My Favorite Bass Line in 17/16

[@pyroseed13]

Fun fact: Bill Bruford actually wrote the bassline.

[@bellbrass]

Another fun fact: Bill Bruford is an astounding drummer.

[@hexzerorouge6361]

@@bellbrass wholesome

[@sneekapart]

Another fun fact: there's pictures of Bill Bruford pre-yes and fame in general where he is seen playing bass in band

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

Bill Bruford once cut down the mightiest tree in the forest with a herring.

[@josephmorse4318]

@@bulkvanderhuge9006 Chuck Norris blushed.

[@tonym2541]

King Crimson on anyone's desert island disks should be of no surprise. Extremely innovative and other level musicianship.The amazing thing about Tony Levin is that he's still playing at a world class level IN HIS 70's!!

[@kcrimsoniano]

Is not world class, He is galaxy class

[@DaniloSilva-pl3sq]

Desert Island Disk? No Surprises? Is this a RH reference?

[@kevmac1230]

I caught Tony a few years ago with Peter Gabriel.King Crimson was one of my early concerts in 72 with John Wetton.

[@saxmidiman]

Saw the Big Man in a super small venue playing with The California Guitar Trio. He was fantastic, while totally supporting the other musicians in a very benign fashion! Wonderful true musician!🤩😎

[@InSurrealtime]

Fripp too, I watch his goofy videos every Sunday.

[@whaleguy]

Fripp and Bruford used this bassline as an audition piece when looking for a bassist. Every player would get to listen to the riff one time on a tape and be asked to play it back. Levin came in on the 2nd or 3rd day of auditions. Fripp stated that he wasn't aware Levin was available or else he'd have been his first call.

[@andrewlloydpeterson]

Weird how they would use this bass line before it was written by Levin. Must have had a time machine. For real, youre confusing it with Red

[@hacheguioneme]

@@andrewlloydpeterson Bruford wrote that bassline.

[@federov100]

Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair-the holy trifecta.

[@jeffwolinski2659]

Yes!!!

[@justaguy2365]

How I feel about the three mid 70's albums with Wetton.

[@weehudyy]

@@justaguy2365 I agree , for me Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black , and Red are as perfect a trio of albums as it gets . Starless and The Night Watch still speak to me after all these years

[@NubNublet]

Absolutely. It's not called _Three of a Perfect Pair_ for no reason!

[@Emlizardo]

Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair failed to live up to the promise of Discipline. As Fripp said, he traded one year of bliss for two years of misery. Most of this was Belew and Bruford's doing. After Fripp's radical reconfiguring of the instrumental roles in a rock group, with the sixteenth notes transferred from the drummer's high hat to the guitars, Belew and Bruford set about bringing back the same-old way of doing things. Fripp hated what that band became. Beat and Pair have their moments, but they could have been so much more.

[@maxcohen13]

Those three albums, Beat, Discipline, and Three of a Perfect Pair were some of the best things to come out of the early 80s. Fripp's insistence of complexity woven into the simple was such a great departure of the King Crimson of the mid-70s.

[@geraldfriend256]

All so good. Belew and Fripp are so different, yet they merge beautifully

[@mr.nazareth4501]

Throwing Red in there as well, Bill Bruford's King Crimson is a heavenly experience

[@lorenzodicapo6305]

Admiral, admiral, admiral...

[@robertkaye5434]

I was disappointed in Three of a Perfect Pair.

[@sinistre]

@@robertkaye5434 why were you disappointed with ToaPP?

[@dublev78]

Frame by Frame is one of my favorite songs by them. It’s on this record. Great great song.

[@ThePsychoCzech]

I have to vouch for Frame by Frame. The guitars play this hypnotic 7/8 riff that goes in and out of phase with the other and it makes me feel like I'm swirling.

[@victorhawkins3461]

@@ThePsychoCzech Same as above!

[@victorhawkins3461]

Yes yes yes!!!

