Released on Larks’ Tongues in Aspic in 1973, the song made its return to the Crimson live repertoire at the Friends and Family show in Seattle in 2017, although its place in the setlist would be short-lived, only being performed three times in total. Recorded live at the Moore Theatre on June 11, this special Stormy mix incorporates the original John Wetton vocals and David Cross violin from the album recording sessions at Command Studios.

Recording Larks’ Tongues in Aspic at Command Studios in 1973.

Sid Smith says: “The last time the Fripp/Cross/Palmer-James song had been performed prior to 2017 was 43 years ago, when King Crimson made their final appearance of the 1970s in Central Park. The bittersweet melancholy of John’s vocals and David’s yearning embellishments on violin, mixed with the live multi-tracks, lend this special version of the song a certain poignancy.”

King Crimson at Moore Theatre, Seattle in 2017.

Download here: Stormy Monday Selection 79: Exiles

Or listen to a preview on the official King Crimson YouTube channel:

In week 11 we feature The New World from the 1986 album Robert Fripp and The League of Crafty Guitarists - Live. This was the first album of Guitar Craft music and was performed by the students on the first Level Two course, for advancing guitarists, held at Claymont in West Virginia in December 1985. In what became a familiar part of courses, the writing, rehearsing and performance of music, often at short notice, was presented as a challenge. In this instance, the instruction came on a Thursday evening that three public performances would be taking place at George Washington University in DC at the weekend. 

Robert Fripp and The League of Crafty Guitarists perform live in DC (photo: Toyah).

Although the recordings of those concerts make up the majority of the album, The New World, is a solo Fripp piece. A Frippertronic loop recorded live at the Bear’s Lair on the UC Berkeley campus in California on July 30, 1979, forms the backing over which a guitar solo was overdubbed at Arny’s Shack in Parkstone, Dorset in 1983, engineered by Tony Arnold.

The Frippertronics tour schedule for July 30, 1979.

An outstanding example of Robert’s applied Frippertronics, where the improvised performance using the twin Revox machines is replayed to create the foundation for further spontaneous improvisation. Its inclusion on an otherwise acoustic guitar recording was a simple matter of there being insufficient material from the Crafty concert to fill an album. And yet it sits very comfortably amongst the whole, providing a reminder, if any were needed, of what inspired so many to attend the courses. Essential listening.

Listen to this week’s commentary for the full story.

Download: Robert Fripp @ 80 Vol.11  The New World.   

Follow the Spotify playlist: Robert Fripp @ 80  

Also available on the official YouTube channel:

Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin on stage in 1982 (photo: Tony Levin).

When I posted the garden pix I anticipated some responses such as those below.

I am not sure to what extent good people abroad, or what the English call “foreigners”, appreciate the depth of resentments which permeate this society. As one of two children born to working class parents, I grew up with a keen sense of social strata and how class difference and privilege quietly, invisibly, exerted power over the trajectory of one’s life. To open one’s mouth, to give voice to an accent or dialect, provided all the information needed to inform another of one’s originating background, education and therefore income level. 

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King Crimson’s manager and record producer, David Singleton, will be hosting, with his trusty assistant Alex ‘Stormy’ Mundy also in attendance.

So join with like-minded Crimson and DGM fans from around the world for an exclusive live look behind the scenes at what’s going on at DGM Soundworld.

If you are not already a member, there are a few places available. https://www.dgmlive.com/1000-club . The 1000 Club offers incredible value, providing streaming of all the music on the site, $750 worth of downloads per year, a year's free subscription to audio and video streaming at Nugs.net, an aphorism of the day sent to your email box, special user profile, create and share your own playlists, all for an annual fee of $150 (amount varies slightly by territory), and knowledge that your membership supports the ongoing work of the DGM Archive. 

Beginning on May 30 1978, these were put down in the smaller Studio 2 on the second floor of the Hit Factory. Additional parts were added over the following weeks.

Building upon the backing tracks recorded in January with Tony Levin on bass, and drummers Jerry Marotta (Chicago) and Narada Michael Walden (Breathless and NY3), here is an up-close look at the overdubbed parts, not all of which made it to the final mix of the album.

Breathless track sheet.

These include vocals and piano by Daryl Hall, keyboards by Barry Andrews, flute parts added to Breathless by Ian McDonald, who was by then living in New York and riding the wave of success with Foreigner, and Brian Eno, also then living in New York, who dropped by to play some Mini Moog with tape echo. Also featured are the later vocal takes by Peter Hammill and Terre Roche, brought in to replace the embargoed Daryl vocals. The selection concludes with the Hallophone vocal choir that appears on Preface.

