Robert Fripp

"...Aw man, I love this guy. Totally unique music from a totally unique mind. Fripp is like an android sent here from another planet where they only care about education and music..." youtuber 3stringovation

Robert Fripp has had a long and varied SOLO career since his first forays outside of King Crimson in the early 1970s. These albums are merely the ones that I have purchased and I'm sure that there are many delights if you choose to dig.

Personally, I feel I owe Fripp a great deal as it was he who first piqued my interest in the ideas of the philosopher, Gurdjieff. Thank you, Robert.

Collaborations with Brian Eno

Robert Fripp & Brian Eno's first album, No Pussyfooting sold 20,000 copies in its first months of release in the UK...but couldn't secure a U.S. release...because it was too strange.

This technique became the basis for what Fripp would later refer to as Frippertronics.

Fripp and Eno's follow-up Evening Star was odd in that the two sides fell either side of the first release. One half was gentler...and one half wasn't!

The Drive To 1981

In late 1977 Fripp announce that he was commencing a three-pronged drive towards 1981. This involved a trilogy of work:

"...What I was trying to do in the original trilogy was to investigate the "pop song" as a means of expression...I think that it's a supreme discipline to know that you have three or four minutes to get together all your lost emotions and find words of one syllable or less (Huh???) to put forward your ideas..." Robert Fripp, Melody Maker

1 Pop Music

There was designed to be be an interlocking series of albums with:

1 Fripp's own weird and utterly original, album Exposure, designed for:

"...tweaking the vocabulary...of rock music. It...hopefully... introduces a more sophisticated emotional dynamic than one would normally find..."

My review includes insights into Fripp's probable state of mind which many Crimson fans may find interesting

2 Peter Gabriel 2...(review coming soon) Fripp produced Peter Gabriel's second SOLO album with the curious credit: Produced by Robert Fripp for Peter Gabriel.

This was to be Gabriel's least successful SOLO album, partly because Fripp worked very differently to Gabriel, and the two diametrically opposed approaches couldn't gel, despite their long-standing friendship.

Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel 2

"...it's a terrific, eclectic mix of songs / styles & Robert Fripp's production job sounds fine to me - an interesting companion to his Exposure LP & contemporanious work with Bowie Heroes & Eno Another Green World. Definitely give it a listen..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer Ian Brock

Fripp also went out on the tour to promote the album, playing, at first, unseen from the wings as one Dusty Rhodes.

3 Daryl Hall of pop duo Hall & Oates fame, Sacred Songs...a curious collection, certainly different from Hall & Oates (and I'm a bit of a fan) but not really interesting enough to sustain a SOLO career at that point.

Sacred Songs does have some crossover with Exposure but the connections seem more imposed than organic and I have to admit, I really like two tracks in particular, Bab & Babs, a strange narrative about two lovers and the still divine, Earth Magic.

Daryl Hall: Sacred Songs

"...This is a great album for fans of both Hall and Fripp. While it does not have the same degree of experimentalism that is usually associated with Fripp, it also does not have the same polished pop sensibilities that define Hall's work. Instead, it lies right in the middle of these two, like some long-lost David Bowie album. For me personally, it's a match made in heaven..." Amazon reviewer Jeff Hodges

"...There...isn't a "bad" song on it, even if the second side kind of gets sappy and lovie-dovie...for sappy lovie-dovie songs they are pretty damn good...but I don't think this album will do much for Hall's typical fan base and instead recommend it as a "must-have" for anyone who has followed Robert Fripp's career..." Amazon reviewer S. Nyland "squonkamatic"

Hall's record company were so perturbed that they banned the release for several years and Sacred Songs was only saw the light of day in 1980. Ironically it didn't seem to hurt Daryl Hall's career at all, as that was the year that Hall & Oates began their multi-platinum run to becoming the world's best-selling-ever pop duo!

2 Frippertronics

Fripps initial experiments with Frippertronics resulted in two albums:

God Save The Queen / Under Heavy Manners &
Let The Power Fall

...and a number of others, renamed Soundscapes.