[@LeGabrielMan]

the vocals are amazing in Frame by Frame

[@anttipulkkinen6196]

Somehow the fury of Thela hun Ginjeet struck me like a freight train even though the bass is simple, even monotoneous. All in all a superb album.

[@cygmusmandulis7533]

that was the stand-out track from that album for me as well, despite Belew's dorky talking parts. haha

[@crimsonkate8241]

@@cygmusmandulis7533 Those "dorky talking parts" were a real converstaion that Fripp secretly recorded. Belew arrived back at the studio after what he describes in the song had just happened to him. As he began to explain what happened. Fripp being Fripp, tells him to hang on a moment, goes & slips a small tape recorder in his pocket. Then proceedes to record the exacerbated Belew's tale lol.

[@cygmusmandulis7533]

@@crimsonkate8241 i figured it prolly really happened, but didn't know that story. haha thx

[@movimentodoscacos]

this is a dangerous place

[@Emlizardo]

I thought he was talking about New York, but it was London, ha ha! Ah ha ha ha ha!

[@Xari.04]

Definitely my favourite King Crimson album, and that's incredibly tough to say when they have only full on bangers. Robert Fripp collaborating with Adrian Belew really was a gift for all humanity.

[@MattSmith-ky9do]

Tony Levin's contributions were also indispensable. Same could be said about Bruford. Fripp once said that this had been his dream line-up for a long time. I can say, without fear of contradiction, that his dream-come-true benefited us all!

[@tjenadonn6158]

@@MattSmith-ky9do In terms of sheer talent and technical mastery per person it's easily the most stacked quartet in the history of popular music. Only other group that might come close is the Corea/Clarke/Meiola/White lineup of Return to Forever or the original lineup of Casiopea.

[@DreamMorpheus42]

... I really fucking love Thrak, which has pretty much the same members as the *Discipline* era, it's just a lot noisier and more raw than they usually get. I love that shoe gaze sound that Fripp just kind of slid right into.

[@Xari.04]

@@DreamMorpheus42 I’m always looking like the weirdo for liking Thrak more than In the Court of the Crimson King but man that one’s sick too. Probably my favourite lineup too but Indiscipline is way too much of a banger not to have that album as my first from their discography. Then again, it’s freaking King Crimson every album is sick

[@joem5903]

Court of the Crimson KIng and Red are also in the discussion IMO. But Discipline is what really introduced me to King Crimson. I was a Greg Lake fan but had not heard the other stuff until 81.

[@Andrew_M_Ward]

As a 16-year-old guitarist when this record came out (in a band at the time) it changed me forever... it was just beyond comprehension, yet somehow totally enjoyable

[@22ddo]

Me too! Still a favorite

[@txa1265]

I was 15 at the time, and a bassist. I got to see them on the Discipline tour in Boston, and again on Three of a Perfect Pair. Amazing.

[@infowarriorone]

@@txa1265 I saw them in '84. It was quite an overwhelming experience, something I will never forget.

[@zer0set721]

Same here. I was a teen when this came out. Worshiped it. I played guitar, bass and piano... what a challenge. These records made me LOVE music.

[@JJJJJVVVVVLLLLL]

100% I was 13-14 bass player and worshipped this LP

[@Mcsixstrings]

Finally…someone is giving credits to one of the best music out there..yes, thanks!

[@vicinvesta8349]

I remember having feeling like there is snake nest in my head each snake slithering in their own pattern when I listen to Discipline. Like, you know, album cover graphics coming to life. Amazing band King Crimson.

[@Longlivethe4th]

I once gave my copy of this album to a guy who only knew 70s Crimson, he liked to get high on weed while listening to 70s prog (we were in the 90s) when he gave me back the album he just said he never wanted to hear it again, from a common friend I then learned the album had given him a realy bad trip...

