Giles, Giles & fripp - The cheerful insanity of…
(ecletic )



It ‘s strong convinction of this writer that big part of the creativity related to early King Crimson is up to Ian Mc Donald, Gregg Lake and to the surrealistic vision by Peter Sinfield. True to this believeing a meeting with Ian Mc Donald was revelatory. To reinforce this belief comes the much welcomed reissue of the only album by Dorset’s best kept secret on 1967:Giles, Giles & Fripp. Petr(bass9, Michael( drums) and Robert ( guitar) were, at the time, three visionary young guys whose imagination and wits fast forwarded their own technical ability and those of who were related to their only album.
The story so far has been told many many times but the exact researchs by eclectic supremo’s mr.Mark Powell go deeper and brings us back more music recorded by the trio after their only album of 1968’s fame with the not secondary addition of mr. Ian Mc Donald ( late 1968 ).
For those who hadn’t ever hear the album is better to clarify that here almost nothing has to do with the powerful unit as known as King Crimson. This is really “cheerful insanity “ which has most to share with Beatles’s white album ( a favourite by KC’s member, Adrian Belew ) than to the current state of avantgard tendecy of undergroudn english music of the time, except for the final “suite n.1” more connected to KC’s “Island “than to the Ian McDonald/Greg Lake period.
“The Cheerful insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp” sold only 600 copies at the time ( but was easy to be seen in the italian import record stores…) and you will understand why. It is an album which must have led Robert Fripp to deep consideration on music and the music business, considerations which, in the last ten years he revelead, brought to life and shared on internet.
It is easy to imagine such a strict person as Robert Fripp laughted at by the inner circle of London Underground. But Robert kept himself quiet.
He was only making himself sure that he would havn’t committed any mistake next time around…

Ernesto de Pascale