DISCIPLINE

After a 6 years hiatus, Robert Fripp decided to reform a band in 1981. He brought together a really promising line-up consisting of long-time fellow musician Bill Bruford, bass and Chapman stick player Tony Levin and, for the first time, a second guitarist, Adrian Belew. They named the band Discipline and started working on music. However, just before they released their first album, Robert Fripp decided that Discipline would be named King Crimson. They named the album Discipline instead.

The first reaction you get when you're used to the classic songs of King Crimson upon hearing Discipline is : " What the hell happened to the band??!" Indeed, the musical style and direction changed drastically with this release. However, if you're avid for prog, you know that change can be good.

Elephant talk, the opener, is indeed miles away from anything King Crimson has ever done. The song is eailsy danceable and is leaded by a groovy bass line. The lyrics are sang in a humorous way by Belew's voice which is totally different from all the vocals we've ever heard in King Crimson. The listener must get to the point where he totally forgets about the band's past and moves on to new territories. When that line is crossed, you realise how amazingly enjoyable this song is. It makes me want to move your body and sing along to the song.

The second song of this album, Frame by Frame, introduces a guitar rythmic style that Fripp will be very fond of in the 80s. He used the potential of dual guitars to produce a style of rock that is close to indonesian gamelan ensembles. Overall, that song is great but it's my least favorite of the album.

Matte Kudasai is the only song of the album that could possibly remind you of past King Crimson incarnations. It's a great ballad with good guitar work from Fripp and Belew.

Now comes my favorite song on the album, the really weird Indiscipline. This song as enjoyable as the lyrics are strange. Belew does an amazing job on vocals on this one. The spoken parts create so much tension in between the heavy instrumental parts. The whole track gives us a feel of mental instability. The "I repeat myself when under stress" always cracks me up. It's the first song where we really feel what Adrian Belew can really add to a song.

The catchiest song of the album follows, Thela Hun Ginjeet. The story behind this song is cool. Belew was walking in a NY city recording sounds for special effects. An unlucky encounter with some bandits and finally cops was recorded. I won't go in the details but Thela Hun Ginjeet is an acronym for In the heat of the Jungle. The driving riff and the rythm section in this number makes it really enjoyable and danceable just like Elephant Talk. The only sang vocals in the song are Thela Hun Ginjeet and it gets so catchy. It's one of the only King Crimson song that can be stuck in your head for hours.

The Sheltering Sky reminds the listener that he's listening to King Crimson. This experimental track showcases Bruford's almost completely electronic drum kit. It's one of my favorite KC extended experimental piece.

The title track closes this excellent album. Discipline makes heavy use of the rock gamelan dual guitar style Fripp has put together. The rythm section is once again basically perfect in the whole song. It's totally instrumental and it closes the album well.

In conclusion, this album contains no mindblowing tracks but it's easily one the most thoroughly enjoyable album King Crimson created. It's the testimony of a prog band that has survived to the 80s. Long live King Crimson. 4,4 stars (rounded down to 4) for this stunning and refreshing release.

-Bern