Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946 in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England, United… Read Full Bio ↴Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946 in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England, United Kingdom) is a guitarist, composer and a record producer, perhaps best known for being the guitarist for, and only constant member of, the progressive rock band King Crimson. His work, spanning five decades, encompasses a variety of musical styles.
Fripp began playing guitar at the age of eleven. He says he was tone-deaf with no sense of rhythm when he started. His comment on dealing with the obstacle is "Music so wishes to be heard that it sometimes calls on unlikely characters to give it voice".
Being taught guitar basics by his teacher Don Strike, it was the time when he developed the technique of crosspicking, which would later become a significant technique taught in Guitar Craft.
In 1984, Fripp began using the New Standard Tuning, which would also become the official tuning of Guitar Craft.
Fripp is left-handed, but plays a right-handed guitar.
Fripp's earliest professional work began in 1967, when he responded to an ad looking for a singing organist for a band being formed by bassist Peter Giles and drummer Michael Giles, despite being neither a singer nor an organist. Though unsuccessful as a live act, Giles, Giles and Fripp did manage to release two singles, as well as an album, The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp.
Following the band's breakup, Fripp, along with drummer Michael Giles, made plans for the formation of King Crimson in 1968, with Greg Lake, Peter Sinfield and Ian McDonald. Their first album, In the Court of the Crimson King, was released in late 1969, to mixed critical reviews. Due to musical differences with Giles and McDonald, King Crimson broke up shortly after the release of the first album, to be re-formed again several times over the years. Initially, Fripp had offered to leave the group; however Giles and McDonald felt that King Crimson was his. To date, Robert Fripp has remained the only consistent member of the band. Crimson went through a number of line-ups before Fripp disbanded the group for the first time in 1974.
During King Crimson's less active periods, Fripp has pursued a number of side-projects. He worked with Keith Tippett (and others who appeared on King Crimson records) on projects far from rock music, producing Septober Energy in 1971 and Ovary Lodge in 1973. During this period he also worked with Van der Graaf Generator, playing on the 1970 album H to He, Who Am the Only One, and in 1971, on Pawn Hearts. Collaborating with Brian Eno, he recorded No Pussyfooting in 1972 and Evening Star in 1974. These two albums featured experimentation with several novel musical techniques, including a tape delay system utilizing dual reel to reel Revox tape machines that would come to play a central role in Fripp's later work. This system came to be known as "Frippertronics". Fripp and Eno also played several live shows in Europe in 1975.
Fripp spent some time away from the music industry in the later 1970s, during which he cultivated an interest in the teachings of Gurdjieff via J.G. Bennett (studies which would later be influential in his work with Guitar Craft). He returned to musical work as a studio guitarist on Peter Gabriel's first self-titled album in 1976, released the following year. Fripp toured with Gabriel to support the album, but remained in the wings and used the pseudonym "Dusty Rhodes". [1]
In 1977, Fripp received a phone call from Eno, who was working on David Bowie's album "Heroes". Fripp agreed to play guitar for the album, a move which initiated a series of collaborations with other musicians. Fripp soon contributed his musical and production talents to Peter Gabriel's second album, and collaborated with Daryl Hall on Sacred Songs. During this period, Fripp began working on solo material, with contributions from poet/lyricist Joanna Walton and several other musicians, including Eno, Gabriel, and Hall, as well as Peter Hammill, Jerry Marotta, Phil Collins, Tony Levin and Terre Roche. This material eventually became his first solo album, Exposure, released in 1979, followed by the Frippertronics tour in the same year. While living in New York, Fripp contributed to albums and live performances by Blondie and Talking Heads (Fear of Music), and produced The Roches' first album, which featured several of Fripp's characteristic guitar solos. A second set of creative sessions with David Bowie produced distinctive guitar parts on Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980).
Fripp's collaboration with bassist Busta Jones, drummer Paul Duskin, and vocals by David Byrne (Byrne credited as Absalm el Habib) produced God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners in the following year. He simultaneously assembled what he called a "second-division touring new wave instrumental dance band" under the name League of Gentlemen, with bassist Sara Lee, keyboardist Barry Andrews and drummer Johnny Toobad (later replaced by Kevin Wilkinson) . The LOG toured for the duration of 1980.
