Beat that discipline into a pair of three
The complex (and exhilarating) new wave and minimalism of King Crimson's 80s debut: Discipline.
I do remember one thing
It took hours and hours but
By the time I was done with it
I was so involved, I didn't know what to think
I carried it around with me for days and days
Playing little games
Like not looking at it for a whole day
And then, looking at it to see if I still liked it
I did!
1981. Great songs. Great non-songs. This groundbreaking album by the then newly reformed and transformed King Crimson is pure magic.
The immersion begins with Elephant Talk. Wow. Followed immediately by the jaw-dropping, phase shifting intro of Frame by Frame. Wtf. It's clear we're definitely in for a musical ride with little to no precedent. Then we're listening to Matte Kudasai, with its majestic and fragile beauty. Now we know we’re in the realm of the extraordinary.
The more I look at it, the more I like it
I do think it's good
The fact is…
No matter how closely I study it
No matter how I take it apart
No matter how I break it down
It remains consistent
I wish you were here to see it!
Indiscipline is the first “instrumental.” It has words, but not sung. They’re the ones scattered across this humble post. Musical poetry, beat musical poetry. No wonder the next album makes the connection explicitly. This song is pure raw powerful music, overflowing the concrete boundaries of structure, thus the title.
Adrian Belew’s lyrics, guitar playing and vocal performance took this band to new and very different heights. I can imagine die-hard classic KC fans then reacting unfavorably to this new aesthetic. That’s what fans are for (aren’t they?). But man, if this music didn’t grow on you, then I have a bunch of unfavorable adjectives I can make use of.
Thela Hun Ginjeet. Can this record get any better? Think of Talking Heads on cocaine or something in that vein (Belew played live with them and recorded Remain in light). Simple dance song, you say. I say, yes! But it’s deceiving. There are much more inner complexities that make it such a compelling pice of art music. The funky rhythmic frenzy of Bruford and Levin, the weirdness of Belew’s guitar and spoken anecdote (New York is a dangerous place) and the ever precise and otherworldly guitars from Fripp. There’s something tribal to the song.
The Sheltering Sky is a mind and ear cleanser that settles the unsettled spirit shaken by Thela Hun Ginjeet. Fripp’s soundscapes over hypnotic drum patterns and Belew’s solo guitar excurisions, grounded by Levin’s stick (yes, that’s an instrument, and it’s very cool). It gives way to the album’s closer, Discipline. Structure is back. Again, shifting guitar patterns reminiscent of Steve Reich’s music.
There was something in the creative air around that time that was very exciting, and 1980s King Crimson went fully with it. But not only did they go with it, they went deep and laid some serious foundations for it. They managed to create truly innovative, influential and fun music along the way. The trilogy of albums that began with this one is a true musical and artistic miracle.
I like it!