30th Anniversary Edition - originally released in 1982, Beat marked the first occasion where a King Crimson lineup had remained intact for a 2 album stretch. It was also the first album by the band to employ a separate produceer - Rhett Davies. The juxtaposition of lyrics heavily influenced by 50s beat luminaries Jack Kerouac & Neal Cassady with the complex polyrhythmic musical textures of the 80's Crimson, was inspired. While Beat may not have had the shock impact of Discipline, its immediate predecessor - sounding so radically different to anything previously bearing the King Crimson name - the sense of conotinuity, the strength of the songs & the cohesion of the studio performances all helped the album chart upon release in the US & UK.