In the early 1990s Fripp contributed guitar/soundscapes to Lifeforms (1994) by The Future Sound of London and Cydonia (released 2001) by The Orb, as well as FFWD, a collaborative effort with the latter's members. In addition, Fripp worked with Brian Eno co-writing and supplying guitar to two tracks for a CD-ROM project released in 1994 entitled Headcandy created by Chris Juul and Doug Jipson. Eno thought the visual aspects of the disc (video feedback effects) were very disappointing upon completion, and regretted participation. During this period, Fripp also contributed to albums by No-Man (a band featuring Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson) and The Beloved (1994's Flowermouth and 1996's X, respectively).
1981 saw the formation of King Crimson's fourth incarnation, along with Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, and Tony Levin. The group was conceptualized under the name "Discipline," but it came to Fripp's attention that the members thought the name King Crimson was more appropriate. For Fripp, King Crimson had always been a way of doing things, rather than a particular group of musicians, and the group felt that their music captured that methodology. After releasing three albums, this new King Crimson broke up in 1984.
During this period Fripp made two records with his old friend Andy Summers of the Police. On I Advance Masked, Fripp and Summers played all the instruments. Bewitched was more dominated by Summers, who produced the record and collaborated with other musicians in addition to Fripp.
In 1982 Fripp produced and played guitar on the Keep On Doing album by The Roches. Similar to his previous guesting on David Bowie's Scary Monsters (which also boasted Pete Townshend and Chuck Hammer on infinite sustain guitar), the "skysaw" guitar style which characterized this period of Fripp's pedagogy is featured alongside the sisters' songs and harmony.
Fripp was offered a teaching position at the American Society for Continuous Education (ASCE) in Claymont Court, West Virginia in 1984. He had been involved with the ASCE since 1978, eventually serving on its board of directors, and had long been considering the idea of teaching guitar. His course, Guitar Craft, was begun in 1985, one of the results of which was a performance group, "The League of Crafty Guitarists," which has released several albums. In 1986, he released the first of two collaborations with his wife, Toyah Willcox. The members of the California Guitar Trio are former members of The League of Crafty Guitarists, and Gitbox Rebellion includes several former Guitar Craft students. The California Guitar Trio has also toured with King Crimson.
Fripp returned to recording solo in 1994, using an updated version of the Frippertronics technique that employed digital technology instead of tapes to create loops. Fripp released a number of records that he called "Soundscapes," including 1999, Radiophonics, A Blessing of Tears, That Which Passes, November Suite, and The Gates of Paradise. (Pie Jesu consists of material compiled from A Blessing of Tears and The Gates of Paradise.) On the Soundscapes recordings, the inner workings of the music are not as clearly laid bare as they are on Let the Power Fall, perhaps due to the greater possibilities offered by the new technology.
Fripp's collaborations with David Sylvian feature some of his most exuberant guitar playing. Fripp contributed to Sylvian's twenty minute track "Steel Cathedrals" from his Alchemy - An Index Of Possibilities album of 1985. Then Fripp performed on several tracks from Sylvian's 1986 release, Gone To Earth.
At some point in late 1991, Fripp had asked Sylvian to become the vocalist for the reforming King Crimson. Sylvian declined the invitation, but proposed a possible collaboration between the two that would eventually become a tour of Japan and Italy in the spring of 1992. In July of 1993, Sylvian and Fripp released the collaborative effort The First Day. Other contributors were soon-to-be King Crimson member Trey Gunn on stick and nearly-was King Crimson member Jerry Marotta on drums. When the group toured to promote the CD, future King Crimson member Pat Mastelotto took over the drumming spot. The live document Damage was released in 1994, as was the joint venture, Redemption - Approaching Silence, which featured Sylvian's ambient sound sculptures (Approaching Silence) accompanying Fripp reading his own text (Redemption).
In late 1994, Fripp re-formed the 1981 lineup of King Crimson for its fifth incarnation, adding Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelotto in a configuration known as the "double trio". This lineup released Thrak in 1995.
From 1997 to 1999, and again in 2006, the band King Crimson "fraKctalised" into five sub-groups known as ProjeKcts.
2000 saw the release of a studio album, The ConstruKction of Light, from a sixth lineup of King Crimson (Fripp, Adrian Belew, Trey Gunn, Pat Mastelotto) with The Power to Believe following in 2003.
In March of 2004, a seventh lineup had been formulated and practiced with Tony Levin returning to replace Trey Gunn. This permutation of King Crimson has yet to release an album or perform live. A likely "fortieth anniversary lineup" has been discussed as well. Members of this lineup and more precise formation dates have yet to be officially announced.
During 2004, Fripp toured with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as the guitar trio G3.