3 Discotronics

Fripp's experiments with dance music were labeled discotronics and produced The League Of Gentlemen album. The results of these experiments are now house on the Frippertronics page.

Collaborations with Andy Summers

While the 1980s version of King Crimson was going full pelt, Fripp also found time for two albums with guitarist Andy Summers from The Police.

I Advance Masked

I Advance Masked sold in huge quantities (good reviews + The Police were then big news). It was very much a duo, with the two guitarists experimenting with then-modern technology creating tracks that sound like soundtracks to mini-movies...and without any need to create "a statement". If I Advance Masked appears bitsy...that's because it wasn't intended as anything more.

Andy Summers & Robert Fripp: I Advance Masked

"...Summers and Fripp succeeded in making a 'difficult listening hour' enjoyable. Some of it is kind of harsh, some of it pretty..." Amazon reviewer Doug Pearson

"...The opening (and) title track...sets the stage brilliantly, combining the sort of arcing swishes of melodics from The Police with the frenzied, hyper-precise playing of a classic Robert Fripp linking solo, under which a very Discipline-like poly-rhythm played by both guitars, churns..." Amazon reviewer S. Nyland "squonkamatic"

Bewitched

Amazon critics seem to hate Bewitched but I have to admit that it's very much a favorite of mine. For this album, Summers & Fripp incorporated other players and the first half is, well, frequently poppy and fun, while the second half of the album is more "soundtrack"-ish.

I find Bewitched to be a wonderful, inventive instrumental album...and well worth having. In particular, Fripp and Summers assembled an ensemble with two bass players, creating, at times, a most unusual sound. King Crimson would do this as well with their Thrak incarnation.

Andy Summers & Robert Fripp: Bewitched

"...For long-time fans of Andy Summers and/or Robert Fripp, this album may be somewhat maddening...(but) with that said, there is still some good stuff here. The 11+ minute mini-epic What Kind Of Man Reads Playboy? is upbeat and catchy. Begin The Day shows some of the chops that make Andy Summers a great, underrated guitarist and Tribe has an interesting eastern slant with some classic Fripp licks. Maquillage is also noteworthy for its slow, droning pace interlaced with great picking..." Amazon reviewer Kid A

Robert Fripp & Andy Summers working on the basic groove for

What Kind Of Man Reads Playboy

N.B. see Robert Fripp & Andy Summers interview, below.

Collaborations with David Sylvian

Ex-Japan front-man first came to public notice with the music video Forbidden Colors, publicising David Bowie's movie, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Moving in those circles, Sylvian quickly formed a friendship with Fripp which eventually resulted in a number of collaborations. I've never really investigated Mr. Sylvian's work but I'm providing this page as a resource:

Gone To Earth

Sylvian used Frippertronics as a base for many of the songs.

David Sylvian: Gone To Earth

"...I have loved this album since I first bought it on vinyl in the eighties. David Sylvian is a musical genius. Soothing, yet eclectic, it's a good listen anytime..." Amazon reviewer Penny A Nielsen

"..Gone To Earth is a superb record...a double album in its initial release, the first disc are all vocal tracks, the second instrumental...All of this has been remastered with superb sound...and...is essential listening...(for)...anyone with adventurous tastes..." Amazon reviewer Michael Stack

The First Day

In 1992, Fripp & bass player Trey Gunn & joined Sylvian for a tour of Japan & Italy. These works became the basis for The First Day with the addition of drums & percussion.

