Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

DISCIPLINE

King Crimson

Eclectic Prog


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

King Crimson Discipline album cover
4.14 | 2250 ratings | 157 reviews | 42% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

Write a review

Buy KING CRIMSON Music
from Progarchives.com partners
Studio Album, released in 1981

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Elephant Talk (4:41)
2. Frame by Frame (5:08)
3. Matte Kudasai (3:45)
4. Indiscipline (4:32)
5. Thela Hun Ginjeet (6:25)
6. The Sheltering Sky (8:22)
7. Discipline (5:02)

Total Time 37:55

Bonus track on 2001 Virgin edition:
8. Matte Kudasai (alt. version w/ Fripp's guitar) (3:50)

Line-up / Musicians

- Adrian Belew / guitar, lead vocals
- Robert Fripp / guitar, electronics (Frippertronics)
- Tony Levin / Chapman Stick, basses (3,5), backing vocals (2,5)
- Bill Bruford / acoustic & electronic drums

Releases information

Artwork: Peter Saville with George Bain (the one displayed);
on later editions (post-2000) Steve Ball (Discipline logo, knotwork very similar to the original)

LP EG - EGLP 49 (1981, UK)

CD EG ‎- 800 099-2 (Germany, 1983)
CD Virgin ‎- EGCD 49 (1989, Europe) Remastered by Robert Fripp & Tony Arnold
CD Virgin ‎- CDVKC8 (2001, Europe) 30th Anniv. 24-bit remaster by Fripp & Simon Heyworth w/ 1 bonus track and different cover art
CD Discipline Global Mobile - DGM 0508 (2004, Europe) Reissue of 2001 remaster

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
Edit this entry

Buy KING CRIMSON Discipline Music



KING CRIMSON Discipline ratings distribution


4.14
(2250 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(42%)
42%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(39%)
39%
Good, but non-essential (14%)
14%
Collectors/fans only (4%)
4%
Poor. Only for completionists (1%)
1%

KING CRIMSON Discipline reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by corbet
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars 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..
Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk
3 stars 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.

Review by Dan Bobrowski
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars 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!!!!

Review by loserboy
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars "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!
Review by lor68
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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!!

Review by greenback
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars 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.

Review by daveconn
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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".
Review by James Lee
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars 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.
Review by Man With Hat
COLLABORATOR Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team
5 stars 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.

Review by Philo
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars 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.
Review by Peter
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars 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!

Review by el böthy
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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!

Review by frenchie
PROG REVIEWER
1 stars 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!

Review by Yanns
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars 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.

Review by Eetu Pellonpaa
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars 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.
Review by Cygnus X-2
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars 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.

Review by erik neuteboom
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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!).
Review by kunangkunangku
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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.

Review by Eclipse
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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.
Review by Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars 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

Review by memowakeman
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars 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.

Review by Raff
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars 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.

Review by fuxi
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars What a triumph. Of all the old prog dinosaurs, King Crimson were the only ones who managed to reinvent themselves in 1980, at a very difficult time for prog. (Former members Greg Lake and John Wetton, of course, will doubt that it really was a triumph.) Basing themselves on the African-inspired funk of mid-period Talking Heads (particularly their album REMAIN IN LIGHT), Fripp and his boys recorded some of the most intricate music ever composed for two guitars, drums and bass. 'Twinned guitar gamelan' they called 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've got to admit that his virtuoso guitar playing (often indistinguishable from Fripp's) is an 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 heard them performed live by the KC 'double trio' in the 1990s. But DISCIPLINE is the album that first introduced all this wonderful music to the world. Masterly stuff, from start to finish!

Review by The T
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
2 stars 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.

Review by 1800iareyay
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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

Review by OpethGuitarist
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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.

Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars 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.

Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 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 !

Review by febus
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam
3 stars 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.

Review by Queen By-Tor
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 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).

Review by Prog Leviathan
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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

Review by TGM: Orb
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Review 36, Discipline, King Crimson, 1981

StarStarStarStarStar

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

Review by UMUR
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars 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.

Review by LiquidEternity
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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.

Review by clarke2001
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars 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.

Review by ProgBagel
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 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.

Review by horsewithteeth11
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars The reformation of a giant that's bigger and better than ever.

I can almost remember what was going on the first time I ever heard this, the first Crimson album I listened to. I was sitting in my room, munching on a big bowl of popcorn, when I decided to put this on and see what all the fuss about it was. I think I must have dropped the popcorn I was holding after the first 30 seconds of this album. It then proceeded to give me a firm kick in the butt and took me on a magical 38 minute journey that always remains memorable every time I put it on.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I would say I'm in the minority in that 80s-era King Crimson is my favorite era of the band. This also happens to be my favorite KC album For me, what really makes this album special, actually the entire era of KC since this album, is Belew. His voice always draws me into Crimson in such a hypnotizing way, and he's easily one of my favorite guitarists and vocalists. Not to mention he was born and raised about 10 minutes from where I currently live. To truly understand Belew's guitar work, as well as that of Levin, Fripp, Bruford, or anyone else in the band, seeing the Neal and Jack and Me DVD with some of these songs performed totally made it even more memorable. Every member on this album could easily be placed into my list of favorite guitarists/vocalists/bassists/drummers/god knows what else.

Asking me to pick a favorite song on here would be like asking most parents who their favorite child is. To me, every track makes this album as worthwhile as it is and the reason why this is one of my favorite albums ever. It's technical, complex, multi-layered, quirky, humorous (lyrically), cryptic (lyrically and instrumentally), and very emotional. This might be an album that will take time to grow on most, but with enough effort it's certainly worth it. It gets 5 stars from me easily, and I would gladly give it more if I could. Words don't do this justice; it must be experienced and given room to grow.

Review by SouthSideoftheSky
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Symphonic Team
2 stars It's only talk

After having broken up after the successful Red album in 1974, many would have thought that we had seen the last of King Crimson. But seven years later they returned with a radically different approach with Adrian Belew (Talkning Heads) on lead vocals and additional guitar. The core of the band was leader Robert Fripp, drummer Bill Bruford and bassist Tony Levin. The comeback would produce three studio albums in the present one from 1981, 1982's Beat and 1984's Three Of A Perfect Pair (before the band would once again disappear from the music scene for another eleven years). Out of these three 80's albums, Discipline seems to be the most popular and some even think that it rivals the John Wetton and Greg Lake eras of the band. For this reviewer, however, this period of King Crimson was not too successful and Discipline is an uneven effort.

While containing some good tracks, awful tracks like Elephant Talk, Indiscipline and Thela Hun Ginjeet are wholly unlistenable for me. Belew's "talking" vocal style on these songs is terribly irritating and annoying for me and his lyrics are plain silly and nonsensical. The good songs include Frame By Frame and Matte Kudasai, two tracks that prove that Belew can actually sing quite well when he puts his mind to it. Still, it is the eight minute plus instrumental The Sheltering Sky that is the album's highlight for me. But even the best tracks on this album fall very far behind classics like 21st Century Schizoid Man, In The Court Of The Crimson King and Starless.

For fans only

Review by Epignosis
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars 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.

Review by Bonnek
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars 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.

Review by snobb
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars 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.

Review by Sinusoid
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars The King Crimson fanbase seems to be divided over this release. Typical criticisms of DISCIPLINE seem to be the overt ''new-wave'' sound the album embraces and the seemingly cold technicality of the songs. Not one song breaks the nine minute threshold, Adrian Belew's voice is of an acquired taste and only prototypical rock instruments are used here (minus the Chapman stick). In spite of all this, I am still willing to defend DISCIPLINE.

I've had a mutual respect for the Crimson body of work ever since I heard ''21st Century Schizoid Man'' for the first time. However, I believe mutual respect and love are not necessarily synonyms, and I've always had trouble putting King Crimson albums on repeat because I really didn't love the songs, even if their debut is a bona fide prog masterpiece. They've always been artistic masterminds, but many of their earlier works aren't ''grounded'' enough for me. DISCIPLINE changed that.

DISCIPLINE is deceptively simply in its new-wavey sound, yet all of the stick lines, percussion tricks and guitar licks give the album an inner complexity. Fripp can give a cluster of notes a trancy feel, and his guitar work is the main fabric that keeps the album in check along with Bruford's odd percussion sounds. Adrian Belew can create some interesting noises (e.g. elephant sounds in ''Elephant Talk'') with his guitar, and the stick lines are things you simply must hear in order to understand.

There are plenty of highlight tracks here, mostly in the trancier tunes like ''Elephant Talk'', ''Discipline'', ''Thela Hun Ginjeet'' and ''Frame By Frame'', all of them sounding like the Police or the Talking Heads. ''Indiscipline'' has a sound very close to heavy metal with an incredible drum performance to boot, and ''The Sheltering Sky'' has this Peter-Gabriel-world- music sound to it. The only weaker track is ''Matte Kudasai'', a ballad type of track that doesn't really fit. I'd love to give this the maximum rating, but I'll be objective here and warn progsters of the potentially ''poppier'' sound here. One should first discover 70's King Crimson first.

Review by Evolver
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams
3 stars After a seven year hiatus, Robert Fripp was back with a new band, called King Crimson. Their original name was to be Discipline, and I think it would have been a better fit. The compositions were built around strict finger exercises, played at the same time by Fripp, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, who revolutionized bass playing at the time with his amazing Chapman Stick work. While the concept was groundbreaking and interesting at the time, the novelty wore off after one record.

The highlights are Elephant Talk, which features Levin's two-handed stick playing, and some pretty lame vocals ("These are words beginning with D" - Really, Adrian?), Indiscipline and Thela Hun Ginjeet.

The vocals throughout are marred by Belew's thin, David Byrne-like voice. While Frame By Frame and Matte Kudesai are okay songs, they never command multiple listens.