Robert Fripp worked at Microsoft's studios to record new sounds and atmospheres for Windows Vista.[2][3]
In late 2005 and early 2006, Fripp joined Bill Rieflin's improvisational Slow Music project, along with guitarist Peter Buck, Fred Chalenor (acoustic bass), Matt Chamberlain (drum kit) and Hector Zazou (electronics). This collective of musicians toured the west coast in May of 2006.
In October 2006, ProjeKct Six (Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew) played at select venues on the east coast of the U.S.[2], opening for Porcupine Tree.
Fripp has contributed soundscapes to two songs for Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet. He is featured on the tracks "Way Out Of Here" and "Nil Recurring", the second of which was released in September 2007 as part of the "Nil Recurring" EP.
Robert Fripp of King Crimson is presently at odds with Last.FM, and has undertaken a prolonged series of actions against the company, and this website. Currently, he has:
- disallowed any of his music from being streamed
- disallowed any images from being posted (especially album art)
- disallowed this page to show up in search.
He has pursued similar restrictions against many other websites and companies violation of copyright, with many new restrictions still pending. These events and how people feel about them (including Fripp himself) are well-documented on this and other sites, and so this summary of recent events is a legitimate, relevant, and current dimension of the history of this musician (and thus a dispassionate, noteworthy portion of Fripp’s bio).
Fripp keeps an online diary at DGMLive
Fripp began playing guitar at the age of eleven. He says he was tone-deaf with no sense of rhythm when he started. His comment on dealing with the obstacle is "Music so wishes to be heard that it sometimes calls on unlikely characters to give it voice".
Being taught guitar basics by his teacher Don Strike, it was the time when he developed the technique of crosspicking, which would later become a significant technique taught in Guitar Craft.
In 1984, Fripp began using the New Standard Tuning, which would also become the official tuning of Guitar Craft.
Fripp is left-handed, but plays a right-handed guitar.
Fripp's earliest professional work began in 1967, when he responded to an ad looking for a singing organist for a band being formed by bassist Peter Giles and drummer Michael Giles, despite being neither a singer nor an organist. Though unsuccessful as a live act, Giles, Giles and Fripp did manage to release two singles, as well as an album, The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp.
Following the band's breakup, Fripp, along with drummer Michael Giles, made plans for the formation of King Crimson in 1968, with Greg Lake, Peter Sinfield and Ian McDonald. Their first album, In the Court of the Crimson King, was released in late 1969, to mixed critical reviews. Due to musical differences with Giles and McDonald, King Crimson broke up shortly after the release of the first album, to be re-formed again several times over the years. Initially, Fripp had offered to leave the group; however Giles and McDonald felt that King Crimson was his. To date, Robert Fripp has remained the only consistent member of the band. Crimson went through a number of line-ups before Fripp disbanded the group for the first time in 1974.
During King Crimson's less active periods, Fripp has pursued a number of side-projects. He worked with Keith Tippett (and others who appeared on King Crimson records) on projects far from rock music, producing Septober Energy in 1971 and Ovary Lodge in 1973. During this period he also worked with Van der Graaf Generator, playing on the 1970 album H to He, Who Am the Only One, and in 1971, on Pawn Hearts. Collaborating with Brian Eno, he recorded No Pussyfooting in 1972 and Evening Star in 1974. These two albums featured experimentation with several novel musical techniques, including a tape delay system utilizing dual reel to reel Revox tape machines that would come to play a central role in Fripp's later work. This system came to be known as "Frippertronics". Fripp and Eno also played several live shows in Europe in 1975.
Fripp spent some time away from the music industry in the later 1970s, during which he cultivated an interest in the teachings of Gurdjieff via J.G. Bennett (studies which would later be influential in his work with Guitar Craft). He returned to musical work as a studio guitarist on Peter Gabriel's first self-titled album in 1976, released the following year. Fripp toured with Gabriel to support the album, but remained in the wings and used the pseudonym "Dusty Rhodes". [1]
In 1977, Fripp received a phone call from Eno, who was working on David Bowie's album "Heroes". Fripp agreed to play guitar for the album, a move which initiated a series of collaborations with other musicians. Fripp soon contributed his musical and production talents to Peter Gabriel's second album, and collaborated with Daryl Hall on Sacred Songs. During this period, Fripp began working on solo material, with contributions from poet/lyricist Joanna Walton and several other musicians, including Eno, Gabriel, and Hall, as well as Peter Hammill, Jerry Marotta, Phil Collins, Tony Levin and Terre Roche. This material eventually became his first solo album, Exposure, released in 1979, followed by the Frippertronics tour in the same year. While living in New York, Fripp contributed to albums and live performances by Blondie and Talking Heads (Fear of Music), and produced The Roches' first album, which featured several of Fripp's characteristic guitar solos. A second set of creative sessions with David Bowie produced distinctive guitar parts on Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980).
