Fripp & Eno 2: Evening Star

Robert Fripp’s first order of business after disbanding King Crimson in 1975 was to reunite with Brian Eno for further experimenting. This time Eno had prepared a library of loops for Fripp to use as extemporaneous inspiration, and the duo used the setup for a series of concerts in Europe, one of which was bootlegged and eventually given an official release through Fripp’s online store (complete with anagrammed song titles and reproductions of the loops inspiring the onstage improvisations).

One of those performances, “Wind On Water”, opens Evening Star, an album of their latest studio experiments. The balance of side one is just as lovely, even pastoral; the title track is a gentle blend of harmonics, arpeggios and fluid solos, “Evensong” fades in and out just as it seems to develop a song-like structure, and “Wind On Wind” is a preview of what would be the title track of Eno’s Discreet Music. “An Index Of Metals”, which takes up all of side two, is a decidedly more sinister production, unsettling at full-length, yet still fascinating. (The current CD separates the track into six indexed points.)

Fripp and Eno would collaborate many times again, but it would be decades before another team-up on the level of (No Pussyfooting) and Evening Star. These two albums are essential for fans of either man, neatly fitting onto a Maxell for long drives, provided you don’t go into a trance while listening.

Fripp & Eno Evening Star (1975)—3½
Fripp & Eno Live In Paris 28.05.75 (2011)—3
2014 CD reissue: same as 2011, plus 2 extra tracks