Published on Feb 28, 2003
This CD, essentially a sampler disc of the Discipline label’s
music, is far more than “just a sampler” and deserves much more
recognition than that label would imply. It’s a tour de force of
some of the most interesting musical forces of our time — the
Discipline label, specifically, caters to musicians who push
boundaries, who struggle to express themselves in the best way
possible, and as a result, who play very compelling and moving
music.
This disc features many of the past and present members of King
Crimson (and, I’d wager, some future members.) Bill Bruford, Adrian
Belew, Tony Levin, and numerous others have several tracks apiece,
and Robert Fripp chimes in with a few of his own. However, taking
this disc on is no easy feat; in just the first three tracks we
scream from King Crimson’s “Three of a Perfect Pair,” a fairly
mellow track underlaid with pounding rhythm, through Adrian Belew’s
foray into complicated easy listening “Never Enough” and into
ProjeKct Two’s “Heavy ConstruKction,” an abstract and dance-worthy
piece of music explicitly intended to challenge the listener.
Other highlights include the spectacular “Of Bow and Drum” by
Adrian Belew, “Sabre Dance” by Radical Dance and “Allegro Con Brio,
Symphony No. 5” by the California Guitar Trio. But to highlight
some is to discount the rest; and there’s not a single bad track to
be found here.
If you want to hear some of the most interesting, diverse, and
all-around kick-ass music that’s being produced today, buy this
disc. I picked mine up for $6 — and that’s a price that can’t be
beaten for this much music at this high of quality. Kudos to
Discipline, and Fripp, for selecting these tracks.