"Solo projects: Fripp & Eno, Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford"
- 1973: NO PUSSYFOOTING
- 1979:EXPOSURE
- 1981: THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN
- 1981: LET THE POWER FALL
- 1979: ONE OF A KIND
…This album must be called “revolutionary” by some reasons:
1) NO PUSSY FOOTING were recorded by well-known “ingenious pair”. The 1st was
the young ex-keyboardist and ex-sound-engineer of Roxy Music, the creator of
Ambient Music and other avantgarde musical directions – Brian Eno. And the 2nd
was also the great experimentator (or The Great Deceiver, you may say) and “the
incredible guitarist”, the leader of King Crimson, who recently made its last
line-up free, well-known by you Robert Fripp. Thus this album were recorded
by two great members of great bands, and this fact can name NO PUSSY FOOTING
revolutionary.
2) The musicians used absolutely new record-technologies for the album: The
Double Tape (produced by engineering genious of Eno), provided to repeat the
instrumental sound many-many times, that gives for the musicians a lot of wonderful
possibilities, and also one of the main principles on here is the new “Fripp’s
method of guitar-playing (the new method of guitar-tuning).
3) “The principle of Hidden Music” that will be widely used by Fripp on King
Crimson records lately (for example, on TraKaTTaK), and particularly on his
solo “Frippertronics” and “Soundscapes” records. Such music is very complexy.
That’s why it’s so underrated. This kind of music is not for usual listeners;
it’s necessary to be well-prepared before listen it.
NO PUSSY FOOTING consists on two lengthy compositions. How I’ve already said,
their melodies are hidden by perfectly atmospheric, abstract and madnessly-cycling
sound. The 1st one THE HEAVENLY MUSIC CORPORATION is more Frippish, but the
2nd one SWASTICA GIRLS (what means Swastica Girls???!!!!?!?!!?!?!?!!!!?!) is
more Enoish. By your 1st impressions you can have some reasonable questions:
“What’s the idiotism? What kind of degenerative and rubbishly music is it? Why
must I listen such boring, senseless and endless material?” But, hey, use your
brains in and pay some more attention for this “endless noodling” (how somebody
may say), and if you have some abstract sense, you will dig in this kind of
music and in this album. Listen how magically Fripp’s guitar sounds with its
cold-passionary circulating! Listen how wonderfully the waterfall of Eno’s keyboards
pouring! THE HEAVENLY MUSIC CORPORATION is more unstructured and calm, it reminds
me an equable southern relief under the warm orange sun. SWASTICA GIRLS is the
predessessor of Eno-typical structural ambient music, based on neurotical waltzing
rhythm of his keyboards (Crazy Piano!). it even reminds me the waltzing sections
of Beatles’ FOR THE BENEFIT OF MISTER KITE.
Though this album has the lack (but I cannot consider it as the lack): it’s
too extraordinary. Hey, it’s joke, of course! Simply it’s hard to listen such
music very oftenly; to me, I rarely have the necessary mood to listen this album,
I listen it no more than ten times per year. NO PUSSY FOOTING is too specific
album, it basically depends on impressions and feelings of listener for definite
moment. To my opinion, it’s even the most hard-listenable record of 70s. NO
PUSSY FOOTING is the great innovative album but...it’s hard to say, bat I cannot
give to this album the rating higher than to King Crimson’s ISLANDS and IN THE
WAKE OF POSEIDON, ‘cos I love them more. That’s why I give overall rating 12
for NO PUSSY FOOTING.
