BEAT is the word, is the word that you heard … BEAT’s got a groove, it’s got meaning … BEAT is the time, is the place, is the motion … BEAT IS THE WAY WE ARE FEELING!
A beautifully played, beautifully recorded and beautifully produced on-stage celebration of early-1980s King Crimson, the splendid showcase that is BEAT LIVE stars guitarist and vocalist Adrian Belew, bass and Chapman stick specialist Tony Levin (both players on the original recordings, of course), alongside formidable Tool drummer Danny Carey, “sitting in” (occasionally standing) for Bill Bruford, and, by no means least, geetar maestro Steve Vai.
These four fearless riders of the ZAPocalypse revisit, recreate, reimagine and re-mythologise the studio album triptych of Discipline, Beat and Three Of A Perfect Pair (with Crimson staple Red thrown in for good measure).
There is no Robert Fripp, but the founder and leader of the original, legendary prog outfit has reportedly given BEAT his blessing and, while there is no Fripp, there is, of course, much fine and fantastic Frippery.
That studious but furious, complex and spectacular spirit of Fripp is conjured up courtesy of Belew and Vai’s guitar interplay, Vai’s sheer mastery of his instrument, the all-round control of magnificent mood and coruscating emotion.
A long and rewarding listen, the heartfelt and evocative BEAT LIVE, recorded in Los Angeles, 2024, includes the timeless Neal And Jack And Me (that’s Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac, in case you don’t know), a truly epic version of The Sheltering Sky, the weepingly cinematic Matte Kudasai, and the pulsing, primal Thela Hun Ginjeet (aka Heat In The Jungle, for all you anagram fans out there).
Frame By Frame, from the Discipline album, is another masterwork, another masterstroke, and there’s a further nod to Kerouac et al with knowingly titled instrumental Sartori In Tangier. All that plus Elephant Talk! And many more freshly uncovered, superbly cut gems.
There are supergroups and there are “super groups”, there are tribute bands and there are “celebrations” (see, for instance, Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy’s on-going REM live project).
Many who have experienced BEAT and commented afterwards often concentrate on the musicality, the virtuosity, the technical command. But BEAT LIVE (subtitled Neon Heat Disease) is not “just” about all that – nor is it “simply” about all the hard work involved, which you must really take time to stand back and consider. These much acclaimed, much loved and much sought after musicians are frequent participators, contributors and collaborators, who always seem to be “on the road”).
Lynchpin Belew’s vocal intonations, variations and various iterations of past achievements and adventures are constantly involving and intriguing, as are his often mischievous, esoteric yet erudite, intelligent and poetic lyrics.
Iconic “stunt guitarist” Vai initially learned his trade and craft from long-time fret pal Joe Satriani, who said in a recent edition of Downbeat magazine: “The level of difficulty should have nothing to do with how you feel about the quality of the music or how it makes you feel on an emotional level.”
And Joe said of tutoring Steve: “He excelled so quickly, it became all about, how do you express it? What’s really sad, what’s happy, what is in-between? We had already jumped over the hurdles of … what are the scales?”
BEAT LIVE is off the scale, an event, not “simply” an exercise in dexterity and precision. This is about FURIOUS ENERGY, about TEXTURE and EMOTION. Meaning and motion, feeling, a time and a place. So many times, so many places.
It’s also great fun, as only truly cult, goofball revelries can ever be.
The live album was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Emily Lazar.
In case you don’t know, and you can’t resist the idea of BEAT LIVE, or if you’re a passing fan of Vai or Carey, “dipping in”, Wiki says (and I paraphrase): “King Crimson are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968, incorporating elements from a wide variety of music – classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, blues, electronic and experimental.”
BEAT LIVE is out on Friday, September 26, available digitally and in various CD, Bluray and vinyl packages, via Inside Out Music/ Sony