Fripp's collaboration with bassist Busta Jones, drummer Paul Duskin, and vocals by David Byrne (Byrne credited as Absalm el Habib) produced God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners in the following year. He simultaneously assembled what he called a "second-division touring new wave instrumental dance band" under the name League of Gentlemen, with bassist Sara Lee, keyboardist Barry Andrews and drummer Johnny Toobad (later replaced by Kevin Wilkinson) . The LOG toured for the duration of 1980.
In the early 1990s Fripp contributed guitar/soundscapes to Lifeforms (1994) by The Future Sound of London and Cydonia (released 2001) by The Orb, as well as FFWD, a collaborative effort with the latter's members. In addition, Fripp worked with Brian Eno co-writing and supplying guitar to two tracks for a CD-ROM project released in 1994 entitled Headcandy created by Chris Juul and Doug Jipson. Eno thought the visual aspects of the disc (video feedback effects) were very disappointing upon completion, and regretted participation. During this period, Fripp also contributed to albums by No-Man (a band featuring Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson) and The Beloved (1994's Flowermouth and 1996's X, respectively).
1981 saw the formation of King Crimson's fourth incarnation, along with Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, and Tony Levin. The group was conceptualized under the name "Discipline," but it came to Fripp's attention that the members thought the name King Crimson was more appropriate. For Fripp, King Crimson had always been a way of doing things, rather than a particular group of musicians, and the group felt that their music captured that methodology. After releasing three albums, this new King Crimson broke up in 1984.
During this period Fripp made two records with his old friend Andy Summers of the Police. On I Advance Masked, Fripp and Summers played all the instruments. Bewitched was more dominated by Summers, who produced the record and collaborated with other musicians in addition to Fripp.
In 1982 Fripp produced and played guitar on the Keep On Doing album by The Roches. Similar to his previous guesting on David Bowie's Scary Monsters (which also boasted Pete Townshend and Chuck Hammer on infinite sustain guitar), the "skysaw" guitar style which characterized this period of Fripp's pedagogy is featured alongside the sisters' songs and harmony.
Fripp was offered a teaching position at the American Society for Continuous Education (ASCE) in Claymont Court, West Virginia in 1984. He had been involved with the ASCE since 1978, eventually serving on its board of directors, and had long been considering the idea of teaching guitar. His course, Guitar Craft, was begun in 1985, one of the results of which was a performance group, "The League of Crafty Guitarists," which has released several albums. In 1986, he released the first of two collaborations with his wife, Toyah Willcox. The members of the California Guitar Trio are former members of The League of Crafty Guitarists, and Gitbox Rebellion includes several former Guitar Craft students. The California Guitar Trio has also toured with King Crimson.
Fripp returned to recording solo in 1994, using an updated version of the Frippertronics technique that employed digital technology instead of tapes to create loops. Fripp released a number of records that he called "Soundscapes," including 1999, Radiophonics, A Blessing of Tears, That Which Passes, November Suite, and The Gates of Paradise. (Pie Jesu consists of material compiled from A Blessing of Tears and The Gates of Paradise.) On the Soundscapes recordings, the inner workings of the music are not as clearly laid bare as they are on Let the Power Fall, perhaps due to the greater possibilities offered by the new technology.
Fripp's collaborations with David Sylvian feature some of his most exuberant guitar playing. Fripp contributed to Sylvian's twenty minute track "Steel Cathedrals" from his Alchemy - An Index Of Possibilities album of 1985. Then Fripp performed on several tracks from Sylvian's 1986 release, Gone To Earth.
At some point in late 1991, Fripp had asked Sylvian to become the vocalist for the reforming King Crimson. Sylvian declined the invitation, but proposed a possible collaboration between the two that would eventually become a tour of Japan and Italy in the spring of 1992. In July of 1993, Sylvian and Fripp released the collaborative effort The First Day. Other contributors were soon-to-be King Crimson member Trey Gunn on stick and nearly-was King Crimson member Jerry Marotta on drums. When the group toured to promote the CD, future King Crimson member Pat Mastelotto took over the drumming spot. The live document Damage was released in 1994, as was the joint venture, Redemption - Approaching Silence, which featured Sylvian's ambient sound sculptures (Approaching Silence) accompanying Fripp reading his own text (Redemption).
