The Power to Believe

King Crimson

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 2003)
• Original Release Date: March 4, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B00008BXJF
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (129 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,918 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Robert Fripp and the ever-changing lineup of King Crimson continue to fascinate and challenge with The Power to Believe. The album’s opener is an a cappella version of the title track sweetly delivered by Adrian Belew that’s reprised three times later: once with jangling Eastern percussion and a soaring guitar; once as a sci-fi extravaganza that harkens to Crimson's glorious past; and finally as an a cappella closer. In between lies the disciplined, varied, and often mind-blowing playing one expects from these accomplished musicians. "Facts of Life" is dirty prog blues, while "Dangerous Curves" is like a low-key "Kashmir" until it rises to a metallic crescendo. Then there's the sarcastic "Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With," which finds Belew berating younger outfits for their lack of artistic ambition. --Dominic Wills

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power Of King Crimson, March 12, 2003

By	Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

34 years after their classic debut, 1969's "In The Court Of The Crimson King," the veteran prog-rockers King Crimson are still going strong. The band, comprising founder/guitarist Robert Fripp and Whoever The Heck Fripp Wants To Work With, are rock monsters that can easily shred wallpaper with full force. But they can also dip into dreamy psychedelic soundscapes, take off into the wild avant-garde, and, with the inclusion of singer/guitarist Adrian Belew since 1981, they also have a fine pop sensibility. Their latest album, "The Power To Believe," gives you the best from all of Crimson's worlds, as Fripp & company blend a modern sound with a great throwback feel to the band's experimental early days of "In The Court Of...", "Larks Tongues In Aspic," "Red," etc. Diehard Crimheads everywhere should totally dig this disc.The band tear through incredible instrumentals like "Level Five," "Elektrik," and "Dangerous Curves" with tremendous intensity. "Eyes Wide Open," the only real radio-friendly track on the album, is a terrific song---I'm sure it would do very well on modern rock radio stations. "Facts Of Life," and the tongue-twistingly titled "Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With," are great Crimson rockers. And the band ingeniously break up the title song into four separate sections that are spread throughout the album, each featuring a haunting vocal from Belew, and each one given a slightly different arrangement. It works wonderfully. Robert Fripp, now in his late-50's, still plays a lean, mean, slithering electric guitar. Adrian Belew's excellent vocals & guitarwork also stand mightily tall. Trey Gunn brilliantly plays a monstrous Warr bass guitar, and drummer Pat Mastelotto is a pure powerhouse on his "traps and buttons" (according to the CD booklet). "The Power To Believe" is an astounding King Crimson album, one of their best. May this Crimson line-up rock for many more years to come. :-)

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Title Needed, November 14, 2003

By	Samhot (Star Land) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

It seems that the older each member of King Crimson becomes in age, the younger they become in spirit. You wouldn't believe that a bunch of 50-year-olds would be making music that sounds so heavy and so modern. If one were to listen to some of the tracks on this particular release, without any prior knowledge of this being the product of a musician who made "boring old fart" music in the late 60s and early 70s, they'd most likely be shocked, to say the least. Who am I talking about? That would be Robert Fripp, the driving force behind Crimson -- from '69 until now.

While Crimson were lumped with other classic progressive rock bands like Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, ELP and several others, Crimson possessed a darkness and a heaviness which set them apart from the rest. To make a personal hypothesis, symphonic-oriented bands like Tull and ELP seem to be generally more appreciated by the older crowd, while Crimson possessed more of a darker, heavier, sinister edge that many vituperative-loving youngsters -- whom otherwise wouldn't have much use for the sophisticated works of prog-rock -- felt they could latch onto. This definitely isn't "your daddy's prog-rock," but more like the prog-rock of kids who locked up their parents in a closet, threw away the key, and added their OWN twist on things, which would again, point to irony, given that the folks who created this music assumedly average a half-century in age. (Note: if by chance, you stumble upon this page and review, doubt that prog-rock could be heavy and "boring," and haven't heard a thing from Crimson, head straight to their 1974 release, RED.)

Robert Fripp (guitar), Adrian Belew (vocals/guitar), Pat Mastellotto (drums - though credited for traps and buttons, don't ask me what they're supposed to be) and Trey Gunn (Warr guitars -- guitars that mimic guitars, basses, and sometimes keyboards) continue on their strange and compelling musical journey. This album sees Crimson making complex, technical hard rock/metal, but this time out, they've trimmed things quite a bit to be more succinct and concise, and the results are very impressive. Within all the heaviness, there are moments of ethereal beauty that one probably wouldn't expect from Crimson -- not to mention that the album is addictive and utterly fun.