[@ronniefarnsworth6465]

Prog is the Best obsession to have, Fantastic bands and Great musicianship !!! Yes/ Genesis 1970-77'/King Crimson/ Jethro Tull/ Gentle Giant/ Nektar/ Pink Floyd/ ELP and many more ... 👍🎼🎸🎹🥁🎻🎷🎤🎶✌

[@WhizMitchell]

I remember I saw the 1981 version of King Crimson (which I now call the classic line up) live on a now defunct late night TV show...they performed "Elephant Talk" from that same album. I was very young at the time (about 17), and was very taken by what I'd heard. Never heard anything musically like it. I heard all types of various tones textures and colors in their overall sound - it was very, very interesting. I hadn't heard the album though until decades later. Boy, how did I miss this one??? To this day, "DISCIPLINE" is not only one of my favorite avant-garde prog-rock LPs (very influential as well); it is in my opinion, it's one of the greatest albums ever made!!!

[@kumoyuki]

yep. the "color" albums were the finest lineup of KC

[@ericmalone3213]

You saw Crimson on "Fridays" and the performance is on the Ye Olde YouzeTube. Fripp is a very happy Fripp in the clip.

[@Jwinius]

One of my favorite albums: it just never gets old. I saw King Crimson play it live for the first time in Amsterdam on 7 Sep. 1982 (I still have the ticket stub). It was in a circus tent on a parking lot next to the old Olympic stadium. At one point, Adrian Belew drew our attention to the elephant pattern all around the inside of the tent just before they played Elephant Talk.

[@bramposthumus9300]

I saw them play "Discipline" in its entirety in the Amsterdam Paradiso the year it came out. 'Totally floored and blown away' does not even begin to describe the experience. Otherworldly musicianship.

[@fiscalcpiano]

Just saw Levin in person today at Warner Theatre for the Beat Tour, holy moly what an incredible experience. Trasfigurative

[@JoeJohnston-taskboy]

I am glad you highligh Discipline's New Wave influence. It is a classic prog-rock work, but it is very much responding to the contemporary music scene. It is very close to my heart.

[@jean-marcphelippeau5858]

This track is also amazing because there is never a lead instrument. The four parts are totally intertwined. It is also the obvious inspiration behind the intro of "Vicarious" by TOOL. Many thanks for this video (and for your great channel)!

[@gregparrott]

Assuming this was recorded in a studio, couldn't there have been a lead instrument that band members heard, but was not added to the released recording?

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

@@gregparrott They didn't need that, not even click tracks or metronomes, and they played it live many times. Most of their music from 1968 all the way to 2021 had most tunes woven out of poly-rhythms, counterpoint, dissonance... and yet all strangely not as odd feeling, until you tried to figure out the details and play it. This was by far not the most complex. Many a guitarist have either given up, or went insane trying to learn Robert Fripp's guitar in "Fracture", only few have succeeded, and it took a few of them years to do so! The band went through several iterations and personnel changes, and all superb musicians with only one consistent member: founder Robert Fripp, but I think they were all highly advanced aliens!👽

[@gregparrott]

@@Bob-of-Zoid Ahah. The alien angle! I thought so. :)

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

@@gregparrott Well, tell me Jimi Hendrix or Frank Zappa weren't! Hahahaa! 🤪 I loved Men in Black!😎

[@FunkadelicPancho]

My favorite album of all time

[@future62]

Prog rock meets nu wave meets avant garde meets minimalism..... GO ON.......

[@johndannenbrink7590]

Thank you for breaking this down. A friend introduced me to this in the late 80s when I was in my late teens/early 20s. Sounded a little “off” at the time, just like when another friend introduced me in high school to The Talking Heads “Remain In Light”. Those 2 albums are definitely desert island worthy (eventually I woke up). If only the classic rock and other mainstream stations would little by little start weaning the populace from crap like “Radar Love”, “Paradise By the Dashboard Lights” and you’re not going to hurt my feelings in the least if most of Queen and Journey are jettisoned for King Crimson & the Heads.

