Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: King Crimson
Label: Discipline Global Mobile
Release: 1982
Rating: 4.5/5
After the release of the excellent “Discipline” (1981), the newly (re)born King Crimson went on with their vision of progressive rock, which by then included not only a blend of avant-garde, minimalism and world music, but also some elements of the hugely popular new wave of the time. Luckily, under the watchful eye of guitarist and bandleader Robert Fripp, who flatly rejected any real chance of commercial success, this had no far-reaching consequences in the form of commercialization or even a sellout of the unpredictable “Crimsonian” sound, which is exactly what happened to most of their contemporaries from the golden age of progressive rock. Even though they kept staying true to unpredictability, improvisation and innovation, their lasting trademarks, on “Beat” (or more precisely, on two of its tracks) they came closer than ever before to what you could conditionally even call pop rock. Most people who see the album as nothing more than a more commercial version of “Discipline”, or their most accessible release so far, still take issue with that today, which only shows a genre narrowness that was always foreign to the fathers of advanced forms of rock music. Even though King Crimson are known above all as masters of unconventional and avant-garde forms of rock, they had already proved successfully more than once in the past that writing more compact and mostly more accessible material is no stranger to them either, without sacrificing their sound in the process. All of this is just one more feather in the cap of their boundless versatility. “Beat”, which according to Fripp is dedicated to the rebellious beatnik generation of the 50s (a kind of forerunner of the hippies) led by the cult writer Jack Kerouac, even though it’s not officially a concept album, is the first album in the band’s history recorded by the same lineup as the one before it, and that lineup went down as the only one to pull this off three times in a row. Besides Fripp, who more than obviously enjoyed the new guitar effects techniques, the abundance of uncontrolled sounds and the catchy rhythmic dynamics came from the lucid guitarist/singer Adrian Belew and a star-studded rhythm section made up of Tony Levin on bass and stick and the tried-and-tested collaborator Bill Bruford on drums. This dream combination once again served up a heap of fantastic guitar textures and an unconventional use of bass and drums.
“Beat” is no drastic sonic break from its predecessor. The one significant difference is simply a bigger emphasis on the new wave sound. King Crimson experiment a lot this time too, and they deliver an effective mix of volcanic improvised outbursts, razor-sharp instrumentals and an intelligent approach to pop music. Belew carries on with his mostly personal, confessional lyrics, which also touch on the most everyday events from his life. He also made sure to add a nice dose of personal romance, which is noticeably more pronounced than usual this time. In the musical structures of the individual pieces it’s much easier this time to tell apart the guitar parts of the two guitarists, Fripp and Belew. While Fripp plays most of the solos and sonic curtains, Belew, as usual, has the most fun with odd, scattered guitar effects. Both of them keep exploring different ways of using guitar synthesizers. Meanwhile, Bruford has taken his use of electronic drums even deeper, which results in a much more synthesized drum sound than ever before. Levin keeps switching between the stick and the bass with great effect, and sometimes he uses both within a single piece. One of the important changes is a different vocal approach. Belew focused much more on his own voice this time than on “Discipline”, where he often leaned toward David Byrne (Talking Heads).
