7/4 Posted March 9, 2005 Author Report Posted March 9, 2005 I've been digging those vintage Frippertronics lately. Quote
Aggie87 Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 (edited) ....he didn't punch you in the face for asking for that? B-) Seriously, that's a great pic, and great autograph as well. I have the League of Crafty Guitarists disc, and really enjoy it...and the spinoff group, California Guitar Trio. I should explore his solo + Fripp/Eno work a bit. Any good places to start? edit - I meant I have the RF String Quintet disc, not the League... Edited March 9, 2005 by Aggie87 Quote
7/4 Posted March 9, 2005 Author Report Posted March 9, 2005 I have the League of Crafty Guitarists disc, and really enjoy it...and the spinoff group, California Guitar Trio. I should explore his solo + Fripp/Eno work a bit. Any good places to start? Fripp & Eno -> Evening Star solo -> Exposure (his days in NYC, inbetween '80's Crimson & '90's Crimson) Frippertronics -> God Save the Queen, Under Heavy Maners, As the Power Falls. Quote
take5 Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 The only Frippertronic/Soundscape album I was able to listen to was Gates of Paradise, the musical eulogy to his mother. Very pretty. Otherwise, I can't fathom actually listening to guitar ambience alone for 60 minutes. But it works really well in the context of Crimson. The California Guitar Trio is a lot of fun, and their latest album, Whitewater, is beautiful, partly because it's not as gimmicky as the older work. I also have CD by the League of Gentlemen, a pop-ish group he was in in the 70s or 80s. Pretty cool stuff. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 "Exposure" is a wonderful, peculiar record - one minute KC power chords, next beautiful ballads, then oddball intellectual punk...with some very weird soundbites of Fripp's guru. "No Pussyfooting", the first Fripp/Eno collaboration is very beautiful; I also like the recent 'The Equatorial Stars'. Very ambient but attractive. I really like this one: The Robert Fripp String Quartet which is Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn and The California Guitar Trio. Very melodic with thak trademark snakey guitar. This one is very different but great fun: Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx Official Bootleg: Live in 1980 by The League of Gentlemen. Sounds like punks with ph.d.'s doing strange, off-kilter pogo dancing. Quote
7/4 Posted March 9, 2005 Author Report Posted March 9, 2005 The only Frippertronic/Soundscape album I was able to listen to was Gates of Paradise, the musical eulogy to his mother. Very pretty. Otherwise, I can't fathom actually listening to guitar ambience alone for 60 minutes. But it works really well in the context of Crimson. That's the best one of the Soundscapes. The other's IMOP don't do it for me. Soundscapes are digital (I think so, synth controled by guitar, digital delays and harmonizer). Frippertronics are analog guitar, fuzz pedal, tape delays that include tape hiss, wow and flutter. A lot of unusual artifacts build up in the delay. Quote
7/4 Posted March 9, 2005 Author Report Posted March 9, 2005 The Robert Fripp String Quartet which is Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn and The California Guitar Trio. Very melodic with thak trademark snakey guitar. That's the group I saw at Washington Sq. Church when I bought the photo. I also heard them a few nights at the World Financial CEnter (next door to the WTT), probablly the year before. Quote
7/4 Posted March 9, 2005 Author Report Posted March 9, 2005 Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx Official Bootleg: Live in 1980 by The League of Gentlemen. Sounds like punks with ph.d.'s doing strange, off-kilter pogo dancing. There's a couple of boots at http://www.easytree.org that are just amazing. One of my great regrets is I never heard that band live. That Summer there were all sorts of cool gigs going down, I opted to check out the Bill Bruford Group with the unknown John Clark instead of the LoG and Gentle Giant. $$$ was an issue at that age. Quote
minew Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 another endorsement for Fripp/Eno "No Pussyfooting." Started digging this while in high school in the 80's, a first foray into creative/improvised music, of a sort. Quote
GregK Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 Fripp is the one of the best guitarists I've ever heard, second only to Zappa (maybe). He is such an individual, so creative. I love his solos and his writing (after 5 years I still can't digest all of FraKctured, or the solo he lays down on Larks Tongues part IV) Quote
7/4 Posted March 9, 2005 Author Report Posted March 9, 2005 He's one of the most unique guitarists to come out of prog rock if not rock or jazz. Quote
GregK Posted March 9, 2005 Report Posted March 9, 2005 I think possibly the best thing about Fripp is how he chooses to move Crimson forward. I always listen to Crimson to hear all of the players, never for one player, and never just for Fripp's playing. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 (edited) I first heared 'No Pussyfooting' as the walk on music to the live gigs KC did in '72/'73. I think it came out on disc in '74. Fripp has always been my favourite rock guitarist. I love it when he plays that really glissando like guitar, something that became rarer from the 80s KC onwards. I could never understand why he whipped out the solo in that style in Matte Kudasai for the reissues of Discipline (now restored as a bonus). The ending of the second side of 'Lizard' and the studio version of 'The Talking Drum' have some classic examples of that style. Fred Frith used to do something similar but more jagged. Edited March 10, 2005 by Bev Stapleton Quote