David Sylvian: The First Day

"...David Sylvian - Japan frontman, master of soft melancholy. Robert Fripp, responsible for some of the most evil, demonic guitar playing on record. At first glance this would seem like a match made in hell...On listening to The First Day, however - and I mean repeated listening...their musical personalities perfectly balance each other out. Fripp's predilection towards aimless white noise is offset by Sylvian's masterful sense of melody and Sylvian's occasional lapse into cliches is saved by an unexpected guitar riff. They play off, between and around each other to product a heady stew of sounds and tones, full of surprises." Amazon reviewer spiral_mind

"...Fripp never fails to delight but even moreso, I was totally blown away by the smooth, mellow voice of David Sylvian and the quality of the songwriting and arrangement..." Amazon reviewer projekct two

"...When I got this CD I was very disappointed, I couldn't get to like it even though I'm a fan of King Crimson/Fripp and Sylvian. The performances are very (mechanical) and passionless. Get the LIVE version instead, called Damage. Amazon.com.uk reviewer alvaro_rf

Damage LIVE

When The First Day was taken on tour, the last few shows were recorded for the LIVE album, Damage.

David Sylvian: Damage

"...The original version, mixed by Robert (Fripp), was limited to one pressing and sold out almost immediately. Since it's now almost impossible to find the original without selling a kidney, the rest of us can be grateful for David's re-release. Here the flip side of the coin shows the event from his perspective. We get a more layered mix, giving the impression of a recording from a small quiet club rather than a large theater or auditorium..." Amazon reviewer spiral_mind

"...LIVE, Sylvian and Fripp created a fantastic blend of eerie soundscapes, intensely driven metal pieces and perfectly crafted songs that surpassed the First Day studio record...With this remaster...Sylvian's voice has more presence, Fripp's incredible guitar works have...punch and bite and Pat Mastelotto's subtle yet tight drumming reminds us that for all the experimentalism going on, we are faced with a bloody excellent rock record..." Amazon.com.uk reviewer tpoisson

"...Damage...(...the title track) is, without doubt, my favourite song of all time: a lingering, aching, remorseful piece of percussive-less balladry. Fripp's red-grey sky of an electronica backdrop hangs evocatively in the air, punctuated by Sylvian's tremulous vocals and some judiciously restrained bass courtesy of Trey Gunn. The sense of loss is overwhelming, but somehow there is hope in the void. The respectful pause-before-applause at the end says it all... less is truly more. Amazon.com.uk reviewer Simon Barrow

Fripp was so impressed with David Sylvian that he actually asked him to join a new King Crimson in 1991 with what would eventually be the double-trio line-up that recorded Thrak. Sylvian decline but the pair still worked together.

N.B. see Robert Fripp & David Sylvian interview, below.

Guitar Craft

Fripp has also worked extensively with his guitar teaching school and has released several albums of the results. These albums aren't for everyone but if you're interested in what 15-20 not particularly adept guitarists can do in a fortnight under the guidance of a tutor/master, then this could be for you.

Every album is different and I'm sure you can tell if you'd be interested in them via the Amazon snippets.

Robert Fripp & The League Of Crafty Guitarists.: The League Of Crafty Guitarists LIVE

"...Brilliant stuff. Take 20 people, teach them guitar, and cut a record, LIVE without overdubs, in 2 weeks. RF is very brave (or a fool). A friend of mine is on this CD. Good stuff, if difficult to play. Very easy difficult listening..." Amazon reviewer John Fenstermaker

Robert Fripp & The League Of Crafty Guitarists: Show Of Hands

Robert Fripp & The League Of Crafty Guitarists: Intergalactic Boogie Express

"...I believe this is the culmination from the two previous Guitar Craft recordings: Live and Show of Hands. This performance arm of Guitar Craft display an uncanny sense of musicianship rarely withness on recording or stage with daring compositions, specially from Nigel Gavin, and distinguished playing by all musicians...Another Guitar Craft recording is well in need. It has been ten years now with out any new stuff and fans like myself are hurting..." Amazon reviewer James H. Timber Giboyeaux

"...The booklet - penned by Fripp - not only explains the LCG concept, the travails and triumphs of the Spring 1991 tour and reflects upon an ongoing professional dispute that nearly derailed everything. This is an outstanding representation of the LCG performing LIVE. That the tour survived the off-stage drama makes the performances even more special..." Amazon reviewer Mr. Richard D. Coreno

N.B. see the Guitar Player interview about Guitar Craft, below.