FRIPP & ENO

Two of art rock's pioneering geniuses stepped aside from their respective careers for a moment of collaborative efforts and exploration of pushing the newly developed technological breakthroughs to another level. Robert Fripp, of course, ushered his King Crimson onto the progressive rock scene which served as a sort of big bang to ignite the powder keg of fertile creativity building up all throughout the late 1960s. Brian Eno on the other hand was fresh out of Roxy Music where he helped generate an entirely new strain of art rock that would prove to be instrumental for the world of glam rock, new wave and sophista-pop to come. Together this duo released two albums in the 1970s under the guise of FRIPP & ENO and once again crafted a unique contribution to the musical landscape that while virtually ignored at the time, proved to be one of those too far ahead of its time projects that inspired a whole new generation of electronic artists seeking extreme minimalism through drones, tape loops and space ambient through the means of expanding the possibilities of the new technological breakthroughs in musical apparatuses.

Two utterly distinct personas coming from completely different angles, both FRIPP & ENO shared the distinct characteristics of not exactly fitting in to the mainstream of the commercial music scene and therefore developed their own idiosyncratic musical endeavors as they sallied forth into the great unknown. The first synergistic effect project from these two icons was the 1973 album (NO PUSSYFOOTING) which started with Eno inviting Fripp to experiment with his tape-delay feedback system that had become more fashionable courtesy of early pioneer Terry Riley and his monumental mixing of minimalism, electronic manipulation and sound effects that he introduced in the late 1960s on his classic albums "In C" and "A Rainbow In Curved Air." This album was the result of two sessions about a year apart which produced two side-long tracks. The duo focused on two primary aspects, first the ambient electronic side of the equation that Eno would later adopt and refine as his primary musical exploration once he moved on from his equally innovative art rock origins. The second was on Fripp's looped guitar soloing which took his unorthodox playing techniques into even weirder arenas.

With the innovative engineering approach of using two Revox reel-to-reel tape recorders to craft a looping effect that in tandem passed through a second deck and gussied up with even more spaced out effects, FRIPP & ENO built upon the stylistic approach set down by Terry Riley and made it even spacier and technically demanding. Side A featured the near 21-minute drifting sprawler "The Heavenly Music Corporation" which presented a prolonged repetitive electronic background with an oscillating cyclical loop effect that provided the backdrop while Fripp wailed away on his guitar licks that were processed and electronically manipulated to the point they barely resemble a guitar at all however the "Frippisms" of alternative tunings and picking techniques will indicate Fripp's eccentric playing style that propelled King Crimson into the limelight, at least to those with an attentive ear. While the track drifts on like a rolling cloud bank gently floating across the landscape, Fripp emphatically accentuated a contrasting forceful display of strange musical scales that punctuate the electronic placidity of the nebulous electronic backing.

The B-side was swallowed up by the contrasting "Swastika Girls," the title of which was apparently derived from a porno flick magazine left at AIR Studios which depicted nude women giving the Nazi salute. Even sparser and less dramatic than the first track, this dreamy sequence of loop electronics crafted on a VCS3 synthesizer featured a musing ethereal oscillating loop sequence that drifted on for nearly 19 minutes. With less emphasis on the more abrupt guitar presence of the opening track, this second side was a bit more monotonous and less distinguished than its predecessor. In fact many would call this downright boring. Unlike "Heavenly Music Corporation," this track feels a bit claustrophobic with too many chefs in the kitchen so to speak. Clustered with a swarm of contrapuntal effects, some melodic and some more dissonant, the track rambles on without the same sense of exploration and when Fripp finally breaks through the clustered confusion, it seems like a mere reprise of the A-side.

While only intended to be an experimental side project, Eno was well on his way to a solo career and would release his monumental art rock debut "Here Come The Warm Jets' just a mere three months after (NO PUSSYFOOTING) was unleashed in November 1973. Given FRIPP & ENO's connection to the world of progressive art rock, this release didn't exactly find a large audience and pretty much sat in the obscurity bins for years before being rediscovered and reevaluated as the innovative experimental release that it was. Personally i find this one to be a mixed bag. The A-side "The Heavenly Music Corporation" is captivating enough with Fripp's unique guitar antics delivering enough variation to sustain the near 21-minute duration but the following "Swastika Girls" becomes a little too monotonous and derivative of the A-side for me to get overly excited about. One of those innovative albums that changed the world of electronic music for sure but given its rough draft approach into strange new musical worlds, FRIPP & ENO would refine this sound on their next collaborative effort "Evening Star" and provide the major inspiration for Richard Pinhas to base his Heldon project upon where the stylistic approach evolved into a more interesting artistic expression. A fascinating release from a historical perspective but not one i feel drawn to revisit regularly.