sidewinder Posted March 10, 2005 Report Posted March 10, 2005 (edited) He used to live about 20 miles away from me at a place in Wiltshire called Broad Chalk along with his Mrs, Toyah Wilcox, in a magnificent house formerly owned by Cecil Beaton. I have the feeling that they've moved from there now though. You still see a lot of shops with the name 'Fripp' on the sign in the Dorset/West Wiltshire area, no doubt all part of his extended family clan... Edited March 10, 2005 by sidewinder Quote
GregK Posted April 10, 2005 Report Posted April 10, 2005 Next Collector's Club, Heidelberg 1974 is available for pre-ordering. As much as I like Fripp's constant evolution (as composer, player, buisinessman, etc), I still always find myself going back to this period of Crimson to study his playing. He just never sounded like anyone else. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted April 10, 2005 Report Posted April 10, 2005 Why did you let one of your kids scribble on the sleeve? Take more care with your possessions! I still always find myself going back to this period of Crimson to study his playing. He just never sounded like anyone else. I know what you mean. His regular interviews with the UK music press were pretty wild too. He always came across as some sort of guru with an insatiable sex drive. As a 17 year old I lived in constant envy of what he claimed to be getting up to. Quote
7/4 Posted April 10, 2005 Author Report Posted April 10, 2005 The only one I have is #20, Live at the Zoom Club, Oct. 13, 1972. Let's hear it for '72! A great year in rock! I should snag some of the other ones, but just don't listen to Crimson that much any more. Once in a while I'll work my way through the material. I am curious though, maybe I'l place an order with DGM this week. I have been listening to David Sylvian a bit lately. Steel Cathedrals, Gone to Earth, the Fripp/Sylvian material (obviously) has Fripp on it. Gone to Earth is so beautiful. Quote
GregK Posted April 10, 2005 Report Posted April 10, 2005 Crimson is just about the only non-jazz I still listen to regularly (I'm not sure what category Zappa falls in....)- the level of improvisation is always listenable, if not astonishing. Something I'll never get bored of. Quote
7/4 Posted April 10, 2005 Author Report Posted April 10, 2005 (edited) Why did you let one of your kids scribble on the sleeve? Take more care with your possessions! He always came across as some sort of guru with an insatiable sex drive. As a 17 year old I lived in constant envy of what he claimed to be getting up to. I understand Exposure was originally going to be called The Last Great New York Heart-Throb. Exposure, now there's an amazing album. I wish he's do a deluxe version with all the different mixes. Ah...those were the days. Edited April 10, 2005 by 7/4 Quote
7/4 Posted April 10, 2005 Author Report Posted April 10, 2005 Crimson is just about the only non-jazz I still listen to regularly (I'm not sure what category Zappa falls in....)- the level of improvisation is always listenable, if not astonishing. Something I'll never get bored of. I still listen to a bunch of them...if I'm in the mood. I'm having a fling with some Yes boots this afternoon. Prog is part of my roots. I have to check with the mother ship once in a while. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted April 10, 2005 Report Posted April 10, 2005 Exposure, now there's an amazing album. I wish he's do a deluxe version with all the different mixes. Absolutely - the existing CD is OK but a bit flat. It could well do with opening out. Quote
7/4 Posted May 17, 2005 Author Report Posted May 17, 2005 It seems that Oh! Mr. Fripp is touring his soundscapes again. Robert Fripp Tour Dates Robert is performing soundscapes in the US on the following dates. An * denotes a show where he is opening for the Porcupine Tree. June 8th, San Francisco, CA, Fillmore * June 9th, Ventura, CA, Ventura Theatre June 10th, Los Angeles, CA, Wilshire Theater * June 11th, Anaheim, CA, The Grove * June 13th, San Diego, CA, House of Blues * June 15th, Annapolis, MD, Rams Head June 17th, Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live June 18th, Huntington, NY, IMAC June 19th, Amagansett, NY, Stephen Talkhouse June 21st, New Haven, CT, Toad's Place June 23rd, New York, NY, Concert Hall at the NY Society for Ethical Culture June 24th, Boston, MA, Somerville Theater June 25th, Providence, RI, Lupo's Tickets for the Ventura, Somerville and Providence shows are currently available through TicketMaster. Check with the venues directly for tickets for shows in the other listed cities. I'll be checking out the NYC show, at least. Quote
Aggie87 Posted May 17, 2005 Report Posted May 17, 2005 Robert is performing soundscapes in the US on the following dates. An * denotes a show where he is opening for the Porcupine Tree. I'm glad to see this. Adrian Belew also guested on PT's new release, Deadwing. Seems to be a bit of mutual respect that has formed between the two groups. Porcupine Tree is my favorite contemporary rock group, and I've babbled about them in the Viva Prog Rock thread a bit. They're originally a Steve Wilson solo project, in a psych/prog vein, that evolved into a real group, with Richard Barbieri (former Japan keyboardist) on board as well. Well worth the effort to check them out! Sorry for the hijack, back to the Fripp stuff. Quote
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