BEAT Live by BEAT

Beat Live by Beat released on September 26, 2025. 

Let's start by saying that the Line Up of this live album (3 LP 180 g) is simply fantastic. 

It is a supergroup made up of two former members of King Crimson, Adrian Belew (Guitar, vocals with King Crimson, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads…) and Tony Levin (Electric bass, Chapman Stick, double bass, vocals, synthesizer with Peter Gabriel, Stick Men, Liquid Tension Experiment, King Crimson, Bruford Levin, Upper Extremities, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe…) who join two undisputed monsters of their instrument,  Steve Vai (guitar, sitar, bass, piano, vocals, with Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Alcatrazz, Whitesnake, just to name a few) and Danny Carey (from Tool), who decide to play three King Crimson albums that are not only magnificent but that I personally love: “Discipline“, “Beat” and “Three of a Perfect Pair“, wonderful and innovative works, three fantastic albums, which took the band from prog to the fusion of art rock and new wave, of the 80s. (my copies of the trilogy in the photo)

It is a creative reinterpretation of the three iconic albums during 65 shows in North America, before continuing with an extensive tour of Mexico and South America in 2025. The Live album focuses on the sold-out show in Los Angeles, at The United Theater on Broadway on November 10, 2024, titled Neon Heat Disease - LIVE In Los Angeles.

This is the statement that accompanied the album announcement, from Belew: “Step on stage with three virtuoso musicians, world-class professionals who have seen it all but still have fun playing this timeless music, different from anything done before or after, and the audience knows every word and is so excited about the performance that the energy and love they transmit to you is overwhelming. What could be better?”.

This is the comment from Steve Vai : “Touring with BEAT turned out to be much more than I expected. Playing this music with Adrian, Tony and Danny has been one of my favorite touring experiences, now we are at the top of our game and we have captured the magic in ‘Beat Live’”. 

And Tony Levin : “The band is fantastic. I am really happy to have high-quality recordings of what we do live: innovation meets classic repertoire”.

The albums are almost entirely part of the live, with some notable omissions: all tracks from Discipline are present except the Title Track, all those from Beat, but  Two Hands, The Howler and Requiem are left out, while from Three of a Perfect Pair No Warning is left out

There are great psychedelic moments, carpets of sounds of indecipherable origin, like in "Industry," which closes Disc 1 Side 2 with its very long instrumental section, or the sharp sounds typical of electric prog throughout Side 1 of the first disc, which opens with a crazy series of "Neurotica," "Neal and Jack and Me," and "Heartbeat," with their sharp rhythms and guitar dissonances, set against a stratospheric bass.

The opening of Disc 2 Side 1 is fantastic, with a perfect interpretation of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part III." Levin's bass with Carey's drums are explosive, and Belev and Vai's guitar licks are simply masterful. Pure hypnosis, thanks also to an excellent mix that ingeniously moves the sounds between the L and R sides. The use of the Talk Box is beautiful, something I haven't heard in years, and Vai's solo keeps you dreaming until the song closes with the audience in a frenzy.

"Waiting Man" opens with a hypnotic drumming in a totally electronic mood, heralding the theme that begins with the same sounds multiplying, intersecting, duplicating, and overlapping. First one guitar enters, then the other, and the mood doesn't change, but the instruments grow in this intricate tangle of preordained and sophisticated sounds. Then comes the voice and the deep bass. The emotions of the melody and the almost folk-like vocals arrive. The guitars with their uninterrupted, dissonant, and scratchy mantras duet with the bass. Then the drums, powerful in sound but with an essential and complex rhythm, form an extraordinarily articulated base. Then comes Vai with his incredible solo. A luxurious track that ends poorly with an almost abrupt cut on this vinyl version.

