Beat, the King Crimson spin-off project featuring the legendary progressive band members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, will release a live album later this year.
The appropriately titled Beat Live will be released on Sept. 26 and features the Crimson alumni playing alongside guitarist Steve Vai and Tool drummer Tony Carey.
You can watch the new video for “Neal and Jack and Me” below.
The quartet played more than 60 shows in North America in 2024, focusing on three 1980s-era King Crimson albums: Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair. Earlier this year, they played Mexico and South America.
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“You’re walking onstage with three virtuoso musicians, world class professionals who have seen it all but are still having fun playing this music which is timeless and unlike anything done before or since and the audience knows every word and are so thrilled with the performance the energy and love beaming back at you is overwhelming,” Belew noted in a press release announcing the album. “What could be better?”
“Touring with Beat has proved to be so much more than I could have expected,” Vai added. “Performing this music with Adrian, Tony and Danny has been one of my favorite touring experiences, and we are now at the top of our game and captured the magic on Beat Live.”
“The band rocks,” said Levin. “So glad we got high-quality recordings of what it is we do live — innovation meets classic material.”
What’s on the ‘Beat Live’ Album?
Beat Live will be released in a deluxe edition featuring a Blu-ray and three CDs; a Blu-ray packaged with two CDs; and a three-LP vinyl set.
The album’s music comes from a Los Angeles performance last year. The bonus CD on the deluxe version features tracks recorded during the North American tour.
Earlier this year, Belew told UCR the group was thinking of recording some new music.
“Right now, the goal is to honor this King Crimson music the best we can and play anywhere that’ll take us,” he said at the time. “But that has a shelf life, obviously. Because once you’ve toured the world with it, I wouldn’t want to go back out and tour the whole world again doing the same thing. Because there’s way too many things to do.”
Beat, ‘Beat Live’ Track Listing
Neurotica
Neal And Jack And Me
Heartbeat
Sartori In Tangier
Model Man
Dig Me
Man With An Open Heart
Industry
Larks’ Tongues In Aspic Part III
Waiting Man
The Sheltering Sky
Sleepless
Frame By Frame
Matte Kudasai
Elephant Talk
Three Of A Perfect Pair
Indisicipline
Red
Thela Hun Ginjeet
Bonus CD
Neurotica
Neal And Jack And Me
Heartbeat
Sartori In Tangier
Frame by Frame
Industry
Larks’ Tongues In Aspic Part III
Elephant Talk
Matte Kundasai
Three of a Perfect Pair
Indisicipline
Thela Hun Ginjeet
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Gallery Credit: Ryan Reed