The Steven Wilson mixes of all three albums King Crimson recorded in the 1980s are now available on 200-gram super-heavyweight vinyl for the first time.
The 40th-anniversary stereo mixes of Discipline, Beat and Three Of A Perfect Pair have been mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering from original studio masters.
Originally released on CD as part of King Crimson’s 40th-anniversary series, the 1980s trilogy of Discipline, Beat and Three Of A Perfect Pair have long been over due on vinyl.
Seven years after King Crimson had ‘ceased to exist’, King Crimson’s reinvention as a new quartet consisting of Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin brought about a surprising new era, which delighted fans old and new.
Stylistically very different from the King Crimson of the 1970s, this new line-up incorporated rock with electronica, funk, pure pop, modern avant-garde, and a complex variety of musical textures and influences.
Discipline (1981) charted on release in many countries - including the UK & USA - and songs written for the album such as ‘Matte Kudasai’ have become established favourites in the band’s repertoire. The album remains one of the key albums of the early 1980s and one of King Crimson’s most popular and best-selling.
Beat (1982) was released just eight months after the quartet’s recording of Discipline and marked the first occasion where a KC line-up had remained intact for a two album stretch and the first album by the band to employ a separate producer – Rhett Davies. The album also charted upon release in the US and the UK with compositions such as ‘Waiting Man’, ‘Neal and Jack and Me’ and ‘Heartbeat’ becoming firm favourites with fans and concert-goers. This edition of Beat features the extended version of Requiem.
Three Of A Perfect Pair (1984) was the first of the 80s albums to reach Top 30 in the UK album charts, signaling the increasing popularity of the 80s line-up and helping to ensure the group’s status as one of the most interesting and innovative bands of the decade.
King Crimson’s 1980s studio trilogy is now celebrated as a classic period, the intricacies of the playing and details in the compositional style became a key influence on sub-genres such as math rock.