3.5 rounded down

Yes, Side Two is garbage, but when you have a whole side like Side One, it's hard to throw away an entire album! Personally, I love ambient music. I find music that pacifies or soothes the soul essential to life and creativity. Many of the achievements in the expansion of consciousness that I've made personally have been due to the assist of musics like these. When this album came known to me (I think it was 1980), I played it a lot. My meditation practice was new, my dream journalling and pursuit of all things Jungian in full swing, and the "ambient music" scene was critical to my personal journey. It's weird, as I listen to Side Two, I don't even remember it (I must have never played it--or, for sure, ignored it once I knew it), while every song on Side One conjures up myriad images and memories. Plus, guest member of my family garage band, Billy Bob, had a "Fripp in the Box" looping pedal system with which we had no end of fun jamming with and around. For me song 2, "Evening Star" (7:20) is the one that I hold most dear as it most reminds me of DAVID SYLVIAN's wonderful Disc Two of "Gone to Earth" with all of the instrumentals of he and Bill Nelson and Fripp ambienting it up, but they all have helped contribute to some of my favorite cassette playlists.

3.5 stars rated up because this was such ground-breaking, historic stuff back in 1975!

Robert Fripp is the maker of Frippertronics, the structuring of layered tape loops of his guitar into pieces of music. Brian Eno is the credited creator of ambient electronic music. Put them together and you get some very beautiful and very interesting soundscapes. That is what is contained on this experimental album.

So, I know there are a lot of listeners out there that have a hard time with experimental music. However, it is this type of music that leads to discovery of different genres that keep the current of music flowing forward and not becoming stagnant. This album is important in that it was through experiments like these that created a new form of music that people enjoy. The sound of this album is the sound of discovery and of the expansion of musical form. It helped lay the groundwork for both ambient and drone music.

This album is all instrumental. The first 3 tracks are beautiful examples of the music that can be created from the minds of two geniuses. They consist of taped guitar loops from Fripp that have been layered over each other with embellishments of synthesizer sounds provided by Eno. The titles are descriptive of the sound of the music and you can close your eyes and visualize the pictures that are painted by the music with suggestions of where your mind is to go by the titles of the tracks. All three of these soundscapes are simply lovely, the first being very shimmery, soft and dreamy, the 2nd being brighter in tone with more exaggerated guitar sounds somewhat similar to what Fripp would produce in his later KC guitar solos, very connected with amazing phrasing. This is a free floating beauty of a track and the guitar work is stunning. The 3rd track is rather short and somewhat understated but still beautiful. Not much is developed in this track, but it still fills in nicely. "Wind on Wind" is 100% Eno on synthesizer creating a soundscape similar to his Ambient albums. This music was intended Fripp's use in live concerts as background music for him to solo over.

The 2nd side of the album is made up of one long-single track called "An Index of Metals". Aptly named, it is more of a cold and metallic sounding track, not metallic in terms of genre, but in terms of feeling. It is set up with a drone that continues throughout the track with ambient sounds weaving around the basis. About halfway through, Fripp's distorted guitar starts to be heard as the drone subsides somewhat and the sustained notes of the guitar continue to layer around each other, repeating softer and softer until they meld into the drone as other sounds are being created on top of it.

This is headphone music like most ambient music is, at least that is where it is most effective. It has the best effect when you can listen to it uninterrupted and your mind can create the pictures or it can travel to destinations unknown. Some may say they need mind-altering drugs to get the full effect, but I don't find that necessary. The best music can take your mind away without chemical influence. I find this music soothing and relaxing. That is the overall feeling of this album. Even the long track, even though it is more dissonant and cold sounding, is still soothing to me. It isn't as harsh as "(No Pussyfooting)" or as clinical. It is a collection of beautiful soundscapes and part of a movement that would inspire artists still today. I love this sound as it is very visual and even though it is experimental and the sounds are more processed than actual, it was at the time a new way to manipulate sound into beauty and art. I love this sound when I'm in the right frame of mind and because of it's influence and it's originality of the time would have to consider it essential. The fact that I enjoy it so much cements the fact that it is a 5 star recording.

