KING CRIMSON - Discipline

Please note these comments refer exclusively to the new CD re-master. I was somewhat worried that 'Discipline' - one of my all-time favourite KC albums along with 'LTIA' (my all-time favourite), 'Red', 'Lizard', 'ITCOTCK', 'TCOL' & 'TPTB' - might have been spoiled by the so-called loudness wars influence that has sadly affected so many recordings these days ever since the iPod/mp3 revolution. I do have an mp3 player, BTW, which I happen to use quite a lot, loaded mostly with AAC VBR 192 kbps files. What a relief to hear there's been some serious care taken to truly improve the sonics of this fine album. It seems as if a (not so thin) veil had been lifted from it. I actually thought the 30th Anniversary edition of 'Discipline' was quite good sonically (compared to previous editions), but this latest re-master is a real breath of fresh air. The album sounds more organic, spacious, real, ie it is less 'clinical' and 'distant', yet it does not fall into the trappings of the let's-make-it-all-loud-and-very-clear-and-enhance-high-frequencies-to-satisfy-portable-playback tendency. This 40th Anniversary edition is a must-have for those who value this remarkable album. I'm sure the extras are worth it and the 5.1 version of the album is very likely very well crafted, too. I was, however, particularly looking forward to the new stereo re-master, and this does not disappoint. It is clear that both Robert Fripp & Steven Wilson have approached this project with the utmost respect and dedication as they have with previous the 40th Anniversary editions. Been waiting patiently for the 40th Anniversary edition of LTIA, the jewel in the crown, in my opinion, of the whole KC catalogue. Unfortunately, it seems the only album that will not be re-mastered this time round is 'The ConstruKction of Light'. If this turns out to be the case, it's a shame as 'TCOL' is a rather peculiar album which is terribly underrated. 'TCOL', in my view, does need to be 'improved' sonically - it is a gem of an album: raw, intense, powerful and, to some extent, fairly 'naive'.

King Crimson's `Discipline' was one of the ground-breaking albums of the 1980s. Robert Fripp for the first time brought in two fine young American musicians, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, to join him and veteran KC drummer Bill Bruford in a reconstituted and for the first time guitar-dominated foursome. The result is by turns mellow and energetic; complex, interesting and fun, it sounds nothing like the work of KC's previous incarnations. If you like the music of Talking Heads from the same period, you'll likely warm to it immediately. Lead vocalist Adrian Belew (you can't always describe what he does here with his voice as technically `singing') actually sounds like David Byrne in several places. Multiple guitar interplay weaves over inventive rhythms to form joyful conversations. It's more or less instantly accessible, as good on first hearing as on the hundredth. On the 2011 remix, Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp again teach less skilled music producers the art of masterful remastering. The DVD is the star, featuring the album on MLP Lossless 5.1 surround & DTS 5.1 digital, and MLP Lossless & PCM stereo. The video content features performances of `Elephant Talk', `Frame by Frame' and `Indiscipline' from 2 different sessions for the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test. Both the CD and the DVD feature extra tracks not on the original 1981 album release: `A selection of Adrian's vocal loops' and some new Steven Wilson mixes of `The Sheltering Sky' & `Thela Hun Ginjeet'. Even if you have an earlier release of this album, the sound mix on the 2011 package is so exemplary that it's worth buying as well. If you don't have this truly great album in your collection, this is the one to go for.

Excellent service thanks very much appreciated

I have to confess to being a newcomer to the sound of King Crimson ,i bought a copy of LARKS ,TONGUES IN ASPIC about a year ago and wasn't sure if i wanted to venture further into their world, however a couple of months ago i decided to get DISCIPLINE and also their 1975 Live album USA. DISCIPLINE is a very different beast compared to their previous work - their first album in 7 years and features a new line up with Adrian Belew on vocals and the sound reminds me of Talking Heads. I was surprised how good the album was and the sound quality is superb,you also get a dvd with some great extras including some live performances from THE OLD GRAY WHISTLE TEST from 1982. Anyone who listens to King Crimson needs to have an open mind as your'e never quite sure what's coming next and i am certainly willing to explore their work in more detail. A good album which grows in appreciation with each listen.

