ROBERT FRIPP & ANDY SUMMERS: BEWITCHED

Like "I Advance Masked", the first Summers/Fripp album (note the order), this is an all instrumental album. The duo expanded their sound here by adding more instruments and musicians. There is heavy use of drum machine on this one, and the guitar synthesizers are set to sound like keyboards. So this is a very synthetic sounding album.

"Parade" was released in video form as a single. It's got a simple pop melody to it, but is pleasant nonetheless. "What Kind of Man..." is a long repetitive song built around a drum machine and a funk / hip-hop rhythm (not the type of thing you'd expect from these chaps). "Begin the Day" continues the synthetic sound, but is also a bit heavier with a strong Fripp solo. "Train" is another memorable song, with a similar instrumentation approach to those songs previously mentioned.

Overall, the album isn't bad. It just seems a bit lightweight by modern standards. Maybe it's simply too much of a product of the plastic 80's...