[@alexmanne]

Discipline was my introduction to King Crimson in 2007. Such a cool album. I got the album from one of the most unlikely places. When I was in Iraq, we had giant database of movies and music on the nonclassified computers. I was able to put my hard drive in and get all kinds of music. Obviously it was a treasure trove.

[@ziggysmith2722]

I saw the Discipline Tour in NYC, my mind is still blown away to this very day!

[@VallinSFAS]

At the time I considered "Indiscipline" and "Synchronicity II" the future of Heavy Metal...! ("Discipline is never an end in itself, only a means to an end." -Robert Fripp)

[@ricktheexplorer]

You know why I like this; 17/16 tempo goes with East Indian Ragas on the Sitar. Nice.

[@MajorShmoopy]

I always struggled to wrap my head around Levin's bass line on this track but this makes it so much clearer to me, much appreciated!

[@alfonsomontuori9797]

Anyone hearing this analysis might think the piece itself is "difficult" or not really listenable, but the opposite is true, as you point out. It doesn't feel hard or difficult. It's a cool groove and the interlocking guitars are trippy. Then you carelessly start wondering what's actually going on and you fall into the abyss of WTF. So thank you for going there and coming back with this!

[@peteywheatstraws4909]

"Discipline is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end."

[@nailholesga]

Tony Levin is a ridiculously great player. He deserves the respect that he gets. You can also hear the same kind of guitar rhythmic overlaps when you listen to Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists recordings. Very cool stuff. Going back to Levin for a moment, he's a very personable guy (met him when he was touring with the California Guitar Trio years ago), and his writing is very funny. Worth reading some of his books.

[@geraldfriend256]

Indeed s down to earth cat. Wish I had chatted him up more. A friend of mine met him and said “ It’s a pleasure to meet my idol G Gordon Liddy, sir”He said Tony thought that was funny.

[@nailholesga]

@@geraldfriend256 That's hilarious!

[@TaxPayingContributor]

Tony the Stick!

[@ScottHz]

@@TaxPayingContributor’Tony the Stick’ sounds like a guy who would have been part of ‘the plumbers’ for G. Gordon! 😂

[@tb-cg6vd]

Whenever I hear one of my all-time fave albums my goosebumps get beaten up by some bad-ass New York City goosebumps - it's a dangerous place! And snap, I discovered Steve Reich & Philip Glass 20 years later too!!! Never too late thankfully.

[@insidejazzguitar8112]

Fun and interesting. I knew a couple of guys who were students of Robert Fripp and showed me some of that stuff in the early eighties. Always felt like there was a connection between that recording and Steve Reich

[@actuallukecolombero]

This era of King Crimson is without a doubt my absolute favorite. Been spending almost all of my days practicing guitar just trying to break down each of these songs and Fripp and Belew's parts. Levin is without question my favorite bassist of all time, same with Bruford on drums. This album and song changed my life and compositional approach for the absolute best, so glad to see it getting more love and recognition!

[@BARTOZZI-OFFICIAL]

Discipline is one of those albums we should launch into space for ETs to discover...

[@SunsetStarship]

Yeah, it's pretty mind-bending and the whole CD is like that.

[@rs10269]

Of course it will be king crimson, it can't be anyone else. Real kings

[@derekpierkowski7641]

Yep, musical life changing when I heard "it".

[@bassistdc]

I have those King Crimson albums from that period and they are amazing indeed!

[@bassistdc]

@officialpdbass-.. What's this about?

[@EixtremeDrummer]

Thanks, I never got to know the meter there, what a masterpiece.

[@brandonthebass]

I’m glad you mentioned Steve Reich! My band played 2x5 almost 8 or 9 years ago for a sold out room. 25 minutes of pure polyrhythmic bliss.

[@wbertie2604]

I tried to interest a band I played with in covering some Reich but only one other band member got it. I did manage to inject some minimalism in some stuff I wrote with the band, though.

