Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Is Robert Fripp Overrated?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedIs Robert Fripp Overrated?
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 1819202122 23>
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
Rednight View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 18 2014
Location: Mar Vista, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 4807 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 05 2014 at 19:05
Originally posted by LSDisease LSDisease wrote:


Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

^^^ and I'll take an original composer over some "look at me mum" shredder any day of the week. I grew up all excited about long haired guitarists who could play really fast and use classical references in their music. Then I discovered the likes of Lifeson, Gilmour and Fripp and all those 'heroes' just seemed a bit... you know..

Plus they mostly made predictable sh*t music imo...
Lifeson is better than the remaining two.

Lifeson is better? What a maroon! Though respectable, Mr. Zivojinovic is a very talented strummer with an average bag of tricks in store. Long live Fripp.
Back to Top
Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 05 2014 at 19:46
^ Have you heard Alex's solos?
Back to Top
Mirror Image View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 13 2011
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 05 2014 at 20:01
Originally posted by Rednight Rednight wrote:

Originally posted by LSDisease LSDisease wrote:


Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

^^^ and I'll take an original composer over some "look at me mum" shredder any day of the week. I grew up all excited about long haired guitarists who could play really fast and use classical references in their music. Then I discovered the likes of Lifeson, Gilmour and Fripp and all those 'heroes' just seemed a bit... you know..

Plus they mostly made predictable sh*t music imo...
Lifeson is better than the remaining two.

Lifeson is better? What a maroon! Though respectable, Mr. Zivojinovic is a very talented strummer with an average bag of tricks in store. Long live Fripp.

I don't understand the need to dismiss Lifeson's musical ability. Have you actually listened to one of Lifeson's solos before? Go listen to his solo on Emotion Dector and tell me he's just a 'strummer with an average bag of tricks'. One of the great things about Lifeson, like many of the great prog guitarists (you know the list), is he plays for the song and not his ego. So while he has chops galore, he doesn't need to 'show off' what he knows. What he played was perfect for Rush and no other guitarist could have fit the bill.
“Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov
Back to Top
Crimson_King View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: July 25 2014
Location: End of the line
Status: Offline
Points: 9 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 05 2014 at 21:06
you know what?

I remember a critic reviewer named "Bill Blynan" or something like that, in a music magazine publication called "The Kite", September 1973, referred to Fripp's playing style as:

 "Star Trek guitar".........

.......I suppose that if Star WARS had been released by 1973, instead of May 1977, Fripp's sound would have been considered "light-saber guitar"...........however, despite this lapse in time by 4-5 years, you get the point.
"Naked we come, bruised we go...Nude pastry for the slow soft worms below" ---James D. Morrison; "Throw out yer gold teeth & see how they roll...the answer they reveal: Life is Unreal" ---Steely Dan
Back to Top
PrognosticMind View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 02 2014
Location: New Hampshire
Status: Offline
Points: 1195 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 05:50
Originally posted by Mirror Image Mirror Image wrote:

Originally posted by Rednight Rednight wrote:

Originally posted by LSDisease LSDisease wrote:


Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

^^^ and I'll take an original composer over some "look at me mum" shredder any day of the week. I grew up all excited about long haired guitarists who could play really fast and use classical references in their music. Then I discovered the likes of Lifeson, Gilmour and Fripp and all those 'heroes' just seemed a bit... you know..

Plus they mostly made predictable sh*t music imo...
Lifeson is better than the remaining two.

Lifeson is better? What a maroon! Though respectable, Mr. Zivojinovic is a very talented strummer with an average bag of tricks in store. Long live Fripp.

I don't understand the need to dismiss Lifeson's musical ability. Have you actually listened to one of Lifeson's solos before? Go listen to his solo on Emotion Dector and tell me he's just a 'strummer with an average bag of tricks'. One of the great things about Lifeson, like many of the great prog guitarists (you know the list), is he plays for the song and not his ego. So while he has chops galore, he doesn't need to 'show off' what he knows. What he played was perfect for Rush and no other guitarist could have fit the bill.

I never understood the need to dismiss any player's ability relative to another. It's completely fine to have no liking for their music or songs, but skill and musical ability shouldn't be denied simply because of a personal bias or two. I personally never got into Rush that much, but I don't deny their impact, creativity, or songwriting ability. My father and I were actually having a very similar discussion to this at a cookout just this past weekend. Another gentleman who was all about British rock and the punk wave incessantly denied certain bands and player based entirely upon their choice of guitar brand/political affiliation, lol.

Fripp has always been Fripp; he's his own dimension of playing. Very few guitar players have that "it" factor for me; Howe is another one. Both those guys were so ahead of their time in their own era, it's astounding. I admire those levels of individuality in guitar players; I think we could use a little more of it today!
Back to Top
twosteves View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 01 2007
Location: NYC/Rhinebeck
Status: Offline
Points: 4091 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 08:19
Howe was just described as "the BB King of Prog"---in a recent very interesting interview. I like that.
Back to Top
Gerinski View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5154 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 08:48
Fripp, Lifeson or Howe had a special quality beyond their technical ability. Fripp was the most technical of them but they all shared uniqueness and, as somebody already said, they did not just played for the ego (well, Fripp may have sometimes) but for the music.
As good as Gilmour or Latimer certainly were, I see them as more traditional guitarists.
Back to Top
PrognosticMind View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 02 2014
Location: New Hampshire
Status: Offline
Points: 1195 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 08:53
Originally posted by twosteves twosteves wrote:

Howe was just described as "the BB King of Prog"---in a recent very interesting interview. I like that.

