After seven years away from the public, King Crimson returned in 1981 with a new incarnation. Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin incorporate sounds reminiscent of the resonant chimes of ancient gamelan music and the sleek, clear lines of modern minimalism. This Anglo-American combination of musicians forged a startlingly different musical vocabulary.

• Limited Edition
• 200 Gram Super-Heavyweight Vinyl
• Newly Cut from Masters approved by Robert Fripp
• Cut by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering
• Bonus Track ("Matte Kudasai" Alt. Mix)
• Reproduction of Original Cover Artwork with embossed logo

After seven years away from the public King Crimson returned in 1981 with a brand-new incarnation. Joining Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford are ex-Zappa/Bowie guitarist, Adrian Belew and ace session and Peter Gabriel bassist, Tony Levin. Incorporating sounds reminiscent of the resonant chimes of ancient gamelan music and the sleek, clear lines of modern minimalism,this Anglo-American combination forged a startlingly different musical vocabulary.

Frame By Frame, Thela Hun Ginjeet and the album’s title track in particular, showcase Belew and Fripp’s dovetailing guitar parts and Levin and Bruford’s cyclical grooves, forming a mesmeric sound unlike anything heard before on any previous King Crimson albums. The shimmering, hypnotic textures of The Sheltering Sky and savagely raucous Indiscipline provide aleatoric counterweights to the album’s tightly-controlled complexity.

Discipline is the ninth vinyl release in the King Crimson vinyl reissue series. Cut from the masters used for the 30th anniversary series as overseen and approved by Robert Fripp. Pressed on 200-gram super-heavyweight vinyl for the best possible audio reproduction.

When Robert Fripp declared in 1974 that King Crimson had ‘ceased to exist' nobody could have foreseen that they would break their silence seven years later with an album that perhaps had more in common with the then current post-punk new wave than the band's progressive rock past. Released in 1981, Discipline, was a startling reinvention with a new line-up performing radically different material that managed to delight fans, confound critics and pick up a substantial new audience along the way. 37 years later Discipline remains one of the key albums of the early-80s and one of King Crimson's most popular.

As different from the '70s King Crimson, as the '70s line-ups had been from the '60s band, the new quartet of Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew (Zappa, Bowie, Talking Heads) and Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, John Lennon), rapidly established itself as a force on the live circuit. The longer songs of the '60s and early-70s and the extended improvisations of the live performances from the earlier touring bands were replaced with a series of mostly short, taut songs imbued with a minimalist aesthetic that featured complex interwoven guitar lines, (coined ‘rock gamelan') Belew's distinctive vocals, Bruford's new armory of electronic percussion and Levin's fluid bass and Chapman stick lines.

King Crimson achieved a rare feat for a rock group – becoming one of the very few acts to release a classic album in three separate decades. From In the Court of the Crimson King in 1969, via Red in 1974 to Discipline in 1981, with differing line-ups and radically different sounds the band's reputation for innovation and progression (in the best sense of the word) was unassailable. In a change from other King Crimson vinyl releases, the track-listing for the new reissue reflects the 30th anniversary edition CD with "Matte Kudasai" featuring Belew's lead guitar as track 3 side A and with Fripp's lead guitar version as a bonus track at the end of side B. The album was cut at Loud Mastering by Jason Mitchell from audio approved by Robert Fripp.

The album was cut at Loud Mastering by Jason Mitchell from audio approved by Robert Fripp. Released in 1981, "Discipline" was a startling reinvention with a new line-up performing radically different material that managed to delight fans, confound critics & pick up a substantial new audience along the way.

Musicians:

Adrian Belew, guitar, lead vocal
Robert Fripp, guitar and devices
Tony Levin, stick, bass guitar, support vocal
Bill Bruford, drums

Track Listing:

Side A
1. Elephant Talk
2. Frame By Frame
3. Matte Kudasai
4. Indiscipline

Side B
1. Thela Hun Gingeet
2. The Sheltering Sky
3. Discipline
4. Matte Kudasai (Alt. Mix)

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