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Topic ClosedRobert Fripp - Please make him amazing for me

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rushfan4 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Robert Fripp - Please make him amazing for me
    Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:08
I was drawn to King Crimson because of my love for Yes, and was interested because King Crimson was the band that Bill Bruford left Yes to join.  As I mentioned in at least one of my KC reviews, I viewed King Crimson as a Bill Bruford side project.  Because of this my focus when listening to KC has always been more on the drums and percussion than it has been on Robert Fripp's guitar playing.  And with the earlier albums it was sort of on Greg Lake's and Jon Anderson's vocals, as well as the drum and sax work of the earlier members of the earlier incarnations.  I've never really been wowwed by the guitar work.  I know that Mr. Fripp also played the mellotron and of course he is famous for Frippertronics.  At this point I am showing my naivete in saying that I would like to "hear" which KC songs are the ones that feature the most impressive guitar work from Mr. Fripp and I am kindly asking for your assistance.  Do I just not notice his genius because instead of the guitar he is more focused on the mellotron? Or is it because his guitar doesn't sound like a guitar because of the Frippertronics? 
 
I realize that Mr. Fripp is a big favorite amongst many prog fans and it is not my intention to disparage him here.  I am genuinely interested in more closely listening to some KC songs to hear this guitar playing that others find so amazing so that I can hear it for myself.  Thank you for your assistance in this adventure. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:12
Robert Fripp is not one of my favorite guitarists, but he is damned creative when it comes to what comes up with.  Part of that is due to his "New Standard Tuning" he began using in 1983, which makes cliche riffs and voicings all but useless.

I think Fripp's best work comes alongside Belew.  They compliment each other well.  Check out The Power to Believe if you have not already.  It is an excellent record (heavy prog, really).
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:17
Originally posted by Epignosis Epignosis wrote:

Robert Fripp is not one of my favorite guitarists, but he is damned creative when it comes to what comes up with.  Part of that is due to his "New Standard Tuning" he began using in 1983, which makes cliche riffs and voicings all but useless.

I think Fripp's best work comes alongside Belew.  They compliment each other well.  Check out The Power to Believe if you have not already.  It is an excellent record (heavy prog, really).

Hey, I was just listening to that one today.  Big smile


Edited by Slartibartfast - June 10 2009 at 19:24
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:18
I'm in the same side as you Scott, never really got amazed by Fripp for his guitar playing, neither really concentrated(or maybe never "found" his guitar) on his guitar, with the exception of Sailor's Tale and some stuff from Red.

However, I haven't heard The Power to Believe that Robert has recomended..



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:25
If you want us to attempt to make Fripp amazing us Fripp fans have to know what you've heard and what you haven't in order to make any kind of case that will be meaningful in anyway at all.

Edited by Slartibartfast - June 10 2009 at 20:55
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:29
Originally posted by The Quiet One The Quiet One wrote:

I'm in the same side as you Scott, never really got amazed by Fripp for his guitar playing, neither really concentrated(or maybe never "found" his guitar) on his guitar, with the exception of Sailor's Tale and some stuff from Red.

However, I haven't heard The Power to Believe that Robert has recomended..





How foolish of me.  The title track of Red is his best work.  Very creative.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:31
Originally posted by rushfan4 rushfan4 wrote:

I realize that Mr. Fripp is a big favorite amongst many prog fans and it is not my intention to disparage him here.  I am genuinely interested in more closely listening to some KC songs to hear this guitar playing that others find so amazing so that I can hear it for myself.  Thank you for your assistance in this adventure. 


Yeah, the reason Fripp doesn't so much shock as a lead guitarist is that he is so focussed on playing for the song... he doesn't go out of the way to give you a blinding solo. Particularly neat, though,

Starting on the electrics:

1) the solo on Prince Rupert's Lament off Lizard, partly because the solo itself is very expressive, and partly because he introduces it so brilliantly by tagging himself onto the mellotron earlier.
2) Fracture... Starless and Bible Black features a lot of Fripp's best work, even if it is rather difficult to get into, and Fracture is particularly interesting... little melodic runs creeping in slowly to form a cohesive complete idea... very, very intense.
3) The Night Watch is the obvious place for a plain good guitar work piece. Despite the odd intro and outro, the guitar and vocals are among the best bits of all Crimson.
4) if you've got any live Crimson material, always worth a look... Fripp's a bit less specific with his guitars there, and is consequently a bit more prone to pulling off a great solo... live versions of Providence (well, the one with the full guitar mix), Cat Food and Easy Money (I mean, that riff kicks already, but live it becomes a monster) are great. Not to mention 80s live Crimson, which overshadows the studio records.
5) The opening of Moonchild... such a gorgeous tone.

And yeah, I sort of had the same thing for a while... I think the listen where Lizard clicked was probably the decider, though I did already like his work.