After disbanding King Crimson, releasing two records with Brian Eno, serving as a studio musician/producer for (among others) Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall, David Bowie, Talking Heads and The Roches, and developing the Frippertronics, Fripp felt that it was time to release a solo album. Maybe I should introduce you to the Frippertronics... Well, as you know he cooperated with Brian Eno. Eno's tape recorder-music inspired Fripp to develop the Frippertronics technique, where the guitar is connected with two tape recorders, one which records the guitar tones, and one which plays the recorded stuff, building up one sound-layer after another, while the music becomes monotonous. Myself I think that the idea is good, and it enables a single person to play as a whole orchestra, but on the worse hand, the music becomes too monotonous, and while Fripp usually only used his guitar, it sounds like a common (though primitive) synth. Anyway, of all the cooperations during the years 75-79, the Eno/Fripp and the cooperation with Peter Gabriel were probably the most profitable - the first which resulted in the discovery of Frippertronics, while the latter seemed to establish a friendship with Gabriel. Fripp served as a producer and guitarist on Gabriel's first three solo albums, and they also wrote some songs to each other. Among these are "Exposure" (written by Fripp, released on this album and on Gabriel's second) and "Here comes the flood" (written by Fripp/Gabriel, released on this album and on Gabriel's first).
The album opens with "Preface", a completely non-saying, short tune. Some "Aaaah"s, some speech and a telephone signal is what the track is all about. The next track is more useful, "You burn me up I'm a cigarette" is probably the cockiest tune Fripp ever wrote. Hot-rod rock is what this one is about. And don't forget that Fripp (!) wrote the lyrics to this song, and Peter Hammill sings really good. I suppose every rocker wants to make a pure rock'n'roll tune sometime. ELP made "Are you ready Eddy?", Gentle Giant made a bluesy tune (don't really remember its name, but it might be "Why Not?"), Queen made "Stone Cold Crazy", Beatles made "12-bar Original", well, the list goes on.
"Breathless" is a clever "Red"-rip-off, with some Frippertronics added to the heavy guitar tunes, adding a scary atmosphere. It's instrumental, just as "Red", and it rocks just as hard.
"Disengage" is another heavy rocker, again sung by Peter Hammill, who sounds as if he has been taken lots of different drugs through the years (though I hope he hasn't!) - he sounds really heavy. I have some memories of Rob Halford singing like this. The song opens with some Frippertronics-esque tones, later to move over into a quite common rocker, if a Fripp tune can be called "common", but the song still rocks so what do I care.
"North star" and "Chicago" both sounds the same, short soft-rock tunes, not really deserving a complete introduction.
"NY3" is far more special, you know like a psycho-rocker written by a usually sane one. The guitar riffs are speedy, heavy, and the vocals are weird, sounding like a person far away screaming "Get out". The thing that I think of when listening to this song is "psycho-punk-rock", if you can imagine what i mean.
"Mary" is another soft one, with a female singer, a Roche, if you know the group entitled "Roches", singing a smooth melody, only accompanied by Fripp's electric guitar.
"Exposure" is another psycho tune, with a hypnotic Frippertronics/guitars melody, and upon this are creepy vocals added, again sung by the Roche. The only thing she has to sing is the word "exposure", which she sings again and again, each time straining as if she had to break down a wall with her single voice, often she screams so high that her voice breaks over into falsetto. At the end of the song, she screams unarticulated vocals in falsetto, as if she was on her way to die a painful death, you know. Creepy... And as you might know, this song was first released on Peter Gabriel's second LP, but even if I dig that version as well, good old Peter doesn't make it sound by far as scary.
"Häaden two" is some guitar tones andsome speech, moving over into "Urban landscape", a Frippertronics tune so silent that you have to turn up the volume a lot if you wanna hear something.
"I may not have enough of me but I've had enough of you" is another darn heavy tune, with some hard rock guitars (you know?) and some keyboards accompanying Hammill and Roche, who both shouts "Is that the way, it's the way it is" in different variations. Really cool, believe it or not.
"First Inaugural Address to the I.A.C.E. Sherborne House" is only three seconds long and passes through my ears without much noise about it. "Water Music 1" is a Frippertronics tune that makes some sense since it sets the mood for the coming song, "Here comes the flood", which first was released on Peter Gabriel's first LP, and it's really beautiful. Gabriel lyrics sung with Gabriel's typical voice accompanied by a gentle piano and some silent Fripp tones. The whole song is the best ballad on here, especially the chorus is breathtaking, Gabriel singing "Oooh, here comes the flood" with so much feeling... who else in the whole world can give such a big part of himself when singing? Gabriel's a miracle.
