The Beat Goes On

There's a new King Crimson side-project in town, and this one focuses solely on the 80s incarnation of the group. BEAT finds Adrian Belew and Tony Levin reconnecting for a very special North American tour this autumn with guitar god Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey. Prog catches up with Levin and Belew to find out more.

- Andrew Daly

When King Crimson mastermind Robert Fripp leaked curious details of BEAT in spring 2024, more than a few eyebrows were raised. The project celebrates King Crimson's 80s albums Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three Of A Perfect Pair (1984).

Think of King Crimson and the mind's eye usually wanders to the band's 1969 masterpiece In The Court Of The Crimson King, or maybe one of their 70s classics. However, the early 80s was a time when Fripp cosied up alongside Adrian Belew, a former Frank Zappa, David Bowie and Talking Heads cohort; Tony Levin, who had spent the 70s undertaking everything from jazz to pop; and Bill Bruford, originally part of their early 70s line-up. It was a time to reinvent the wheel.

Things were so fresh and new that, according to Belew, it wasn't even supposed to be called King Crimson. "Originally, Robert called me when I was touring Europe with Talking Heads, and in that phone call, he said that he and Bill Bruford would like to start a band with me. They weren't sure who the bass player would be, and it wasn't called King Crimson.

Robert wanted to call it Discipline." Eventually, a bass player was settled upon in the form of Tony Levin. Looking back, he says: "It was a fascinating collection of musicians back in 1980, or at the beginning of '81 when we got together to rehearse."

"I knew Robert's playing very well," Levin continues. "I played with him with Peter Gabriel and on Robert's solo album, Exposure [1979]. I didn't know Adrian and Bill; I wasn't even an expert on the history of King Crimson. But I got in this room in downtown New York to rehearse and see about maybe forming a band. I heard three extraordinary players who are not only great musicians, but when you think about it, each one is utterly unique on his instrument."