If you must have an album by this lineup, get this one.

Review by The Quiet One
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Thela Hun Ginjeet! Is that Zeuhl?! Nah, just an anagram...

Discipline indeed marked a radical change in King Crimson's history; from this album onwards you could easily call it a new band, since it really was meant to be a new one. The original Crimsonian sound was gone, no mellotrons, no jazzy leanings, few rock substance, and other dozen of things that made the 70's Crimson so characteristic, despite its differences with each line-up, had also disappeared.

The 80's King Crimson were a totally new breed, as music progressed and moved on from the 70's pompous stuff, so did Fripp, so you can find Discipline to be akin to some of the new wave stuff of the time. However, as you all know, Robert Fripp has always been a unique songwriter, so Discipline is also one-of-a- kind like Larks' Tongue in Aspic and In the Court of the Crimson King were in their time, and still are for today.

Despite my general dislike at this album when I first listened to it, I always found something behind all its weirdness that made me come back to the album, finally after repeated listens, it clicked. Yes, it is weird, the guitars(yeah, two guitarists now) are played in an odd way and do not really sound like guitars, the drums are dynamic but 80's sounding so don't expect anything that sounds like what Bruford did in Red. I already knew Belew through Zappa, so his weirdness was tolerated by me, but now I consider his vocal performance throughout this album to be freaking fantastic and another key-factor making this sound like a totally new band.

The album is strong allthrough, so there's no need to mention any highlight, but I will mention my favorite tracks. These being Elephant Talk, perfect song to know what this band offers, bizarre vocals, some weird sounds, a complicated rhythm, and above all that it's catchy in its own odd way!, and Frame by Frame which has my favorite vocal performance by Belew.

Mind you, I'm not a big fan of this kind of freakiness, but King Crimson made it well and entertaining, and in Discipline it's pretty much superb. Definitely not an album I would categorize as classic Prog Rock, because it is not, but still this is original as hell and so fun to play that it deserves no less than 4 stars and I recommend it to any fan of the 80's new wave/post-punk kind of stuff and to anyone who is keen in listening to some wild, eighties-sounding, yet accessible for some, bizarreness that is so much fun!

Review by Rune2000
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars I really think that disbanding on a high note was a genius move by Robert Fripp. Yes, we might have missed out on a few more masterpieces but it certainly makes us appreciate the earlier material even more!

As for the decision of naming the band King Crimson, even though it was originally suppose to be Discipline, I'm pretty certain about my opinion on the issue. For once, I wouldn't be doing this review streak without the King Crimson name backing up this and the next few releases. It's also not certain that the band would call themselves King Crimson in the '90s without doing so in the '80s so there is a definite appeal there. Plus the band clearly went out of their way to create the Larks' Tongues In Aspic quadrilogy in order to link all of the eras of the band's development.

Now that we've got the obligatory defense speech out of the way, let's talk about the album! Discipline must have shocked the anticipating King Crimson fans since this incarnation of the band had no intension of indulging the listeners in a single moment of nostalgia. The sound is much more technical with Bruford and Levin creating a rhythmical force that never previously existed in King Crimson. The biggest change thought had to do with the addition of Adrian Belew as the band's vocalist/guitarist which must have be very surprising since Fripp never previously allowed anyone else to take on guitar duties in King Crimson. These new additions can roughly explain why the music is so vastly different from anything that we've heard before. It manages to be rhythmical and technical while keeping the listener on the edge of ones seat for the entire duration of the album.

Discipline is another one of the complete album experience types of records so I'll restrain myself from any sort of track-by-track description. All you need to know is that this is not the King Crimson that you've heard in the '70s but that doesn't necessarily makes Discipline a lesser album. Personally, I happen to rate it on the same level as Larks' Tongues In Aspic and Lizard, so just give it a shot and be open-minded about it!

***** star songs: Elephant Talk (4:41) Frame By Frame (5:08) Indiscipline (4:32)

**** star songs: Matte Kudasai (3:45) Thela Hun Ginjeet (6:25) The Sheltering Sky (8:22) Discipline (5:02)

Review by BrufordFreak
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars Time to review one of the most influential albums of my life. Though I now realize that Robert Fripp and company were really inventing nothing new here, this was my first exposure to what I call "controlled chaos," to disciplined, demanding, highly intricate playing by multi-instrumentalists in polyrhythmic forms. To my senses, the song "Discipline" is the foundation piece of many, many future rock groups--even the Post Rock/Math Rock sub-genre. I know this is the album that got me to purchase a second generation (composite fretboard) Chapman Stick, the album that convinced my brother to add computerized drums to his already-rather-elaborate Ludwig kit, the album that convinced another brother to treat amplifier feedback as his "friend." And then of course, there are the live concerts we caught after this and the each of the next two albums came out: Mind-blowing! Stupefying! Though I'd seen Tony Levin before several times with Peter Gabriel's tours, these were the concerts at which I came into full awareness and understanding of what a genius and virtuoso he is. And, then, of course, there's my hero, Batterie Bill: living every beat as if it were his soul's expression. "Elephant Talk" is still a masterpiece of sonic and lyrical presentation (10/10). "Frame by Frame" has incredible musicianship with a pretty nice vocal melody (8/10). "Mate Kudasai" is gorgeous beyond belief (9/10). "Indiscipline" never fails to make me laugh?though it represents, for me, 'controlled chaos' at its must wild and untamed. Scary! (10/10). "Thela Hun Ginjeet" tells an incredibly engaging story through the medium of a Sony digital recorder! This one rocks! Just watch the mosh pit! (9/10) "Sheltering Sky" is an all-time favorite for its incredible melodies, the touching and expressive guitar weave and dialogue between Fripp and Belew (Fripp actually got up off his stool one time while playing this one live!) Plus it's got Bruford's incredible 'dancing marimba' rhythm. (10/10) "Discipline." The crown jewel. The song that signaled a revolution: Music with a brain. A beacon of human potential. A testament to man's highest intellectual creative potential. (10/10)

Four geniuses, each leaders, innovators and virtuosi at their respective instruments, collaborating (right, Robert?) to create music that this avid music listener had never heard (in that way) before. And then they were brave enough to take it on the road. For several years! Forget the stale experimental splurge that came out of King Crimson's earlier incarnation in the 60s and early 70s, this is the music for which KC should be remembered as their "peak."

Five stars, a masterpieces and one of the greatest contributions to progressive rock ever.

(Added later without the memory of having written the above review:)

Not only did Discipline began a new era of King Crimson, it introduced the world to a new kind of music. The front line of new technologies were being explored here by Messrs. Bruford (Simmons electronic drums), Levin (Chapman Stick envelope pusher), Belew (fretboard, feedback, taping, rhythm and looping experimentalist), and Fripp (guitar synth sounds and odd tempo rhythms) but more, the forms and formats of song presentation were also being tested as well as the polyrhythmic elements of world ethnic musics.

1. "Elephant Talk" (4:45) is highlighted by so many layers of jaw-dropping individual performances but also by Adrian Belew's erudite lists of words associated with "talk", each verse organized by alphabetic order, A through E, and by Belew's incredible guitar-produced "elephant" noises.

2. "Frame by Frame" (5:13) is distinguished by some incredible polyrhythmic, multi-tempo play and gorgeous vocals by Adrian (lead) and Tony (b vox). Though the song is a bit repetitive in its ABACAB form, it remains a fascinating display of instrumental discipline to me.

3. "Matte Kudasai" (3:49) is, seriously, IMHO, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Between Adrian's heart-wrenching bottleneck work and his gorgeous vocal telling the tale of a sad Japanese "kept woman" living in America waiting for her lover. Great little solo from Señor Fripp as well.

4. "Indicscipline" (4:36) is, of course, highlighted by the crazed, crazy yet very disciplined drumming by M. Bruford and the frenzied, on-the-edge soloing by Fripp, as well as the humorous narration by Belew. And the quote, "I repeat myself when under stress! I repeat myself when under stress! I repeat myself when under stress! . . ."

5. "Thela Hun Ginjeet" (6:28) is another incredibly creative journey into the intensely focused mind and soul of wildman Adrian Belew. Built around a recording he made on a Sony digital micro-recorder while walking the streets of Manhattan, it revolves around hard driving rather straightforward rhythm and melody lines while displaying the awesome power and, again, (I have to use the word:) discipline of these four musical virtuosos. Next come my favorite two songs.

6. "The Sheltering Sky" (8:26) is an incredibly beautiful showcase of the disparate and yet complementary talents and styles of King Crimson, Version 2's two lead guitarists--all built around a hypnotic rhythm created by maestro Bill Bruford on a hand-held marimba. (Hand-held so Hyper-Bill could walk/dance around the stage/studio while playing.)

7. "Discipline" (5:03) is, to my mind, the single most important musical "song" of the 1980s. In it you can hear, see, experience and re-live the most concentrated, focused, disciplined, magically entwined and interwoven multiple melody and rhythm lines ever put to tape. Too bad Sir Robert never had enough trust in his own inner sense of time nor that of Maestro Bruford to let the track go without his metronomic click track, but, so be it. Belew and Fripp make it look like they're working their asses off on this one while the B.L.U.E. rhythmatists make it seem effortless. Amazing!

What people really fail to appreciate about this masterpiece of music creativity is the subtle yet complex and multi-layered contributions Tony Levin on his Chapman Stick made to each and every song. Every time I've seen this band perform it is always, ALWAYS Tony Levin that leaves me with the greatest feelings of respect and admiration. He is the glue to so many albums that I own, and yet no one really appreciates how much he contributes. By far and away the greatest "bass" player I've ever seen or heard.

Review by Isa
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars |C+| Experimental substance meets over-repetition.

