A Day With Sylvian & Fripp

If any indication that Robert Fripp wanted to start a new incarnation of King Crimson after a long hiatus, this would have been the perfect album to do it with.  The great voice of David Sylvian, and the Fripp's own guitar work.  He had a great backing section of talented musicians like Trey Gunn who would be in the new version of King Crimson that started about a year later.  Fripp had a band that in all purposes would have been called King Crimson if he really wanted to.

I found this album one day at the local record shop used not soon after it was released.  Fripp was the only person I knew on the album.  It took some serious digging to find out who the rest of the band was.  David Sylvian was someone who I heard briefly, but I could not remember where from.  In the age of early internet it was hard to find out where except books and magazine articles and of course  the ever inquisitive question to either people at the record store or my go to friend at the local library I worked at.  After first listen I liked and became more aware of Sylvian and the rest of the musicians on the album.

With only seven songs on the album and three of them clocking in over ten minutes I knew there was a lot of room to explore and here the musicianship in action.  The person at the used record store told me when I bought it that if I love King Crimson then this album is for you.  After taking it home I fell quickly in love with Sylvian's voice and Fripp's signature guitar work.  Both impressed me a lot and they seemed like they were meant for each other.  Not sure who's idea this album was bit it was a match.

With only seven songs each songs grew and grew on me.  The songs over ten minutes really were songs I wanted to play on repeat and hear what was going on.  They were not boring or endless noodling, they had a sense of place on a great album.  The curiosity payed off.  After buying this album I knew I had to hear more from Sylvian's back catalog.  This took a lot of digging because of his small American popularity.  It took about two years before I knew more about his back catalog, but it was worth the effort.

25 years later this album does not feel dated.  It feel's creative and like time did not stop.  If they only did a sequel I would love to hear their ideas and see what they would come up with.  It's an album that is must to listen to for any fan of Progressive Rock and or fan of Sylvian and or Fripp.  Even the cover give a little clue.  Fripp is smiling, in that era 25 years ago I really thought he had a broken face and did not know how to smile.  By the looks they both had fun doing it and hope on day they will do it again.