GONE TO EARTH

The peak of the Sylvian-Fripp collaboration, a double album filled with melodic gems as well as abrasive avant garde experiments like 3. "Before the Bullfight," 6. "River Man" and the title song, 4. Some of David's greatest vocal and songwriting exploits were realised on this album. Plus, you will be privileged to hear three of the greatest Robert Fripp guitar songs he ever recorded. AND the sometimes hidden or under the radar presence of the great Bill NELSON. The tour that followed this album included a lot of improvisation due to the amazing stage presence of trumpeter/synth genius Mark ISHAM and experimental guitarist David TORN--as well as Sylvian and his brother, drummer Steve Janzen. While I liked much of the first album, it was the more ambient second disc that I played to death.

Favorite songs: 1/5. "Wave" (9:11) (10/10); 2/10. "Upon This Earth" (6:30) with the most heart-wrenching Robert FRIPP solo ever! (10/10); 2/2. "Answered Prayers" (3:10) (10/10); 1/1. "Taking the Veil" (4:40) (10/10); 2/6. "Campfire: Coyote Country" (3:46) (10/10); 2/1. "The Healing Place" (5:34) (9/10); 1/6. "River Man" (4:54) (9/10); 2/5. "Silver Moon Over Sleeping Steeples" (2:22) (9/10); 2/3. "Where the Railroad Meets the Sea" (2:52) (8/10); 1/7. "Silver Moon" (6:19) (8/10), and; 2/8. "Home" (4:33) (8/10).

This is for me one of the most important albums of the 1980s and one of the few true masterpieces of true progressive rock during that decade.