[@fudgesauce]

Robert Fripp kept a tour diary from one of the 80s King Crimson tours with this lineup. Many years ago it -- or at least parts of it -- was published in a music magazine, with his permission. Fripp expressed a lot of frustration with Bill Bruford overplaying and not leaving any space. Fripp was frustrated with Adrian Below's manic energy. But when it came to Tony Levin, Fripp was all praise.

[@IDontKnowIJustDo]

Frame by Frame is absolutely one of my favorite tunes, and I have to agree, this album is fantastic

[@WilhelmDrake]

I still remember the day I found Discipline in my dad's record collection in the late 90's.

[@jeanpaulmacabre]

Critics absolutely hated King Crimson, but everyone deserves a mulligan. Edit: I think think they’re the greatest rock band to ever pick up axes, btw.

[@stettan1]

Could it be that critics are expected to listen to a continuous stream of new records and never have the time to re-listen? The albums I really love sounded like crap first, or at least confusing. I had to study them a bit and getting somewhat prepared for the more unexpected components.

[@rogerabrego8990]

I got to know King Crimson many years after already being a fun of Primus and Faith no More so that album got me straight away! Awesome.

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

Discipline is not only one of my favorite King Crimson records (the other being Red), it's one of my favorite records period!....and has been since it came out.

[@jonnykhatru]

Discipline and the live album Absent Lovers is the ultimate musician's music

[@pablodmariano]

Although ever having great musicians throught its existence, this particular formation of 80's King Crimson, with Fripp, Belew, Levin and Bruford, will always amaze me for its quality. It almost feels unreal how cinergetic their playing was and how outstanding was the quality of their compositions. I guess there will be decades, maybe centuries, until something as great as this come up again.

[@Damage_Kase_99]

I’m an 80’s King Crimson fanboy so this vid got me super excited

[@Crowbar11115]

Great video!! I was lucky enough to attend a Guitar Craft in Spain and Fripp absolutely blew my mind in person. He gave us an exercise where very small groups were given the same beat. 2 people playing only on 7s. 4 people playing only on 5s. 3 people only playing on the 4s. etc etc etc. Robert would clap his hands in a basic 4/4 pattern while spinning in a circle with his eyes closed and without fail, he new exactly which group was screwing up even if multiple groups shared that beat! "My 5s are off...My 8s are late on that one". It was surreal. His ability to keep track of time and other musicians was, for real, otherworldly. There were like 45 of us in the damn room!! Haha

[@headly21]

Yup! In my late teens I was also listening to Discipline (the whole album), and I learned so much about rhythm and meter just from listening to KC. Standard time signatures were just boring for a while after that.

[@xJAWAx]

I need to go listen to this now

[@randysatarsky1789]

That's the album that changed the way I listened to music. I actually saw them when they were on the show Friday's. I was 13, and it blew me away. Brufords kit, Levin playing the stick, Adrian doing a wicked feedback solo with his Roland amp....and Fripp being Fripp! I remember it like it was yesterday. And Discipline would definitely be one of those desert island gotta haves! Just gotta make sure that island has electricity! :)

[@glingrocks]

Happy to see this album getting some love. The key for me is how much I dug it before I understood any of the math going on underneath. The song Discipline is definitely one-of-a-kind. But for basslines there's an embarrassment of riches here -- I mean, it's hard to beat that bassline on Thela Hun Ginjeet.

[@matthw633]

Ok …….you got me with this. I don’t know how this got by me but it did. Now you’re making me go back to the future to get into this Paul 🤣. Thanks for the homework assignment!

[@XE1GXG]

Lukas Ligeti, Gyorgi Ligeti, Elliot Carter, Milton Babbitt, Pierre Boulez .. otro nivel más.

[@harryh5620]

Now THIS shocked me. I would not have taken you for a guy who has ever heard KC - kudos to you.

