Defend The Hypothetically Defensible: King Crimson's Discipline

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I played this record for a friend today.

1. Proto-Primus bloopy Tony Levin Chapman Stick playing earns me a stare

2. "TAAAAAAAWK TAAAAAWK IT'S ONLEEE TAWWWWWWK Comments, cliches, commentary, controversy chatter, CHITCHATCHITCHATCHITCHAT" earns me a "Wow, this guy is really pissing me off"

3. Overblown David Byrne whine of "Matte Kudasai" gets skipped entirely

4. "What's 'Thela Hun Ginjeet' mean"
"Um, it's an anagram"
"For?"
(quietly) "Heat in the jungle"

Even though I've loved it for years, all signs point to this being a pretty stupid album. Is there anything we can say that is indisputably awesome about it?

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 23 April 2007 07:09 (eighteen years ago)

It is awesome.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 23 April 2007 07:10 (eighteen years ago)

That's what I said!

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 23 April 2007 07:11 (eighteen years ago)

Other than the debut, this is the best King Crimson album. They still sounded like a true symphonic rock band at this time.

― Geir Hongro, Monday, 23 April 2007 08:00 (eighteen years ago)

Love the "Discipline" (precise, patient, ends Side One)/"Indiscipline" (chaotic, noisy, ends Side Two) dichotomy; how "Discipline"'s intertwined gamelan-guitars sound just like the mandala on the cover looks, and vice versa; Fripp's similarly onomatopeic desert-storm soloing in "Sheltering Sky"; Belew's feedback frenzy that accompanies his shaken "dangerous place" monologue; and the huge ball of noise that is "Indiscipline". And I'm happy that Belew only sings half the time.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 23 April 2007 08:01 (eighteen years ago)

Geir sure knows how to take the fun out of everything.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 23 April 2007 08:02 (eighteen years ago)

This album would have gone from partially awesome to completely awesome if it had been completely instrumental.

― Matt #2, Monday, 23 April 2007 09:02 (eighteen years ago)

Hmmm... I seem to have mixed up "Discipline" with "Lizard".

"Lizard" is great, while "Discipline" is at times downright awful.

― Geir Hongro, Monday, 23 April 2007 09:26 (eighteen years ago)

Love the "Discipline" (precise, patient, ends Side One)/"Indiscipline" (chaotic, noisy, ends Side Two) dichotomy; how "Discipline"'s intertwined gamelan-guitars sound just like the mandala on the cover looks, and vice versa; Fripp's similarly onomatopeic desert-storm soloing in "Sheltering Sky"; Belew's feedback frenzy that accompanies his shaken "dangerous place" monologue; and the huge ball of noise that is "Indiscipline". And I'm happy that Belew only sings half the time.

Absolutely OTM in every way!

― Joe, Monday, 23 April 2007 12:11 (eighteen years ago)

Hmmm... I seem to have mixed up "Discipline" with "Lizard".

Whew! I was going to say...

"Lizard" is great, while "Discipline" is at times downright awful.

Ah, the heavens are in alignment once more. :)

― Joe, Monday, 23 April 2007 12:12 (eighteen years ago)

2. "TAAAAAAAWK TAAAAAWK IT'S ONLEEE TAWWWWWWK Comments, cliches, commentary, controversy chatter, CHITCHATCHITCHATCHITCHAT" earns me a "Wow, this guy is really pissing me off"

OTM. I bought a vinyl copy of this a couple of years ago, remembering that it had once been one of the albums on which everybody could agree; if there were ten people in the room, you could play Discipline and everybody'd be happy. But "Elephant Talk" is just wretched, wretched stuff, and other fondly-remembered stuff ("Frame by Frame," "Matte Kudasai") was OK at best.

― Hans Rott, Monday, 23 April 2007 12:20 (eighteen years ago)

Like Talking Heads on heroin. Listen to "Remain In Light" or "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" instead.

― Geir Hongro, Monday, 23 April 2007 12:21 (eighteen years ago)

In theory this album is great, in practice the airless production and the supremely irritating sub-byrne vox mean that I ALWAYS pick up live versions of these numbers when I want to listen to them. Live cuts from this band are so much better than on record to me.

― Pashmina, Monday, 23 April 2007 12:23 (eighteen years ago)

This album would have gone from partially awesome to completely awesome if it had been completely ~~instrumental~~ wordless.

Fixed.

― libcrypt, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 06:42 (eighteen years ago)

red is the one kc album i revisit w/o shame. the early 80s version was ok, even great at times, but i tired of it long ago, the early versions (w/ lake, the boz et al) have amazing moments but oh, those sinfield lyrics - plus i don't smoke weed :(

― bobby bedelia, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 06:56 (eighteen years ago)

I'm with Pash on the airless production. Still think it's a great album, but just a little too cold to want to hear that often. I actually find myself listening to Beat or Three of a Perfect Pair (or Exposure, for that matter).

― mitya, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:57 (eighteen years ago)

Fripp and his infatuation with bad vocals.

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:51 (eighteen years ago)

There was a lot of discussion on Discipline on this thread (remember to unskip hidden messages):

http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?action=showall&boardid=41&threadid=25939

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:53 (eighteen years ago)

four months pass...

"Discipline" (precise, patient, ends Side ~~One~~ TWO)/"Indiscipline" (chaotic, noisy, ends Side ~~Two~~ ONE)

Fixed

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Sunday, 9 September 2007 09:10 (eighteen years ago)

four years pass...

Listened to this album for the first time in yonks today. Love the playing on this record, particularly the interlocking guitars, but (and I hate to agree with Geir on anything) it really is utterly derivative of Fear of Music/Remain in Light. "Thela Hun Ginjeet" vs. "I Zimbra"? like me going into the ring with Mike Tyson. Aside from listening for "how did they get that specific sound?" I can't see myself ever coming back to it.

― DJ Smoove Groothe (staggerlee), Tuesday, 21 February 2012 22:15 (thirteen years ago)

well belew played on remain in light and fripp played on fear of music so I don't think it's so much derivative as it is an extension of things they introduced on those records.

― akm, Tuesday, 21 February 2012 22:17 (thirteen years ago)

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