Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect: Rate KC's 80's comeback trilogy.

[Supersonic Scientist]

Looking at the Crimson journey from the 10,000 ft level, I group all three as one singular vision. Up-close, I rank them as:

1. Discipline (saw this tour) (Me and my friends were FLOORED by the "twin GTR, Interlocking/intervallic melodic approach")
2. 3oaPP
3. Beat

[100423]

Discipline was my introduction to the band, so it still holds a special place for me. I'd say I like ToaPP second best, and Beat third, though I really like it a lot too. Like Ian, Absent Lovers is my favorite disc of this line up.

[miamiscot]

I like them all but Discipline is easily the best of the trilogy.

1. Discipline

-gap-

2. Beat
3. Three Of A Perfect Pair

You are correct.

[JKL2000]

I don't care to rate them, they are of a piece to me. I love the whole era, and am very interested in the box set planned for this autumn.

^ This, really.

[JKL2000]

I'm surprised how many people aren't that into Beat or took a while to get into it. I clicked with all three of these albums right away. Discipline I wasn't really hip to until I saw them on that tour. The other two I knew were coming out, and they didn't disappoint.

[ProgArtist]

This is my favorite Crimson era, partially because I believe it's the most consistent. Discipline is the best- an almost perfect album, so I can see why those of you who were discovering the music as it came out might have been disappointed by Beat. That's the incredible challenge of trying to please fans after coming out with one of those rare, near-perfect albums, like in the case of trying to follow up Close to the Edge. As for me, I love Beat. If you take away Heartbeat and maybe Two Hands, you've got a very strong, albeit short, album.

As for the Talking Heads comparison, I do see it, but I find 80s Crim to be way better. I think Remain in Light is a good album, but working forward and backward in the discography has been a disappointment. I think Byrne has done better work outside of TH (with Eno, St. Vincent, the Catherine Wheel album, etc.). What's interesting to note is that members of Discipline added to the Talking Heads sound before then being influenced by it. There's a song on Fear of Music with guitar work that sounds VERY much like what they did on the 80s Crim albums, and when I first heard it I became very disappointed until I found out that that guitar part was done by Fripp! Belew added guitar onto the next album and seems to naturally have a voice similar to Byrne's, which I don't think we can fault him for.

[zombywoof]

I think the Talking Heads influence is there, but Crimson of that era had a whole extra layer of sophistication, IMO. And I love Remain in Light.


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[strawberrybrick]

Diminishing returns for me, so in order of release. Excellent change to a more "modern" sound, much like Gabriel did on his 3rd and 4th albums.

[Dave (in MA)]

I've never been a fan of "new wave", and this is my least favorite era of KC, and I've never bothered to pick up Discipline & Beat, but I have lots of this stuff live and on Frame by Frame.

[mogrooves]

My least favorite KC regime. For me all three LPs are patchy, but a decent comp could be constructed from them.

[Spiral]

I think the Talking Heads influence is there, but Crimson of that era had a whole extra layer of sophistication, IMO.

I don't think TH and KC influenced each other, more that they were both influenced by the same things. It makes perfect sense that they had their own takes on the Afrobeat/polyrhythmic approach, one rough and funky, one more sophisticated and cerebral. Both results were exactly what was best for each band respectively.

[Phlakaton]

Cant pick one... all of them hold equal weight in so many ways... each is a bit different and all are outstanding to me.

[zombywoof]

I don't think TH and KC influenced each other, more that they were both influenced by the same things. It makes perfect sense that they had their own takes on the Afrobeat/polyrhythmic approach, one rough and funky, one more sophisticated and cerebral. Both results were exactly what was best for each band respectively.

Yes. Except that Adrian Belew was in Talking Heads for awhile, which makes it difficult for him NOT to be influenced by them.

[Phlakaton]

Yes. Except that Adrian Belew was in Talking Heads for awhile, which makes it difficult for him NOT to be influenced by them.

and Fripp played with them too. haha. Lets face it... influences are happening...

[Dedatolo]

My favorite KC, probably the only KC I really liked....

[Lopez]

I have all three on vinyl and CD, although they never did anything much for me. After reading all the comments, I'll get back to them to see what I've been missing.

[no.nine]

Discipline intrigued me greatly on first listening and encouraged me to dive deeper. Beat disappointed me on first listening and I had to learn to appreciate it, but I'm not certain I ever grew to love it. The other two, I love without question.

I could have written this.



IMO-

Discipline: an instant classic, nothing else to say.

Beat: Some really good material mixed with two clunkers and some retreading of ideas from Discipline. I like it more now than I did, but it'll never be a favorite.

TOAPP: another instant classic, and it was a pleasant surprise given my diminished expectations thanks to Beat. I think the pop tunes are actually quite solid, and the "out" tracks are sublime.

[Zeuhlmate]

What do you think about they removed the Fripp guitar solo on Matte Kudasai?

I loved that solo.

[Phlakaton]

The Howler makes that entire period great for me.

[Spiral]

Adrian Belew [played with] Talking Heads for awhile, which makes it difficult for him NOT to be influenced by them.

Sure--the same way RF played with them in '79, which was the same year he made Under Heavy Manners/God Save the Queen with an appearance by David Byrne (though he started with the rhythmic kind of Frippertronics in '77). Followed by his forming the League of Gentlemen in 1980, around the same time Byrne & Eno made My Life..., then TH toured with Adrian, then started on Remain in Light, after which Adrian joined Discipline. All drawing on many of the same sources and ideas.

I love Beat. If you take away Heartbeat and maybe Two Hands, you've got a very strong, albeit short, album.

I agree. It's not surprising it's considered a step below Discipline, but considering the circumstances of its making, the results are much more solid than you might expect.

[señormoment]

I used to have the LPs. It's been awhile since I listened to any of 'em. Though 'Discipline' rates highest, 'Beat' is the one I'd reach for right now. On last hearing, '3 of a Perfect Pair' had lost some of its charm.

[Farpoint Kevin]

I enjoy all three, but have to say ToaPP is my favorite "post-Wetton" album by KC.

[ProgArtist]

I enjoy all three, but have to say ToaPP is my favorite "post-Wetton" album by KC.

I think ToaPP pair is a fantastic album- the title track never disappoints. The second half of Larks' Tongues III, on the other hand, is a huge let down after the rest of the album and the outstanding beginning of the song. What happened there? It's like they decided to contrast the interesting rhythm of the first half of the track with the most boring rhythm they could create. There is a track or two on Thrak that is very similar to this part of the song- plodding along slowly with a near equal emphasis on every beat. I'm not sure which track or tracks on Thrak I'm thinking of, but it is done slightly better there.

[arturs]

While I like all three LPs a lot, I find myself listening primarily to live versions of the music. The KCCC discs from '82 in particular bring the Beat material to life in a way the studio record cannot even come close. Ditto Absent Lovers for the 3oaPP tunes.

[Guitarplyrjvb]

The Constructon of Light sounds like it belongs in this trilogy. Interesting that KC went back to this sound after a couple of records. I actually like CoL more than Beat for this style of Crimson music. Absent Lovers does seem to eclipse the studio versions of the tracks it contains. Really great stuff and a huge stylistic change for the band with the Discipline - 3oaPP trilogy.