Customer Reviews

Damage

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like Pink Floyd, the music of Sylvian & Fripp (what little we have) was a study in contrasts; the result of two volatile musical personalities trying to mesh and almost - but not quite - coming together. You can hear them playing with AND against each other. The mix is challenging and invigorating in its contradictions, but that's also the reason why it ultimately couldn't last. Sylvian's home is the studio; Fripp truly comes alive on stage. David tends to polish and perfect songs in a live setting; Robert delights in seeing what different paths the music will lead him down every night. Their musical personalities are evident in abundance on this disc. Sylvian washes sound and tones in the most sublime and ethereal way; Fripp on the other hand solos in wild leaps and bounds.

Ths contrast continues with Damage. The original version, mixed by Robert, was limited to one pressing and sold out almost immediately. Since it's now almost impossible to find the original without selling a kidney, the rest of us can be grateful for David's rerelease. Here the flip side of the coin shows the event from his perspective. We get a more layered mix, giving the impression of a recording from a small quiet club rather than a large theater or auditorium. To some it may sound more easygoing and intimate, to others it may seem to lack the fire and live energy of an actual concert.

Sound criticisms aside, Damage shows the music finally finding its legs; comparing it to The First Day is like attending a play's closing performance after only previously seeing one of the rehearsals. The 10-minute jams of the original album are trimmed down to a mere seven here; the live setting doesn't allow for as much layering and reworking as the studio, but there's more genuine spontaneity and interplay among all the musicians here. "Brightness Falls" is even more sinister. "God's Monkey" is even more atmospheric and almost trippy. "Darshan," which fit the original album kind of like an oval peg in a round hole, has been dropped here to be replaced with a new "Jean the Birdman." Now the album flows from beginning to end without giving the listener the momentary impression they mixed it up with an Orb CD by mistake.

Some of Sylvian's finest material is included as well; "Wave" soars to new heights and "Riverman" never sounded more spirited. We're treated to three tracks that weren't included on the TFD album, which are almost worth the price themselves. "The Blinding Light of Heaven" happily thumps like they all took some Prozac for the encore, and "The First Day" and the title track float in a sublimely beautiful haze. If we could wish that the release had accurately reflected both David and Robert's perspectives together, or that they'd also included Fripp's "Exposure" as done on the tour, well.. the little what-ifs are what keep me from giving that fifth star. Highly recommended nonetheless.

I didn't have to sell a kidney to get the original Damage CD, but I'm blessed to own it, because it just shows (in my opinion) that Fripp understands music and performance aspects better than Sylvian. The original CD is so well paced, edited, mixed, everything that you literally can't move while you're listening. This edition is slower and seems to lack energy (even though they're essentially the same performances). It's quite instructive, actually. Fripp made the first Damage very impersonal (all the 'thank you's and count-offs are excised). This version keeps them and, in so doing, ruins the aura that the original one had. And where is Darshan? Jean the Birdman is great, but it makes no sense to leave Darshan off this 'tour' CD.

That said, if you can't get a copy of the original Damage CD (and surely someone will burn it for you if you need), you HAVE to at least own this one...

David Sylvian and Robert Fripp's "First Day" collaborative studio album received a lukewarm reception back in the early '90s, largely because its cerebral guitar work clashed with the pared-down appeal that Grunge held at the time, and also because its nihilistic, almost violent and distortion-fuelled core was somewhat foreign to Sylvian's well-established fan base. But this release of a concert recording from that period illustrates how well the music has endured. Its ornate and layered nature sits very well with the production-intensive focus that Rock currently enjoys, and the consummate guitar skills that Fripp and Michael Brook display are far less stigmatised now that Rock and Jazz have become mainstream bedfellows. However, it's the inclusion of superb re-interpretations of some of Sylvian's earlier songs, particularly those off the "Gone To Earth" album which ultimately make this concert recording that much more desirable.

Pat Mastellotto and Trey Gunn join Robert Fripp and David Sylvian for a live experience that far surpasses the studio album The First Day, from which much of the material is released. Having access to both the old and new pressing, I still need to A/B the recordings to say which is better. But the playing, the solos, are so stellar, you owe it to yourself to get this release!

The early '90s found vocalist David Sylvian and guitarist Robert Fripp on the road together in a band that Fripp had wanted to call King Crimson, performing material that sounded quite a bit like King Crimson. After recording a studio record (the superb "The First Day"), the pair released this live album in limited edition. It was eventually reissued with a David Sylvian production credit and a slightly different track listing and track ordering (the original was produced by Fripp and then-frequent production partner David Bottrill). This is the reissue.

The music first--what a performance! Sylvian (on vocals, guitars and keyboards) and Fripp (on guitar) had assembled a fine supporting cast-- infinite guitarist Michael Brook and future King Crimson members Trey Gunn (Chapman stick) and Pat Mastelotto (drums) to work up a really potent stew. The addition of Mastelotto and his admittedly somewhat heavier hand provides the live performance with a fantastic energy-- everything is powerfully rendered with Mastelotto's tribal-tinged rhythms providing a backbone that certainly seems to inspire Fripp-- his performances masterfully trump the studio recording with jaw-dropping energetic solos on pieces like "God's Monkey", "20th Century Dreaming" and especially "Firepower" that really make the album cuts look like pale shadows in comparison.