"Water Music 2" is another Frippertronics tune which is completing "Here Comes the Flood". "Postscript" is another Frippertromics tune that nearly sounds nothing at all but it ends the record anyway.
Those Frippertronics tunes could have desroyed the whole album, but while they usually are so quiet that I usually don't hear them at all, they're just some minutes of silence. But the Frippertronics sounds really good while used in actual songs, though they sound annoying while played solo. I don't know why Fripp later released an album with only a lot of Frippertronics on it - I mean, no-one except of the most diehard diehards (and himself, of course) could have appreciated it. Well, well... at least this album is good, and I think that everybody can find something to appreciate on it. Except those old dudes who got stuck into Wagner and Mills Brothers, maybe. (but anyway!)
Send your comments and reviews of "Exposure"
Oh no - I'm not lying! Mr. Fripp cledarly explains that
he tried to explore various dance patterns on this album. Or did I get him wrong?
Anyway, he gathered a band consisting of himself on guitars, Sara Lee
on bass, Johnny Toobad, later replaced by Kevin Wilkinson, on drums, and Barry
Andrews on organ. Not really the artistry we're used to, no Bill bruford, Peter
Gabriel or Peter Hammill this time, obviously. Oh, they're good musicians nevertheless.
So yeah, Fripp tried to explore dance patterns on this
album, so it's mostly about uptempo, instrumental tunes. A Couple
has spoken words by Fripp's spiritual advisor, J.G. Bennett, though, and some
have some female vocals as well, probably by Sara Lee, but I'm not sure, never
any real vocal melodies, though. And there's three "Indescreets",
which are some sort of "candid tape recorder" or something, with Fripp
placing tape recorders at somebody's home. Pretty funny. Anyway, there's four
good songs, "Minor Man", an engaging rocker, "Dislocated",
another engaging rocker, "Cognitive Dissonance", a weird rocker, and
"Trap" a dance-rocker which might cause headache to the listener,
though. It has some guitar line which predicts his next work with King Crimson.
All the other tunes aren't really memorable at all, maybe except of "HG
Wells", which has some sexy noises to a repeated background, pretty much
your average porn track. It's not good, though, just memorable, OK?
Ah, well, generally not too good, obviously. If I were you I wouldn't
spend too much money on it. The All Music Guide gave it three stars, though,
which should mean that it's fairly good, so I guess some people might actually
appreciate the stuff. The guys over at AMG aren't too objective, though, so
I'd still request you to beware, 'cos I actually think that you just won't
want this record too badly once you've heard it. A funny thing worth to mention
is that the first time I played the record, it was at 45 rpm, and then it sounde
really funny and great, and the first thought that came to my mind was that
"wow, this Fripp guy really knows how to play a fast guitar line!"
I eventually dicovered my mistake, though, so now I won't give it more than
an 6.
Send your comments and reviews of "The League Of Gentlemen"
Alright, maybe doesn't even work on the braindead level -
I should've appreciated it if that was the case, shouldn't I?!? Anyway, the
cover was made by a pretty well-known painter named Danielle Dax, who also has
recorded some albums. No complaits about the cover, really, I think that might
be the best thing about the album! Well, the songs whoch this album are consisting
of each has the name of a year, beginning at "1982" and ending with
"1989", and they were recorded in varying record stores and official
places on a live tour without any other musicians.
This Frippertronics thingy is really inspired by Brian Eno and his works,
and, by heck, haven't I introduced you to the Frippertronics somewhere
else? Ooh yes, there it was...go check out my Exposure review
somewhere above if you don't know how the thingy works.
I've got a feeling that this will be a really short review, since I just
can't add anything more that the songs DO have a good atmosphere, but it gets
so goddang boring while it's replayed again and again, and some of the songs
are longer than 10 minutes. You could probably appreciate this album if you
have sleeping problems, though.
