|
Beat |
| Produced by Rhett Davies | |
| Released on June 1982 | |
| UK CHART POSITION #39 . . . US CHART POSITION #52 | |
| Find it at GEMM | |
| 23692-2 cover |
A nother dose of Discipline, this time favoring the languid, dreamy side of the quartet’s combined powers. Beat isn’t much different from their last album, so the shock value associated with Discipline is lost. “Neal And Jack And Me” won’t surprise anyone who’s heard “Frame By Frame,” “Heartbeat” doesn’t hold any magical treats that “North Star” didn’t already unlock years ago, “Neurotica” is a familiar indulgence of indiscipline, etc. However, Discipline was an album that cried for an encore, so unique was its approach, so deep its reservoir of musical possibilities. If Beat’s a repeat, it still beats the alternatives. And over time, individual songs begin to take on their own personalities; remember, at first a lot of Discipline sounded the same, right? There are some new ideas at work here, treading into Steve Hackett’s dark forest on “Sartori In Tangier,” showcasing Frippertronics on the closing “Requiem,” exploring beat imagery on “The Howler” and “Neal And Jack And Me” (hence the title). The superlative, mathematical approach of this King Crimson attracted a whole new audience of younger listeners who viewed the band as champions of instrumental envelope pushing. I have to chuckle every time a young sales clerk feels compelled to validate my music purchases by repeating the words “King Crimson” in a low reverent tone as they ring it up on the register, as if I’ve just been ushered into some exotic brotherhood. I suppose that’s the power of music, and few bands (literally, just a few) have been able to harness music’s power like King Crimson.
TRACK LISTING
CREDITS
ADRIAN BELEW -- guitar, lead vocal
BILL BRUFORD -- drumming
ROBERT FRIPP -- guitar, organ, Frippertronics
TONY LEVIN -- stick, bass guitar, support vocal
Rob O'Conner -- cover design
return to KING CRIMSON discography
| REGION | RELEASE DATE | LABEL | MEDIA | ID NUMBER | FEATURES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | June 1982 | EG Records | LP/CS | EGLP 51 | lyric sleeve |
| US | June 1982 | Warner Bros. | LP/CS | 23692 | lyric sleeve |
| FRA/NET | 1982 | EG Records/Polydor | LP | 2311 156 | |
| GER | April 1984 | Warner Bros./EG Records | CD | 23692 | lyric sleeve |
| JPN | 1990 | Virgin | CDPRO | VJCP-2309 | promotional copy |
| UK | 1991 | EG Records | CD/CS | EGCD/EGMC 51 | |
| US | 1999 | Caroline | CD | 1593 | |
| WW | May 15, 2001 | Virgin | CD | 44067 | 30th anniversary 24-bit digital remaster |
| JPN | 2001 | Pony Canyon | CDLE | PCCY-1429 | limited edition |
SUGGESTED READING
I have a horrible confession to make: I've never read Jack Kerouac. I've read Burroughs and Bukowski, and after that I was sort of beat. Kind of a one-trick pony thing I thought at the time, though I've always preferred Henry James to James Joyce, Thomas Mann to Dylan Thomas. Anyway, you may feel differently (and be right, by the way), in which case Kerouac's On The Road is probably the road best taken. I'll buy it myself someday, so if you're wondering what Neal and Jack And Me were up to, pick up a used copy of On The Road at GEMMbooks.
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