Along the way, the band performs a few songs from Sylvian's catalog-- "Gone to Earth", "Wave" and "Riverman" from "Gone to Earth" (all of which featured Fripp on the album) all get readings here as does Rain Tree Crow/Japan reunion classic, "Every Colour You Are". "Wave" and "Riverman" both get great readings-- Sylvian really seems to take advantage of the opportunity to not have the onslaught of guitars that is the majority of the material to dig in-- his vocals are nothing short of earth-shattering. But "Every Colour You Are" is the gem here-- just pure magic of a performance, Sylvian's vocal is haunted and disturbed and a fantastic solo (from Brook I suspect) provides a great angular contrast.

Additionally, three pieces left off the studio record get performances here as well-- two ballads in "Damage" and "The First Day" and straight rocker "Blinding Light of Heaven". The ballads being left off the record is a real mystery-- while they pulled the material away from its King Crimsonesque sound, both of them are fantastic, with Sylvian's vocals and Fripp's guitars laden in passion. "Damage" in particular really grabs you.

The Sylvian-mixed reissue makes a few sequencing changes-- pushing "Damage" from the beginning to the middle of the record (where it was in the set) and subbing "Jean the Birdman" for "Darshan". Personally, I wish they'd included everything from the set in a reissue (between the two issues, the only missing track is "Exposure", from Fripp's solo record of the same name). In terms of production values, as I'm playing the reissue now immediately after listening to the original, what I notice is a distinct level of almost studio-like clarity-- Fripp I think lives that live mix sound, the occasional unbalance, the guitars subsuming the vocals now and again, etc. Sylvian's opted for a very clean approach. Both certainly have their merits, though I think I prefer Fripp's slightly.

The Sylvian/Fripp collaboration bore enormous fruits-- it's really a pity that they have yet to reconvene in any significant fashion. Nonetheless, "Damage" serves as a calling card for their collaboration, and it should not be overlooked. Highly recommended.

David Sylvian and Robert Fripp's "First Day" collaborative studio album received a lukewarm reception back in the early '90s, largely because its cerebral guitar work clashed with the pared-down appeal that Grunge held at the time, and also because its nihilistic, almost violent and distortion-fuelled core was somewhat foreign to Sylvian's well-established fan base. But this release of a concert recording from that period illustrates how well the music has endured. Its ornate and layered nature sits very well with the production-intensive focus that Rock currently enjoys, and the consummate guitar skills that Fripp and Michael Brook display are far less stigmatised now that Rock and Jazz have become mainstream bedfellows. However, it's the inclusion of superb re-interpretations of some of Sylvian's earlier songs, particularly those off the "Gone To Earth" album which ultimately make this concert recording that much more desirable.

"Damage" is the live album resulting from the brief collaboration between David Sylvian (vocals, keys, guitar) and Robert Fripp (guitar, frippertronics) in 1993, significantly featuring the talents of future long-term King Crimson members Trey Gunn (chapman stick, vocals) and Pat Mastelotto (Drums), further augmented by Michael Brook ("infinite guitar"). The concert recording features most of the tracks from the duo's sole studio album "The First Day", along with new arrangements of older Sylvian tracks and some new collaborative songs. The album has been released in two very different editions. The first, in 1994, was produced by Robert Fripp and David Bottrill, and mixed by Bottril. The second, and the version offered here for review, was a new mix and edit produced by David Sylvian alone in 2000.

The songwriting and performances are among the best work from all involved. This music manages to be very dark, yet strangely uplifting, but does not in any other way resemble blues music. It is also very musically sophisticated, while in no way resembling progressive rock. There is no index-tab genre shortcut that can be used to convey the nature of this music. This is the synergy of intelligence and spirituality, informed by experience, played by musicians who have evolved beyond showing off their hot licks, in favor of a more mature song-centered performance.

The second edition edit maintains the song order of the original live performance, includes one song, "Jean The Birdman", which did not appear on the first edition, and excludes, sadly, the song "Darshan".

In terms of the mix, this second edition represents a very organic less-is-more approach to mixing a live album. Basically, all the faders are thrown up and every mic and pickup is live throughout, allowing leakage and the occasional unintended noise to occur where they may. Ambiance mics over the audience are kept live and at a steady level, even during the quietest and most delicate moments in the music.

By contrast, the first edition, featuring digital editing by David Singleton, is a very pristine yet richly textured representation of the same performances. The end result sounds more like a live in-studio recording than a concert, with ambiance mics only audible between songs and very briefly over the intros and endings. Fripp's edition, dedicated to his recently deceased mother, alters the track order to begin and end on very quiet and somber songs.

I have lived with and loved the first edition of the album for too many years to pretend at any degree of objectivity in comparing the two. As they are both out-of-print, my advice is to vigorously search out whichever edition you can, with a personal preference for the first. This is rare intellectually satisfying and emotionally nourishing music which should not be missed. I would further encourage you to seek out the even more rare Japanese Laserdisc of a concert from the same tour, for yet another perspective, and a full-length set, featuring what may well be the only professionally recorded and released live performance of Robert Fripp's song "Exposure", originally from the 1979 album of the same name (and also appearing, in a different mix, on Peter Gabriel's second solo album).

Emotions flow deep in this awesome live. David Sylvian's voice will make your heart crumble and melt in the same time. Fripp and the other musicians are pure joy. Don't miss this album!

David Sylian is one of may favourite musicians, certainly his vocal style, this has to be a real showcase for Sylvian and Fripp, and dare I say some of his best guitar work. David himself can be no slouch on guitar. I'm not really up to date on their live performance whether both played guitars or not but this is an excellent live performance.

This is Sylvians production, which differs slightly from Fripps original release. Still good, but quieter.