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EXPLAINED: Tony levin | Rare Historical Photos

"I thought: 'Can I even play this stuff?' Y'know, a sixty-five-year-old Steve Vai taking on Robert Fripp at thirty-five." Steve Vai on the challenge of playing King Crimson with BEAT – and the one change he's made

In 2024, four monster instrumentalists teamed up to play music from three killer King Crimson albums – and they're finally coming to Europe

Louder

“Itwas a very conscious decision on Peter’s part tocome up with material that would make avery good and accessible record”: Guitarist David Rhodes on the making of Peter Gabriel’s chart-smashing classic So

For former Genesis man Peter Gabriel, 1986 was Sledgehammer time, and guitarist David Rhodes takes us back to the So sessions

Guitar World

“It was like, ‘Congratulations, you just bought Leo Fender’s company. Now you gotta learn how to make guitars’”: The origins of Ernie Ball Music Man – and how it all started with a bass

The StingRay was worked on by Sterling Ball, Leo Fender and others, initially under the Music Man brand name

Guitar World

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King Crimson affiliates BEAT announce one-off London show for June

Adrian Belew, Danny Carey, Tony Levin and Steve Vai will play their first UK show as BEAT in June

Louder

“I said, ‘Oh, man, we’re gonna kick some ass on a Pink Floyd record!’ I’m not really a Pink Floyd guy. I never understood why they got so big. I think they were boring most of the time”: The hard-hitting drummer who substituted for Nick Mason in the ’80s

Carmine Appice says that Mason's drumming sounds like hitting a pillow

MusicRadar

“Dolly turned it down - and I’m glad that she did because what Kate did on it is brilliant”: How Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush brought one of the most emotive songs of the 1980s to life

What happened when two musical icons joined forces? The birth of a timeless duet with a surprising country origin…

MusicRadar

Watch King Crimson 80s affiliate band Beat perform Elephant Talk live

Adrian Belew, Danny Carey, Tony Levin and Steve Vai have just released Beat Live on Blu-ray, vinly and CD

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“A truly virtuosic and deeply musical homage to King Crimson’s legacy – hugely entertaining”: BEAT LIVE captures the joy of Adrian Belew, Steve Vai, Tony Levin and Danny Carey reviving and evolving the 80s

The quartet’s relaxed yet enthusiastic approach means they never sound indulgent as they segue between pachyderm-impersonating dissonance and languorous ambience

Louder

King Crimson offshoot Beat share new live clip of Thela Hun Ginjeet

Adrian Belew, Danny Carey, Tony Levin and Steve Vai will release Beat Live in September

Louder

King Crimson affiliates Beat release live video for classic Frame By Frame

Starring Steve Vai, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Danny Carey, Frame By Frame comes from the upcoming album Beat Live, out next month

Louder

“It’s difficult to think of a synth bass sound that couldn't somehow be achieved here”: MXR MB301 Bass Synth Pedal review

Has MXR and Ian Martin Allison created the bass synth to end all bass synths?

Guitar World

“My hand started getting numb and it would stay numb from the moment that I woke up, all the way until soundcheck. It was a little scary”: Adrian Belew reflects on having his left hand repaired – and how his playing is recovering

Belew was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome during his BEAT tour alongside Steve Vai, Tony Levin, and Danny Carey

Guitar World

"We're doing a King Crimson studio album": Singer/guitarist Jakko Jakszyk reveals a new album featuring Robert Fripp and other band members

With the passing of founder members and the rerelease of side projects, a new outing from the band itself seemed off the table. Until now

MusicRadar

Rejoice! King Crimson are currently recording their first album in more than two decades

King Crimson singer and guitarist Jakko Jakszyk confirms that the band are in the studio

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King Crimson return to studio for first album in more than 20 years

Prog rock legends King Crimson are actively working on their first album since 2003.

Louder

BEAT share live clip of Neal And Jack And Me as they announce new live release

Louder

“The band had already drifted from its original vision. The group broke up…Somehow we absorbed the fact and kept going”: The story of King Crimson’s remarkable Beat era

What happened when the eternally unpredictable prog machine returned in the 80s with an Anglo-American line-up and delivered Discipline, Beat and Three Of A Perfect Pair

Louder

Watch pro-shot video of a full King Crimson set from Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Steve Vai and Danny Carey

The 100-minute video features pro-shot, multi-camera footage of BEAT playing highlights from King Crimson's eighties catalogue

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Louder

“The biggest challenge was not to come off like Tenacious D. It could easily be interpreted as some form of parody”: How Primus made an album about goblins and rainbows while trying not to mention goblins and rainbows

2017’s The Desaturating Seven was Les Claypool’s bid to explore the darkness of a 1970s children’s story, harnessing the influences of King Crimson, Tool and Sean Lennon

Louder

“He was riding a bicycle on stage. I had my camera on a tripod and, gee, what a coincidence – almost every night he’d knock it over!” Tony Levin on the differences between Peter Gabriel and Robert Fripp

Veteran bassist Tony Levin, who met Peter Gabriel and Robert Fripp on the same day in 1976, compares and contrasts the two band leaders

MusicRadar

“I was thinking at the time, if anyone wants to try and copy this video, good luck to them!”: How ’60s soul music, African rhythms and a groundbreaking video fuelled Peter Gabriel’s biggest hit

Gabriel had to lie under glass for a total of 16 hours

Guitar World

“I would say he’s underrated in the echelons of guitar. Honestly, there’s no-one close”: Steve Vai reveals what it’s like to work side by side with fellow Frank Zappa alum Adrian Belew on the BEAT tour

The two virtuosos have been flexing their distinct styles on the ongoing BEAT tour – which celebrates King Crimson's '80s repertoire – alongside bassist Tony Levin and Tool drummer Danny Carey

Guitar World

“I had a long vamp out and I played an extra few notes. David smiled and said, ‘Tony, in Pink Floyd you don’t do that extra couple notes until far later’”: Tony Levin on playing for Pink Floyd in the post-Roger Waters era

The session icon discusses working with David Gilmour – and reveals he was asked to tour with Pink Floyd after his session work on 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason

Guitar World

“This is a guy who worked for Frank Zappa. Frank said to him, ‘Whatever you do, don’t learn how to read music.’ He's all-creative –he's a miracle, really”: Steve Vai on BEAT, being a virtuoso in his 60s – and the Fripp riff he just couldn’t master

He reflects on how Frank Zappa helped him and Adrian Belew, the value of learning from rather than competing with other players and changing rig for his tour with Joe Satriani. But who’s going to be in the SatchVai band?

Louder

"He’s basically a juvenile delinquent who’s out of control." Bass legend Tony Levin reveals which studio session was the most significant of his storied career

Bassist Tony Levin has played with John Lennon, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie and more, but one studio session was more significant than the others

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