Customer Reviews

Let the Power Fall

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

During his frighteningly productive late-`70s/early-`80s period, King Crimson mastermind Robert Fripp has worn many different creative hats. In the midst of his highly regarded collaborations with other artists, including prog-rock icons Peter Hammill and Peter Gabriel, and the preparation of King Crimson's comeback in 1981, he somehow found the time to perfect the Frippertronics system he once had used on such ambient landmarks as "No pussyfooting" and "Evening star" along with Brian Eno. Using a delay system based on two Revox tape machines, the "Frippertronics" approach allows Fripp to play riffs and chords which are permanently transferred from one tape machine to the other until they either become a continuous loop of guitar sounds or fade into tape hiss and nothingness (in a footnote, Fripp ditched this equipment for his `90s "Soundscapes" albums in favor of four digital delay systems which came up with a maximum delay of 64 seconds. This means that the time span between the first note being played on the guitar and its first repetition in the system can be more than one minute). However, it should be said that "LTPF" is pretty difficult to classify; it's too loud, rigid, and immediate to be described as pure ambient music and too electronic sounding to fit into the classic prog-rock genre. In contrast to the slicker sound design of King Crimson's `80s output and the lush ambient textures of Fripp's work with Eno, "LTPF" has more hard edges than any other of his solo albums and marks an intriguing venture into abstract, chilling, and compelling sonic worlds where it's all about sound, texture and rhythm, not about songs and melody. Although describing the individual tracks is something of a pointless exercise as they all follow the basic idea of growth and decay, I'll try and do my best. The bulk of this release is taken up by three long instrumentals ("1984", "1985", "1989"), roughly 11 minutes each, with the pick of the bunch undoubtedly being the album-opening "1984": A simple, high-pitched electronic line is gradually joined by several others and fades into an appealing bed of hard-hitting guitar riffs and mathematically precise structures before psychedelic, interweaving layers of sound carry the piece for several more enchanting minutes. "1985", "1987", and "1988" are a little calmer and vaguely more neo-classical in comparison; various shimmering layers, swooshes, and keyboard-like chords created by Fripp's guitar are allowed to build the pieces before they quietly dissolve like a vapor trail. Perhaps a little less experimental in its execution, "1986" features several silent spots mixed with harsh electronic undercurrents, but the combination of quiet, echoing textures and gentle pulses which emerges near the end is impressive. "1989" is the final offering, picking up where the somewhat aggressive "1984" left off: Growing from a prominent guitar riff, the piece soon becomes a little more melodic and brings to mind the more restrained and melodic nature of Fripp's latter-day solo work. In conclusion, "LTPF" is surely one of Fripp's most carefully composed and performed albums and although sometimes a little repetitive and robotic, is mostly fascinating listening. As well as providing a missing link between Fripp's well-known work in the `70s and his Soundscapes efforts, "LTPF" can also be seen as a partial blueprint for guitar abusers like Seefeel, Main, and Fennesz. Anyone who enjoys cold, experimental guitar soundscapes should not overlook this one.

This is an excellent & spare example of Fripp's "frippertronics" which he picked up from his earlier work with Brian Eno. The album is Fripp feeding two tape machines with brief one to two note phrases, gradually adding on new phrases. As the recorded phrases are looped, they gradually fade, being replaced with newer phrases. As a result, each piece evolves slowly into something new.

The influence of Steve Reich & Brian Eno are present, but with a new unique element: the music is improvised. Reich's early music focused on "phase loops" which led to ever-shifting patterns. Eno's "ambient music" also used tape loops of varying lengths which created a kind of "dynamic statis." But both for both Reich & Eno, the music is already set-up, "programmed"-- what is left is the exploration for the listener to see what happens (and lot does happen!). But with Fripp, the performer actually INTERACTS with the "system," gently pushing it in new directions (a kind of postmodern Taoist music?).

Like Eno, Reich, Pauline Oliveros & John Cage, there are a great many philosophical, political & ecological implications that may be discovered in this music. But this is all after the fact of listening. The most important part is to LISTEN to this music & philosophize later. This is a delightful disc!