This is definitely one of the more straight-forward works of KC's discography, and presents a marker of Fripp's shift to a new idiom in his compositional style. While the overall experimental feel that is present in just about all of his work has certainly been retained, as well as the relentless use of new sounds and technologies, Discipline is obviously and decisively more repetitive and easier to grasp than previous albums.

It really is the repetitive nature that makes this album as accessible as it is. Each track could easily be divided into a few sections that are used at least twice. Each section is comprised of guitar-bass-drum patterns and riffs that repeats every measure over and over, with vocals either talking or singing a nice melody. This is pretty much the case for the entire album, and is the main reason for the rating being lower than it would be otherwise. It took me literally three listens before I felt like I knew the album quite solidly, and only because there is in fact very little music here repeated to fit the length of the album. My feeling is that Fripp intended this as a consequence of the influence of minimalism in this album, evident also in some of the guitar work which refers quite clearly to Steve Reich.

Despite this overuse of material, the material itself is really cool and well crafted, especially in terms of the technology and instrumental effects used in the album's production. Fripp makes heavy use of chorused guitar, in a way that is indeed very characteristic of the early eighties. Bruford uses ethnic sounding percussion instruments much of the time as well. Levin sounds like Levin, offering really cool, juicy bass lines as usual, and shows off his speed in the second track. The vocal melodies are probably my favorite part of the album, very catchy and singable. His best contribution is in Thela Hun Ginjeet, which is along with the first track are the highlights of the album for me.

There's some great stuff to be heard in this album, but overall I'd say it is somewhat dated sounding and repetitive for my taste, and I'm not exactly a critic of simplicity in music. It's just not very organic and I blame minimalistic influence for this. Discipline is nonetheless a pretty fun album; I'd play it at a party with my progger friends as background music. A King Crimson fan should be satisfied with this album, especially if you like the group's later discography.

Review by AtomicCrimsonRush
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars I repeat myself when under stress.... I repeat myself when under stress...

King Crimson transformed themselves reinventing the very medium they were cocooned within. The lyrics and music became less surreal though no less captivating. On this release some of their most well known pieces were to emerge, becoming live favourites.

Elephant Talk begins this so well with the polyrhythmic patterns of Robert Fripp and the estranged singing of Belew. Bruford's drumming is a key feature as always and Levin plays a mean bass.

Frame By Frame is certainly an excellent song with some innovative musicianship. Indiscipline is a stunning progressive masterpiece, which captures the feeling of being obsessed over nothing more than anything you will hear. The spoken lyrics have a power of their own but it is those time sig shifts when the band begin to crunch out that hypnotic riff which makes this a classic.

Thela Hun Ginjeet is also mesmirising with a repeated mantra and motif that hooks into your system. The Sheltering Sky is a longer piece at 8:22, that showcases the prowess of Levin and Bruford.

It ends with Discipline and a bonus track for those who are interested. The unusual guitar playing and bizarre vocal styles became trademark King Crimson of the 80s and are ground breaking, proving that King Crimson were alive and well in this new incarnation.

Review by Tarcisio Moura
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars Talking Heads with Fripp and Bruford?

I never heard this album at the time it was released. In fact, it took me almost 30 years to actually get the CD. It may sound strange for such a fan of King Crimson like me. But the fact that Robert Fripp wanted to call the band Discipline had its reasons. Besides the inclusion of american guitarrist Adrian Belew in the line up didn´t appeal to me. Everybody knows they called themselves King Crimson after some pressure from the recording company. For their sound here is everything but KC.

Not really bad, I should say. But totally different. Even for a band that dabbled with such distincitve styles of music through their brief career in the late 60´s and early 70´s (classical, jazz, avant guard, eletronic, etc) this album doesn´t bring any of their trademarks in mind when I hear it. In fact, it sounds too much like something Adrian Belew did, solo or with Talking Heads. Of course Fripp´s great minimalistic guitar lines are stil present, and so are Bill Bruford´s terrific drumming. But in small doses. Too restrained. Most of the time you hear Belew´s pyrothechnics and David Byrne-like Vocals (from TH) plus Levin´s stick. Great musicians, no doubt, but still not really what KC was all about. Fripp and Bruford seems to be more guests than real band members in my opinion.

So in the end I can´t say I appreciated this CD much. The lack of memorable tunes is something I really miss from Discipline. King Crimson always flirted with the avant guard, but they never forgot how to blend it with some fine, simple melodies. That´s what made them stand out, and be such a great band. This is truly different album. And a different band. If it is good or bad it depends on your taste for music. Too much early 80´s new wave experimental stuff for me. And such bad lyrics. Discipline kind of dated somehow, while their 70´s output dind´t. They shouldn´t have used the name.

For collectors/hardcore fans only. (By the way, I like Talking Heads!)

Review by zravkapt
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This line-up of Fripp, Belew, Levin and Bruford were originally called Discipline. For whatever reason, Fripp decided the name should be changed to King Crimson. He asked Tony Levin what he thought and Tony responded that it was fine with him because he never liked the name Discipline anyway. There are those who believe that this group should not have been called King Crimson. Hell, there are some who believe that nothing after Islands should be labelled 'King Crimson'. Fripp and Levin both worked together on Peter Gabriel's solo albums. Belew and Fripp both appeared on David Bowie and Talking Heads albums. Bruford is back working with Fripp again.

Some dismiss this album as some kind of Talking Heads rip-off. The T-Heads never did anything as experimental as "Indiscipline" nor will you find any drumming on their albums which comes close to what Bruford is doing here. If this album sounds like Talking Heads then all these years I've been listening to the wrong group with the same name. This follows on the heels of Fripp's experimental New Wave band The League Of Gentlemen. On the original album cover was a Celtic knot that, unknown to the band, was actually copyrighted; on recent CD versions the design has been changed.

On this album begins the interlocking twin guitars that KC would continue to use in the next two decades. Roland guitar synths are used and Levin plays his Chapman Stick which he was usuing on Gabriel's albums. Bruford is not yet using electronic percussion. These compositions are pretty intricate and do not leave a lot of room for improvisation. However, one of the stand out tracks here, the instrumental "The Sheltering Sky", was originally a group improv which was recorded, then transcribed and re-recorded in the studio. This track has an almost tropical island vibe. Love the Stick and guitar synth here. Some cool sounds after 3 minutes.

These songs were much better in concert without much deviation from the studio versions. One of the songs that was performed slightly different live was the opener "Elephant Talk." This is the only song that somewhat resembles T-Heads due to Belew's Byrne-like vocals. The lyrics are Adrian reciting different words in alphabetical order. He does some elephant sounds on his guitar. Love the solo, being both atonal and melodic at the same time. The last and title track is my least favourite song here but it's still good. The music is very, uh, disciplined. No room for improvisation.

"Frame By Frame" is a highlight. Bruford really shines on this song with some African influenced drumming. Features Levin on back up vocals. "Matte Kudasai" is apparently Japanese for "please wait." Beautiful song. Love Belew's guitar playing and the gorgeous guitar arpeggios. The original version of this album had some guitar playing from Fripp on this song that was lated edited out on the first CD versions. It is now available as a bonus track on the most recent editions of the CD. I'm used to the version on the 1989 "definitive edition"(ha!) CD with Fripp's parts removed.

"Indiscipline" is just something else; the most experimetal song on the album. Not many were doing stuff like this in the early 1980s. Bruford drums like a madman at times. Love the sustained guitar notes. The lyrics are very weird with everything being referred to as "it." The song alternates between a vocals and Stick section with more dissonant, noisy sections. "Thela Hun Ginjeet" is an anagram of 'heat in the jungle', which was the original title but Fripp didn't like it. This song is based on a tape recording Belew made about crime in the city. He recounts what happened to him as he attempted to do this. Interesting story.

The music is based around a repeated Stick line. Bruford does some more African inspired drumming here. I love what the guitar is doing after 5 minutes. In addition to Adrian telling his story, there is some good singing on this track as well. No matter what you think about this album, you cannot deny these guys were trying to do something new. Compare this to some of what their 'prog' contemporaries were doing at the same time. Fripp hates the term "progressive" and would do whatever he could to distance himself from the 'dinosaur' bands. To me, this is the last KC album worth owning. Everything after this just seems to be recycled ideas. Apart from this, the only other '80s era release worth hearing is the live album Absent Lovers. This gets 4 stars.

Review by colorofmoney91
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Discipline is the beginning album for a line-up for King Crimson that fans are usually divided in opinion on, usually on a love or hate basis. I neither love nor hate this line-up, but the music is definitely different. This album sounds like the '80s, but unlike most progressive rock bands in the '80s, the music doesn't sound cheesy at all. It's actually all crafted quite well and comes off as very unique and progressive. Some of the tracks here are instrumentals, with spoken word over the top of them, which isn't bad but it does come off as a bit weird. This definitely isn't a great introduction to King Crimson, but I actually rather enjoy this album quite a bit. King Crimson has always had a way of reinventing their own sound and this album is a great example of that.

Highly recommended!

Review by Andy Webb
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Retired Admin
4 stars Discipline. That is all.

After 7 years, Fripp and the boys were back making music. Or maybe just Fripp, because there was an almost entirely new lineup for the band's eight studio output Discipline. Fripp found technical bass master Tony Levin and experimental avant virtuoso Adrian Belew to play in his all-star band. And did they certainly create some experimental stuff! King Crimson's symphonic days were long gone, and on Discipline the newly emerging 'eclectic' style of King Crimson began to blossom into a flower not so traditional in beauty; the album encompassed a new form of music for many, with pulsing drum lines, near random guitar solos, and the insinuation of Fripp's ambient foray into music as well. With classics such as Elephant Talk and Frame by Frame gracing the tracklist, this album certainly goes down as a classic King Crimson album.