[@jcrhodes6863]

My favourite album alongside 'Red'. Two different iterations of KC but Bruford and, as always, Fripp in common. My daughter also got into this music without any pushing from me.

[@strat0871]

I discovered this album in 1983, still love it and listen to it.

[@BassRocker617]

This song alone essentially informed and inspired every technical metal band ever

[@cperception]

That Steve Reich song is crazyyyyy. I love it

[@klisher]

Electric Counterpoint is Sampled by The Orb (little fluffy clouds) in the early 90s. never knew that until i just heard it on this video ☺☺

[@ZeyTheDaemon]

That would absolutely break my brain trying to play any of those time signatures, lol

[@belin-teamdjokovic1628]

I'm glad to see you have the copy with the original knot, before they had to change it. 👍🏻

[@mattatsu]

Yeah, I knew you loved Rush, but didn’t know you loved Crimson too. Haha, Rush is my favourite rock back, with Crimson being a very close second. Nice to see them get some love on KZbin

[@Johngaltsghost]

Not a surprise to me - cheers!

[@billarmstrong5568]

What an absolutely killer album... My favourite KC🍻

[@glenndjubilee]

I saw this tour.Frame by Frame is another one of those where the guitars are playing against each other. I love this record. I was in a band and we covered F by F and Mate Kudsai.

[@nunofernandes4501]

The Discipline/Beat/Three of a perfect pair trilogy shaped me as a musician. Also listen to Thraak, a real sonic roller coaster.

[@rickzeeb1207]

I saw them play this as the encore on the Three of a Perfect Pair tour, executed flawlessly. It was jaw dropping.

[@coreymcd22]

Your transcriptions in these videos are supremely helpful. I had the good fortune to meet Tony Levin at a Stickmen show last year and he was nicer and more humble than anyone of his pedigree has a right to be.

[@wbertie2604]

I've heard so many people say the same. Many years ago I had a short exchange over email with Levin and he is gracious and generous in an amazing way.

[@johnhowardnardine6815]

Amen! First heard Discipline in 81 on vinyl and then heard KC play it live about an hour later in Québec City, about 4th row from the stage. Mind blown 🤯 The album has been on my desert island 10 ever since! More Tony Levin please!

[@Eyescore1]

I'm still grateful to this day that I saw them live at Meriweather Post Pavilion in 1984! They were fantastic.

[@disgruntledfaerie]

"If you were stranded on a desert island with only five albums, what would they be?" FIVE COPIES OF DISCIPLINE!

[@coachplyoguy2637]

I'll take In the Wake of Poseidon, Red, A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, and Fear of a Blank Planet.

[@adam872]

It is indeed an all time classic and I too hear the connection with Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Great stuff.

[@beyondz55]

Tony Levin is incredible and deserves more accolades

[@GregariousAntithesis]

Fing A King Crimson was what i always felt a huge influence on Rush. Love that you obviously play a double standup as well, love me some Chris Wood!

[@heresthething41]

When I bought my first copy of this album, I wore it out. Amazing record.

[@infowarriorone]

I've listened to this piece of music well over a thousand times, both live and the studio version, and it never ceases to amaze me. Tony Levin's stick work on Neurotica on Beat is also incredible.

[@joemartucci4786]

Love your videos & breakdowns. As a 63 yr old bass player I've learned everything by ear I wish I could break it down like that. I've always played by feel alternating between locking with the drummer then riffing with guitar. Most of what I learned I learned from watching my buddy from here in Buffalo Billy Sheehan. Anyway love King Crimson.

[@nilkilnilkil]

This was my entry to king crimson ... discipline ...

[@chrisowenssff4876]

I'm not a musician, but I've loved prog and King Crimson for 30 years. What I love about this era of King Crimson, something I didn't know until a few years ago, was its inspiration in Indonesian gamelan music. It basically gamelan-rock fusion.

[@PsycheSnacks657]

Thank you so much for this fantastic explanation!