"Let The Power Fall" is an experimental piece of work from King Crimson guitarist and founder Robert Fripp. The album is essentially a collection of six live improvised pieces performed solo on guitar using a method called "Frippertronics". Basically, Frippertronics is a delay system utilizing two tape machines in which the guitar's input signal is looped indefinitely creating repeated masses of sound. On no other Robert Fripp album is this method displayed at its fullest potential (his collaboration with Brian Eno "No Pussyfooting" comes close though).
Each piece begins with a series of staccato notes which build and loop onto each other until it becomes rich with sound and color. The end result is quite stunning and beautiful. The entire album basically can been heard as one piece because there is little change throughout its 52-minute total running time. The principle behind each piece is the same only with different notes and variations.
Granted, "Let The Power Fall" may be boring to some. However, the album still is great piece of work from one of rock music's all-time great eccentrics.
Robert Fripp would later expand on his Frippertronic ideas with Soundscapes using the same looping principles but utilizing MIDI-technology, digital delays and guitar-synthesizers instead of analog tape machines. Soundscapes are still an intregal part of Robert's guitar playing today.
"Let the Power Fall" is an album of surreal beauty and innovation. It's an essential title for Fripp and King Crimson afficianados, a curious and satisfying listen for everyone else.

This album of "frippertronics" is a masterpiece, pure and simple. The technical "how's and why's" of Robert Fripp's guitar playing, as interesting as they are, are totally sublimated to the end result--an album of considerable grandeur and majesty. I cannot even begin to number the times I return to this album over the years. Each and every time I hear it, it sounds fresh and new--like I am hearing it for the very first time. It is that good and that complex and that simple. Highly recommended.

10/2003
Somehow this album skipped my catalog until recently. When I acquired it, I looked up reviews and kept finding descriptions like "cold" and "detached". This was surprising to me, because I found this to be the exact opposite. Perhaps it's because I got the cd years after it's release and had no idea what was on it.

Wow! This is a great piece of work. To get the full affect, you have to give each of the cuts some attention, but the rewards are definitely there. Fripp moves you through his music effortlessly. The works seemed to glide through my head on the first listen. Repeated plays had me asking myself "How did Fripp get me here?" The twists and turns on this cd are so intricate. If one can get out of the way and let it do its work, this cd will take you places. Fripp is a true craftsman, and he shines on this release.

Sure, I can understand that minimalist compositions may leave some people cold, but LTPF is, in my humble opinion, a master work by one of rock's most creative artists. I know that some people, maybe even Fripp himself, call this improvisation but I believe that the pieces are each highly organized and rehearsed, if not composed. There is a clarity to each piece, and a warmth not found on his later Soundscape works, that I find very rewarding.

I have, for many years, used both tape and digital loops to create Frippertronics using electric guitar, lap steel guitar, and even voice. I can say, first hand, that creating music in this way is no mere effect, but a disciplined process like any other art form.

If you're a fan of Fripp, this is an amazing glimpse into his creative spirit.

This record is one of my favorite albums to read with - the slowly developing, unfolding pieces seem to just drift in and then out of the room you are listening in, providing a calming effect. Sure, the electronically treated sound of Fripp's guitar can get grating at times (especially when he piles five or six really high notes together to make a "chord" of sorts), and some people might not like the fact that it goes on for 53 minutes, but I still find it a very relaxing listen. It's hard to believe that this music was recorded live - there aren't any clapping sounds, due to the completely electronic nature of the music. If you like Fripp's work with Eno from the early '70s, you'll like this.

I first heard this album back in the mid-80s quite by accident. I found it to be unlike any other music I had heard. While at times, the sound can be quite grating due to the electronic nature of the production, the overall unintended effect is one of meditative calm. The rhythm in every tune forces you to breathe at a slow pace. I experienced quite a dizzying array of internal imagery the first time I listened to Let the Power Fall on headphones. For this reason, this music, however unintentionally, stands out in my mind as perfect to meditate to/with. Perhaps you will react the same way.

The problem with Robert Fripp's "Frippertronic" works, as presented here, is that they come from concert performances in which the tracks we here on this (and a couple of other releases) were intended as backgrounds for solo improvisations, built up during the performances. Sadly, Fripp's recording/echo generation method, which captured the backgrounds, couldn't capture the whole work, so what we're left with are these often-spare works consisting of gradually-building canon-like structures, slowly growing in harmonic and melodic complexity. It's interesting stuff for those involved in New Music, but can be pretty off-putting for others. My suggestion would be to go with "God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners" first, which encapsulates two different uses of this tape-canon method, then decide if you like the pure Frippertronic sound, as presented solely here, or Fripp's work with it in other contexts, in which case you may prefer his "Exposure" album or collaborations with other artists.

The idea here is that the musician plays one not...
Which is immediately recorded and replayed in a loop over and over...
And then he adds one more note...
immediately recorded WITH the recording before and played over...
And then adds another note...

The effect one note at a time grow to something unimaginable.
Then there's the musicality itself.

SINGULAR
Very rare album (out of print it seems for a long time).
I'm amazed it's offered at such a low price.

Get it now - thank yourself later.