It's quite incredible to see the evolution of King Crimson from an experimental but still heavily symphonic band on In the Court of the Crimson King to this highly mechanical, disciplined, and experimental album. The guys certainly had no fear when they exploded forth into the dying prog base in the early 80s, and they certainly had a major success, at least with fans. Blasting forth with the incredible Elephant Talk, which almost perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Levin's time with King Crimson in the classic bass line as well as Belew's highly experimental highly avant-garde and highly amazing musical style that he brings to the table for King Crimson. On this album we can really see the eclectic put into King Crimson's music, with many more styles, from jazz to a proto-metal like feel to ambient to so many other experimental feels that contribute to the overall extreme eclecticism of the album, which of course is good not bad. Even in the less mechanical and intense sections of music, the band manages to tie together a really fantastic album overall.

One of the major pros and one of the cons as well of the album are the extreme dynamics. Between side 1 and side 2, there are two extreme themes running throughout (with the continuity tied together with Matte Kudasai and Thela Hun Ginjeet (which is an acronym for The Heat of the Jungle). One side 1 we see the new mechanical intensity of the band, with precision riffs, quick, accurate rhythms, and an overall rocking and rolling beat to the song, a la Bill Bruford. On side 2, we see Fripp exerting his creative control with a much more ambient (of course without Thela Hun Ginjeet being considered), with the longest track The Sheltering Sky comprised of mellow atmospheres and quiet guitar soloing and percussion, and the title track comprised of highly Disciplined (ha) musicianship quietly rotating around a central theme and making a rather tasty jam session. In the end, the dynamics of the album certainly add a spicy flavour to the album, but at the same times, some of the more extended ambient sections and hectic mechanical sections slightly deteriorate the quality of the music.

In the end, Discipline is, with no pun intended, certainly King Crimson's most disciplined and precise album yet. Comprised of multiple intense mechanical masterpieces as well as a number of memorable ambient pieces, the eclectic and dynamic style of the music certainly sets this album apart from most of the band's older work. Overall, the album is certainly a fantastic album and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an album with a highly eclectic and dynamic output; the mechanical and experimental features may deter some, but overall this album is fantastic. 4 stars.

Review by friso
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars King Crimson - Discipline (1981)

The band had gone through their symphonic/jazz-rock phase, their proto-progmetal phase and now entered their modern phase after a pause of seven years (in which Robert Fripp did release his King Crimson related debut). Fripp would rather have named the band discipline, but the record companies believed otherwise. Bill Bruford (former Yes) is still on the drumkit, but bass(stick) player Tony Levin and guitarist/vocalist Andrew Belew (former Zappa) are new in the King Crimson line-up.

When it comes to the sound of the band this rendition of King Crimson is hardly recognizable. The band has a strait-forward eighties sound with funk-riff rhythms, guitar synthesizers, an eighties drum sound and wave-styled sound and vocals. This must have been quite a shock at the time, as I myself thirty years later (with experience with some other modern works of the band) was a bit uncomfortable at first. Still there are some Robert Fripp & King Crimson traits that are recognizable. The frantic guitar lines, the awkward guitar-solo style of Fripp with his own effects, the confronting lyrics and the quality that makes the band able to play hard & frantic as well as soft & subtle from time to time.

The songs. 'Elephant Talk' is the opener and we are quickly introduced with the frantic funk guitar rhythms and bass rolls. The spoken word lyrics of Belew are furious and give the song a sort of unique vibe. The instrumental passages are a bit strange as Fripp seems to have found a way to make the sound of an roaring elephant on his guitar. 'Frame by Frame' has some more up-tempo freak funk rhythms but this song also has a great melodic approach to the vocals. This suits my taste a bit more. 'Matte Kudasai' is a great ballad type song with floating atmospheres, nice chord progressions and sentimental vocals by Belew. A welcome intervention! 'Indiscipline' has a heavy main theme with an distorted electric metal sound. The couplet theme is quite brilliant with a break-up rhythm and interesting if not mysterious spoken words by Belew, just before entering the heavy them again. On side two 'Thela Hun Ginjeet' is in the vain of the two opening tracks of the album. The vocal arrangements are catchy, but the couplet theme also has some panicking vocals by Belew that I like quite much. On the major part of the song we get to listen to some spoken words about dangerous situations. 'The Sheltering Sky' is an instrumental track with an interesting repetitive chord riff and a free-jazz solo by Fripp that sounds like... I don't really know, it's just interesting. The percussion of Bruford works very good here. Slowly the track evolves into an exciting almost post-rock like track, albeit with strange solo's of Fripp. The ending track 'Discipline' is another instrumental track with many twin guitar riffs that doesn't do to much for me. Still an acceptable track.

Conclusion. This has been a good addition to my progressive rock collection. The music is very original, though I must admit I don't like every passage of this album. It's good to hear a band finding a relevant sound in such dark days of music development as the early eighties were. This is one of the latest excellent studio-albums of King Crimson, only the magnificent 'The Power to Believe' (2001) is a better album in my opinion. The album proves to have set the standard for the rest of King Crimson's career and Belew became one of most important members of the band. Four stars for this one, but approach with extreme care and give yourself time to acquire this new discipline of King Crimson.

Review by Anthony H.
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars King Crimson: Discipline [1981]

Rating: 9/10

"These are words with a D this time..."

After 1974's Red, Fripp had thoroughly thrown in the towel with King Crimson. In fact, the band had been finished before that album was even released. After repeated interviews in which Fripp explicitly stated his lack of creative interest in the King Crimson name, I can't imagine that music fans during the mid-to-late 70s expected a reformation of the group. Needles to say, however, this reformation came; Fripp reconvened with Bill Bruford, recruited Zappa alumnus Adrian Belew and noteworthy bassist Tony Levin, and proceeded to revive a band many thought to be permanently dead. This revival came during the inception of the 1980s, and looking at what happened to other prog giants during this unholy decade, it was easy to assume that the same would happen to King Crimson. Joyfully, this turned out not to be the case; thus, Fripp holds the honor of being one of the few prog-rock maestros who remained artistically genuine throughout the musical climate of the 80s. This is what makes Discipline a remarkable album. The band was able to combine progressive music with emergent new-wave/post-punk sounds in order to make a musical statement that is both accessible and challenging.

The band's changed style is immediately apparent on the opener "Elephant Talk." This track is full of complex and theatrical guitar interplay coupled with Belew's manic vocals. The brilliant lyrics are quite witty and humorous, signaling a significant shift from the Sinfeld-penned verses of the past. Levin's bass work is given a chance to shine on "Frame By Frame", along with the more melodic side of Belew's voice. "Matte Kudasai" is a ballad-type track with some excellent slide-guitar and emotive vocals. The most excellent chunk of the album begins with "Indiscipline." This is a schizophrenic track, transitioning between variations on a sinister main riff and quiet passages focusing on Belew's frenzied spoken-word vocals. "Thela Hun Ginjeet" is probably the best post-70s King Crimson track. Bruford really shines here, and the main riff is absolutely brilliant. The vocals and spoken-word passages complement the manic music perfectly. "The Sheltering Sky" is a soft, ambient instrumental with hand-percussion and light guitar strumming. It's a pleasant track, but it lasts a bit too long for its own good. The superb title track closes the album with dizzyingly complex math-rock interplay.

Discipline undoubtedly marks a major stylistic shift for the band; Fripp didn't originally intend for this album to even be a King Crimson release. While I certainly do not believe that the Belew-era albums stack up to the band's 70s material, I cannot deny the engaging creativity present on albums such as this. I possess no particular affinity for new-wave music, but this quirky and progressive take on the genre always manages to hold my interest. Overall, Discipline is an excellent album from a band that was never comfortable with resting on its laurels. Works like this show that accessibility doesn't have to come at the expense of inspiration.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars The resurrected King Crimson showcased on Discipline focuses on the New Wave art rock direction of Fripp's solo efforts (such as Exposure), with influences creeping in from the session work he'd done during the Crimson interregnum - Tony Levin joins after encountering Fripp during the recording of Peter Gabriel's third solo album, from which a tense, neurotic energy is borrowed, whilst Adrian Belew drifts in following Fripp's collaborations with Talking Heads, and like the Heads the 80s Crimson is fascinated with the possibilities of rhythmic experimentation.

The harsh metal-prog workouts of the mid-1970s Crimson is present and correct, with Fripp and Bruford being the crucial links to the past; the heavy portions of Indiscipline in particular are a direct link between the current band's work and the group's laudable history. What is particularly striking about the album is the way it manages to dispense of synthesisers and keyboards more or less entirely, instead relying on Fripp and Belew's guitar playing weaving intricate, interlocked rhythms and solos, creating a structure as complex and flawless as the Celtic knot on the album cover. Fans of Fripp's guitar work and prog fans open to the idea that 1970s heroes updating their sound for the 1980s can have genuinely progressive and interesting results will find an absolute treasure trove here.

Review by EatThatPhonebook
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 8/10

Trendy has never sounded so cool.

King Crimson's 'Discipline' is an example of an album that was groundbreaking for one genre, when the band was famous for doing something completely different. In 1981 Post- Punk reigned supreme among Art Rock bands, and KC decided to join the rollercoaster, and when they do that, they always stay on the very first car.

While 'Discipline' very strictly speaking is still Progressive Rock, mostly because of the song structures, it has a massive New Wave and Art Punk influence, using it's basic formulas. Imagine Talking Heads wanting to make some Prog. This is the guaranteed result. Thanks to the eighties-ish reverberated guitars and the David Byrne-esque vocals, 'Discipline' remains a classic not only for Prog rock but also for New Wave and Post-Punk, surprisingly enough. However King Crimson aspects are obviously heard, especially in the crazy instrumentation, where Robert Fripp, Tony Levin (on bass) and Bill Bruford (on drums) give the best of their skills to produce a technical monster of an LP. This actually might be one of the greatest albums for musicians delivered by KC.

