Thirty-five years ago on this date, Robert Fripp released his first solo album, Exposure.
As part of his preparation for the album Fripp recorded a series of ideas and riffs with John Wetton and Phil Collins in December 1977.
On the 16th December Fripp and Wetton joined up with Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer Michael Walden for an extended work-out of ideas and pieces for Exposure which you can download here.
The next part of the exposure jigsaw falls into place when Fripp teamed up with Tony Levin and Jerry Marotta on January 18th, 1978 which you can also download.
At the time of its release Nick Kent's NME summed Exposure up like this:
The overall success of the aesthetic content here makes one equally anxious for more Fripp collaborations because, time and time again, this music showcases a man in full command of his talent, an inspired musician with an advanced sense of his own position in the scheme of things.
Most of Fripp’s recorded output showcases his talent as a guitarist, but only Exposure offers any serious insight into the man himself. Returning to music after a four year break studying with Gurdjieff disciple JG Bennett, Fripp’s psyche had veered from frustrated hostility to enigmatic good humour, and his his first solo album captures every aspect of a many-sided personality. Angelic electric guitar drone in the form of Frippertronics serves to frame a sparse, moving reworking of Peter Gabriel’s “Here Comes The Flood”. Tape recordings of Fripp’s argumentative New York neighbours jostle for space with cryptic spoken comments from Brian Eno. Terre Roche and Daryl Hall sing gorgeous, gentle ballads over mildly unreliable rhythms, but the highlights of Exposure see guest vocalist Peter Hammill chewing glass, barking with grisly charisma over cracking rock riffs. There’s no stylistic consistency, and no need: Fripp is resplendent in divergence. It’s the Sergeant Pepper of avant punk.
The album was reissued in a 2-CD set in 2006 (you can read my take on it over on the blog) which brought together performances by Daryl Hall which had previously been removed from the album because of objections by Hall's management and record album at the time.
You can read a fairly extensive overview Exposure here.
Do you have any thoughts on this album? Drop a line over on the guestbook.
As part of his preparation for the album Fripp recorded a series of ideas and riffs with John Wetton and Phil Collins in December 1977.
On the 16th December Fripp and Wetton joined up with Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer Michael Walden for an extended work-out of ideas and pieces for Exposure which you can download here.
The next part of the exposure jigsaw falls into place when Fripp teamed up with Tony Levin and Jerry Marotta on January 18th, 1978 which you can also download.
At the time of its release Nick Kent's NME summed Exposure up like this:
The overall success of the aesthetic content here makes one equally anxious for more Fripp collaborations because, time and time again, this music showcases a man in full command of his talent, an inspired musician with an advanced sense of his own position in the scheme of things.
Ultimately the album proves that Fripp can effectively straddle the abyss that seems to forever separate the super-musician bluffing out over-agitated fusions and the barely competent dilletante full of ideas that his or her lack of formal training invariably render futile.
An example to us all, in fact, it's the likes of Fripp and Tom Verlaine who are going to make truly new music because they've appreciated their art's traditions, but are also capable of perceiving and developing their own visions. Meanwhile Exposure isn't just a title, it's what the record demands. Your ears have been told.
Exposure was listed by The Wire magazine as one of its 100 Records That Set The World On Fire feature in September 1998 and had this to say about it.Most of Fripp’s recorded output showcases his talent as a guitarist, but only Exposure offers any serious insight into the man himself. Returning to music after a four year break studying with Gurdjieff disciple JG Bennett, Fripp’s psyche had veered from frustrated hostility to enigmatic good humour, and his his first solo album captures every aspect of a many-sided personality. Angelic electric guitar drone in the form of Frippertronics serves to frame a sparse, moving reworking of Peter Gabriel’s “Here Comes The Flood”. Tape recordings of Fripp’s argumentative New York neighbours jostle for space with cryptic spoken comments from Brian Eno. Terre Roche and Daryl Hall sing gorgeous, gentle ballads over mildly unreliable rhythms, but the highlights of Exposure see guest vocalist Peter Hammill chewing glass, barking with grisly charisma over cracking rock riffs. There’s no stylistic consistency, and no need: Fripp is resplendent in divergence. It’s the Sergeant Pepper of avant punk.
The album was reissued in a 2-CD set in 2006 (you can read my take on it over on the blog) which brought together performances by Daryl Hall which had previously been removed from the album because of objections by Hall's management and record album at the time.
You can read a fairly extensive overview Exposure here.
Do you have any thoughts on this album? Drop a line over on the guestbook.
