KING CRIMSON – THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR LP – Nr MINT A2/B2 UK 1984 ORIG PROG

King Crimson – Three Of A Perfect Pair
(EG Records  1984  EGLP55)
Matrix No’s: A2/B2 – UK Pressing

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from a few light crackles at the start of side 2)

Sleeve in Nr MINT- condition
– some light rubbing at the top and a small scuff on the top edge
Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition

King Crimson are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The band has undergone numerous formations throughout its history of which 21 musicians have been members; since January of 2017 it has consisted of Robert Fripp, Jakko Jakszyk, Tony Levin, Mel Collins, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin and Jeremy Stacey. Fripp is the only consistent member of the group, and is considered the band’s leader and driving force. The band has earned a large cult following.

Developed from the unsuccessful trio Giles, Giles and Fripp, the band were seminal in the progressive rock genre in its first five years with its standard of instrumentation and complex song structures. King Crimson’s debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), remains its most successful and influential, with its elements of jazz, classical, and experimental music. Their success increased following an opening act performance for The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, London, in 1969. Following the less successful In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970), and Islands (1971), the group reached a new creative peak with Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974). Fripp disbanded the group in 1974.

In 1981, King Crimson reformed with a change in musical direction which lasted for three years, resulting in the trio of albums Discipline (1981), Beat (1982), and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984). Following a decade-long hiatus, Fripp revived the group in 1994 and released Thrak (1995). Since 1997, several musicians have pursued aspects of the band’s work and approaches through a series of related bands collectively referred to as ProjeKCts. In 2000, the band reunited once more and released the construKction of light (2000). The band’s most recent album is The Power to Believe (2003). In 2009 the band undertook a tour to celebrate their 40th Anniversary and continue to perform live in various capacities. King Crimson has been influential to several other musical artists.

Three of a Perfect Pair is the tenth studio album by English band King Crimson, released in March 1984 by record label E.G.

The album balances traditional song structures on the “left side” with more free-form improvisation on the “right side”, fitting somewhere between the experimental Discipline and the more commercially accessible Beat. Tony Levin had more input than on any other King Crimson album. The “other side” on the 2001 remaster consists of bonus tracks including an a cappella in which all four members supposedly sing in a barbershop quartet but is really Levin’s voice overdubbed to create harmonization.

The name of the album is based on the idea of perfect opposites and “three sides to every story”, or his, hers, and an objective truth.

The Peter Willis designed artwork illustrates the sacred–profane dichotomy while being a simplified version of the Larks’ Tongues in Aspic cover; a rising phallic object represents a male solar deity about to penetrate the crescent figure, a female lunar deity. The back cover illustration is the same but adds a third element, a curved line stretching to reconcile the opposing sides.

Tracks 10-15 were added for the 2001 30th Anniversary remaster. Two of the three “Sleepless” mixes were previously available on the UK 12″ single. The Bob Clearmountain mix appeared (incorrectly credited and against the band’s wishes) on the U.S. Warner Bros. LP pressing.

The hip hop duo Gang Starr would later sample the intro to “Dig Me” in their song “Words I Manifest (Remix)” from their 1989 debut album No More Mr. Nice Guy.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Adrian Belew; all music composed by Belew, Bill Bruford, Robert Fripp and Tony Levin, except “The King Crimson Barber Shop”, with music & lyrics by Levin.

Personnel

King Crimson

• Adrian Belew – fretted and fretless guitars, lead vocals
• Robert Fripp – guitar, frippertronics
• Tony Levin – bass, stick, synthesizer, backing vocals
• Bill Bruford – acoustic and electric drumming