'Discipline' is extremely rigid, cold, neurotic, and nervous sounding most of the time, however there so much intelligence behind this effort; every sound is trying to reproduce something, such as seagulls, the police, or tons of others. The lyrics might sound to some a little pretentious, but I find them extremely interesting, even when Adrian Belew is repeating several times during 'Indiscipline' 'I repeat myself when under stress'. This line is sort of reassumes how King Crimson's art is on their eighth studio album.

The thought provocations start with the very beginning of the album, 'Elephant Talk', a brilliantly executed piece greatly embed with peculiar, possibly satirical, lyrics and vocals. The crazy musicianship of Robert Fripp and Tony Levin will make musicians drool for sure. 'Frame by Frame' is even more technical, a highly progressive piece that comes pretty darn close to perfection, a typically King Crimsonesque mix of virtuosity and original songwriting. Other highlights are here and never will be forgotten, like what could be the most impressively structured piece 'The Sheltering Sky', the most experimental and mellow song here, or also the madness of 'Thela Hun Ginjeet' and the more appealing and beautiful 'Matte Kudasai'.

One of those albums that relies on it's era, and at the same time is a potent and effective reflection of the era that it was released in. Essential album for not only Prog Rock, but also for Post-Punk/New Wave.

Review by tarkus1980
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars One of the neat consequences of Fripp's willingness to change and adapt over time is that perhaps no former bigshot of prog rock, save probably Peter Gabriel, survived the punk movement in better condition. After KC broke up, Fripp spent the rest of the 70's as an extremely sought-after session guitarist, and his playing helped shape the works of several of that time's greatest artists. Brian Eno, in particular, seemed to call upon the services of Fripp whenever possible, and since Eno himself worked with big names (Talking Heads, David Bowie) in addition to his own great solo career, it followed that Fripp managed to regain a good chunk of critical credibility (in other words, he was able to balance out the critical backlash from his involvement with the "mistake" that was the prog rock movement). In any case, since Fripp had managed to graft several New Wave traits into his guitar stylistics (and in fact even created several of the most prominent New Wave guitar traits), it only makes sense that when he decided to revive the name King Crimson, it would be a band with heavy New Wave influences.

For some fans of Crimson, this incarnation and everything afterwards is just a footnote in the band's history, a "lesser" version of a formerly great band. To me, this is nothing short of an enormous mistake - I may like well-done "classic" prog, but "classic" prog is only one of the many kinds of music that I greatly enjoy. In terms of (a) the collective playing talent of the group and (b) the combination of styles and genres, I could even make the argument that THIS is the best ever version of King Crimson. The songwriting may be kinda hit-and-miss in terms of traditional hooks and melodies and the like, but players are sufficiently talented as to take the ideas they come up with and attack them with enough energy and intensity to more than make up for any deficiency.

To explain the stylistics of this album, it is first necessary to understand the lineup. Fripp, as mentioned earlier, had mostly replaced the hard-rock crunch of the 70's with all sorts of complex New Wave pyrotechnics. He occasionally brings out the crunch (Indiscipline), but that's the exception, and most of his playing is spent in bizarre coordination with a second guitarist. This slot is filled by one Adrian Belew, a former Zappa sideman and a primary guitar-contributer to the 1980 Talking Heads album Remain in Light. Band purists might be miffed at the presence of a second guitarist in a band with Robert Fripp, but no better choice could possibly be made than Belew - not only is he one of the few people in the world who could stand toe-to-toe with Fripp in a playing showdown, he has an equal love of both avant-garde and pop, making him a good addition to a prog/New-Wave hybrid band like this. Belew also takes over the vocal and lyric functions in this incarnation, and it's a score in both cases - aside from the fact that he has a strong voice, albeit somewhat overdone and occasionally emotionally vapid, he also pens lyrics that are both absurd and unpretentious in their emphasis of the absurdity.

The percussion of this incarnation comes from a familiar source, good ole Bill Bruford, but that doesn't mean this is the same kind of percussion as before. Bruford SERIOUSLY reworked and retooled his playing since Crimson's breakup, or even his later stint as Genesis' drummer for one tour, and one would be hardpressed to guess that it was the same person. The biggest developments are (a) a major assimilation of World Music influences, and (b) a newfound love of electronic percussion. Note that electronic drums are NOT the same as drum machines; the sounds may be enhanced with non-acoustic tones, but that is still a real person behind the kit, and in this case, it's one majorly talented person. It should be further noted that Bruford was one of the first people to fully realize that an electronic kit can and should be attacked in a different way from an acoustic kit, in a way that takes advantage of the full sonic potential of the drums, and as a result the drumming here is innovative, interesting AND occasionally dancable.

Speaking of dancable, the bass player here is one Tony Levin, quite possibly the finest session bassist in the world. The man has played with seemingly EVERYBODY in his life - aside from Crimson, he's had a significant role in the career of Peter Gabriel, and he's also played with everybody from John Lennon to Yes (or ABWH, whatever) to Pink Floyd to Eno to whomever. Aside from immaculate technique, Tony has an almost unmatched capability to make complex rhythms dancable, and dancable rhythms flow and come alive, and he displays this talent in full force on this album. Between his bass and his Chapman Stick, his playing and tones do wonders for making the overall sound so incredibly intriguing.

So what is the sound? The common oversimplification is that it's basically a Talking Heads ripoff, albeit a little more complicated; this explanation, in my opinion, is somewhat lacking. There are some similarities to the Heads albums around that time, but there's a good reason for that - Fripp played some of the guitars on Fear of Music, and as mentioned previously, Belew played many of the guitars on Remain in Light. In other words, any ripping off of the Heads would be, in part, merely a ripoff of themselves. Yet even in that case, the resemblances are just superficial - the guitar tones are fuller, the sound is less "twee" if twee can in any way be used to describe a Talking Heads album, and the technical ability of this group is so far above that of the regular Heads that there can't help but be serious improvements in some areas. In any case, the sound is more or less New Wave meets prog rock meets World Beat (I guess WB is a subgenre of New Wave, but whatever) meets a tinge of avantgarde meets ... elephantosity, for which Belew is credited in the liner notes. In other words, this really has no perfect comparison with anything else in the music world, and that's definitely worth something.

Unfortunately, this is one of those albums where it's a lot easier to describe in detail the overall sound than the actual songs. This doesn't mean the songs aren't enjoyable or accessible, it just means that if you've heard 30 seconds or so of one of the tracks, you've basically heard the entire track, just in slight variations. An exception lies in the multipart "Indiscipline," one of the only tracks to not take a single theme and pound it into your head incessantly - when Belew isn't reciting excerpts from a letter strung together in such a way as to make little sense, in the way only he can, while the underlying instrumentation builds up the tension, we get to hear all sorts of crunchy jamming and Bruford drum frenzies. I suppose I can see where some might consider it a weak track, given that it's essentially beat poetry over New-Wave-laced atonal jamming, but I find it very interesting to hear the bizarre approach the band takes with the dynamics of the track, and as such I'd never dismiss it.

Otherwise, the album is represented by such oddities as the opening "Elephant Talk." It can be summed as follows: Belew recites synonyms for "talk" starting with letters A through E over a cool repetitive background, while Adrian also occasionally throws in a guitar sound that sounds like, sure enough, an elephant. Sounds stupid in theory, yes, but it works splendidly - all these energetic rhythmic parts bounce off each other in a hyperactive frenzy that can't help but suck the listener in. A similar statement can be made about the side-two opener, "Thela Hun Ginjeet" (anagram for "Heat in the Jungle"). Every so often there's a "verse melody" where Belew sings the title and a couple of other completely meaningless lines, but the majority of it consists of VERY cool jamming with great guitar interplay (and some great sounds from Fripp), and a tape of Belew relating some story about getting arrested during the recording sessions for being weird. It might be slightly overlong, and it would only realize its full potential live, but I can't name other problems besides that.

As for the rest of the album, aside from the BEAUTIFUL ballad "Matte Kudasai" (an ode to Belew's wife, with a great vocal melody to go with the great vocals, and Fripp using his soundscapes as only he can), the rest of the album is essentially a launchpad for hypnotic jamming led by the mindblowing guitar interplay. "Frame by Frame" is the weakest of these (at least, the one I enjoy the least, even if it's stunning from a technical standpoint), but it still works - the guitars are panned in such a way as to make you ever so slightly uncomfortable, as if there's an "optimal" way for balancing them that the band purposefully avoids, and it does a good job of drawing further attention to the playing. The other two such tracks are instrumentals, closing out the album, and while many condemn them as generic yuppie world-beat muzak, I'll have nothing of it. "The Sheltering Sky" is anchored by a terrific drum line with some cool rhythm work, while Fripp uses his guitar-synth capabilities to their highest potential. Overlong perhaps (8 and a half minutes is somewhat excessive), but I for one never find myself looking at the time wondering how much longer I have to sit through it - it's just about the best meditation piece Crimson ever came up with, with a solid cross between monotony and diversity in sound, and from that perspective it works marvelously.

Finally, there's the title track, where the guitar interplay is unveiled in all its glory. The general sound of it may be somewhat simplistic on the surface, but that's just a cover for gullible people. Listen closely to what the heck is being played, noting that the quartet is playing deceptively complex parts, and then try in particular to hack through the way Fripp and Belew's guitars weave through each other, creating order out of controlled chaos. If you dislike the track after doing that, well, it's your loss - me, I find it to be a catchy, engaging, yet mindblowing groove.

Overall, then, it's a pretty great album. If any flaw can be assigned to it as a whole, it's that the album can sometimes seem a bit ... cut-and-paste. It's a really cool sound, but it can sound a bit cold and overly academic, like a bunch of nutty professors in the music department at a university decided to do a grotesque version of post-punk guitar rock. Similarly, the album doesn't "breathe" at all - live, these songs are just about the best music of the 80's, while here it's just ... some of the better music of the 80's, if you can make the distinction. Make no mistake, though, getting this album shouldn't be something you regret, at least if you give it some time.

