KING CRIMSON'S DISCIPLINE VS. TALKING HEADS' REMAIN IN LIGHT

This column has often been about musical identical twins that were born years apart: same genes (influences), same appearance (image or lack thereof) with the same genes getting passed onto the next musical generation. This month's contestants are fraternal twins: similar (as opposed to same) genes, very different appearance and a different set of genes passed onto the next musical generation. Talking Heads' 1980 breakthrough album Remain in Light and King Crimson's 1981's comeback album Discipline are two of the rock era's most fascinating fraternal twins and shining examples of music that transcends whatever genres and expectations are placed on it.

Background: Of all the bands that came out of the New York punk/new wave scene in the late '70s, only Blondie had more of a commercial impact than the Talking Heads. The Talking Heads injected their love of bubblegum pop and contemporary R&B over the course of their first three albums, which bloomed fully on the Brian Eno-produced Remain in Light, which featured the big hit "Once in a Lifetime" and such awesome funk workouts as "Crosseyed and Painless." Adrian Belew started playing guitar when he heard the Beatles in 1964 and played in bands in the American South in the '70s. He was a member of Frank Zappa's and David Bowie's touring bands in the latter part of the decade. Shortly after meeting production genius Brian Eno, he was asked to play guitar on Remain in Light. Shortly afterwards, King Crimson leader Robert Fripp asked him to join the reformed band the first time that two guitarists appeared in the dozen or so line-ups the band had had up to that point. Eschewing prog instrumentation (the Mellotron, drummer Bill Bruford's [over]use of cymbals) and improvisation, a more disciplined Crimson unleashed what some considered to be their greatest work.

Mood: To call these albums neurotic, skittish and nervous is to understate the matter severely. In a very loose manner they can also both be described as funk albums the songs are dance length (average of 5-8 minutes) and have irresistible, danceable grooves. (Although King Crimson could not resist the temptation to use weird scales and time signatures whenever they could.) However, on these two albums there is very little of the sexuality and party atmosphere to be found on the Parliament/Funkadelic, Earth, Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang, or Prince records that defined funk in the '70s. Coming from very unfunky starting points Talking Heads from CBGB's in the late '70s, whereas King Crimson spearheaded prog-rock in the late '60s it is nothing short of miraculous that there were these two very accomplished amalgams of prog-rock virtuosity, punk rock's obsessive conceptual precision, then-state-of-the-art technology, free association lyrics, funk's danceability and the dark places inside of the shy, retiring person's mind splayed out for everyone to see.

Too Close for Comfort: Talking Heads' leader David Byrne is rock's neurotic vocalist par excellence. He is known for talk-singing and for repeating phrases for maximum effect. Mr. Belew took this singing style and ran with it. For example, the repeated "I repeat myself when under stress" in "Indiscipline" and the muttered, fearful pronouncements of "Thela Hun Ginjeet." Bill Bruford was best known for the complex percussion found on early Yes and King Crimson records, honing his love of jazz into a very influential drumming style admired by prog nerds everywhere. For Discipline, he very ably kept the beat without the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach (so favoured by Neil Peart among others) he used on Close to the Edge and Red, yet single-handedly re-unleashed the percussion firestorm that many first heard on Remain in Light. The bass is as thick as an elephant's ass on both records, the Heads' Tina Weymouth using a Fender Precision whilst Crimso's Tony Levin introduced the much hated "Stick" bass to the world. For this release, King Crimson threw the old Mellotron out and used all new synth gear which helped them to sound not dissimilar to the Talking Heads or many of their new wave peers.

Smokey Highly Recommends: The sound and spirit of these two records can be found in the following artists and records. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Tears for Fears Songs From the Big Chair, Living Colour Vivid; Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, Tortoise et al.

Smokey Campbell