EXPOSURE

In the liner notes Fripp mentions that after he folded KING CRIMSON after the "Red" album he figured his days as a musician were over. He was so fed up with everything associated with the music industry, especially the greed. All it took was one phone call from Brian Eno and David Bowie (who were in Berlin working on Bowie's "Heroes" album) asking him if he'd play some guitar on the album they were working on to renew his passion for music.This was 1977 and Fripp would later go on to produce albums for a few of the guest vocalists on this his first solo album including Terre Roche, Daryl Hall and Peter Gabriel.This was recorded in 1978 and released the following year. Peter Hammill, Phil Collins, Brian Eno,Tony Levin and many more help Robert out. Some cool pictures in the liner notes of Fripp and various people around this time period.

"Preface" is really just a short intro with spoken words and there are some harmonies and samples. "You Burn Me Up I'm A Cigarette" sounds like a Brian Eno song as it's kind of punky and uptempo. Daryl Hall sings here. "Breathless" is my favourite. It sounds like classic KING CRIMSON. Heavy duty with guitar, bass and drums. "Disnegage" kicks in hard before a minute then Hammill comes in spitting out the lyrics. Collins is on the drums.The song ends abruptly. "North Star" is laid back with Daryl Hall singing. Not a fan. "Chicago" has a heavy beat with piano as Hammill comes in vocally. I like the guitar soundscapes late. "NY3" is intricate and heavy with vocals that sound distant. An inventive tune and a good one. "Mary" is a short mellow song with Terre Roche singing.

"Exposure" has Terre singing once again and she's great on this one. A heavy beat with guitar expressions early as she joins in singing "Exposure" on and off throughout. She gets passionate even to the point of screaming late. "Haaden Two" is spacey with Frippertronics and sampled words. It does kick into gear as samples continue. "Urban Landscape" is all about atmosphere as we get Frippertronics only here. "I may Not Have Had Enough Of Me But I've Had Enough Of You" kicks in right away and we get dual vocals (Roche & Hammill). The next three songs sort of blend together as we get samples and Frippertronics before a re-worked version of Gabriel's "Here Comes The Flood" arrives with Gabriel singing. "Water Music II" is a spacey soundscape with lots in common with Electronic Prog. Sampled words and sounds end the album much like it began.

A mixed bag no doubt but better than what Robert would put out in "Beat" and "Three Of A Perfect Pair" in the following years with KING CRIMSON. A low 4 stars but definitely worth that rating in my opinion.