Review by stefro
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Returning to the spotlight after a lengthy seven-year hiatus and with two new members in tow, the 1981 King Crimson album 'Discipline' found Robert Fripp's art-rock ensemble sporting a crisp new post-punk sound. Back at the helm after successful stints playing with both Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno, Fripp is here joined by fellow returning member and former Yes drummer Bill Bruford, marking his second stint with the group, and new boys Tony Levin(bass) and Adrian Belew(guitar, vocals). In terms of collective experience, this is some band. The members count the likes of Talking Heads, Genesis, Frank Zappa and Peter Gabriel amongst their repertoire of previous engagements, and from the off it's pretty obvious that 'Discipline' is an album brimming with top class instrumental technique. However, those who have yet to investigate 'Discipline' must be warned: this is as far away from the group's original post- psychedelic origins as they are as likely to get. Instead, what we have here is freshly-weaved Talking Heads-style art-rock embossed with complex ethnic rhythms, dashes of vivid electronica and sardonic lyricism courtesy of new head writer Belew. Highlights include the overlapping guitar textures of the fiendishly-intricate 'Frame By Frame', the churning electro- rock of 'Elephant Talk' and, most impressively, the eight-minute krautrock-styled opus 'The Sheltering Sky', which harks back to the ambient soundscape experiments of the Fripp-Eno album's 'No Pussyfooting' and 'Evening Star'. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012
Review by rogerthat
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Before I get to the review proper, I have to get some background info out of the way. Discipline may have been a rebirth of the King Crimson vehicle which Robert Fripp had seemingly abandoned for good in 1974 (ha!) but it is no ITCOTCK-esque revolution. Bill Bruford once said that you can hear the future of music on a King Crimson album, but on Discipline you can hear its immediate past. Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel, most notably. I don't think the fact that Fripp also contributed guitar solos to Talking Heads makes it his work instead of theirs and to that extent, the sometimes hyperbolic claims made about the originality of this album seem hard to relate to.

With that told, I have to say that Discipline is still an incredible exhibition of musicianship presented in infectious and palatable slices of new wave/rock. When Fripp called time on King Crimson and heavily criticized the 70s rock scene, which he felt was excessive, he had also advocated the "small, smart, self-sufficient, mobile unit". And you cannot say about Fripp that he didn't/doesn't walk the talk - at least not in this connection. Small, smart units of prog is exactly what we get on Discipline. It took 7 years and the introduction of two new musicians in the lineup, but Fripp lived up to his boast.

And not only is Discipline small and smart in its approach, it also overflows with contagious energy of the kind that was sorely missing in prog by the end of the 70s. Where Dave Stewart apparently chose to blast the emergence of supposedly illiterate musicians riding on the 'lack' of talent, Fripp & co deliver to listeners what they had perhaps been missing in the interim.

This is not music that requires a quiet room and high powers of concentration to focus on and appreciate. It leaps out of the stereo and grabs you by the collar, wasting no time in getting across its point. The new wave-ish stylistic orientation masks the astounding level of musicianship on this album. This is a hard enough set of songs to play without having to emulate the energy with which the musicians project it. Thela Hun Gunjeet is on a King Crimson album? You've got to be kidding me. Its riffs hook you in a matter of seconds in ways unthinkable of the earlier avatar of King Crimson.

Even though Discipline is largely a tightly composed affair with next to no room for improvised sections, it doesn't feel like it at all. King Crimson's previous attempts to marry composition with improvisation, incredible as they were, had a studied and calculated air about it. Discipline has an intrinsic spontaneity about it and is a bit silly and quirky, at least by King Crimson standards.

A good measure of credit, or blame depending on the way you see it, for this new found quirk must go to singer and guitarist Adrian Belew. Previous King Crimson vocalists like Lake and Wetton sang the lines relatively neatly with their powerful voices without much by way of a distinct style or trait. Belew's style of singing on the other hand is very distinct, even if it might not be everyone's cup of tea, and lends the album an unique character (not unlike the way Byrne does to Talking Heads).

A minor gripe I have is the album seems to find its magic formula early on and sticks to it to the point where it overstays its welcome a wee bit. Also, the two attempts to break out of the formula, Matte Kudasai and Sheltering Sky, produce mixed results. I think Sheltering Sky might have fared a bit better with me had the tones been a little more to my liking. Matte Kudasai is kind of overwrought and cheesy but not particularly bad and it will pass.

That aside, there's not much more to find fault with in this remarkable effort by an outstanding incarnation of King Crimson. It seems almost too much like stating the obvious to say that it is one of the essentials of 80s music.

Review by TCat
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
5 stars And it came to pass that there was a drought in the land and the King called Crimson was lost in the wilderness. And after seven years, the King returned, somewhat altered, but ready to spread the word that Prog had returned to the masses. And there was much rejoicing.

So, why am I adding another review to the long list of reviews for this album? Because I love King Crimson, that's why. Never a band to be predictable, but a band bent on progressing. The new incarnation of KC returned with barely a resemblance of the previous line-up. The only survivors from the hiatus were Robert Fripp (of course) and Bill Bruford. They were now joined by two new and extremely talented musicians, Adrian Belew from Talking Heads and Frank Zappa's band for a short while and Tony Levin, bass player extraordinaire. And there was a new sound. Sort of a industrial proto-prog way beyond the cutting edge and ahead of their time once again. Sure there was no beautiful singular masterpiece like "Starless" on this album like there was on "Red", but you can't keep making the same song and sound over and over and consider yourself progressing. Besides, other masterpieces were to come.

The sound is definitely different, and a lot of KC fans could not accept the progression that KC made, but they also ended up winning over a lot of new converts. The one thing that did not change was the ingenuity and influence they would continue to exert not just in prog but other forms of music as well. Whether you liked the change or not, it can not be denied that they would continue to have a great influence. Yes they adopted some new styles that were popular at the time, but they took those styles beyond anything that was being listened to at that time.

This album is full of rapid fire guitar hooks, crazy percussion, some frippertronics added in, and wonderful atmospheric sounds that people were not used to hearing from guitar players. Adrian's vocals definitely worked with the music and his guitar work enhanced and strengthened the spotlight on Fripp's sound and guitar work. Together, they formed a guitar team unmatched and put together sounds that were unheard of then. Listen to them now, and they are still timeless and pertinent, but not quite as new sounding as they were then.

Most of this album is straight ahead hard rock, but not like you would normally think of hard rock. There are a few quieter tracks, but the are still just as innovative, especially "Sheltering Sky" which took frippertronics to a new melodic level. And the rapid fire guitar work in "Frame by Frame" and "Discipline" is jaw droppingly amazing music.

This music speaks to me and gives me chills every time. I honestly don't know any other way I could rate this other than being a true masterpiece in that it embodies the whole idea of what progressive music is. Robert Fripp and crew were only bringing us the beginnings of Math and Post Rock with this album and the other two that followed. Pushing the limits like KC did only opened up the way for what was to come in the future. 5 well-deserved stars, and the King continues to astonish both believers and non-believers.

Review by Magnum Vaeltaja
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
2 stars One of those funny things about King Crimson is that, with the diversity of their styles and their frequent experimentation, it's just about impossible not to have at least one line-up by them that just doesn't work for you. And for me, that's the "Discipline" era.

The album has some strong musical ideas and a team of competent musicians but, in my opinion, wasn't executed very well. The production aesthetic is one that I completely disagree with. The guitars sound sterile and dull, the drums overpowering and it's really trying to listen to most of the time. I won't try to discourage people from listening to it since there are some camps that it will appeal to, mostly Fripp fanatics and 80's art rock aficionados, but this isn't really an album that would appeal to most prog fans.

You've gotta hand it to Fripp and company for reinventing their sound so often, but sometimes experiments are better left sequestered safely away behind the lab bench, away from the general public.

Review by patrickq
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars One of the best songs on this album is the instrumental title track, whose mechanical math-rock underpinnings are a good summary of all three of the band's 1980s albums. So it's doubly odd that "Discipline" would be the final track of Discipline.

But the way the entire album is sequenced is odd. Although the most accessible songs appear early, the spoken-word opener "Elephant Talk" is probably not the way to hook casual listeners. But it's a fair warning of what's to come. "Elephant Talk" is the only Discipline song with stream-of-consciousness spoken words over a somewhat conventional instrumental song structure, but most of the album juxtaposes convention and contravention.

There are only two songs which approach traditional pop form: "Frame by Frame" and "Matte Kudasai." Maybe that's why these are two of my favorites here. After a one-minute introduction, "Frame By Frame" follows an A-B structure (verse 1 - instrumental - verse 1 again - instrumental again). The final fifty seconds mirrors the introduction. The haunting "Matte Kudasai" has an even more traditional verse-chorus form, and if longtime King Crimson fans didn't lament its near-poppiness, it might have been because its undeniably lovely melody.

Perhaps to the relief of some of those fans, each 1980s King Crimson has its circumambulatory, experimental pieces. Here that box is checked with "Indiscipline" and "The Sheltering Sky." I would've preferred to have these songs, along with their Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984) counterparts, consolidated on a single album, kind of like what the group did with Space Groove in 1998. But i suspect that on this point, I'm in the minority among prog-rock fans.

So Discipline is a proverbial mixed bag, including three very good songs, and two which I skip over every time. Definitely a three-star album: "good, but not essential."

Review by Wicket
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Amazingly, this is my favorite of all the Crimson lineups, and yet produced some of the most underwhelming music of the lot.

