Robert Fripp & The League of Crafty Guitarist 'Inergalactic Boogie Express' Live in Europe

"This is a wonderful disc. Even though there is no traditional 'rhythm section (i.e. bass/drums), there are tracks that groove. There are also tracks that are beautifully delicate; particularly the Bach pieces - nice harpsicord-like sound. One thing that may get over-looked is that there is, musically, some good humour here; paricularly in 'A Connecticut Yankee...' [I'm FROM Connecticut!]. The Wabash Cannonball is another good one (even hard-core country music fans - who might not care for the 'spacier' stuff - would appreciate the way it's covered here; I betcha Roy Acuff would like it!!)."

A brilliant live recording of Robert Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists. From King Crimson covers and Fripp-written exercises (the several "Circulation" tracks, that turn the assembled group into a web of interconnected notes) to Bach preludes and a cover of "Wabash Cannonball," the group is incredibly sharp, disciplined, and the total opposite of loose. The title track is all that and more: a unstoppable machine rushing headlong at the listener. Probably one of the best League recordings, this is almost a final statement on the ideas and techniques of Fripp's Guitar Craft workshops (though they continue to this day). You will soon forget these are acoustic guitars--it's pure steel.

Full performer name:
Robert Fripp & The League Of Crafty Guitarists: Robert Fripp, Steve Ball, Tobin Buttram, Guido Ernst, Nigel Gavin, Curt Golden, Bert Lams, Hideyo Moriya, David Pittaway, Paul Richards (guitar). Recorded live in Dusseldorf, Hannover and Bonn, Germany in March 1991. Includes liner notes by Robert Fripp. A 1995 live album by Robert Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists, a performing ensemble made of students from his Guitar Craft school, INTERGALACTIC BOOGIE EXPRESS is a showcase for 10 acoustic guitarists. They take occasional solos, but most often, all ten play in unison with one or two soloing on top, a remarkable feat of precision and skill. Luckily, they don't try to simply get by on their chops; these guitarist/composers (Fripp writes very few of the group's compositions) are genuinely talented at both. The pieces have structural and melodic interest, even on structured improvisations like "Circulation I" and "Circulation II," and there are moments of genuine wit in the music. The King Crimson homage "Larks Thrak" is an unusual blending of Fripp's two musical worlds, and it succeeds beautifully.

Live Recording

Tracks:

Recorded Live in Europe in 1991.

* A Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King Arthur (Gavin)
* Rhythm of the Universes (Gavin)
* Larks Thrak (Fripp)
* Circulation I (Fripp, LCG)
* Intergalactic Boogie Express (Fripp)
* G Force (Gavin)
* Eye of the Needle (Fripp)
* Corrente (Bach BWV 825) (Bach, arr. Lams)
* Driving Force (Fripp)
* Groove Penetration (Buttram)
* Flying Home (Golden, McSurely)
* Circulation II (Fripp, LCG)
* Fireplace (Ball)
* Fragments of Skylab (Fripp)
* Asturias (Lams)
* Prelude Circulation (Bach)
* Cheeseballs (Ball)
* Prelude in C minor (Bach BWV 847) (Bach, arr. Lams)
* Wabash Cannonball (trad. arr. Ernst)
* [hidden track] Fractal Jasm (Fripp)
* [hidden track] Askesis (Geballe)