Customer Reviews

Love Cannot Bear

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Fripp, of course, needs no advice from us. So, aside from questioning the wisdom of beginning his liner notes with the heading "From The Guitarist's Stool" this set of recordings -- the seventh or eighth or ninth installment in his Soundscape series -- requires that very little more need be said. Still, Love Cannot Bear proves to be a collection of some of the most approachable and deeply affecting performances of the series. Less preoccupied with the abstractions of vertical music, these pieces are the product of seemingly ideal settings -- small audiences in small venues witnessing the results of a virtuoso who lures and teases out a music of immediacy, intimacy and interest. The experience is one often based upon that which is left unstated, of that which results from restraint. Yet, at a recent soundscapes performance, Fripp shared his experience of being repeatedly and consistently booed during his G3 soundscape openers. Those audiences demanded "more notes". But here, safely back among the sane, even casual listening offers access to the momentary culminations of decades of dedication to craft, dedication to the shared experience of music. Somewhere in the mix there is also a good measure of the artist's sacrifice for his art. To be forever on the road, forever on the stage, at times before less than receptive audiences, while consistently working towards those few singular moments can't simply be about earning a living. So here, as with other Soundscapes, the music shudders among remote outreaches of beauty, never descending to "pretty". Along the way, the notion of virtuosity extends beyond the instrument to what Fripp has clearly devised as an entire system of music creation, one that emphatically and successfully includes the audience. After so many years, what's left to do? Addressing the never-ending imperative of doing.

After several years focusing on King Crimson and related activities, Robert Fripp returned his focus to soundscapes-- the result is 2005 was quite a rennaissance for Fripp's ambient work, seeing the release of his first collaboration with Brian Eno in thirty years ("The Equatorial Stars") and his first solo soundscapes record in seven years.

For any who are unfamiliar, soundscapes are quite a different beast then Fripp's work with Crimson and others. For historical context-- in the early '70s, Eno and Fripp developed a scheme by which infinite feedback and looping could be generated utilizing two tape loops in real time, this system was dubbed Frippertronics, produced two collaborative albums between the two musicians, and shaped Fripp's career outside of King Crimson for the next couple decades. At some point in the early '90s, Fripp moved this technology to the digital realm and retitled it soundscapes. The music on these recordings is not conventional-- Fripp soaks his guitar in processing and the sound is generally hazy, even when it becomes more aggressive. Fripp improvises his soundscapes, and as a result, they tend to be far be extremely expressive and emotive.

So the album itself is primarily culled from live performances in 2005, augmented by a few other tracks. The 2005 pieces all follow a similar formula-- slow to build, developing ideas over time, and reaching a state of shockingly overwhelming beauty. Two of the remaining tracks are from 2000 performances at New York City's World Financial Center, one featuring an odd, treated, spoken vocal, and a pair of pieces are culled from earlier releases. They all blend seemlessly with the remainder of the record.

One anomoly on the album is the presence of a piece from 1983-- "Easter Sunday", originally released (I believe) on a flex-disk in a magazine. It's a nice rarity to have, but it sounds nothing like the rest of the album, a mild loop plays over which Fripp solos delicately on acoustic and electric guitar.

When I first listened to this album, I was driving in my car and started thinking about death-- not in a morbid way, but in that sort of "what happens when you die" kind of way. This isn't generally something I think about, but the music elicited a response for me. To that end, it's rather successful. I suspect there's not much more for me to say-- the album is a thing of fragile beauty, I don't think it's his best ("A Blessing of Tears" gets that vote from me), but it is a welcome return. Highly recommended.

If only we can listen to our friend. Robert Fripp's solo ambient 'soundscapes' are an aquired taste for many, but for those willing to place expectations aside and let music wash over them for a hour may find LOVE CANNOT BEAR to be an emotional experience. With only guitar, Fripp creates vast sheets of sound and synth-like loops and patterns. The results are at once haunting, mourning, soothing, terrifying, and beautiful.

This is his first soundscapes release for some time, and already probably his best. He had released many ambient works throughout the 90's(Radiophonics, A Blessing Of Tears, 1999), but not all of it was successful in interesting me for some reason. I've always found that his best soundscape work was done in small doses, such as the material with his PROJEKCTS, with ENO or David Sylvian or even the odd Crimson bit. A whole album of it was perhaps a bit too much, and his 1998 release GATES OF PARADISE actually terrified me. LOVE CANNOT BEAR, however, is a work of immense scope and beauty, a long way from the nerdy bleeps and drones from 1980's LET THE POWER FALL. It doesn't suprise me, as the album is basically a compilation of unrelated soundscapes from different time periods. A few performances from the 90's, some from the World Financial Center in New York in 2000(a haunting, eerily silent work), and some from recent US tours.