Its funny what two musical geniuses can do when you put them together. Brian Eno had been in contact with Robert Fripp for a time before this one night when he invited Fripp to his home studio. Eno, as it happened, was experimenting with the idea of using tape loops to make music. They eventually had an idea where Fripp would play various drones and rises on his Les Paul, and Eno would take recordings of these and loop them to make them last longer. Fripp would then lay down a few solos to be put on top of the loops. The result is Side One, "The Heavenly Music Corporation", the first masterpiece of ambient. Perhaps the great secret sauce behind the majesty of proto-ambient is the willingness to allow for soft solos, and Fripp's wonderful playing on all guitar parts gives us atmosphere, and then gives us something to enjoy. The ending of the track tops off the piece with a wonderful descending guitar tone. A year later, Fripp put some guitar over loops from Eno's VCS3 and called the result "Swastika Girls": they apparently had found a torn page from some sort of Third Reich themed lad's mag or something of the sort, so the story goes. While not as excellent as the purely guitar "Corporation", it still pleases with ever wonderful guitar work and ethereal VCS tones. Not even Eno knew that one day at a German airport he would think to come back to these experiments and forge "Music For Airports"; the world was blindsided by how good and influential this album was, and only years after it first dropped. This is the font of ambient, and its water is sweet.

1975 turned out to be one of the best years for Electronic Music.

Opposite to their previous "No Pussyfooting", 1973, this release enhances the intimate musical directions both musicians were going through. A clash of two minds opposite to a exploratory fusion of them as the highly experimental and avant-garde, No Pussyfooting was.

"Evening Star",1975, their second collaborative work then, was released at the same time both musicians had already 'ground breaked' the Prog/Rock world and underworld, through their own projects or bands or as x-members of other bands or other collaborations.

Both musicians had a very clear mind of where they wanted to go, knowing the place already, it was time to dwell. Luckily, (for us listeners), both have a different way of viewing the same picture.

Brian Eno's raw, unmelodical with purpose experimental electronics, counterpointed by Robert Fripp's abstract and enticing , mysterious and poetic, electronically processed electric guitar riffs and loops (his future "Frippertronics").

An electronic world in which both musical languages coincide but not as a single entity, therefore this clash of approaches serves as a spur to enrich these differences opposite to subduing them, thus its highly Avant Garde experimentation openned up the myriad of possibilities this combination of outstanding musicians could bring to the table.

Also its tracks disposition, allow each musician to act freely and in collaboration simultaneously. By sectioning the release into two different conceptual contexts, 4 less than 8 minutes tracks with an abstract, hypnotic and more than once beautiful (not-sweet, not the same) "ethereal" environment and one long 32 minute track, more in tune with its elder sibling's "drone/mechanical/ambient/industrial" focus.

Daring, ground breaking, flawless and progressive as Prog should be!

*****5 "FULL" PA stars.

For starters, it will be quiet hard to fit this work as such, even with the early 60's late 70's electronic music..... Prog and not. It stands closer to the "un-musical" aesthetics, of early electronic music, which dates back to 1925, with Luigi Russolo's "ALL" electronic compositions, which were never intended or needed, to be "tagged" as such. The obviuos "comparisson" between this kind of FRIPP & ENO "language", and the traditional "Prog" one, is undeserving, due to its inherent "non-musical" approach to these avant/garde structures, there are 2,.... or "noise-like", if it helps.

So, to even things out, this is as close as the late, purely electronic music of musicians, like Xenakis or Stockhausen, comes to Prog. Obviously this kind of work fits perfectly under the Progressive/Electronic sub-genre, more than anything else, considering its participants.

Brian Eno has a field day in this kind of non-musical experiments, he was already trying to break out, of all common places in the construction of his music, his "tools" (tapes, synths, recorders, tapes, studio facilities, gadgets, etc, etc...), were in fact already more than tried and tested (remember since 1925). He had at the time (1973) left, to call it somehow, Roxy Music's planet, and was already embarking in his "solo" discography.

