Fripp's 1979 solo album Exposure. The song was performed in 1981 before it had finalized lyrics, and Belew introduced the instrumental as "Manhattan". "The Howler" refers to the Beat poem Howl by Allen Ginsberg, which Fripp suggested to Belew as inspiration for the lyrics. The guitar riff heard halfway through the song can be likened to the one Belew played on the Tom Tom Club single "Genius of Love" in 1981. The song was first performed in early 1982 as an instrumental, and the ultimately unused "Absent Lovers" emerged during this time as well. Although not an obvious reference to any Beat-related writings, "Requiem" is notable for the drama it caused within the band. It is an improvisation set to the backdrop of a Frippertronics loop from Fripp's 1979 tour. After Levin and Bruford recorded the rhythm tracks, Belew returned to the studio alone to record additional guitar overdubs. Fripp later did the same, and when the group had re-convened, Belew told Fripp to leave. Fripp, though visibly upset, complied and headed for his home in Wimborne. He was not heard from for around three days; Bruford wrote a supportive letter and the group's manager at the time, Paddy Spinks, had a phone call with Fripp. They managed to "piece it all back together" and Belew would later apologise, but the group had broken up and didn't reunite until the 1982 tour. Fripp has said this about the album's production: "At the time, Bill and Adrian thought that Beat was better than Discipline. For me, this is an indication of how far the band had already drifted from its original vision. The group broke up at the end of Beat... I had nothing to do with the mixing of Beat, nor did I feel able to promote it. Somehow we absorbed that fact, and kept going." Belew would later go on to say, "Beat was the most awful record-making experience of my life and one I would never choose to repeat." Both Belew and Bruford have said that "Heartbeat" and "Two Hands" shouldn't have been on the album. Regardless, the album was commercially successful and the group was well-received on tour. Release and reception Released on 18 June 1982, Beat reached number 39 in the UK Albums Chart. Trouser Press wrote that "the players push their instruments into a new form, akin to fusion and art-rock, but miles beyond either,