March 27, 1984 - Three Of A Perfect Pair

A month after my last release and nearly two years since their last album "Beat", King Crimson continues their new-wave style with the release of their tenth album "Three Of A Perfect Pair" on March 27, 1984. This album is split into two sides: the left side, which has more conventional song formations (more like "Beat"), and the right side, which has more experimental and free-form music (more like "Discipline"). It's a blend of their last two albums and it's the only time in King Crimson's history they kept the same line-up together for three albums in a row. Let's check out the third installment from 80s King Crimson!

The more normal left side starts with the title track "Three Of A Perfect Pair" and Robert Fripp plays an interesting lead guitar riff while Adrian Belew sings a decent verse in his usual unique vocal style. He likes to hold lots of long notes in this light and catchy main riff and after a couple verses things switch to a bit of a darker mood with a new riff. Belew and Fripp both play some nice guitar in this part and I like the way Belew sings "complicated, keeps us all aggravated". It's a bit of a quirky song but I like it and they return to the main riff for another lighter verse and after another darker riff it's time for a Frippertronics solo! Fripp makes some pretty trippy and crazy noises come out of his unique keyboards as he plays a solo that is certainly unlike anything else I've been listening to and very space-y. They flow right back into the darker riff again and they play it through a couple times before they end it as they began with Fripp leading the cool lighter riff. Up next is "Model Man" and one guitarist plays a simple rhythm riff while the other plays a slow but smooth lead guitar. Tony Levin plays some cool Chapman Stick in this main riff as well and Bill Bruford plays a slow and simple drum beat. Belew sings in a light, high voice at times and I think it mixes well with his typical lower voice and makes for a catchy verse. They move right into a similar chorus where Belew holds some more long notes nicely and the soft guitar continues to lead the chorus riff. There's nothing really flashy or exciting happening, but it's a smooth song nonetheless and sounds decent enough. After another verse and chorus they move to a pretty unexciting bridge that you'd think would lead to a solo, but they just go right back into another chorus in a bit of an odd move. After this final chorus they return to the main riff and begin a fadeout as we hear a final verse slowly fading away; not one of their best songs in my opinion. Track 3 is called "Sleepless" and Levin opens it by himself with a really cool bass riff that forms the backbone of the main riff of this song. Bruford finally has some more exciting things to do as he adds a cool fast-paced drum beat and Belew plays a solid guitar riff while Fripp comes in and out with some droning Frippertronics. Belew starts to sing a decent verse overtop to complete this pretty cool main riff and the verse moves smoothly into the chorus where Fripp plays some guitar that has a nice 70s feel to it and Belew sings a solid chorus with some nice yelling vocals. They resume the cool main riff and after another verse and chorus we hear a trippy solo that I think is played on guitar but it could very well be Frippertronics, it's hard to tell! Whatever it is it sounds space-y and cool and after the solo everything but the bass falls away as they hit reset on the song. Levin's bass still sounds great and they once again build their way back to the main riff. Belew sings a different verse this time and the music switches to an "epic" new part, but the supposedly epic Frippertronics sound just like 80s synths to me and fall a little flat. This part goes on until the end of this five and a half minute song and I think it would've been better served to cut it off around 4:15 or so; up until then things sounded pretty good! The next song is "Man With An Open Heart" and they start in a rather boring chorus where Belew yells about how it wouldn't matter to a man with an open heart if his woman slept with another man. You do you bud. The same light guitar from the chorus continues into the verse and Belew, Levin and Fripp all sing a "oh-oh-oh" part together on this rather un-Crimson-like verse. They play a few rounds of chorus and verse and while it's not awful it certainly doesn't sound like something I'd be listening to if it weren't King Crimson. Levin's bass in the background is good and Belew seems like he's having fun singing the song but it's another one that I'm not a big fan of. They break from the main pattern briefly as Belew sings a new verse, but it's not long before we're back to the main riff as they seem quite happy to play a final verse and bring this three minute song to it's end. Side one ends with "Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds)" and this song seems like it was meant for the right side as it does not follow a typical verse and chorus formula. Bruford plays some interesting percussion and Fripp plays some more trippy Frippertronics to start us off and this becomes the background for this whole near five minute song. Levin plays some very low Chapman Stick that sounds cool and Belew plays some pretty cool guitar overtop as he comes in and out of the mix with lots of long, droning notes. This is a very trippy song and it's a nice throwback to some of King Crinson's earlier, more psychedelic material. Some might say it's boring, bit I think it's pretty cool and am happy to let my mind wander in this sea of psychedelic music. 