The individual pieces are nicely arranged and tied together into an effective whole, with the first half of the album being somewhat more accessible than the second, which is noticeably more experimental. The opener “Neal and Jack and Me” is a highly entertaining and likable mid-tempo piece built around the interplay of the two guitars with a ton of different, original sound effects. Belew’s vocal performance is excellent, and it’s not hard to picture a crazed beatnik cruising down a dusty road somewhere in the middle of the 50s, picking up Jack Kerouac on the way. The variety of the two rhythmic players is breathtaking, as usual. Even though it’s built as a pop song at its core, the unpredictable instrumental synchronization turns it into much more. “Heartbeat”, which also came out as a single, is on the other hand practically a pure pop rock tune and the most commercial thing in the band’s history up to that point. But there’s no reason to panic, because King Crimson prove themselves here as masters of writing deeply emotional and intelligently structured material, and as a band that could have scored wide commercial success at any time and with ease, had they had a different mission. It’s a straightforward ballad, built mostly around Belew’s guitar, with a simple and melodic chorus. The African-flavored “Sartori In Tangier” is a much more experimental piece that beautifully showcases Levin’s skill with the Chapman stick, presenting him not just as a bassist but as a third guitarist who rivals Fripp and Belew on equal terms. The wealth of rhythmic exchanges and sounds is topped off by Bruford’s use of electronic drums. Next comes another piece under heavy influence of world, or rather oriental, music. “Waiting Man”, seasoned with bamboo percussion and a Polynesian vibe, is certainly one of the most picturesque moments on the album. Besides the witty percussion and Belew’s romantically scattered vocals, they also serve up incredible rhythmic dynamics and a precise blend of the two guitars’ sounds. Belew once again delivers plenty of quirky but also thoroughly witty sounds. This is followed by the most experimental piece on the album. “Neurotica” is certainly one of the most disconnected, schizoid and post-apocalyptic things they’ve ever made, depicting the madness of the (American) metropolis and the general neurosis of Western civilization. They pull off that atmosphere more than successfully, from the opening whistle (which creates the feel of a police siren, painting a picture of life in a city living in the grip of Big Brother), through Belew’s neurotic vocals, which here are really more of a recitation, to the crazed drums and scattered solos on both guitars. All that neurosis is completely soothed by the gorgeous romantic ballad “Two Hands”, one of their (admittedly rare) most beautiful love songs, set to a calm rhythm. Despite the romance, though, Fripp’s closing organ solo adds a touch of dark undertone to the sentimental mood. “The Howler” again serves up a larger dose of experimentation, along with a harder side of the band that otherwise stays well in the background for most of the album. The scattered, interwoven lines of both guitars and a pounding rhythm with plenty of wild transitions and grotesque sounds, accompanied by a slightly paranoid vocal, lead the song through the choppy waters of all sorts of instrumental changes and sonic disconnects. Leading the way among them is certainly Belew’s crazed solo, where he also rubs the strings with a finger attachment. The album closes with the instrumental “Requiem”, a recognizable “Crimsonian” improvisation built on a traditional Fripp guitar figure with a pile of special sound effects, a jumpy bass and the occasional “screams” of Belew’s guitar antics. For the finale, King Crimson once again conjure up that dark, post-apocalyptic atmosphere, which carries the improvisation all the way to its (pretty much as expected) mono-maniacal end.
Many fans of the band today look at this album, sandwiched between the usually much more beloved classic “Discipline” (1981) and the superb “Three Of A Perfect Pair” (1984), with a somewhat dismissive eye, which surprises me, given that it’s yet another top-notch release and an extremely juicy treat for all lovers of witty unpredictability, experimentation, precision, technical superiority and strong expressiveness too. The album’s only flaws are that, unlike its predecessor, it’s not as consistent and doesn’t have such an abundance of classics (I’d count “Neal and Jack and Me”, “Heartbeat”, “Waiting Man” and “Neurotica” among them), so it falls a bit short of being called one of their classics. Personally, though, I see the main criticism, which usually targets the stronger presence of the “pop” element, as a very welcome change and one more proof that they can play whatever comes to mind and still keep their own voice. You have to admit that the legendary foursome waded very successfully through the progressive-music-unfriendly 80s, offering a small sea of sonic innovations the whole time, some of them even revolutionary for the time (like the use of the stick and certain guitar effects). “Beat” isn’t an album that can only impress listeners who are professional or hobbyist musicians themselves and love technically polished instrumental showcases above all, because King Crimson prove once again that they’re excellent composers too. So there’s no need to be some kind of virtuoso to feel the incredible passion and energy with which most of the pieces on this overlooked but excellent album were made.
Lineup
Adrian Belew – vocals, guitar
Robert Fripp – guitar, organ, Frippertronics
Tony Levin – bass guitar, stick, backing vocals
Bill Bruford – drums
Production
Rhett Davies
Track list
1. Neal and Jack and me (4:21)
2. Heartbeat (3:54)
3. Sartori in Tangier (4:22)
4. Waiting man (4:22)
5. Neurotica (4:47)
6. Two hands (3:22)
7. The howler (4:10)
8. Requiem (6:30)
Album length: 35:48