On the other hand, Robert Fripp, had to carry with the weight of "exiling" his instrument of choice, the electric guitar, with its perfectly tuned strings to the Central-European, canons of structures, to the unruly world of Droning-Noise.

This was a great first step for the electric guitar kingdom and the court of guitarists that follows. He succeeded, without doubts, and his guitar playing, changed for good and for long. (Yes, there are "solos" and "riffs", but on the un-musical side of noise.)

It is quiet unwise to approach this "No Pussyfooting" effort as a musical effort, just because it is recorded. These are 2 long -timed "Drone-like" compositions, (around 20 minutes each), which are "raw", electronic, non-musical structures, which are constructed in the pure electronic spirit of the early pioneers, but transfixed for the Avant Garde audiophiles of now, by two of the most prolific composers and founders of not only this sub-genre, but of Prog.

WARNING----"To expect "music" is missing the whole trip." *****5 PA stars!

After years of occasionally playing and recording; these un-matched duo of composers; have more to deliver than contrast of structures and instruments. Time and experience settled these two rivers into a single ocean; or galaxy more in accordance with the recurrent picture.

After an incredible "Evening Star"; which could flow between "krautrock", "electronic", "eclectic", "ambient" and "indusrial-ambient"; "The Equatorial Stars" as they establish in the name; is going to be an un-earthly collaboration; the third between the 2, at that time.

Years of playing occasionally together have blended the route of their approaches. The result in this project is closer to Enos´s keyboard "ambient" language and Fripps´s electric guitar "soundscape" environments, coexisting together in the same gravity and space, breathing the same air. Therefore the feeling in general is "electronic-etherea"l, leaning towards "ambiental", but without its low-keyed "limits" and without any kind of preconceived attachments, being that both languages have very solid structures and identities by themselves.

And even better than that; we are offered focused compositions; even thoug, both languages merge as whispers of two different voices, the direction both take has more control and direction, so the approaches are counter-balanced by song-composition and its "restraints". Two worlds collide for a very "friendly" third clash.

*****5, "The best of two worlds redifined and refined by experience and way ahead vision" PA Stars

Robert Fripp and Brian Eno were two of the most interesting and innovative musical personalities of the 1970s, but it would also be hard to imagine two more divergent temperaments. Eno was a flashy, kinetic wild man who, during his tenure with Roxy Music managed to steal the show from one of the most dynamic frontmen ever, despite not really playing any instruments. Fripp was a cool intellectual who sat on stool on stage while playing his guitar and was notoriously standoffish to fans. The public may not have known what to expect when they decided to team up, but anyone could bet the result would be magical.

The driving force behind the album is a tape loop system developed by Eno which was capable of simultaneous playback and recording. This allowed a performer to hear a loop of his himself while continuing to play on top of it, adding new layers and rhythms in real time. This was not entirely a new idea-Terry Riley had been doing similar things for years-but Eno dubbed the process "Frippertronics" and the name stuck.

The record consists of two side-long tracks, each containing a subtly pulsing backdrop over which Fripp solos extensively. On "The Heavenly Music Corporation," the mood is serene and Fripp's guitar sweeps slowly around with his characteristic warm tones climbing and plunging like dive bombers in slow motion. The effect is lovely and captivating.

Side two, entitled "Swastika Girls," is more active, with heavier focus on Eno's electronics making up the rapidly swirling backdrop. There is a lot more going on here than o the first side, and it takes several listens to take it all in. One of the dangers of this type of recording technique is the tendency for things to become overly cluttered and aurally confusing. I'm not sure whether that quite happens here, but it certainly walks a fine line.

Fans of either Eno's solo work or Fripp's guitar playing (mainly in his capacity as a guest soloist for the likes of David Bowie; there's little resemblance to King Crimson) will find much to love here. The latest reissue is a 2-CD set of good quality and a couple of puzzling choices. First, they broke the side long tracks up into separate parts for the CD indexing, which is totally unnecessary and arbitrary to my way of thinking. Second, the bonus tracks consist of the entire record played backwards and a half speed version of "The Heavenly Music Corporation." The reasons for this remain obscure, but I am forced to admit that the different versions are interesting and enjoyable, if not essential.

