Ten years ago today Robert Fripp released At The End Of Time Churchscapes: Live In England & Estonia, 2006. Recorded during a self-financed tour of churches and cathedrals in England and then Estonia, this collection of themes and improvisations is one of Fripp’s most beautiful albums.
In August that year The Sunday Times chose it as their Pop Album of the Week.
Even if you think you don't know Robert Fripp's music, you do. That unearthly guitar sound that swoops and soars through Bowie's Heroes - that's Fripp, played through Brian Eno's sonic treatments. Fripp and Eno developed this "You play, I'll tweak" system, which they called Frippertronics. More recently, Fripp has evolved the idea alone. These days, he calls the results Soundscapes. Churchscapes are Soundscapes performances in churches. There, that's the terminology sorted. Fripp plays slowly evolving improvisations next to a huge rack of effects processors covered in lights and dials and buttons, but I strongly suspect that this is all for show and, hidden round the back, he has a small box with just one button on it, and that button is marked "Wow!". I would suggest that you turn out the lights, put on the headphones and lie back in wonder.
Mark Edwards.
The album is still available via Inner Knot and other online retailers. In addition some of the full concerts from which Churchscapes is compiled are available to download from this site.
There are also eight complete Churchscapes performances available to buy as a tour bundle.
Two shows from the tour of Estonia are also available.