Perhaps because I'm a fan of Tony Levin's work with basically 75% of Dream Theater in Liquid Tension Experiment as well as some of Adrian Belew's solo stuff.

But I've never been a big fan of "Discipline", "Beat" or "Three of a Different Pair". This era of Crimson has always been defined as a prog approach to the 80's sounds of new wave and post-punk sensibilities (or lack thereof). Sometimes it made sense, sometimes it did not, but nevertheless, I have marched down a path of no return. With my favorite Crimson albums reviewed, I must now review my least favorites.

Unlike "Three of a Different Pair", which had maybe one slightly catchy tune in the self titled track, it was basically blase tunes and spastic atonal playing. "Discipline" at least had a few tracks of note. "Elephant Noise" was not one of them. Belew's guitar playing resembling an elephant was fun and quirky, but his constant shouting and billowing of random words of alliteration was not. It grew old real fast.

"Frame by Frame" was nice. This is a good demonstration of the so called "Rock gamelan" sound that Fripp was looking for with interlocking and intertwining guitar melodies and riffs, as well as minimalist repetition. "Matte Kudasai" is fairly restrained for a Crimson track, almost ballad-like with its wilting lullaby mentality. Nothing super groundbreaking, but a pleasant song to listen to. This was probably due to Belew's tendencies to veer towards more pop-rock songwriting, so there's a balance between the accessible and unnatural. "Indiscipline" falls in the latter category, with Bruford just jamming in and out of time to his heart's content. Belew's talking underneath still Levin basslines underpin and a dark, broody jam filled with tension, angst and pot-punk influences.

"Thela Hun Ginjeet" is probably one of my favorites off the record. That repetitive guitar strumming "rock gamelan" style returns in full force behind a funky Bruford groove that just doesn't stop. It's a noticeable track for having almost no cymbals on it whatsoever. Bruford experimented with cymbal-less acoustic sets, and the band's dabbling with African type poly rhythms only emphasized the connection. "The Sheltering Sky" is a perfect example of that. Bruford begins the track by playing a traditional African slit drum, while Belew and Fripp use unique guitar synthesizers to distort their sound even further. Once again, the gamelan influences are prevalent and the track becomes almost meditative at times, while the closing title track is almost like a recap of the influences and styles heard previously throughout the album.

Sure, I'd consider it a throwaway track, along with "Elephant Noise" but for the most part this is a fairly solid album. Not only did it define the Crimson sound of the 80's. but unlike 'Beat' which felt uninspired and "Three of a Perfect Pair" which felt half-assed, there are a number of tunes that are both groundbreaking in style ("The Sheltering Sky", "Indiscipline") that that mesh with catchy, listenable tunes ("Matte Kudasai", "Thela Hun Ginjeet"). By the far the best and most telling record of 80's King Crimson.

Review by VianaProghead
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Review Nº 305

Part of the story of King Crimson shows us that they had several musical changes that occurred inside the band all over the years, and Robert Fripp is the only element that never quit the band. He is undoubtedly one of the most respected musicians of the universe of progressive rock. However, Fripp always said that he never was the group's leader, but the consistency of the path followed by the band and the rotation of its members, has shown otherwise.

It was in that context that appeared "Discipline". "Discipline" is the eighth studio album of King Crimson and was released in 1981. It's King Crimson's first album following a seven years hiatus, after the release of their previous seventh studio album "Red". After the release of "Red", Fripp disbanded the group in 1974. At the time, he had no intention of reforming King Crimson. However, when he decided to return to the music, his first step was to contact Bill Bruford and ask him if he was interested to join with him on a new band called Discipline. Only latter, Fripp decided that "Discipline" would be the name of their new studio album to be released with the old traditional name of the band.

The line up on the album is Robert Fripp (electric guitar and devices), Adrian Belew (lead vocals and guitar), Tony Levin (backing vocals, bass guitar and Chapman stick) and Bill Bruford (drums and percussion). So, only their founder member Robert Fripp and the latter addition of Bill Bruford remained in the band from their various incarnations.

"Discipline" has seven tracks. All songs were written by all band's members. The first track "Elephant Talk" shows clearly that the 70's sound of the group has gone. The four players twisted and turn their way through an unbelievably complicated and yet somehow almost danceable. Fripp and Belew guitar works are excellent making a very powerful force, showing a great chemistry between them both. This is a perfect opener to the album. The second track "Frame By Frame" was the single from "Discipline" and continues the story of the previous track and represents another great musical moment. It's a more subtle work with amazing band instrumental passages and tasteful guitar duets. Fripp's own performance of extremely fast and repetitious guitar work, is simply amazing, and Bruford's drum work which ranks among the best of his career. The third track "Matte Kudasai" is a totally different song, a very beautiful and nostalgic song. The instrumental backing here doesn't go off into virtuoso standards of the two previous songs, but contains itself a great mood to the song. This track also features the best vocals on the album and proves that Belew is a fine singer too. The fourth track "Indiscipline" takes things in a very different direction. It's the most progressive track on the album, with Fripp leading the band through incredible dark instrumental passages that reminds us the good old King Crimson's days. It's the most difficult track on the album where everyone gets a chance to shine, pushing even more for the quality of the band. The fifth track "Thela Hun Ginjeet" is an anagram for "Heat In The Jungle". It's a rather curious and strange song, to say, at the least, the most erratic song on the album but it doesn't disappoint. It's funky, spaced out and weirdly fun, but it still has a strict King Crimson's very own personality, and a true notable bass line and an incredible drum work. The sixth track "The Sheltering Sky" is probably the most subtle beautiful piece of music that King Crimson has ever made. Sometimes it's described, as the showcase piece on the album. It begins with a quiet percussive line that gradually developing through various subtle arrangements and finally returning to the percussive line on which it began. The seventh and last track is the title track "Discipline". It's a summation of all that has come before. It closes the album with a statement of controlled expressivity, using the skills of all group's members to create a successful whole. I particularly like the way how Fripp and Belew's guitars weave through each other, creating order out of controlled chaos. It proves the profound chemistry between two of the most thought provoking guitarists ever.

Conclusion: I know this album since it was released and it amazed me when I listen to it for the first time. It's hardly recognizable as a King Crimson's album because it practically has nothing in common to the usual sound of the band that we were used to. King Crimson made a vital progression with this album, instead of keeping with the same sound like so many of their progressive rock contemporaries. "Discipline" has many elements of the new wave movement combined with the progressive rock music. Fripp's guitar lines have never been so refreshing when combined perfectly with Bellew's futuristic guitar style. To complete the picture we have the bass/chapman stick by the wizard Levin, the Bruford's expansive drum solo and Belew's vocals sounding like David Byrne of Talking Heads. "Discipline" is one of the best King Crimson's albums, despite "In The Court Of The Crimson King" be their most influential and sentimental album and "Red" be a very special album because it represents an influential album for the prog metal style. Even though this isn't King Crimson's ultimate album, all people with an open mind will embrace this masterpiece of the 80's.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review by A Crimson Mellotron
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars King Crimson are among the progressive bands that remained innovative and interesting in the 80s, with the days of jazzy and chaotic musical tornadoes seemingly gone, as the band's lineup is highlighted by two new additions, alongside mastermind Robert Fripp and the other remaining member from the previous band incarnation, Bill Bruford: guitar extraordinaire Adrian Belew (previously playing for Zappa and Bowie) and bassist and stick player Tony Levin (playing for Peter Gabriel) come on board for the eighth studio album by the collective - 'Discipline', released in September of 1981; some seven years after they last released the masterpiece 'Red'. During these years, the band members had been busy working as guest musicians or releasing solo and collaborative albums, all quite different from the 70s King Crimson output.

Unsurprisingly, the sound of the first few seconds of 'Discipline' is shockingly different from where the band left things off with 'Starless', the final track on 'Red'. The album kicks off with 'Elephant Talk', a very Talking Heads-ish composition that immediately introduces the all-new identity of the band, with a sound that is absolutely unrelated to any of the music released previously by them. The new direction is truly an 80s one, with the new wave aesthetic penetrating the Court of the Crimson King, resulting in a more artsy and even dance-rock sound, topped by the playful and humorous lyrics of Belew; Each composition is so impressive and modern-sounding, that it leaves one wondering how could this band still be so original and forward-thinking after everything they had already done the previous decade. And the conclusion is quite obvious, shared by many, including myself: King Crimson is the best band to represent the progressive rock genre ever.

'Discipline' offers seven new songs, two of which are instrumentals, and it can be safely said that this is not only one of the most addictive King Crimson albums ever, but it is also one of the most groundbreaking releases of the whole decade, recognized by fans and critics alike, as a masterpiece and a mammoth new achievement for the band that never seizes to amaze. It is pointless to point out specific highlights, when the whole album is a highlight of its own; a record that should be listened front-to-back, and explored carefully, because you never know what sound will come out the next time you hear it; Still, one of the most important pros of 'Discipline' is the fact that it is utterly enjoyable, and has an unprecedented appeal!

Review by DangHeck
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars I just realized that I had a quick write-up for this album elsewhere, so I'll put it here.

From 31 weeks ago, apparently, a revision:

And it feels to me that a great lot has culminated (for me) to this moment... Yes, all ye Prog freaks who knoweth best: This is my first ever listen-through of Discipline, one of King Crimson's most beloved records.

I see this album definitely in accordance with the interesting stylistic shift that was happening in Prog bands at this time (here, in 1981), but also happening in music everywhere(!); with the re-substantiation of Art Rock within New Wave, but also with the advent of what would be called "Post-Progressive" music. Thinking now, this latter bastard genre (as I've referred to it in the past) is rightly ill-defined, and yet here we have a firm example of it [If I can attempt it, as it's been explained in some fashion to me, compositional elements were taken from Progressive Rock and combined with I feel most notably Ambient music and Post-Punk/New Wave. Looking at Ambient music as a form of minimalism in popular music, the Wikipedia article for the genre likewise suggests (definitely accurately, looking at, say, David Byrne) a World Music origin (Ahh, yes, my favorite. "Ethnic music". Supposedly what was meant by that is broadly international folk traditions.)]