The album opens up with a theme that revolves around the title track, bringing some resemblance to the cyclical theme running through IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON (1970). It features a processed a cappella vocal from Adrian Belew, which brings some atmospherical resemblance to Dire Straits, as well as some 80s new wave bands, before sliding into the heavy, menacing "Level Five." Opening with an ominous 7/4 crunch, the phrases teeter between ascending and descending, which eventually give way to a scrumptious climax: the climactic riff lifted straight out of "FraKctured," was used as this track's climax as well. Then, come around the 5:03 mark, the main song's riff is repeated, but altered in key, which sounds very similar to the ominous, cello-laden middle section of the title track to 1974's RED. "Eyes Wide Open" is an ethereal, ambient ballad with dreamy, oriental-like soundscapes. Crimson? Ethereal, poignant and dreamy? Who knew? A very beautiful number. "Elektrik" begins with some airy, woodwind-like soundscapes, which I'm guessing are spurted from Trey Gunn's Warr guitar, before kicking into one of the most addictive, grooving, head-bopping sections to be heard. The guitar passages seem to coil around one another like two or more snakes, which seem confusing, at least on the surface, while the soundscapes in general sound like perfect music for a video game. "Facts of Life" features some quirky, yet unusually thought-provoking lyrics, as we see Adrian taking on something of a Neil Peart role - philosophically discussing...life!

The second part of the title track is an ambient number featuring a multitude of soundscapes. The first section can please many hydrophiles with those drip-drop sequences, while later there's a soothing section of chime-like beauty that can lull a baby to sleep. "Dangerous Curves" is an exercise in tension: the orchestration seems to mostly ascend in pattern throughout the song, which naturally links up with the steadily increasing dynamics before a creepy explosion closes out the song. "Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With" has been said to be a mockery of numetal bands, but, I think the members are generally poking fun at any musician who writes in standard, typical verse/chorus/verse format. The chorus is 11/8-ish, which isn't odd, given that 11 is the exact amount of syllables in the title (11 syllables = 11 eighth notes.) That sinister laugh heard somewhere near the end of the track shows the boys having some fun - even if it were on sinister accounts. That, to me seems like the real ending of the album, as the last two parts of the title track seem like bonus tracks tacked onto an otherwise excellent album. They're enjoyable on their own, but in context with the rest of the album, they seem like filler, and wasted space.

Not much more can be said from me. Robert Fripp and company continue to make interesting music. This album is intelligent, sinister, aggressive, poignant, fun and hilarious. Worth adding to your collection if you're a Crimson fan.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monster Rock from the King, May 17, 2003

By	Shaw N. Gynan (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I discovered just a few days ago that there was a new studio King Crimson CD, I didn't hesitate to get it. I love The ConstruKction of Light, but this is in many ways better. The most significant improvement is regarding the ProjeKct X-like spacey interludes. On ConstruKction, the ProjeKct X material at the end of the album served as a rather unrelated, albeit enjoyable and interesting Coda. Here, the ProjeKct X sound is integrated with the rest of the CD by distributing "The Power to Believe" throughout the disk. Fripp first used this kind of musical form in "In the Wake of Poseidon," lending overall structure to the album, elevating a collection of songs to a cohesive work considerably more complex, and ultimately, more deeply affecting.

"The Power to Believe" opens with a simple version of the title piece, labeled a cappella is a bit misleadingly, since Belew's voice is so intensely filtered and processed electronically. "She carries me through days of apathy, she washes over me. She saved my life, in a manner of speaking, when she gave me back the power to believe." This is followed by a monstrous (i.e., rocking, great!) piece, "Level Five," reminiscent of "Discipline."

King Crimson always includes lovely, acoustic tunes to soften the blows, and "Eyes Wide Open" represents yet another shimmering entry, just as attractive as the best of "Beat." "Elektrik," begins with woodwinds and smashes into a piece that recalls "Red" and the "Larks's Tongues" series. "Facts of Life" is expansive and mysterious in its opening, and we again are banged up against the side of head with a rocker that harkens back to "Indiscipline." Belew is in his element, singing soulfully over the cacophony, tongue-in-cheek.

After the wickedness of "Facts," a return to the calm and introspection of "Power" is in order. This is an extended exploration of the musical theme introduced a cappella by Belew. The atmospherics remind me of moments from "Larks' Tongues" and "Three of a Perfect Pair." Exotic percussion builds in intensity and accompaniment by electronic glissandi in high and low registers take this soaring to the skies. Although I don't recall seeing other reviewers mentioning this, I think this is yet another reason why comparisons are being made to the masterful album "Discipline." I haven't heard anything like this from Fripp since "The Sheltering Sky."

"Power" is followed straight up with the climax of the album, the spectacular "Dangerous Curves." Echoes of mellotrons lead into a piece that is not unlike "The Devil's Triangle." The percussion is driving and the engineering crystal clear, which is fortunate because the piece becomes very loud and requires no more distortion than what is intended.

A time-warp takes us into "Happy with What You Have to be Happy with," a humourous and rocking knod to and knock at post-metal mediocrity. The final two tracks reprise "Power," and the sparely accompanied melody is, in the final analysis, quite moving.

I find this latest contribution to be instantly compelling. I listened to it immediately five times in a row, and it took about that long to figure most of it out. Incredibly, yet another masterpiece from Fripp and his team, and, I would argue, overall the best work King Crimson has ever produced. Practice makes perfect!!