DISCIPLINE

This is my probably my favorite album by my favorite band. It is quite different from the albums the King Crimson of the 1970's made. This album contains none of the keyboards, wind instruments, or violins that were a part of the old King Crimson's "symphonic prog" sound. One of the things that makes King Crimson great is their willingness to change.

I really like this incarnation of King Crimson. My only complaint, and it's a very minor one, is Adrian Belew's voice. I just don't care for the sound of it. I assume that John Wetton wrote the lyrics when he was a member of KC. I prefer Wetton's singing, and his lyrics.

I do like the fact that the band now has two guitarists. Belew and Fripp do some really interesting things together. Of course, Fripp's greatness as a guitar player has already been established. I don't need to add anything to that discussion. Then there's Bill Bruford. What can you say about him? He's the greatest drummer in rock music. He is one of the most powerful drummers in rock, without having to play loudly.

Now, some comments on the music itself. This album has strong rhythms. There seems to be a strong influence from African rhythms. There were several bands at this time who were experimenting with exotic rhythms, including the oft-mentioned Talking Heads. King Crimson was changing with the times, and I'm all for it. "Elephant Talk" is one of my favorites; I thinks the lyrics are amusing. I also like "Frame by Frame" a lot; the twin guitars are fantastic.

"Matte Kudasai" is just beautiful. If I was forced to pick, I would have to say that I like "Indiscipline" and "Thela Hun Ginjeet" less than the others. "The Sheltering Sky" is excellent. I love Bruford's drumming and the sound of Fripp's guitar. The last track, "Discipline", is another favorite. The track shows the amazing skill of all four musicians. The alternate version of "Matte Kudasai" on the reissue of "Discipline" is unnecessary. There is almost no difference between this version and the original. If we were able to assign half stars, I would give this album 4 1/2 stars.