Here we have a furthered melodicism and a glance (backwards for Fripp) at a "try" at popular music. Bill Bruford returns to KC from the prior lineup for this break in their then-7-year hiatus. He and Fripp are joined by Adrian Belew (following his stints in Zappa's band and David Bowie and Talking Heads) and Tony Levin (I would say most prominently associated with Peter Gabriel, another major contributor to Post-Progressive music) (I'm pleased to say, I got to see him live with KC!). Household names all today.

Overall, a great album, and historically and monumentally important to the Progressive timeline.

Review by Hector Enrique
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars After "Red", a despondent and jaded Robert Fripp declared the end of King Crimson. It seemed then that one of the seminal and fundamental chapters of progressive rock was over. But, once again, as all that could be expected from the band is the unexpected, seven years later the Crimson bird surprisingly rises from the ashes with "Discipline", their eighth album.

The umpteenth mutation of the band comes with a more modernised production, with the innovative Frippertronics, a device created by Fripp's labyrinthine mind, which generates a sound loop using his guitar as an ally and creates a repetition effect related to the electronic and the nascent new wave movement, with the also innovative bass-guitar "Chapman Stick" of the recently incorporated Tony Levin, both of them standing out in several passages of the album, as in the satirical "Elephant Talk", a critique of the talk show culture and the opinionated media, in the tense "Frame by Frame", or in the anecdotal and funky "Thela Hun Ginjeet", all songs guided by the insidious voice of Adrian Belew, ex-collaborator of David Byrne's Talking Heads.

And the album's brief space for reflection with the gentle "Matte Kudasai" and its arpeggiated description of warm landscapes is only a respite to give way to the band's most recognisable side, experimentation as an imperious need to express itself, with the aggressive and unbridled "Indiscipline", the stratospheric ramblings of Fripp's synthesised guitar accompanied by Bill Bruford's infinite and hypnotic Central African wooden drumming in the mystical "The Sheltering Sky", and the balanced "Discipline", with a persistent Fripp again taking the lead at the helm of his Frippertronics accompanied by the band's measured instrumental support. A disciplined closing...

"Discipline" marks a new beginning for King Crimson, with an album that, beyond its need not to pigeonhole itself with anything in particular, begins to incorporate into its style the trends that the decade of the 80's brought with it.

Very good.

3.5/4 stars

Latest members reviews

5 stars 9/10 King Crimson's 1981 album. Which very loosely resembles their early works. If you know anything about The Talking Heads, that's what this album is like. It's very New-Wave, Post-Punk, with perhaps some of the greatest guitar work of the 80's. The opening 'Elephant Talk' can get on some peop ... (read more)

Report this review (#2932087) | Posted by Frets N Worries | Sunday, June 11, 2023 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Their best output during the '80s. Unbelievable how they radically changed their sound but remained King Crimson. Despite the fact that only Fripp and Bruford stayed. Again KC paved the way for others to follow. Just listen to Elephant Talk and then to Jerry was a Racecar Driver from Primus. ... (read more)

Report this review (#2688080) | Posted by WJA-K | Monday, January 31, 2022 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Listening diary 10th January, 2022: King Crimson - Discipline (new wave/art rock, 1981) My appreciation for King Crimson is near endless. My enjoyment of them is mixed, at the best of times. This is another perfect example. This isn't just creative, it's one of the most downright bonkers sounds ... (read more)

Report this review (#2671298) | Posted by Gallifrey | Tuesday, January 11, 2022 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Review #31 The phoenix that emerged from the ashes! After the release of "Red", Robert Fripp declared King Crimson dead and for seven long years, it was actually dead. John Wetton went to occasionally play with Roxy Music and Uriah Heep, Bill Bruford did the same in Genesis and National Health ... (read more)

Report this review (#2479074) | Posted by Uruk_hai | Sunday, November 22, 2020 | Review Permanlink

4 stars A modern "Art-rock" album, characterized by the incredible excursions of Levin and Bruford, 1. Elephant Talk you remember the TALKING HEADS bomb, yes the sound reminds me of it; an avant-garde sound with a jerky rhythm, a sound with the trumpeting of an elephant that deceives well... immense tribal ... (read more)

Report this review (#2310860) | Posted by alainPP | Thursday, January 30, 2020 | Review Permanlink

4 stars As an album this was brave in many ways; new line-up, new instruments and ambitious experiments with sound that certainly differs from the sound of earlier albums such as 'Red' and 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. Therefore, it is fair to call this a true example of 'prog' rock due to Fripp's ... (read more)

Report this review (#2237791) | Posted by DominicS | Friday, July 12, 2019 | Review Permanlink

4 stars No wonder that when this record came out, the fans were full of expectations if KC can fare better then their commercially growing contemporaries such as Genesis, Yes (going commercial in 1983). Would it be a decent prog-rock record, pop-oriented effort or simply a flop? KC prove that they are n ... (read more)

Report this review (#2232832) | Posted by sgtpepper | Sunday, June 23, 2019 | Review Permanlink

3 stars My introduction to King Crimson came through hearing the song 'Red' which I found incredibly boring and repetitive. Such a shame, that King Crimson, one of the most famous progressive rock bands of all time, would turn out to be such a letdown. Fast forward a few years and I'm at my local, trus ... (read more)

Report this review (#1776143) | Posted by martindavey87 | Monday, August 28, 2017 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Mindbogglingly King Crimonish: 10/10 KING CRIMSON is, in my opinion, the utmost emblematic band of progressive rock, mostly because they hold true to the genre's name and don't think twice before completely transforming their core and musical style. It's important to mention, right away, that ... (read more)

Report this review (#1773411) | Posted by Luqueasaur | Sunday, August 20, 2017 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Awesome, Original, Unique, Invaluable. Practically inventing a whole new sound, Discipline sees a new Crimson lineup come together that would represent a new pinnacle for the band. This is perhaps the best lineup of the band, in which each member is on equal footing with Fripp. While the Lark's T ... (read more)

Report this review (#1696033) | Posted by Walkscore | Wednesday, February 22, 2017 | Review Permanlink

5 stars King Crimson, never a band to be predictable, after a six-year hiatus releases a New Wave album? And with the seven billionth lineup? Could this possibly work in their favor? Well, much like Rush's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures, yes. A resounding yes. With new guitarist/singer Adrian Bel ... (read more)

Report this review (#1326267) | Posted by HoldsworthIsGod | Friday, December 19, 2014 | Review Permanlink

5 stars 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 ... (read more)

Report this review (#926424) | Posted by thwok | Friday, March 8, 2013 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Discipline is the reincarnation of King Crimson into the 1980s. When I first picked up this LP in the 1980s I didn't know how to take it - kind of like when Lizard came out in the 1970s. The album was o different from its predecessors that it took me a decade (!) to get a mental grasp of it. ... (read more)

Report this review (#906031) | Posted by wehpanzer | Monday, February 4, 2013 | Review Permanlink

4 stars The 80s version of King Crimson is definitely different from the 60s/70s version that Robert Fripp retired in 1974. Adrian Belew, best known for his work with The Talking Heads and Frank Zappa brings a quirky new wave weirdness to the KC, and this album definitely 80s. The album begins with Eleph ... (read more)

Report this review (#897172) | Posted by PinkYesGongMachine | Monday, January 21, 2013 | Review Permanlink

5 stars All prog fans know that the eighties was the worst decade in music. Not only did stations return to the three minute pop format, but even prog juggernauts such as Genesis and Yes succumbed to the pop atmosphere of the eighties, shattering the artistic integrity that they had cultivated the dec ... (read more)

Report this review (#880555) | Posted by SpectralHorizons | Saturday, December 22, 2012 | Review Permanlink

3 stars 3.2 stars For me, this is the best of King Crimson's albums after Red, but it still doesn't strike me as "excellent". I would call this album a good one. I listen to several of the songs on it regularly. However, with that being said, King Crimson did not become famous for being progressiv ... (read more)

Report this review (#652434) | Posted by bb1319 | Friday, March 9, 2012 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Discipline is one of those albums where, if I go long enough without listening to it, I think, "Well, Discipline is good, but it's not that good. How could I ever have thought it was the best King Crimson album, and one of the best of all time?" And then I may go back and listen to Discipline ag ... (read more)

Report this review (#624476) | Posted by Zargasheth | Wednesday, February 1, 2012 | Review Permanlink

5 stars If you like Talking Heads' late 70's stuff, then you will like this album. If you like this album, then you will like Talking Heads' late 70's stuff. As some of you know, Robert Fripp guested on the opener of the Heads' third album "Fear of Music" (1979), called 'I Zimbra'. He took that guitar tone ... (read more)

Report this review (#613954) | Posted by Dayvenkirq | Friday, January 20, 2012 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Back in 1981, when nobody was expecting it, King Crimson suddenly came back to record a pair of three albums. The other ones ("Beat" and "Three of a Perfect Pair") are not that wonderful, but Discipline is of course. KC bring some innovations: first of all, he adopts a second guitarist (Adrian Be ... (read more)

Report this review (#546579) | Posted by Turillazzo | Sunday, October 9, 2011 | Review Permanlink

4 stars The first King Crimson album I ever heard was this one and I was intrigued. I was surprised that in 1981, people could make music of this magnitude except for Rush. In the era of New Wave and big hair, I thought this was a ballsy move to release an album like this during that time but that was befor ... (read more)

Report this review (#491762) | Posted by criticdrummer94 | Thursday, July 28, 2011 | Review Permanlink

Post a review of KING CRIMSON "Discipline"

You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.