Edited by TGM: Orb - June 10 2009 at 19:32
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:48
Originally posted by Slartibartfast Slartibartfast wrote:

If you want us to attempt to make Fripp amazing us Fripp fans have to know what you've heard and what you haven't in order to make any kind of case that will be meaningful in anyway at all.
I have the entire Crimson studio discography.  I've just never walked away from listening to a Crimson album and said wow that was some great guitar playing.  I've said wow that was some great music, and excellent drumming and sax and mellotron playing but never guitar playing. Embarrassed  I don't have much of his solo work so maybe that is where I am missing out?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:53
Originally posted by rushfan4 rushfan4 wrote:

Originally posted by Slartibartfast Slartibartfast wrote:

If you want us to attempt to make Fripp amazing us Fripp fans have to know what you've heard and what you haven't in order to make any kind of case that will be meaningful in anyway at all.
I have the entire Crimson studio discography.  I've just never walked away from listening to a Crimson album and said wow that was some great guitar playing.  I've said wow that was some great music, and excellent drumming and sax and mellotron playing but never guitar playing. Embarrassed  I don't have much of his solo work so maybe that is where I am missing out?


Then I think you've got the point.  I think the guitar in the supportive role is a most tasteful thing.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 19:55
Originally posted by Epignosis Epignosis wrote:

Originally posted by rushfan4 rushfan4 wrote:

Originally posted by Slartibartfast Slartibartfast wrote:

If you want us to attempt to make Fripp amazing us Fripp fans have to know what you've heard and what you haven't in order to make any kind of case that will be meaningful in anyway at all.
I have the entire Crimson studio discography.  I've just never walked away from listening to a Crimson album and said wow that was some great guitar playing.  I've said wow that was some great music, and excellent drumming and sax and mellotron playing but never guitar playing. Embarrassed  I don't have much of his solo work so maybe that is where I am missing out?


Then I think you've got the point.  I think the guitar in the supportive role is a most tasteful thing.


100% agree. Fripp seems more like a subtle guitarist, yet his few solo spots, are really tasteful, while not surprisingly amazing like a Howe or Gilmour solo to name well-known guys.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 20:03
Perhaps my favorite Fripp solo is on the Neal And Jack And Me live DVD.
 
I believe the song is Larks Tongues Part III...Fripp  gives a really powerful solo and he gets quite into his playing (some might even classify it as rocking out). Its easy to be distracted by these antics (which are funny to me...and thus a plus) but the solo is a real winner.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 20:11
to echo what other's have pointed to, Fripp was/is a composer much more than a soloist, a creator of big ideas more than small ones, and so it's his approach to music that impresses so much - musicians especially I suspect - with materials as Red, Larks' Tongues, Discipline and PtB.  The whole of the music is where he shines.







Edited by Atavachron - June 10 2009 at 20:11
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 20:13
Fripp said Fracture is the hardest song he's ever played, and that'd be the one I'd say to listen to first.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 20:14
Originally posted by Cygnus X-2 Cygnus X-2 wrote:

Fripp said Fracture is the hardest song he's ever played, and that'd be the one I'd say to listen to first.


agreed, especially in this case



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 20:18
I love his work in the "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" tracks.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 20:52
Originally posted by rushfan4 rushfan4 wrote:

Originally posted by Slartibartfast Slartibartfast wrote:

If you want us to attempt to make Fripp amazing us Fripp fans have to know what you've heard and what you haven't in order to make any kind of case that will be meaningful in anyway at all.
I have the entire Crimson studio discography.  I've just never walked away from listening to a Crimson album and said wow that was some great guitar playing.  I've said wow that was some great music, and excellent drumming and sax and mellotron playing but never guitar playing. Embarrassed  I don't have much of his solo work so maybe that is where I am missing out?

Me too, I think, with regards to the KC studio discography.

Well, then if you aren't amazed by Fripp by now you may never be.  Really, amazing isn't really the adjective I'd apply anyway.  Even if you go to his truly solo stuff, I'd use the adjective subtle.  Fripp's strength for me is more in how well he works with in an ensemble context or even in a duo. 

Hey have you tried that live League Of Gentlemen album?  Really good stuff.  That might do it for you.  Big smile


Edited by Slartibartfast - June 10 2009 at 21:22
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 20:56
If you want other Fripp stuff, here are a few songs he did as a session guitarist where he really tears it up.

Brian Eno- St. Elmo's Fire
Brian Eno- Babies on Fire
Peter Gabriel- Excuse Me
Talking Heads- I Zimbra
David Bowie- Teenage Wildlife
David Bowie- Scary Monsters
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 20:57
and Summers/Fripp I Advance Masked  Thumbs Up



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 21:23
Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

and Summers/Fripp I Advance Masked  Thumbs Up





Horrible, horrible album.  It turned me into a fan of The Police. AngryLOL

Seriously, if it had not been for that album I would never have checked in to The Police.   Which, by the way, I find Summer's work on Synchronicity to be very heavily Frippian.  Frippertarian?  Frippnotistic?

Also if you don't have a low tolerance for popistic stuff, you might find his work on Darryl Hall's Sacred Songs interesting.  I didn't discover that one until early in this decade.

What I like about Fripp's style the most is his ability to be heaving hitting and to go atmospheric.


Edited by Slartibartfast - June 10 2009 at 21:34
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2009 at 21:44
He's simply so diverse that you could not recommend some songs to summarise his playing.But my favourite is swastika Girls & Larks' Tounges in Aspic I & II.Very simply due to diversity and not knowing anyone who could of come up with something that great yet so perfect.

All hail Fripp!
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