The Power To Believe

The motif of the album is in the four short versions of "The Power To Believe". The first is meek and sweet with Eastern percussion while the last concludes the session with Fripp's guitar soaring like a solo violin and a whole variety is in between. "Level Five" displays the tight, almost violently aggressive sound King Crimson has nearly patented. It's a great opener.

Of course, there are plenty of great prog-rock songs such as "Eyes Wide Open", a harken back to "Three Of A Perfect Pair" and "Facts Of Life" with cynical lyrics that made fun of the rich and greedy ("six millionaires crawling on a plate") and immorality ("just because you can doesn't mean you should").

'Newbie boy bands' get skewered on "Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With", with lyrics like, "I'm gonna have to write a chorus, We're gonna need to have another chorus...". It's nicely vicious. Not all is parody, as is shown with a great progressive build of a song with an urgent crescendo in "Dangerous Curves".

Adrian Belew is obviously having a good time and is a great compliment to Fripp's guitar work. Trey Gunn is amazing with all his bass instruments and Pat Mastelotto is extremely confident. Mastelotto may not have the flash that Bill Bruford displays, but his competency and pinpoint accuracy more than makes up for it. This 'King Crimson' grouping is just as tight as any and it's great to hear more innovative and fascinating mixes of talent and instruments thirty years on.

Of course, there are plenty of great prog-rock songs such as "Eyes Wide Open", a harken back to "Three Of A Perfect Pair" and "Facts Of Life" with cynical lyrics that made fun of the rich and greedy ("six millionaires crawling on a plate") and immorality ("just because you can doesn't mean you should").

'Newbie boy bands' get skewered on "Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With", with lyrics like, "I'm gonna have to write a chorus, We're gonna need to have another chorus...". It's nicely vicious. Not all is parody, as is shown with a great progressive build of a song with an urgent crescendo in "Dangerous Curves".

Adrian Belew is obviously having a good time and is a great compliment to Fripp's guitar work. Trey Gunn is amazing with all his bass instruments and Pat Mastelotto is extremely confident. Mastelotto may not have the flash that Bill Bruford displays, but his competency and pinpoint accuracy more than makes up for it. This 'King Crimson' grouping is just as tight as any and it's great to hear more innovative and fascinating mixes of talent and instruments thirty years on.

A very wide range of emotions and atmospheres are explored in the songs and instrumentals. The title track, a short and beautiful poem, is used to great effect in various different versions. "Eyes Wide Open" has an upbeat melodic eighties Crimson feel. "Dangerous Curves" is an excellent semi-classical instrumental with echoes of "Mars" from "The Planets Suite" by Holst. "Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With" is a brilliant ironic slab of heavy metal with very very funny lyrics.

One of the best albums to be released under the name of "King Crimson", although very different to many earlier releases. An absolutely superb collection of high quality, intelligent, heartfelt, rock music by men who are old enough to know better!