In about 1979 or '80 Fripp made an appearance at the old lower Queen Anne Tower Records, the big one, and played "Frippertronic" Christmas carols with a guitar and a tape player allowing him to loop and sustain indefinitely. It sounded something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFAENQ2u…
Extraordinary to watch, and pretty cool, right there in the dead center of the store.
Yeah, great little list here. If I had any idea he was here tonight, I would have bought tickets and planned in advance. Well, guess I'll see him on his next swing-by.
@3 - it might be a bit of a wait. tonight is only the third performance ever of "Slow Music." The first was in 2005, at the Croc, and it was fantastic (as evidenced by the disc of the show). The second show was last night. GO.
I remember seeing Fripp playing solo guitar as he warmed up for the more bombastic headliners of the G3 tour back in the 90s. I can now look back and reflect that his perfirmance was actually more groundbreaking than the fingerboard antics that Vai and Satriani were doing that night.
Strangely enough, I'm writing all of this on the day after seeing Petrucci's shredfest with Dream Theater.
Another two huge thumbs up for the solo in "Fashion" which is really mind warping right from the start of the track... there's also some really great licks in "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)". I think this album, and Daryl Hall's "Sacred Songs" are highly underrated.
@5 Was thinking the same when reading this list.
I would say that is is one of the best guitar solos. Most of the time guitar solos sound the same or follow a formula but the "Baby's on Fire" solo goes where guitar solos dare to go.
I am glad to see a post on Robert Fripp. I remember seeing him here in Vancouver. Just him playing into a tape loop as described on the back of Eno's Discrete Music album. So just him sitting down with a Les Paul and a tape loop next to him playing back what he was laying down building up layers of sound. It was amazing.
There's no e-bow on "Heroes." Fripp addressed this specific issue in a note to the Elephant Talk newsletter in 2000:
>>I have never used an e-bow professionally, and almost never otherwise. Chris Stein (of Blondie) gave me one c.1978 when we were chums in NYC. But "Heroes" was simply a Les Paul, Marshall cabinet and a way of working.<<
It's a common misconception that Fripp used an e-bow on "Heroes," but he didn't — he's just that good at controlled sustain. In Fripp's own words: "I have never used an e-bow professionally, and almost never otherwise. Chris Stein (of Blondie) gave me one c.1978 when we were chums in NYC. But 'Heroes' was simply a Les Paul, Marshall cabinet and a way of working."
(Anyone have any leads on where to purchase/acquire digital copies of God Save the Queen or Let the Power Fall [aside from YouTube]?)
Extraordinary to watch, and pretty cool, right there in the dead center of the store.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8mLqNR0…
Strangely enough, I'm writing all of this on the day after seeing Petrucci's shredfest with Dream Theater.
@5 is correct, Baby's On Fire is a towering achievement.
I would say that is is one of the best guitar solos. Most of the time guitar solos sound the same or follow a formula but the "Baby's on Fire" solo goes where guitar solos dare to go.
>>I have never used an e-bow professionally, and almost never otherwise. Chris Stein (of Blondie) gave me one c.1978 when we were chums in NYC. But "Heroes" was simply a Les Paul, Marshall cabinet and a way of working.<<