Wow, that's a very accurate statement!

Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Fripp, Lifeson or Howe had a special quality beyond their technical ability. Fripp was the most technical of them but they all shared uniqueness and, as somebody already said, they did not just played for the ego (well, Fripp may have sometimes) but for the music.
As good as Gilmour or Latimer certainly were, I see them as more traditional guitarists.

I couldn't agree more with what's said here.
Back to Top
Imperial Zeppelin View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: November 14 2013
Location: Kuwait
Status: Offline
Points: 6116 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 09:35
But BB King is overrated LOL
Back to Top
Rednight View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 18 2014
Location: Mar Vista, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 4807 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 16:45
Originally posted by Mirror Image Mirror Image wrote:


Originally posted by Rednight Rednight wrote:

Originally posted by LSDisease LSDisease wrote:


Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

^^^ and I'll take an original composer over some "look at me mum" shredder any day of the week. I grew up all excited about long haired guitarists who could play really fast and use classical references in their music. Then I discovered the likes of Lifeson, Gilmour and Fripp and all those 'heroes' just seemed a bit... you know..

Plus they mostly made predictable sh*t music imo...
Lifeson is better than the remaining two.

Lifeson is better? What a maroon! Though respectable, Mr. Zivojinovic is a very talented strummer with an average bag of tricks in store. Long live Fripp.

I don't understand the need to dismiss Lifeson's musical ability. Have you actually listened to one of Lifeson's solos before? Go listen to his solo on Emotion Dector and tell me he's just a 'strummer with an average bag of tricks'. One of the great things about Lifeson, like many of the great prog guitarists (you know the list), is he plays for the song and not his ego. So while he has chops galore, he doesn't need to 'show off' what he knows. What he played was perfect for Rush and no other guitarist could have fit the bill.

Hey, I like Lifeson. I was simply responding to the Rush fan's negligent statement about him being better than Fripp. The former has worked hard to attain some technical level of playing equal to or better than the latter, but it's just no contest. Fripp is a prog god. Hyperbole, sure, but that's more true than saying his and Gilmour's playing doesn't rate compared to Lifeson's. Keep up the good work, Alex.
Back to Top
Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 16:47
Originally posted by Imperial Zeppelin Imperial Zeppelin wrote:

But BB King is overrated LOL
Like any other joint.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - August 06 2014 at 16:47
Back to Top
Genital Giant View Drop Down
Forum Groupie
Forum Groupie


Joined: March 30 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 104 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2014 at 19:39
Fripp is a completely unique guitarist. He can do some stuff with his picking technique that I've never heard another guitarist come close to. Like his ability to jump strings while playing fast lines perfectly is pretty uncanny. The opening of Lark's Tongues in Aspic III is a good example. That's insanely difficult to play with a pick as accurately as he does.
Back to Top
Butchband View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: October 06 2014
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Status: Offline
Points: 3 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 08 2014 at 18:07
I think he is a little overrated. I mean, is he in, say, Steve Hackett's league?

But, having said that I recently purchased the 40th anniversary edition of Starless and Bible Black influenced by hearing John Wetton perform the tune with 2014 U.K. Version on the Cruise to the Edge tour. The album is excellent. 

Funny anecdote re: Fripp. About 25 years ago, he played a solo concert in a record store in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The record store (Peaches) got pretty crowded and the fans became somewhat unruly - resulting in much pilfering of albums!
Back to Top
Cristi View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Crossover / Prog Metal Teams

Joined: July 27 2006
Location: wonderland
Status: Online
Points: 43654 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 04 2015 at 14:41
NO
Back to Top
twosteves View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 01 2007
Location: NYC/Rhinebeck
Status: Offline
Points: 4091 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 04 2015 at 16:24
I think he is but he has gravitas and a mystery to him that keeps the legend alive.
Back to Top
Argonaught View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 04 2012
Location: Virginia
Status: Offline
Points: 1413 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 04 2015 at 18:09
Originally posted by Butchband Butchband wrote:

I mean, is he in, say, Steve Hackett's league? 

I would say, the league of Steve Hackett can have one member only: Steve Hackett. In the Progland, he is one of the Mount Olympus dwellers. Of course they are not alike and not mathematically equal to each other, yet, from the point of view of a music historian, can hardly be pigeonholed into "leagues"

Same applies, I should think, to any genre and style. 
Thank you, Fripp, for our daily Prog (Red 39:54)
Back to Top
SteveG View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
Status: Offline
Points: 20604 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 04 2015 at 18:13
Good God! I thought this thread was dead and buried. There was not that was much positive on these exchanges at times.
This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State.
Back to Top
HackettFan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7951 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 04 2015 at 18:16
Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

NO
Back to Top
chbuerol View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: February 04 2015
Location: Switzerland
Status: Offline
Points: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 05 2015 at 00:41
definitely not!
Back to Top
emigre80 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: January 25 2015
Location: kentucky
Status: Offline
Points: 2223 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 06 2015 at 12:06

i don't know if this has been posted already (i don't have time to search through 20+ pages of postings) but i never read a new yorker article that made me laugh as much as this one:
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 1819202122 23>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.219 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.