In late 1994, Fripp re-formed the 1981 lineup of King Crimson for its fifth incarnation, adding Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelotto in a configuration known as the "double trio". This lineup released Thrak in 1995.
From 1997 to 1999, and again in 2006, the band King Crimson "fraKctalised" into five sub-groups known as ProjeKcts.
2000 saw the release of a studio album, The ConstruKction of Light, from a sixth lineup of King Crimson (Fripp, Adrian Belew, Trey Gunn, Pat Mastelotto) with The Power to Believe following in 2003.
In March of 2004, a seventh lineup had been formulated and practiced with Tony Levin returning to replace Trey Gunn. This permutation of King Crimson has yet to release an album or perform live. A likely "fortieth anniversary lineup" has been discussed as well. Members of this lineup and more precise formation dates have yet to be officially announced.
During 2004, Fripp toured with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as the guitar trio G3.
Robert Fripp worked at Microsoft's studios to record new sounds and atmospheres for Windows Vista.[2][3]
In late 2005 and early 2006, Fripp joined Bill Rieflin's improvisational Slow Music project, along with guitarist Peter Buck, Fred Chalenor (acoustic bass), Matt Chamberlain (drum kit) and Hector Zazou (electronics). This collective of musicians toured the west coast in May of 2006.
In October 2006, ProjeKct Six (Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew) played at select venues on the east coast of the U.S.[2], opening for Porcupine Tree.
Fripp has contributed soundscapes to two songs for Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet. He is featured on the tracks "Way Out Of Here" and "Nil Recurring", the second of which was released in September 2007 as part of the "Nil Recurring" EP.
Robert Fripp of King Crimson is presently at odds with Last.FM, and has undertaken a prolonged series of actions against the company, and this website. Currently, he has:
- disallowed any of his music from being streamed
- disallowed any images from being posted (especially album art)
- disallowed this page to show up in search.
He has pursued similar restrictions against many other websites and companies violation of copyright, with many new restrictions still pending. These events and how people feel about them (including Fripp himself) are well-documented on this and other sites, and so this summary of recent events is a legitimate, relevant, and current dimension of the history of this musician (and thus a dispassionate, noteworthy portion of Fripp’s bio).
Fripp keeps an online diary at DGMLive
Firepower
Robert Fripp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He beats the door and breaks his watch
Raids the fridge and eats the lot
No room for silence, pause of thought
To ease the hurt inside him
They placed a barrel at his head
Raging blind and rising
Cursed by saints and all the rest
He can`t stand up for trying
Shot through with anger and desire
A mouth to feed, a room for hire
He drinks 'goodbyes', the bottle dry
Brutalised but smiling
Causing casualties by the hour
Outweighed by stars
And Firepower
Causing casualties by the hour
Waylayed by stars
And Firepower
He beats the door and breaks the lock
Afraid to sleep he won`t let up
No room for silence, pause or thought
To ease the hurt inside him
Raids the fridge and eats the lot
No room for silence, pause of thought
To ease the hurt inside him
They placed a barrel at his head
Raging blind and rising
Cursed by saints and all the rest
He can`t stand up for trying
A mouth to feed, a room for hire
He drinks 'goodbyes', the bottle dry
Brutalised but smiling
Causing casualties by the hour
Outweighed by stars
And Firepower
Causing casualties by the hour
Waylayed by stars
And Firepower
He beats the door and breaks the lock
Afraid to sleep he won`t let up
No room for silence, pause or thought
To ease the hurt inside him
The lyrics of Robert Fripp's song "Firepower" describe a man trapped in a cycle of self-destructive behavior. He is consumed by anger and desire, unable to find moments of solitude to reflect on his pain. He eats compulsively, drinks heavily, and can't sleep, constantly beating himself up both physically and emotionally. We learn that this character has been tormented by saints and the world around him, leaving him feeling powerless and incapable of standing up for himself. Despite his brutalization, he wears a smile on his face, concealing his inner misery.
The repeated references to "firepower" in the chorus suggest that the man's destructive behavior is the source of his power. His ability to cause casualties, both to himself and to others, is linked to the intensity of his suffering. The final lines of the song reinforce this idea, as the man continues to beat the door and lock, refusing to let anyone in or out.
Overall, "Firepower" is a bleak meditation on the cyclical nature of self-destructive behavior. It suggests that those who are trapped in this cycle can't break free without first examining their pain and finding a way to ease it.
