DISCIPLINE

Because I just listened to this for the very first time, I suppose I can only express my immediate reactions and opinions, but first impressions are as important as growing appreciation (or however you'd want to phrase that.)

Although I'm a huge follower of the big KC, I, admittedly, just listened to this record for the very first time. It didn't leave me breathless, like their earlier albums proved to do to me time and time again; however, I really liked the fundamental idea, here: to make King Crimson music with Talking Heads sensibilities.

The quirkiness and humor of "Elephant Talk" and "Indiscipline" are unmistakably David Byrne/Fred Schneider-esque, and Belew somehow manages to make the unconventional lyrics and Sprechgesang singing work impeccably. Of course, it wouldn't be a King Crimson album without a few experimental...experiments; their radical state of mind is most notable in "The Sheltering Sky" and "Discipline", two of my personal favorite KC tunes.

One of my few complaints, here, is that most of the songs sound very, very similar. It's unmissable Crimson, but the sound incorporated isn't as innovative or continually interesting as on, say, ITCotCK or Larks' Tongues.

So to wrap this up, I think both new wave listeners and prog listeners alike can appreciate the music on Discipline. It's not a perfect album, but I'd still recommend it, especially for those new to Crimson's material.