by Geoff Bailie
It was the late 1980s when I discovered King Crimson, in particular the Discipline album. I bought it because I was familiar with many of the players – Tony Levin from Peter Gabriel’s band, Bill Bruford from Yes, Robert Fripp, who played on Bowie’s Scary Monsters (Fashion was a favourite track), and Adrian Belew whom I was less familiar with but knew he had Bowie and Talking Heads connections. The album was a revelation to me, as far from Yes-style prog as you could get: quirky, funky, spoken word, pop songs, complex interlocking guitar patterns – I was sold. Crimson evolved and reformed in various ways, and there was also the Crimson ProjeKct, but those line-ups tended to revert to the same key songs from this era. So the announcement of BEAT was one that intrigued me. Despite Fripp still being an active musician, he gave his blessing but not his presence. Bruford was in his (now ended it seems) retirement, and Danny Carey taking his place seemed like a good fit. Steve Vai was perhaps the shock addition to this lineup – while he has done spells in some previously established bands/ musicians (Whitesnake, Zappa, Roth) it was always with new music that he contributed to be attached. But presumably the Crimson combination of technically challenging playing plus improvisational moments struck a chord with him to make it interesting, and do so with Fripp’s approval and help. Of course, Adrian Belew’s voice and guitar and Tony Levin’s signature bass are key elements of this sound too!
The band played a series of well-received dates throughout America, and while we don’t as yet know whether this lineup has a future live or studio, we do have Neon Heat Disease – Live In Los Angeles as a record of the tour. The 19-track live album comes in at almost 2 hours long and with the exception of the encore song Red, is entirely tracks from the 3 albums – that means 18 of the 24 Discipline era tracks are present. We have all but the title track from Discipline, which mostly fall in the second half of the show, 5 from Beat, which is mostly the start of the show, and then 7 from Three of a Perfect Pair, mostly in the middle.
Kicking off with blasts from the whistle, the band are straight into the police siren and car horn guitar/ drum chaos of Beat’s Neurotica. What’s interesting is that Neurotica is actually one of the few 1980s-era Crimson songs that the 2020s KC lineup interpreted, which means it has been played almost as many times as In The Court of the Crimson King. BEAT is playing this straight, like the album, but with the added edge that a live performance brings – and it sounds great! Neal and Jack and Me, which follows, shows that Belew and Vai have managed to lock into the symbiotic connection that the interlocking guitar lines of these songs require. Arguably, Danny Carey has the most difficult job in this lineup. Bruford has such a distinctive style and combination of acoustic and electronic drum sounds, yet when he plays live, there is always a large element of improvisation. Carey manages to hit all of the sounds and add his own spin within acceptable margins, so it doesn’t upset anyone who wants it to sound like they remember.
That last point is certainly a distinguishing factor between this lineup and recent King Crimson lineups. Playing with a group of musicians who mostly didn’t play on the original recordings and with a large lineup that included 3 drummers, Fripp’s instruction was – “play it as if you had written it yourself”. With Belew being the singer, lyricist and key member of the band, accompanied by Tony Levin, well … they did write it themselves! For Vai and Carey, in many cases, it’s essential to play it as it was written, but the show has enough improvisation to keep it fresh.
The Beat album that features early on is one of the trilogy I’m less keen on. But then again, it’s hard to hear the run of “Heartbeat” and “Sartori In Tangier” and not appreciate the brilliance. Sartori’s opening solo played by Vai is a great example of how the tone of the original is maintained while giving Vai the freedom to do his thing – rather than just play Fripp by Numbers. For me there is a bit of a lull for a few tracks until the oil is thrown on the fire when “Larks Tongues in Aspic Part III” kicks off. Steve nails the complex opening licks before this monstrous piece flows with the dual interlocking guitars.
For “Waiting Man,” Carey picks up his sticks at the front of the stage before Belew does the same. Tony Levin’s bass joins the polyrhythms as Belew moves to the mic. It’s a piece of music that sounds like no other and shows that at this snapshot in time, this lineup of Crimson was doing things that were absolutely progressive rock! “The Sheltering Sky” is probably a make-or-break point – if you’re enjoying this, you’re in for a treat. If not, then it’s 12+ minutes of Belew and Vai guitar improv!
After that, it’s a shift into the poppy “Sleepless” before we hit the home straight, fuelled by some brilliant performances of the Discipline tracks! The 1981 album was really a game-changer. Belew’s Beatles-pop influences, combined with the previously unimaginable role as second lead guitarist created an entirely new thing. Is it Crimson – yes because Fripp said it is. The guitar interplay of “Frame by Frame,” the seagull squeal of “Matte Kudasi,” the animal hysteria and lyrical tongue-twists of “Elephant Talk” and spoken word/ instrumental indiscipline of … “Indiscipline” are like nothing else that had been heard at the time – and this band more than do it justice.
The sole nod to Crimson Past, Red, and the “as close as they get to a singalong” vibe of “Thela Hun Gingeet” close things out at 100 mph, leaving the audience as exhausted as the players must be!
This is a must-have for any fan of King Crimson. I’m a massive 80s Crimson fan, so for me this live set has been long-awaited, especially as they haven’t yet made it to my side of the Atlantic. In terms of comments as a reviewer, this is exactly what I wanted. You’ll probably already know whether you want it or not, to an extent, so I doubt my review will change your mind. But if you’re completely unfamiliar with this music but say, like Danny Carey or Steve Vai, I’d suggest checking out the video and seeing how these songs come to life on stage – you may be surprised and sent back to the catalogue!
Released on Sept. 26th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic
Order here: https://beatband.lnk.to/Live-Album
CD1:
1. Neurotica Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:04:25
2. Neal And Jack And Me Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:06:16
3. Heartbeat Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:03:57
4. Sartori In Tangier Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:04:00
5. Model Man Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:03:15
6. Dig Me Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:03:33
7. Man With An Open Heart Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:03:01
8. Industry Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:10:00
9. Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Part III Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:05:53
CD2:
1. Waiting Man Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:08:15
2. The Sheltering Sky Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:14:19
3. Sleepless Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:05:55
4. Frame By Frame Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:03:54
5. Matte Kudasai Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:03:39
6. Elephant Talk Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:04:59
7. Three Of A Perfect Pair Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:04:09
8. Indisicipline Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:08:45
9. Red Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:05:54
10. Thela Hun Ginjeet Live in Los Angeles 2024 00:06:44
Line-Up:
Adrian Belew – guitar & vocals
Tony Levin – bass, chapman stick, keyboards, backing vocals
Steve Vai – guitar
Danny Carey – drums
