Album
Three of a Perfect Pair
Three of a Perfect Pair is King Crimson's tenth studio album, released on 23 March 1984 by E.G. Records. It completes the trio of records made by the 1980s quartet of Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford, following Discipline in 1981 and Beat in 1982. It was the last studio album from that line-up, which broke up later in 1984.
The album sits in progressive, art and rock territory, and it works as the closing chapter of a distinct era for the band. It is worth hearing as the final word from this four-piece, who would not be heard together on a Crimson record again until THRAK in 1995, when all four returned as part of a six-man line-up.
Three of a Perfect Pair: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 41:12Tracklist
- 1Three of a Perfect PairBelew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin4:14
- 2Model ManBelew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin3:51
- 3SleeplessKing Crimson and Adrian Belew5:19
- 4Man With an Open HeartBelew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin3:06
- 5Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds)Belew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin4:47
- 6IndustryBelew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin7:05
- 7Dig MeBelew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin3:17
- 8No WarningBelew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin3:29
- 9Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part IIIBelew, Bruford, Fripp, Levin6:03
- Produced by
- Rhett Davies, King Crimson
- Recorded at
- Arny's Shack (Poole, Dorset), Marcus (London), Bearsville (Woodstock, New York)
- Recorded
- May–November 1983
- Engineered by
- Brad Davis
- Labels
- E’G, Warner Bros.
- Length
- 41:12
Line-up
- Adrian Belew · guitar family, vocals, guitar, lead vocals · guest
- Tony Levin · Chapman stick, electric bass guitar, synthesizer, bass guitar, vocals · guest
- Bill Bruford · percussion, drums (drum set), electronic drum set · guest
- Robert Fripp · guitar · guest
Singles
- “Sleepless” · 2 March 1984
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1984 | 30 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1984 | 58 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1984 | 37 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1984 | 43 |
| German Albums · 1984 | 58 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
62.9
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.7k
ListenBrainz listeners
79k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
4.3k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 23 March
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Full discography →
In the Court of the Crimson King
1969
In the Wake of Poseidon
1970
Lizard
1970
Islands
1971
Earthbound
1972
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
1973
Starless and Bible Black
1974
Red
1974
A Young Person’s Guide to King Crimson
1975
USA
1975
Discipline
1981
Beat
1982
The Compact King Crimson
1986
The Abbreviated King Crimson: Heartbeat
1991
Frame by Frame: The Essential King Crimson
1991
King Crimson The Great Deceiver 1992
The Great Deceiver
1992
Sleepless: The Concise King Crimson
1993
VROOOM
1994
THRAK
1995
B’BOOM: Official Bootleg – Live in Argentina
1995
THRaKaTTaK
1996
Epitaph, Volumes One & Two
1997
The Nightwatch: Live at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw November 23rd 1973
1997
Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal 1984
1998
Live at the Marquee 1969
1998
Live at Jacksonville 1972
1998
The Beat Club, Bremen 1972
1999
Live at Cap d’Agde 1982
1999
Cirkus: The Young Person’s Guide to King Crimson Live
1999
On Broadway 1995
1999
The Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners’ Guide to ProjeKcts
1999
The ProjeKcts
1999
A Beginner’s Guide to the King Crimson Collectors’ Club
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Live at Plymouth Guildhall May 11, 1971
2000
Live in Hyde Park July 5, 1969
2000
Live at Summit Studios, Denver March 12, 1972
2000
Live in Central Park, NYC 1974
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The ConstruKction of Light
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Live at Moles Club, Bath – April 30, 1981
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Heavy ConstruKction
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Live in Mainz: March 30, 1974
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Live in Berkeley, CA – August 13, 1982
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Live in Detroit, MI, December 13, 1971
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Live in Nashville, TN: November 9 & 10, 2001
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Live at Fillmore East, 1969
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The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson, Volume 1: 1969–1974
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Live in Heidelberg – March 29, 1974
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More on E’G
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1984-03-23; musicbrainz + wikidata 1984-03-27 (4 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 27 March 1984 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 23 March 1984 | |
| Wikidata | 27 March 1984 | |
| US release | 1984 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 27 March 1984 | earliest UK or European date |
21 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | GB | E’G | 5012985305549 | other |
| 1984 | DE | E’G | 042281788222 | other |
| 1984 | US | E’G | 075992507110 | other |
| 1984 | DE | Warner Bros. Records | 075992507127 | other |
| March 1984 | US | E’G | 075992507110 | other |
| March 1984 | GB | E’G | 5012985305525 | other |
| 27 March 1984 | GB | E’G | 5012985305518 | original |
| 23 March 1987 | XE | Virgin | 077778686422 | other |
| 1 May 1987 | JP | E’G | 4988006612471 | other |
| 1988 | US | E’G | 075992507127 | other |
| 6 April 1988 | JP | Virgin Japan | 4988037002180 | other |
| 1989 | US | E’G | 017046159425 | other |
| 2001 | XE | Virgin | 724384407223 | deluxe |
| 2001 | GB | Virgin | 724381012222 | deluxe |
| 18 April 2001 | JP | Discipline Global Mobile | 4988013047709 | deluxe |
| 2004 | GB | Panegyric | 633367051028 | other |
| 2005 | US | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367051028 | deluxe |
| 18 March 2016 | XW | Discipline Global Mobile | 0633367881120 | other |
| 21 October 2016 | US | Inner Knot | 633367401021 | deluxe |
| 28 October 2016 | GB | Panegyric | 633367401021 | other |
| 28 June 2019 | GB | Discipline Global Mobile | 633367911018 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 600×597 | upscaled |