Prog Magazine Top 100 Prog Albums of All Time Challenge. Album #70, Discipline by King Crimson.

 Originally posted to Facebook on December 21, 2023

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Prog Magazine Top 100 Prog Albums of All Time Challenge. Album #70, Discipline by King Crimson.

For info about the Challenge see this post: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=6684569734933012&id=100001401549636&mibextid=Nif5oz

When sharing your thoughts about this album, use the following scale to indicate how familiar you are with the album:

0- Never heard anything from this album, totally new to my ears.

1- I might have heard a song on occasion, or I know a big hit from the album but not the full album.

2- I've listened to the full album a few times, but it's been a while. Slightly familiar with it.

3- I listen to this album periodically, fairly familiar with it.

4- I have listened to this album many times. I know it inside out. Very familiar with it/expert level

I will post links for anyone who needs them to be able to stream it in the comments below. Remember, no matter what your experience level with the album going in, please listen to the album before commenting. I will post album #69 on next Thursday as next Monday is Christmas. (You can participate, even if you haven't done all or any of the previous rounds.)

Enjoy! (And be nice!)

#100greatestprogrockchallenge

From Comments:

I am at Level 1 going into this one. I know Elephant Talk and Indiscipline fairly well, might have heard some others. This band was originally to be called “Discipline,” before deciding to call it King Crimson. That reminds me of another re-formed prog band’s experience a few years later. Sometimes I think I enjoy this incarnation of KC better than the original run of lineups from 69-74, but the jury is still out on that. OK, let’s hit it!

Track 1 - Elephant Talk

Tony Levin’s unique sounding “Stick” starts us off here. After an opening bit, the rhythm becomes downright funky (Funky Bill Bruford?). Belew’s vocals remind me of David Byrne on the Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.” (Belew, of course, worked with the Talking Heads prior to this.) Is that Fripp creating the elephant sound with his guitar & effects? No shortage of unique sounds on this track.

Track 2 - Frame by Frame

This one begins with a catchy, almost radio-friendly, guitar hook. (Fripp? surely not!) There is a quick rhythm underneath it all. Then we move into 7-8 and sustained vocals. Love the rhythms! I really like this track!

Track 3 - Matte Kudasai

The translation of the Japanese title is “Please Wait.” This one almost has a similar feel to Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross, or even Sleepwalk by Santo & Johnny. Belew’s vocals are wonderful. A very mellow track. Nice slide guitar.

Track 4 - Indiscipline

Crazy rhythms are the name of the game here. This one is based on a letter from Belew’s then-wife, about a painting she had made. Do you repeat yourself when under stress? The whole thing is wonderfully weird. I LIKE IT!

Track 5 - Thela Hun Ginjeet

The title is an anagram for “Heat in the Jungle.” Odd metered guitar parts start us off. Bruford and Levin are the glue that hold it together. The vocals are kind of a chant at the beginning. Apparently, the talking on the recording is from a tape Fripp made of Belew giving an account of a walk he took in Notting Hill Gate in London, where he was first harassed by a street gang, then the police. Cool music underneath it all.

Track 6 - The Sheltering Sky

As this begins, I recognize having heard it before. African-style percussion and a rhythm guitar pattern establish the groove for Fripp’s highly-effected guitar sounds to play over (or is it a guitar-synth?). A very mellow track.

Track 7 - Discipline

Odd rhythms start us out. The guitar interplay between Fripp & Belew is just wonderful. Of course Bruford & Levin may be one of the greatest rhythm-sections of all time. The guitar parts are very complex, yet not inaccessible to listen to. Excellent track.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Very different in sound from 60s-70s KC, but not in spirit. I really enjoyed that album. Fripp, of course, is always the central figure in any KC lineup. I just recently read an interview with Bruford where he said something to the effect of, you can play pretty much anything you like in KC, so long as Fripp likes it. This may be a good way to introduce the uninitiated into the World of KC, and then go back. Excellent album 4.5 out of 5 stars (I am saving my 5s).