Robert Fripp's elegant version of "Silent Night" - "Silent Night á la Frippertronics" to give it it's full title - was given away, as a red 6" Eva-Tone Soundsheet (i.e. flexidisc), with issue #3 of Chicago-based arts journal Praxis in December 1979. Fripp's label, EG Records, also used it as an aural Christmas card that year - a savvy bit of promotion perhaps, but also a beautiful gratis demonstration of the Frippertronics system's haunting melodic qualities. And it certainly makes a lot more immediate sense than this contemporaneous interview.
Said track was subsequently included on King Crimson's Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream EP, a 1995 odds & sods collection that has been out of print for several years. That's the source I've used here, so it's free of the invasive polyvinyl surface noise that might otherwise have ruined it's fragile ambience.
Beautiful despite the unseasonality - did I just make a word up?
ReplyDeleteI've never seen one of these...
Andy
Me neither to be honest, I only ever had the later CD round-up. I can't imagine there are many of them still doing the 'rounds, or not in listenable condition anyway...
ReplyDeleteI saw this Praxis at Chicago store Fiorrucci when it came out....Bowies "Pin Ups" was blasting through the stores sound system........ahhh those WERE the days
ReplyDeleteI've not been able to find any images of/from the magazine itself, so I've absolutely no idea what it looked like? Can you shed any light...?
ReplyDeleteI got Silent Night as a "black" flexi disc out of "Guitar Player" magazine. I don't remember who or what was on the other side. It's been YEARS since I heard it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHandsome Man.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for commenting... I get the impression that EG must have pressed up a massive run of these flexis, which makes it all the more mysterious as to why I've never actually seen one?
ReplyDeleteFor a moment I thought the (my) issue in question of Praxis was a gold mine when I saw it for sale on one website for $100 (or was it £100?); then I looked on ebay and realized there's a bunch, complete w/flexi, starting at about $4.99, so everybody can have one!
ReplyDelete