Belew Fripp and Gunn had last met in November 1997 when they laid down several hours of improvisation and what would become Space Groove. Three months later they were back together putting in two days of rehearsing prior to P2 going out on the road. The rapid run-through of FX and patches on many of these pieces suggest this was as much about making sure that all the systems were up and running as it was developing the music. The character and personality of P2’s grooves and tropes are all here albeit sometimes with shifts and emphasises that would either be extended or in some cases discarded later on the road.
For all the sci-fi signposting of the title, Happy Hour On Planet Zarg appears to reach back to the chiming, twangy chords ala The Spotnicks, who, of course, were no strangers to a bit of sci-fi retroism themselves. An echo of the rhythmic pattern from 3OAPP’s Nuages (That Which Passes Passes Like Clouds) can be discerned on Nuages Part 2, though Gunn’s extended soloing is more brutal and as Belew concluded in his notes for Space Groove sounds at times like the touch guitarist is wrestling a minotaur.
After two days of limbering up, the good ship P2 was ready for lift-off from Nashville's Cape Cannery.