Send your comments and reviews of "Let The Power Fall"
Oh my God, that’ s really an extremely underrated album…no, this album isn’ t underrated because to be underrated, it should be ‘rated’ first, but none have heard of it.This is really the lost gem that can enlight you prog-collection if you are able to find it.What can I say? Only a music expert could recognize and analize all the technical and melodic exquisiteness you’ ll find here, but even his wise words couldn’ t replace a listen in any way, because, frankly speaking, this album got past all of the possible definitions and comments.Ok, I don’ t mean you can’ t speak about this album, I’ m just saying that with the words it will be impossible to describe it with enough precision, you have to listen to it ( and don’ t say you can do in this way with all albums : all of the ACDC catalogue can be expressed in few words ).Why this album is so aeteral that words cannot describe it? Because it’ s made by musicians, either, by MUSICIANS and this is very hard to find in the rock scene : this album is composd by people who use the notes and the arrangements to express their ideas, not just a backgroung for silly lyrics.You’ ll say : all rockers are musicians, and some of them are also good musicians and care of the music as much, if not more, than the lyrics.True, but for the most, the great rock composers consist in ‘wild geniuses’ : they compose some great tunes, but at random, without any technical competence, without rationally thinking at their compositions, without thinking at what they are doing or why they are doing so.For the most, rock music sees the notes but doesn’ t see itself, it lack of a “meta-music”, of a theory of composing music.Why?Well, I think it’ s a sourt of maturity ; for instance, meta-physics come out after the first physical observation of natural environments, meta-languages come out after the language was built and refined... In summa, meta-something, it’ s the mature stage of something ; in this case, is when genius manages to see himself as a genius.For all of you who don’ t like this phylosophical approach, it’ s enough to say that in this album we have genius plus brain or trained geniality if you prefer.
Well, this review is becoming a sourt of hymn to this band, but it’ s hard to avoid whorshipping them, with such superb material.This album represent the progressive rock when it recognige its features and beauty, it’ s the mature progressive, it’ s trained progressive geniality and it’ s a shame the world in that period was busy looking at young punks…at the young shitty punks.Got the point?Howewer I have to try to describe this album as best as I can ; I can trace a lot of influences, mainly from relaxed and slightly melanchonlic Canterbury mood, passion from improvisation from jazz ( you can see a lot of influence of jazz expecially in the guitar playing ), proggressive taste for metrical and melodical complexity, classical influence for what concern the building of the melodies.If you have heard National Health or Hatfield And The North, you can easily imagine how this album sounds like : progressive rock with a jazzy structure, long a relaxing tunes –maybe a bit lullabyish- , full of vivacoius soloist parts kept unite by a strong cohesion of the instruments who play the main melody ; I’ d like to underline the fact that, despite the great buch of virtuosos, there’ s no self-indulgence!At drums there is Bill Bruford of course, whose abilites are now mature ; there isn’ t still the traces of those ethno-beats you’ ll find on KC’ Discipline, but he’s at his peak as prog-drummers with a huge jazz background ; the amazing Jeff Berlin is really a great bassist ( be sure to check out his impressive ‘slap’ intro in “Five G” ) and Allan Holdsworth is a very proffesional guitarist.ast but not the least, the keyboard player Dave Steward, the mind behind the National Health and Hatfield and the North, two of the greatest prog bands ever ; he is also the best composer of the band and provides, togher with Alan Gowen ( another myth of the Canterbury scene ), to the beautiful and powerful “Hell’ s Bells”, which opens the album on an high note.My personal song is the moving “Travel With Myself - And Someone Else”, in which you can trace some of the pastoral and bucolic beauty of Yes’ “And You And I”.The album, entirely instrumental, pleases the fans of both keyboard-prog and guitar-prog : in the case you are a fan of the latter, you’ ll be happy with the subtile and ingegnous melody of “The Abingdon Chasp” written by Holdsworth.If you are a fan of keys-prog, the only presence of Dave Steward and his personal contributes to the arrangmentes, should be enough.Other remarkable songs are “Forever Until Sunday” and “Fainting In Coils”, both of them written by Bruford, who proves to be a good composers, even if not at the same level with Steward.
A masterpiece, if you like professional and heartfelt music, this is for you, for your genius, for you brain, for you heart….for your pleasure ( please, note the Roxy Music quotations )!
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