Re: First Excursions into Frippertronics

[Eric Williamson <erwill@suitandtieguy.com>]

Quoting Dylan DeAnda <dylan@loudcloud.com>:
> My question is, since all of you guys here are frippfanatics, what
> should I be listening for?

on vinyl, God Save The Queen is on one side and Under Heavy Manners is on 
the 
other.

this is one of my favourite records, and i think they're both equally 
important 
sides.

as far as God Save The Queen goes, i wouldn't go out of my way to "pay 
attention" to what's going on. just listen to the textures and how the 
loop 
develops.

Under Heavy Manners is more interesting, to me. David Byrne's vocals on 
"Under 
Heavy Manners" are pretty funny, and so is the break in the middle with 
Fripp 
saying "Continue ...". "The Zero Of The Signified" is a remarkable track 
in 
that a) it's the first instance of dance music (DOR) with frippertronic 
underpinnings and b) that 6/8 guitar figure that runs with absolute 
repetition 
through the whole track was recorded _without_punch_ins_ as the SECOND 
TAKE!!!

so you have here in "Zero Of The Signified" a perfect unadultered 
"Frippism". 
totally groovy and accessible, yet with an ethereal element (the 
frippertronic 
loops) and a very restrained show-offing of impeccable technique (the 
12-minute 
6/8 guitar figure).

i like the album quite a bit. unfortunately bob totally wrecked it during 
the 
CD re-issue. first he overdubbed a marshall-overdrived guitar solo 
on "Zero...". then he put the two discotronics tracks on a hacked-up 
League Of 
Gentlemen re-issue. the 3 frippertronics tracks never made it to CD at 
all, 
even though there was plenty of room for them on "Let The Power Fall".

Eric Williamson
www.suitandtieguy.com