[@1974gringojuan]

One of my favourite albums ever!

[@SeanMcConville-bo1no]

Saw the documentary recently, a must see if anyone has even the slightest bit of curiosity.

[@Mcsixstrings]

Which documentary?

[@Blaize24]

I love Discipline! Great desert island album choice.

[@danshieldsguitar]

One of my all time favorites! Levin, Bruford, Fripp and Belew. I remember being a teen playing this with my band. That and frame by frame!

[@robertgwatts1858]

It is without a doubt my favourite king crimson album as well. Superb musicianship. Fripp has said that he chooses time signatures according to what his body feels.

[@BIGeSTRING]

I will never forget the Discipline tour somewhere in 1981 i guess, it was the best concert i ever saw. Really amazing, live exactly the same like the studio version

[@christopherkahn6522]

You always pick the best songs, no matter how obscure. This was one of my favorite albums of that era too. Thanks for explaining the inexplicable.

[@MychaelPollard]

I agree!! And it feels good to listen to. The vibe is strong! 💯

[@johndrx165]

I saw them during the Thrak tour with a double trio. So cool hearing this live!

[@facundoheredia4695]

Awesome review, when i try to copy/head the base line for the first time i was thinking "there's gotta be something wrong with me, this can't be the bassline" but it was..

[@nintendoor1]

no surprise that this record would make a desert island list! this trio of albums is unlike anything else i’ve come across, for what it is. that era of the band certainly isn’t for everyone, not even for some fans of the band, and others will try to reduce it all to a Talking Heads knock off, but it’s so much more than that. if you can get past the absurdity of it all, there is some of the most beautiful, challenging, subversive and ground breaking rock music to be found. I’m always happy to hear other people sing it’s praises, as it deserves

[@donlopeaguirre112]

Amazing record.

[@attichatchsound-bobkowal5328]

Classic album. Always happy when it is brought to light.

[@gerardlabelle9626]

The song Discipline is so unusual, so fascinatingly precise, it may as well be from an alternate universe. I had no idea that music could be that way. The album blew my mind when I first heard it 40 years ago, and it still does. It saddens me that so few people have heard the song, or the album. This album is so accessible, too.

[@viceroy_raygun]

Fantastic album! Elephant Talk is a banger.

[@Yupppi]

I first read the title as something like "my favourite bass line in 7/8" or something common. Then I read the title correctly and thought "favourite and probably only bass line in 17/16?" 😂 But would be fun to see a list of all the 17/16 parts one can find. When you said there's 4 measures going at the same time, it made so much sense that Gavin Harrison started playing drums for King Crimson. The "misaligned" guitars are nice also in the way that the line was obviously written with the harmony in mind, meaning the line can be offset like that and the harmony is still fine. Another thing you said "it's not really easy to feel the 17/16 in the bass line" made me think how my brain never interprets these kinds of rhythms as 17/16 and such. It's always "ah there's that four note pattern, there's that 3 note tail, there's the cut version with only 2, 5 note fill with one pre-note" etc.

[@trav1th3rabb1]

Never analyzed this bass line and my mind has been boggled. I know what I gotta go learn now..

[@ninobatistamusic]

Excellent. I remember when I first learned that in the various sections, Fripp and Belew start a 14 pattern in tandem, only to have Robert eventually drop a 16th and keep playing the same pattern in 13 on top of Belew's 14. Creates a type of expanding echo effect, bar after bar, but of course it's all actually performed. My brain when I first learned that pretty much exploded. Anyway, this record changed my life, and changed everything I knew about music instantly. And for good reason. I bought the official transcriptions from this era from Trey, and gave it to my 17 year old, who has been studying it intently for some time. Thanks for sharing your video.

[@free2roam674]

I saw King Crimson in Vancouver about 5 years ago. This tour they had 3 drummers along with the amazing Tony Levin. I loved the show so much I snagged a ticket for the next night. Simply incredible music and talent.