After several decades pause, the collaboration of Robert Fripp and Brian Eno had evolved from their rawer 1970's sounds towards more soothing and quieter directions of ambient realms. The inspiration for this elevating disc of aural tranquility was drawn again from the stars. The reference to term "equatorial" was left slightly unclear to me; possibilities would be either an observing perspective from locations of Earth's equatorial latitude, allowing visibility for both northern and southern hemispheres heavenly views, or maybe referring to the astronomer's celestial equatorial concept used as for a star homing tool. Whatever the case was, both are earthbound observing methods, not related to actual positions of stars, which only due our own vantage point seem to reside as constellations. The open and soothing record can also be listened easy without any thematic orientation, though it suits well for either mystical astrologic contemplations or slumbering in scientific astronomic cosmic dreams. My own on-professional astral navigator's notes are stated as follows;

The delicate ringing of ethereal bells creates a pleasant experience of vast space for the beginning of the journey. The first cosmic entity adored is gigantic star "Meissa" (The Shining One), radiating its blue glow from the constellation of Orion. Robert's dark-toned effected guitar solo licks reach solemnly for the heavenly light, harmonizing wonderfully with the radiant background vibrations of cloister observatory's audio research chamber. Later the guitar sound morphs to mesmerizing echoed shadows, merging to the disappearing background tonal tapestry. The perception shifts to "Lyra"'s constellation, dominated by Vega, one of the most brightly shining stars on the skies. Synthesizers evoke a melodic triangle creating a feeling of anticipation, clear guitar slides mystifying on the harmonic probabilities with fantastic sense of style. Like from man's perspective of time, the solid stagnation of the sounds appears as firm as the stars themselves on the nocturnal roof of the earth. According the Greek tale of Orfeus, his lyra was sent by Zeus to the skies on the wings of an Eagle, which could give a signal to turn the telescopes to the constellation of Aquila. There one can witness a young giant star "Tarazed". Here hollow wind-like humming pairs with Robert's guitar prayers, this fusion scribing yet another wonderful page to this celestial book of hours. The long waves of cosmic sounds move quietly towards more electronic modern sound palettes in the final moments of this song.

To this point, the album has musically been completely awesome meditative resource for me, but the following visitation to the "Lupus", the constellation of the Wolf, introduces some programmed rhythm loops, which I did not find most optimal for meditative music listening. This predatory animal, lurking in shades of mighty constellation of Centaurus in the southern hemisphere's sky, has also some more turbulent radiophonic elements familiar from Robert's 1990's solo recordings.

The next place of observation, "Ankaa," is the traditional name for constellation of Phoenix, the mythical fire bird eternally being reborn from its own ashes. The visualization for this sun is created from semi-harmonious synth abstractions, cinematopic sound constructions and subtle guitar visitations, continuing the core quality line of this record for me.

The visions are again drawn to the constellation of Aquila, positioning for the light of "Altair", one of the closest and brightest star visible for us. This rapidly rotating sun has been studied by the cosmologists, and it has been noted being flattened from its poles due gravitational forces of its spinning. For this fact, the presence of rhythm loops and funky guitar riffs are justified, and create more dynamic tension for the movement. However for the complete listening experience I tend to skip this track along with the earlier mentioned fourth song.

The last glance goes to a group of stars on the constellation of Sagittarius, "Terebellum", reaching a wonderful climax to the formless cosmic presence available on this album. So for me the only negative aspect of this record were the few programmed rhythms, which in my opinion disturbed the sacred serenity sensed from the other tracks, luckily occupying the majority of the album's running time. These great solemn moments make this as a really pleasant album, certainly worth recommending for those searching elevating groves of modern ambient music calmness.

Fripp and Eno are at their best when they turn their attentions to astronomy. Just as Evening Star was the superior of their two albums from the 1970s, so too is The Equatorial Stars a great little bit of ambient bliss three decades after their last major release. Steering a careful course between taking advantage of updated technology on the one hand and staying true to the project's parameters on the other, the duo once again create a varied and fascinating album which may no longer blaze a trail into uncharted regions of ambient as their first two albums did, but is no less compelling despite that.