The new stereo and surround sound mixes of King Crimson’s Beat and Three Of A Perfect Pair are set to be released October 14th 2016.
The long-awaited albums represent the next installment in the acclaimed 40th Anniversary Series which began in 2009.
Beat was released in June 1982 just eight months after the 80s Crimson lineup debut album “Discipline”.
It marked the first occasion where a King Crimson line-up had remained intact for a two album stretch and was also the first album by the band to employ a separate producer – Rhett Davies. The juxtaposition of lyrics heavily influenced by 50s beat luminaries Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady.
The complex polyrhythmic musical textures of the ‘80s Crimson, the strength of the songs and the cohesion of the studio performances, all helped the album chart upon release in the US and the UK.
Songs like Waiting Man, Neal and Jack and Me and Heartbeat became firm favourites with fans and concert goers. Heartbeat in particular was an FM radio regular in the US and even merited a promo film shot for the then-emerging music TV market, while one of the album’s twin instrumental tracks, Sartori In Tangier, anticipated the emerging interest in African based rhythmic styles that would become such a fascination for musicians in the latter part of the decade.
As ever, Crimson was pushing forward, looking for new methods to communicate internally as a band and externally with an audience. It was, perhaps, the nearest King Crimson ever came to the rock music ‘mainstream’.
As with other albums in the King Crimson CD/DVD-A series, the stereo CD features a new stereo mix by Robert Fripp and Steven Wilson, while the DVD-A features 5.1 mixes of the album by Steven Wilson, high resolution stereo mixes of the original and new stereo mixes. Additionally, the original album is presented in rough mix form along with additional audio extras, video performance footage of two songs from The Alabamahalle, Germany and the original promo film for Heartbeat.
Beat Track list
CD New stereo mix
Neal and Jack and Me
Heartbeat
Sartori In Tangier
Waiting Man
Neurotica
Two Hands
The Howler
Requiem (extended version)
Absent Lovers (instrumental studio recording)
DVD-A
5.1 Surround Sound Mix
Neal and Jack and Me
Heartbeat
Sartori In Tangier
Waiting Man
Neurotica
Two Hands
The Howler
Requiem (extended version)
Absent Lovers (instrumental studio recording)
New Stereo Mix
Neal and Jack and Me
Heartbeat
Sartori In Tangier
Waiting Man
Neurotica
Two Hands
The Howler
Requiem (extended version)
Absent Lovers (instrumental studio recording)
Neal and Jack and Me (alt take)
Absent Lovers (live recording)
Original Stereo Mix (30th anniversary edition)
Neal and Jack and Me
Heartbeat
Sartori In Tangier
Waiting Man
Neurotica
Two Hands
The Howler
Requiem
Alternative album - early mix
Neal and Jack and Me
Heartbeat
Sartori In Tangier
Waiting Man
Neurotica
Two Hands
The Howler
Requiem
Video
Heartbeat (studio)
Waiting Man (live, Munich 1982)
Heartbeat (live, Munich 1982)
Please note that all material on this edition will be included on the forthcoming '80s box set, On And Off The Road.
Having released two albums in a nine month period between October 1981 and July 1982, Three of a Perfect Pair is the final part of the recorded trilogy begun with Discipline and Beat. Originally released in April 1984, from the pointillist minimalism of the title track through to the urgent rush of Sleepless and the album’s closer Larks’ Tongues in Aspic III - the only reference to the 1970s incarnations of the band – Crimson’s distinctive mixture of rock, electronica, funk and pure pop songs, ensured the group’s status as one of the most interesting and innovative bands of the decade.
Following the release of the album, the band embarked on a tour of Japan and from there America and Canada. At the completion of the last date in July 1984, Fripp, Bruford, Levin and Belew went their separate ways to pursue their respective solo commitments.
King Crimson would reconvene in the mid- 1990s with a double trio line-up featuring all of the 1908s band members, while the band’s current line-up (2014 – present) features both Robert Fripp and Tony Levin from the 1980s band.
King Crimson’s final album of the 1980s is augmented with extra tracks newly mixed for the 2016 edition on CD.
As with other albums in the King Crimson CD/DVD-A series, the stereo CD features a new stereo mix by Robert Fripp and Steven Wilson plus additional tracks, while the DVD-A features 5.1 mixes of the album by Steven Wilson and high resolution stereo mixes of the original and new stereo mixes. Additionally, the original album bonus tracks from the 30th anniversary CD are included as is the promo film for ‘Sleepless’, a song originally released as 12” single which became an unlikely hit on the New York dance scene of the time.
Three Of A Perfect Pair Track list
CD New stereo mix
Three of a Perfect Pair
Model Man
Sleepless
Man with an Open Heart
Nuages (That Which Passes Passes Like Clouds
Industry
Dig Me
No Warning
Larks' Tongues in Aspic III
Additional tracks
The King Crimson Barber Shop
Robert's Ballad
Shidare Zakura
Industrial Zone A
Industrial Zone B
Industrial Zone C
DVD-A
5.1 Surround Sound Mix
Three of a Perfect Pair
Model Man
Sleepless
Man with an Open Heart
Nuages (That Which Passes Passes Like Clouds
Industry
Dig Me
No Warning
Larks' Tongues in Aspic III
The King Crimson Barber Shop
Robert's Ballad
New Stereo Mix
Three of a Perfect Pair
Model Man
Sleepless
Man with an Open Heart
Nuages (That Which Passes Passes Like Clouds
Industry
Dig Me
No Warning
Larks' Tongues in Aspic III
Additional tracks
The King Crimson Barber Shop
Robert's Ballad
Shidare Zakura
Industrial Zone A
Industrial Zone B
Industrial Zone C
Original Stereo Mix (30th anniversary edition)
Left Side:
Three of a Perfect Pair
Model Man
Sleepless
Man with an Open Heart
Nuages (That Which Passes Passes Like Clouds
Right Side:
Industry
Dig Me
No Warning
Larks' Tongues in Aspic III
Other Side:
The King Crimson Barber Shop
Industrial Zone A
Industrial Zone B
Sleepless (Tony Levin mix)
Sleepless (Bob Clearmountain mix)
Sleepless (Dance mix - F. Kervorkian)
Video
Sleepless
Please note that all material on this edition will be included on the forthcoming '80s box set, On And Off The Road.