I just received this in my mailbox tonight (kudos to Amazon, I ordered on a Sunday and it arrived on Tuesday!), so I'm still working my way through the extras. But I am so pumped after my first listen to this 5.1 mix, I have to post a review immediately! Having been a big fan of the surround sound mixes that gained some momentum and then faltered a few years ago, I was totally excited to see this amazing, classic album being newly released in this format. I dare say that nobody has ever quite realized this format as fully as those who did this release (yes, i realize that my wording makes me appear a pretentious twit here, so be it). I've found that some of the releases in this format have fallen short. Rush's Moving Pictures, earlier this year, didn't particularly meet my admittedly high expectations. At the time I listened to it, I figured that maybe the fact that most of us imagine music as being heard from the audience, listening to musicians on a stage, made the format a somewhat moot point for most "rock" albums. This mix made me completely re-vamp that preconceived notion. Here's why: Most of the surround sound discs I've heard tend to keep the drums relegated to the main right and left channels, with the "extraneous" tracks such as backing vocals or strings being given a bonus punch by appearing in the rear channels. This is not necessarily wrong, it works great on my R.E.M. and Elton John 5.1 discs. But now I see, by way of the genius(es) who mixed Discipline (the print is small and it's dark in my house, otherwise I'd be more specific!), that the mix should be ALL around the listener, as if (s)he were in the middle of the stage, the middle of the music. Of course, this particular album is a great example of music that is easily accessible to NOT being heard in that tried and true "stage" formula, as the intricate, woven musical lines lend themselves to being experienced in a less conventional soundscape. But the fact that the drums are all around you, instead of just in front of you, is nothing short of revelatory! There's no reason that any album, rock or otherwise, can't benefit from a truly surround sound mix in the manner achieved here. Now onto the actual material, 'cuz I know I'm getting a little long-winded here... The tracks ALL sound amazing. The most striking ones for me were "Frame By Frame" and especially "Matte Kudesai", where the tracks are a little less manic and have room to breathe. "Kudesai" in particular, brought Belew's beautiful vocal right into your face. Of course he's known for his guitar and songwriting prowess, why wouldn't he be? But going up to the center channel and hearing the perfection of his vocal right in your ear is breathtaking. Adrian's name certainly deserves to be mentioned alongside great vocalists like Jeff Buckley or Freddie Mercury, something I probably wouldn't have thought before tonight. "Thela Hun Ginjeet" and "Discipline" are also served particularly well by the 5.1 mix. All in all, I'm hopeful that this format will continue to flourish, as the modern age of the compressed mp3 format (which also has it's place in the world of listening) could certainly use a counterpart for those of us who love our music in pure magnificent grandiosity! Hopefully the KC machine will continue to release their classic albums in surround (I'd like to beg for Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair next, please!). And as long as I'm shouting out my wishlist, How about Radiohead's OK Computer, Jeff Buckley's Grace and The Verve's Urban Hymns soon, folks? Those are foregone conclusions for the surround sound treatment, am I right? I should be receiving my copy of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here tomorrow, which will tide me over for a bit, but I'm not asking too much, am I? Get on it, people! And fans, buy this stuff up so they hear the demand!

Tolles KC-Album in einer excellenten Abmischung von Surround-Guru Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree). Eine Referenzplatte für Klang-Enthusiasten!

Me gustó mucho el vinil. Tiene una mezcla diferente a la del CD y de streaming. Las voces y los instrumentos se escuchan muy claritos como si estuvieras en el estudio de grabación.

He de reconocer que la primera vez que escuché este disco me pareció muy raro,era chillón,metálico,repetitivo,machacón,disonante.. no le encontraba sentido a la música acostumbrado a la primera época de la banda esto me parecía muy distinto pero a medida de ir escuchándolo esos ritmos extraños se van apoderando de ti empezando a encajar todo y apareciendo una melodía que antes no veía,transformándose así en un disco espectacular.La incorporación de Toni Levin en el bajo y chapman stick ese raro instrumento híbrido de bajo-guitarra,Bill Bruford tocando más rítmico pero igual de bueno y efectivo demostrando porque es de los mejores baterías de todos los tiempos y Adrian Belew que le imprimió el toque melódico que necesitaban los temas y su guitarra doblada con la del maestro Fripp dan el sonido tan característico del disco e innovador a día de hoy.Para mi supieron adaptarse muy bien y mucho mejor que otros compañeros de generación(Yes,ELP,Genesis,etc) a la nueva corriente musical de los ochenta(Pop,New Age,como quieran llamarle) sin caer en comercialismos y con un estilo inimitable que ya querrían muchos para sí mismos.La remezcla de Steven Wilson excelente como todas las del 40 aniv. Sonido cristalino,temas extra,los remasters del anterior 30 aniv. también incluidos y algún que otro video intersante de la época conforman una edición sublime.Ahora a continuar con las reediciones de Beat y Three of a Perfect Pair que están previstas para este año cerrando asi la mágica trilogía de los 80 de KC por cortesía de S.Wilson

After listening to "Red" I decided to buy the whole set. Great new remastered version of the best eight classical KC albums. However, I can understand making a DVD-Audio version even in 2009, but in 2011 this does not make a lot of sense. How many of us still have a player compatible with this format? I would definitely prefer a Super-Audio CD or a lossless Blu-Ray version, but Fripp is the guy who always makes it in his own way and now we have to accept his decision. Anyway, even 24/48 version gives you a great sound quality. Another thing: bonus tracks may be different on CD and DVD versions. Even though it is not a big deal, why not to make it more uniform?