THE CHEERFUL INSANITY OF GILES, GILES & FRIPP

Compeetly into King Crimson since the mid 70's, and knowing about this album for 25 years, i was very exited about getting it when i finaly got it by postorder sometime in the late 90's. I was expecting something in the line of "In The Wake Of Poseidon" i guess.

My disapointment was allmost physical, while i listened trough the hole thing. This was absolutely nothing like King Crimson, and the CD was hidden on the shelf for a few years. The album is very 60's, silly beat music, with silly songs, was the first impression. And very english too, reminding you of Monty Pytons flying Circus.

After a few years the shock was slowly lifting, and i started listning to the project, with a more open mind. Finding infact quite a few nice moments in there, and now its become an album i do infact like to give a go, when Im in that mood, where I want something light and diffrent, from whats normaly detonating out of my loudspeakers. Its relaxing, its Jazz'y, it hold infact some rather complex instrumentations, and its not all that badly made.

But still if you are looking for those fenomenal guitar solo's, those huge arrangements with a classical touch, the precision and complexity in composition quality that you find on "In The Court Of The Crimson King" this is not where to look for it at all. And you will be as disapointed as i was 10 years ago.

Mainly due to the fact that this is not a prog. album im split between 1 star - Only for completionists, and 2 stars Collectors/fans only. I think any Fripp collector, should have this album, on the other hand if you are "only" a Crimson collector, other Fripp recordings might easily come before this one. I'll give it 2 stars, it is an ok album, seen in the context of 60's recordings, and the Psychedelic sounds of the time, and it is experimental in its own wierd way. But i would go with only 1,75 if i could.