The Sheltering Sky opens Disc 2, Side 2, with basic electro-acoustic rhythms and a guitar solo featuring dissonances and melodies disintegrating into the sounds, a tense, Arabian atmosphere before the song's psychedelic opening. Essential sounds. Electronic percussion traces a continuous tempo throughout the song, on which guitars and bass alternate in solos brimming with technique and taste, not pure virtuosity and individualism, but purely for the benefit of the atmosphere. Vai's solo is breathtaking. A magnificent piece even in this live performance.

Sleepless opens with a sumptuous bass intro by Levin and then launches into its captivating rhythm, the bass always monstrous throughout the song. A piece that never loses its characteristic of being both captivating and captivating, with beautiful multi-voiced vocals and sharp guitars that dialogue in dissonance. Carey manages to inject complexity into even a basic backing track, a feat that's truly impressive for those who can grasp its nuances. The typically rock section showcases the guitars. Levin has fun laying down a self-contained rhythm, while Carey plays with the toms over a fiery backing track. Stunning, pure energy.

And as if everything I've heard isn't enough to call it a masterpiece, "Frame by Frame" opens Disc 3, Side 1 with a collective stupor, a riot of super-technical guitar and drums that delve into the mind with incredible speed, while the guitars, playing rhythms with varying tempos, confuse.

Matte Kudasai's electronic blues follows, a slow track with a splendid voice and guitars in different roles, blues arpeggios, acoustic arpeggios, and electric flourishes that enrich an exceptional song.

Elephant Talk, with its fast-paced, dense funk, a disturbing guitar riff on which Steve Vai delights us with beautiful solos, a splendid vocal performance, and a metronomic rhythm section. The synths' appearances with unusual sounds, the sometimes extreme dissonances, and the hypnotic guitar theme that runs throughout the song. A fantastic journey into musical absurdity. Exceptional.

Three of a Perfect Pair, with beautiful vocals and backing vocals, and Carey masterfully tracing the odd-numbered base and the tempo changes. There's room for a completely instrumental section featuring guitar sounds, before returning to the captivating main theme. Carey's drumming is beautiful, with its sounds, which (thankfully) he didn't want to give up.

Disc 3, side 3, the last of this splendid work by BEAT, begins with a monumental piece, "Indisicipline," which opens with an overwhelming phrasing by Carey and Levin of extraordinary power and technique—heavy, strong, and impetuous Carey—before the haunting phrasing between the guitars begins over this dense rhythmic base. Tension is sky-high. Then the voice enters, and while the bass powerfully sets the rhythm, the drums lighten up considerably, and the guitar follows with delightful virtuosity. Then comes the great chaos, which isn't chaos but rather contemporary technicalities on a free theme... this moment ushers us back into the "light" phase, where the voice takes center stage, with a beautiful rendition by Belew. The alternation gives us a new, final phase of power and technique combined.

Thela Hun Ginjeet closes the album with her fast, '80s-style rhythms, gorgeous guitar solos, Cerey and Belew seemingly tracing a South American rhythm, rock with samba-like movements. This album features a hypnotic, incessant riff of dissonant guitars, Belew with his passionate voice. A splendid close.

Fantastic artwork, three panels and a four-page insert with beautiful photos of the concert and these great musicians, as well as, of course, the now famous Elephant on the cover. It's beautiful, I'll be showing it off for a long time.

An entirely live album with stunning recordings and flawless performances, musicians excelling in their respective roles with great attention to the overall sound without overdoing it. Adrian Belew's guitar work and vocals are superb and complex, Tony Levin's bass is unmatched, even after this album, and Steve Vai shows off his virtuoso style, while Danny Carey's highly technical drums bring his TOOL style and sounds to the band, with great technique, taste, and precision, completing a stellar band.

Energy and intensity are palpable in every performance, a sort of immersion of the musicians in the songs, resulting in great performances, a sound that sees the individual skills perfectly integrated into a group sound.

A gift that four of the greatest musicians of the last fifty years wanted to give us, especially to those who had the chance to see them live.

An album that earns the title of best live album of 2025 and climbs into the top 5 albums of the year.

I recommend everyone listen to it, preferably with headphones and at full blast.