaneous and concrete in it's timbres.

So much for the timbre. What about the songwriting, structures, technique?

Some (perhaps many) will disagree with the statement those ''Discipline's'' attributes are natural and spontaneous. I won't blame anybody who can hear on 'Discipline' only math and, well, discipline.

But I don't think so. You see, all the members of the line-up are outstanding musicians. Outstanding technicians. Such a degree of experimentation or complexity -- and 'Discipline' is not THAT complex -- they would maintain with ease, without letting the music to sound forced or overbearing.

My point is: I think they had great time in studio recording this album, as well as writing songs for it, making ideas, accepting, rejecting, changing.

There are tricks such is, for example, polyrhythm. No one can convince me they were struggling with it, almost fanatically struggling to whisper the bars in time measure while trying to overlap 7/8 with 4/4 and so on. (unlike a number of modern day prog bands - unfortunately!) They did it with easy, tapping their toes while playing, and actually you can hear there is no strict math, subtracting or adding 8th notes a the end of the piece because it turned out it's out of sync at the end of a verse - no, they did it in free form, letting their fingers play and continue a second verse naturally - to our own joy.

The next thing is another component of good songwriting: the lyrics.

Lyrics here are above the level of entertainment in pop music, it's art in its contemporary poetry form. And it's incredible how they fit the music, or vice versa. I think the music was crafted around the poetry rather than other way round, but I'm not sure. The poetry is modern, urban, introspective, varying from dramatic to sad, sometimes stripped down to the sheer weight of bare words, sometimes ornamented with alliterations; a perfect thing for a new era in music, energetic, mature, without being naive but experienced from the past. Again, natural and not overbearing.

The musical amalgam will provide us a fantastic journey --no, that's so 70's-- a fantastic observation into ones inner self, while giving us clever, bouncy hooks in all that complexity.

Should we mention the influences of (and on) punk, progressive rock, world music or fusion? No. That's completely misleading. For heavens sake, if someone is intelligent songwriter with at least a bit of eclecticism in its taste - of course it will pick influences from everywhere!

The music of 'Discipline' had been so overanalyzed since its release, and so hard tried to be pinned down by many, while in it's essence is just an album of good music and lyrics - written by very intelligent individuals.

King Crimson - 'Discipline' 4.5 stars

King Crimson marks a return, with a whole new face to add.

There was really nothing that can compare to this, besides the Talking Heads as far as I can tell. New members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin gave King Crimson a new rhythmatic sound of dueling guitar rhythms with a bass and drum polyrhythm. These four combined created a sound unlike any other. Adrian Belew's voice was something different, but didn't take much really to get used to. All the songs on here were awesome, I just didn't get a feeling that this was something the hit my heart as something to remember. An excellent and adventurous album I would recommend to anyone, especially those who have never heard of King Crimson.

Seven years after the disbandment of Wetton-era King Crimson, guitarist Robert Fripp created a new musical behemoth under the same name. This lineup maintained brilliant drummer Bill Bruford, but added veteran session bassist Tony Levin (who brought the coveted Chapman Stick into the sound). The most important (and longstanding addition) was guitarist and vocalist Adrian Belew, who had worked with David Bowie, Frank Zappa, and The Talking Heads. This provided King Crimson with two dominant guitarists, something it had not possessed previously.

"Elephant Talk" This is such a fun song, one on which all of the musicians play an important role, not the least of which is Belew's "elephant" talking guitar. The lyrics are in alphabetical order, so to speak (hence, "These are words with a D this time"), and lend it an amusing characteristic. Levin's touch guitar sets the tone for the album.

"Frame by Frame" One of my two favorite tracks on the record, this song features fast guitar work from Fripp and polyrhythm between the guitar and drums. The vocal work is excellent here, high and clear, singing disturbing yet intriguing lyrics.

"Matte Kudasai" Easily my other favorite song on the album, this has a calm, cool, and even melancholic feel to it. The guitar, both the lead and the clean rhythm are sweet. The lyrics are slightly despondent, but Belew sings passionately.

"Indiscipline" This is a more cacophonic piece, with some strange words spoken over the music. I never really cared for this one, although I have always found it amusing. Bruford's erratic drumming is deserving of praise, however.

"Thela Hun Ginjeet" The title is an anagram of "Heat in the City," which was meant to describe urban crime. The spoken word regards Belew's real-life encounter with Rastafarian criminals as he was walking around talking into a tape recorder to get sounds for the song (as it turns out, according to Belew, they were running an illegal gambling ring and believed him to be a cop). The music is quite a bit grating, like that of "Indiscipline."

"The Sheltering Sky" The longest piece features hand drums and clean guitar to start with. The music, like much of King Crimson, can become repetitive. Particular sounds take the focus here, working over the established and easygoing rhythm.

"Discipline" The hypnotic track seems to borrow from "Elephant Talk" in a way. It uses some themes and variations of those themes with two clean electric guitars panned hard on opposite sides. The structure is complex; the final tack is a good representative of King Crimson during this monumental union.

On Discipline King Crimson proved to be one of the few bands that could keep up with the changed musical climate. Again they single-handedly (re-)defined progressive rock as an adventurous genre that proved to be able to create new music as we had never heard it before.

That is a bit exaggerated of course. Many bands were experimenting and creating a new musical aesthetic in those years. But few did that inside the prog rock area. On the contrary, the progressive music of those years was firmly rooted in the punk movement, the mortal enemy of prog! It's exactly those new wave, pop and industrial influences that Belew and Fripp brought into the Crimson sound. The result is something entirely unique that has little to do with anything they or anybody else had done before.

The classic track here is Elephant Talk of course, the new anthem for the reborn King Crimson. Just as 21st Cent Schizoid Man, it's a neurotic affair that you're either bound to hate for its nerviness or adore for its raw hysterical power. Whichever side you take, there's no denying that this is one of the last essential prog albums of the old 70's generation.

Absolute masterpiece! After 7 yrs from KC Mk I was disbanded Robert Fripp formed new great team and released one of the greates prog album of eightees!

Please note, this is King Crimson MK II, and the time is different from previous decade. So, you have there different band with different music. But only Fripp genius could make this modernisation: very rare example of radical change of sound for one of world's greatest bands ever!

So, we have there warmer and softer sound full of Fripp frippertronics, great Bruford drumming, perfect melodies and post new-wave Belew guitar sound and voice ( and you really can hear many "Talking Heads" elements in that music!). Great invention, next step in modern prog rock for sure. This album became a basis for later KC work and for all team of post KC MK II musician works as well ( Tony Levin, Adrian Belew,Bill Brufford solo works, Fripp collaborations, etc)

Every song is different and no fillers there! I understand, that some old KC purists hate this album ( as well as all KC later works) because of new sound. But I can see nothing new in it: bop fans hated cool jazz, post-bop fans hated free jazz, and my old mam hates everything what sounds different from 50-60 pop music.

But I think, it's a great thing, that KC made this next step. Without that, great prog from 70-th will be transformed to faceless and boring neo-prog right now without big alternative, and in fact almost dead.

Very recommended album for any fan searching for great modern eclectic prog.