The experimental right side of the album kicks off with the seven-minute instrumental track "Industry". Levin plays a simple bass riff but I like how low and distorted it sounds. Bruford syncs up with Levin to complete the rhythm section and Fripp plays some light and space-y keyboards overtop. This backing riff is constantly going in the background while Fripp comes in and out with some different Frippertronics. It's difficult to describe the weird noises you hear with words, but I love this psychedelic side to King Crimson. Fans of their new-wave style may find songs like this long and unexciting but for myself and other fans of their older material this throwback to early 70s psychedelia is very welcome! Bruford switches to a more complicated, much cooler drum beat partway through and Belew finally joins in after several minutes with some unorthodox guitar that sounds a bit twang-y and out of tune, but odd sounds are par for the course on this track. The feel of the song grows heavier as things are slowly building from a quiet beginning to all-out instrumental madness! Frippertronics are used to make all kinds of noises that sound like we're in the middle of a fully functioning factory and this crazy music inspired the name of the song. The insanity keeps going until the final minute or so when they quiet things down and end it as it began. The weird noises continue right into the next track, titled "Dig Me" as Fripp starts things off with a strange but cool guitar riff. The rest of the band play some very erratic music at a much faster pace, but it somehow meshes nicely with the slower lead guitar. It's certainly another song that is not made-for-radio as this main riff is all over the place and is the opposite of smooth, but I like it's unpredictability. Belew begins to talk in a distorted, computer-y voice that only makes things sound even more obscure. Bruford's drums sound particularly great as he comes in and out with some really fast fills in this very unique verse. This odd verse amazingly flows right into a standard chorus riff with the band reverting to simpler, much slower music as Belew sings a pretty catchy verse. I can't believe how nicely they shift between two very different parts as they go from the chorus right back into another wacky verse. After another solid verse and chorus the song ends rather abruptly after Belew says the name of the song a few times. A very weird song indeed, but I liked it more than some of their more standard songs on side one. Track 8 is called "No Warning" and the last two songs on this album are also both instrumental. Frippertronics are heavily used to start this one off as we hear some more crazy, indescribable noises. Guitar, bass and then drums all join in with some weird noises of their own as you could easily be forgiven for thinking this was not your standard rock set-up. Bruford plays some more excellent drums and there are so many ebbs and flows and screeches and howls made by the guitars and keyboards. There's no way to a chorus here as things sound 100% like a drug trip as the web of noises surrounds you from all sides. Words really don't do justice to songs like this, you just have to listen and be lost in it. The album closes out with "Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part III" as we amazingly get a third part to this epic saga started on their fifth album. Fripp begins with a true guitar solo as we hear nothing but his frantic playing for nearly a minute. He never lets up and plays a pretty phenomenal opening solo before segueing nicely into the main riff that is not the same as "Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part II", but it's similar and does a nice job of making this feel like a natural next step. Fripp continues to lead the way with some great guitar as Belew, Levin and Bruford all form a fast-paced backing riff. They continue to jam to this wicked main riff with great contributions from everyone for a couple minutes before everything but the guitars drops out. Fripp and Belew play a cool bit where they each play a different guitar riff and it sounds pretty cool. This bridges to a new slower riff with some groovy bass by Levin as Fripp switches from guitar back to some cool Frippertronics. This part isn't as crazy and awesome as the faster earlier riff but it still sounds pretty sweet and Fripp plays some pretty crazy stuff on his personal keyboards. This takes us all the way to the end of this six minute song and I really liked this and all the songs on this right side.

That is the end of "Three Of A Perfect Pair" and I thought overall it was a solid but not spectacular album. I like how they separates the left and right sides and while I certainly enjoyed the more experimental one, the more commercial one was decent as well. Neither side really wowed me in the way that 70s King Crimson did a bunch of, but I enjoyed this album nonetheless. Like all of their 80s material I thought it was better than their weakest album "Islands" and I liked it more than their last album "Beat" as well. It's a close call but I think it falls short of "Discipline" leaving this newest effort in 8th place. Even though none of their 80s albums were as awesome as their best 70s stuff, I like this new style of King Crimson for what it is. Unfortunately King Crimson would go on to enter their second extended hiatus in their career so it will be a while before we hear them again!