As someone else mentioned, the one odd man out in this collection is EASTERN SUNDAY from 1983, which features some less ambient textures which include electric guitar solo and some classical-tinged acoustic guitar. I believe this is the first time Fripp has committed acoustic guitar playing to a new release in many, many years. This one track serves to show how Robert's style and advancements have changed since then. This track was taken from a flexi-disc from a Guitar World magazine from 1986, If I'm not mistaken. I remember, I had the disc once.

Another highlight is the haunting title track- a serene, unfolding performance which may make you feel comforted and somewhat humbled in its presence. A robotic voice issues actual lyrics, which are simple yet also very moving. This track and POWER TO BELIEVE IV(CODA) are probably two of the most moving pieces in Robert's entire catalogue, soundscape or otherwise.

If you're looking to buy only one solo Fripp soundscape album, this is the exact only one you'll really need. This is the point in which music takes you into it and through it. The artist was in touch with something with these performances. Something intangible, yet very real. Well worth hearing. It wouldn't hurt get Equatorial Stars(with Brian Eno) as well.

I like Fripp when he is a bit more edgy. This album is a bit too ambient for my tastes and seems to lack coherence. I compare this with his current work with A. Belew and find that I miss Adrian's contribution. When I purchased this CD I was hoping for more of the softer music that Fripp does with King Crimson.

Affirming- a better word could not have been chosen. I attended the Somerville concert from which the first track was taken and that is the only word I could use to describe it. It was an affirmation of not only the power of music but the power of persistence through struggle and the impossibility of having control over such a force as overwhelming as music can be. I read something someone had said about Fripp himself that clicked after seeing him perform: he seemed so fragile on stage by himself with just his guitar and his equipment yet he was presenting such a powerful force. Just as much if not more so than an entire group of musicians can achieve. There is no amount of preparation one can do to experience an event like his soundscape performances. The Q&A time is even remarkable. His wit and honesty is touching. That's another story though.

These performances are truly powerful peices of music that we are all blessed to have in this world, despite the constant, as he's said, attempts to keep it out. The IMAC performance struck me the hardest for a while. I'm not sure how it would stand out to others as the first listen may not seem like there is a whole lot there, but the pulsing of the form coming together so perfectly stuck out so clearly to me. It was comforting, benevolent, mysterious, and joyful. Although this can be said about every peice. None of them are any less important than another, they all speak individually and altogether as well.

There are no words nor can there ever be to express the power of music and this is a testement to that. He has achieved something extraordinary with soundscapes and this is proof of the greatness that comes with it.

Excellent, excellent, excellence. Having been greatly inspired by Fripp's work since I first purchased In The Court Of The Crimson King in 1969 I have pretty much kept up with his musical art from year to year into the present. "Love Cannot Bear" is a welcome addition into that family of work. This CD takes your mind and soul to imagine a better place with sound fields that saturate and overflow with love and emotion - everchanging and flowing. Absolutely beautiful. It's the laws of physics, time and space, that combine with the love of the Heavens and the Gods. Yeah, it's a bit heavy for the average joe to comprehend but he can always alow himself to go there if he chooses. The door is always open. But stillness and patience is the key. Only "A Blessing of Tears" can rival this CD. It is one of Fripp's best.

Love Cannot Bear comprises some of the most beautiful soul-searching music I have ever heard. Especially track #2. It is up there with Paul Horn's Inside The Taj Mahal for its sublime simplicity and desolate passion. They are both albums of tragic love songs without the need for words. Bless you Robert Fripp.

On their own merits, I found these performances to be moving examples of this type of work by Fripp. I was, however, disappointed by the inclusion of a previously-released Soundscape ('Midnight Blue,' from "A Blessing of Tears").

I have been a Robert Fripp follower for many and many a year - all the way back to the days of "In the Court of The Crimson King". The material on "Love Cannot Bear" is the ultimate expression of Mr. Fripp's power and elegance. As I read review after review, there just aren't any words from any reviewer that can adequately summarize the experience of listening to this masterpiece, so I feel somewhat unworthy of trying. All I can say is that if you are a person who can really be moved by beauty in music, you owe it yourself to give this a listen. I did, and it changed my life.

Cannot say enough great things about Robert and his Soundscapes work. If you seek to be transported to a different realm of emotional experience, it is highly recommended.