Line by Line Meaning
He beats the door and breaks his watch
He is so full of restlessness that he pounds on the door and throws his watch around
Raids the fridge and eats the lot
He feels so empty and alone that he tries to fill the void by binging on food
No room for silence, pause of thought
His mind is in such disarray that he cannot find any inner peace or clarity
To ease the hurt inside him
His soul is filled with so much pain that he desperately seeks a release from it
They placed a barrel at his head
He is in mortal danger, with a gun pointed at him
Raging blind and rising
Despite his fear and anger blinding him, he feels himself getting stronger
Cursed by saints and all the rest
Even those who are supposed to provide salvation or solace have turned against him
He can`t stand up for trying
Despite his best efforts, he keeps getting knocked down
Shot through with anger and desire
His emotions are a maelstrom of hatred and longing
A mouth to feed, a room for hire
He is burdened with responsibilities that he cannot shirk
He drinks 'goodbyes', the bottle dry
He drowns his sorrows in liquor, saying farewell to his pain and fears
Brutalised but smiling
Although he has been battered and bruised by life, he still puts on a brave face
Causing casualties by the hour
He is leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, bringing others down with him
Outweighed by stars
Despite his own insignificance, he is awed by the vastness and beauty of the universe
And Firepower
He draws strength from the fiery energy within himself, fuelled by his passion and rage
Waylayed by stars
Even as he is caught up in his own turmoil, he is momentarily stunned by the wonder of the cosmos
He beats the door and breaks the lock
His frustration and anger boils over, leading him to lash out at his surroundings
Afraid to sleep he won`t let up
He is too tormented and fearful to let his guard down and rest
No room for silence, pause or thought
His mind is too chaotic for him to find any moments of stillness or contemplation
To ease the hurt inside him
He is searching for any way to dull the pain that consumes him
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID SYLVIAN, ROBERT FRIPP, TREY GUNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@elmerexpress
WOW! Never has Sylvian impressed me more than here! What a presence in music! What a discrete and still immense passion! What a combination to go with Fripp! Freakin' awesome!
@ConspireToConspire
I love how Fripp has his own sense of time. Its like it floats and ebbs behind and forwards at its own pace. Its it's own kind of animal that just "does."
@evanjazzista
For those who are asking questions, the story goes as follows (as far as I know): early/mid 90's, Fripp wanted to put together a new line-up for KC, consisting of himself of course, Jerry Marotta on drums, Nick Beggs on bass/stick and Sylvian on vocals/guitar. They all did decline for different reasons (for instance, Beggs was in the middle of a divorce). That's when Fripp called a student of his, Trey Gunn, to be part of the double trio, and then recruited Pat Mastelotto too. About this Sylvian & Fripp project, Marotta was the drummer in studio, but Sylvian wasn't a big fan of his, so they hired Mastelotto for the tour, which led him to KC. Prior to this they toured as a trio with no drummer, just Sylvian, Fripp and Gunn.
I think the KC 4tet with Marotta and Beggs would have been stellar, had it happened. Just my opinion.
@albertosantillanfonseca5776
MAYBE , BUT MASTELOTTO Y GUNN ARE AWESOME
I LOVE ELEKTRIK / LTIA 4 / LEVEL FIVE THE PROJEKCTS
TCOL ................
@mikrophonie5633
I've heard different things about Marotta. That he and Sylvian didn't get along in the studio, and that he would have done the tour but had a prior commitment. Who knows what is true. I know Marotta was a huge Sylvian fan at one time, and said in an interview that Brilliant Trees was one of his favorite albums. Working with an inflexible control freak in the studio may have soured him on Sylvian though.
@DarkeningSkies1
If you have not heard it, "Damage" (the album of the tour shown in this footage) is really, really great. It makes the studio cuts from "The First Day" sound almost like rehearsals. And the sound quality is amazingly punchy and vibrant, too.
@corkykab
Agreed, DarkeningSkies... Damage was a miracle, I loved the First Day, but after Damage came out it was the only thing I listened to...
@DonHaka
The whole album was pretty much improvised on tour if i remember correctly. Before releasing The First Day Fripp, Sylvian and Gunn toured around and wrote the pieces while touring i think.
@DarkeningSkies1
@Helminthophobia I was under the impression that The First Day album (with Jerry Marotta on drums instead of Pat) was written and recorded before the touring but my memory is hazy.
@DonHaka
@DarkeningSkies1 it was, DS and Fripp toured in 1991 as a three piece with the Chapman player, during that tour they improvosed a lot of the instrumentals during rehearsals and such. Im pretty sure that this is true but i might be wrong.