THE CHEERFUL INSANITY OF GILES, GILES & FRIPP

This quirky, idiosyncratic, folky collection of whimsical little ditties represents the genesis of an embryonic King Crimson. For those used to the mellotron and woodwind-laden first two King Crimson recordings, this recording, which on initial release sold about 600 copies will present a significant and rude shock. Not to worry, none of the music is particularly memorable, so the risk of having flashbacks from the trauma is relatively small. Musicality is more than evident though stilted in comparison with King Crimson output. The lightweight and offbeat lyrics come off more as humor than anything else, and as such, it is frequently difficult to take this recording seriously. This recording is primarily of interest to King Crimson fans and to music historians, but it certainly not either groundbreaking or even excellent. It rates somewhere between two and three stars, probably closer to the former.