The only constant in King Crimson’s frequently changing lineup, guitarist Robert Fripp resurfaced from his self-imposed Hell’s Kitchen exile in 1979 with Exposure. This was (and still is) a milestone work that found the music biz-hating artist working in a number of different styles that nonetheless cohered brilliantly on a concept album that rivals the best of Crimson and Pink Floyd. Fripp had absorbed a lot of punk-new wave influences while in NYC—his gradual return to the business found him playing with Talking Heads and Blondie among others--and his attempts to draw from the genre hold up much better than those by the likes of Chicago and Yes.
For fanatics who love their compare and contrast studies, Fripp has included both the original vinyl version (making its debut on CD) and a second disc containing the 1985 remixed edition with several restored Daryl Hall vocal tracks and a handful of alternate takes. The booklet includes way too much information on the remastering process along with lyrics, complete musician credits, and a nice photo gallery.
While Exposure is billed as the first (only?) Fripp solo album, the collaborators are too good to ignore, even as they threaten to become overwhelmed by Frippertronics. Bassist Tony Levin is a wonder, and Hall’s vocals are likely to startle even those folks who do value his work with John Oates—not just the raging “You Burn Me Up I’m a Cigarette,� but the lovely ballad “North Star.� A real find here is vocalist Terre Roach, an interesting singer who until now seems to have been lost to history.
The instrumental tracks, notably “Breathless,� work as atmospheric bridging material but are intense enough to qualify as solid individual compositions. Occasional lyricist Joanna Walton’s pseudo-poetry doesn’t embarrass, and even the disembodied voices benefit from Fripp’s wit. The real prize here is Peter Gabriel’s remake of “Here Comes the Flood,� far superior to the version included on his first solo album.
-Chris Manson
(Release date: June 6, 2006)
