No '70's prog band has kept themselves as vital as King Crimson. Formed in 1969, they made a big splash with their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King. From there they went through several personnel changes over their subsequent three albums. In 1973 the lineup stabilized a bit for albums five through eight. Robert Fripp is the only constant throughout all incarnations of the band. In 1974 they disbanded.
Fast forward to 1981, Art Rock/New Wave bands like Talking Heads are all the rage. King Crimson emerges with a new lineup featuring:
Robert Fripp - the only constant in the King Crimson lineup,
Bill Bruford - from the 1973-1974 lineup. He quit Yes in 1973 to join King Crimson,
Adrien Belew the guitar whiz fresh from live/session work with David Bowie, Talking Heads and Frank Zappa
Tony Levin - Chapman Stick player from Peter Gabriel's band.
They emerged with this one.
King Crimson - Discipline (Warner Brothers 1981)
The band sounds fresh and energized. A near perfect blend of New Wave and Prog which appealed to both audiences,
A year later they released this one.
King Crimson - Beat (Warner Brothers 1982)
Their ninth album and the first King Crimson album to have the identical lineup as the album before. The lyrics on this one are inspired by the beat poets of the '50's.
So to complete the trilogy we get this one,
King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair (Warner Brothers 1984)
Same lineup for the third album in a row. Side One consists of accessable songs. Side Two gets a bit out there.
After this release, the band went on hiatus again. The current linup is touring this summer as an eight piece featuring Fripp and Levin.
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