Remembering his time working with Daryl Hall in the Exposure Diaries that accompany the 2006 CD reissue, Robert Fripp wrote:

This, the first and only (proper) RF solo album, was made in the open creative way that characterised our work process on Sacred Songs, the first Daryl Hall solo album. Neither albums attracted the unreserved approval of Tommy Mottola, Daryl’s manager at the time, nor his record company, RCA. The release of Daryl’s solo album was delayed for nearly 3 years, reportedly because of fears that it would damage Daryl’s commercial persona. Also, it was suggested to me that Exposure was, in fact, not a Robert Fripp solo album but a Fripp & Hall album. 

An operant guiding principle, not yet articulated as formal proposition, was turn a seeming disadvantage to your advantage. I was allowed to use two songs with Daryl singing and chose You Burn Me Up I’m A Cigarette and North Star. The remaining 5 songs (as might be said today but would not have been then) were re-voiced and, with more time for reflection and re-organising and re-mixing, the released Exposure in 1979 a better album than otherwise.

Inter alia, I have noticed that the more powerful the creative process, the more likely the resistance of controlling business interests. The creative impulse involves hazard: there are no guarantees. Business demands guarantees and rewards certainties, even though certainty is often unfulfilling and unsatisfying. An artist who follows the Muse is perceived by business as dangerous. In 1978 Daryl was open to the new musical influences that were emerging; his manager and record company less so. Daryl’s pipes were a wonder: I have never worked with a more able singer, and one with a far greater musical range and potential than his career advisers allowed him to explore and develop. 

Working with Daryl on Sacred Songs and Exposure were a privilege for me, a joy, and lotsa fun; working with Daryl’s manager and record company part of a continuing liberal education. All-in-all, an interesting juxtaposition of aspiration, artistic collaboration and the interests of commerce.

Download: Exposure Sessions: Breathless, NY3 and Chicago overdubs.

In week 10, Robert and David discuss The Roches, as we feature an alternate take of Chicago from Exposure, with vocals shared by Terre Roche and Peter Hammill, and add Hammond Song from The Roches’ first album to the Spotify playlist.

The three singing sisters from New Jersey, Maggie, Terre and Suzzy, had moved to New York City in the 70s and were making a name for themselves playing the Greenwich Village folk clubs. 

April 16, 1978, Robert Fripp sees The Roches.

Robert first went to see them play at The Bottom Line on the recommendation of New York Times critic John Rockwell, who would later rate their Fripp-produced first album, The Roches, the best release of 1979.

Once again recording at the Hit Factory with engineer Ed Sprigg, Terre Roche was one of the vocalists brought in by Fripp to sing on Exposure after Daryl Hall’s manager, Tommy Motolla, had prevented Hall from featuring on more than two tracks. This setback proved fortuitous as the incoming singers turned in some spectacular performances. 

Before the Roches became a trio, Maggie and Terre had famously crashed an NYU songwriting class with Paul Simon, which led to the two sisters singing backing vocals on There Goes Rhymin’ Simon and getting their own record deal. However, disillusioned by the record industry, they suddenly left it all behind and went to Hammond, Louisiana, a story that forms the subject matter for Hammond Song. Recorded towards the end of an incredibly productive year for Fripp in New York, the album is striking for its restraint. Aside from Robert's lyrical guitar solo on Hammond Song, the performances are largely unadorned, allowing the sisters' close vocal harmonies and acoustic guitars to shine. Their songs of truth are delivered without artifice - but with a good deal of humour - using Fripp’s audio vérité production style.

Suzzy, Maggie and Terre on the cover of their debut album.

Listen to this week’s commentary for the full story.

Download Robert Fripp @ 80 Vol.10  Chicago (Terre Roche and Peter Hammill alt take).   

Listen to Hammond Song on the Spotify playlist: Robert Fripp @ 80  

Also available on the official YouTube channel:

Your chance to vote for Pat and Deb Mastelotto, who are currently in the running to become America’s new first couple, as they raise funds for hunger relief and ocean conservation. There’s a top prize of $20,000 for their chosen charity and a dinner date with Jeff and Emilie Goldblum waiting for them if they win.

You can take our word for it that Pat and Deb are two of the nicest people you could ever meet. They remain each other’s biggest fans, best friends, and favourite travel buddies, and, as regular visitors to this site will already know, have collaborated on the 2021 Valentine’s Day CD release, A Romantic’s Guide To King Crimson, and were both members of the Exposure band that toured in 2025. 

Vote for The Mastelottos to be America's Favourite Couple while supporting two great causes! There are two days left to cast your daily vote here:  https://americasfavcouple.org/2026/the-mastelottos