David Sylvian & Robert Fripp - The First Day 1993

David Sylvian & Robert Fripp

The First Day

Studio Soundboard Recordings @ 320

{Out of Print}

David Sylvian - Japan frontman, master of soft melancholy. Robert Fripp, responsible for some of the most evil, demonic guitar playing on record. At first glance this would seem like a match made in hell.  On listening to The First Day, however - and I mean repeated listening, giving it the chance to sink in - we see that everything makes sense. Their musical personalities perfectly balance each other out. Fripp's predilection towards aimless white noise is offset by Sylvian's masterful sense of melody, and Sylvian's occasional lapse into cliches is saved by an unexpected guitar riff. They play off, between and around each other to product a heady stew of sounds and tones, full of surprises. The solo on "Firepower" and psychedelic phase of "20th Century Dreaming" alone would be worth the price, but there's so much more. In "God's Monkey," "Brightness Falls" and "Jean the Birdman" we get a taste of Sylvian's short, structured work given flavor by Fripp's ether and the masterful Stick work of Trey Gunn. Through the entire album Trey is all over the place, and yet always seems just where he should be without any overreaching. The best comparison I can make is to Jaco Pastorius's bass work on Joni Mitchell's Shadows & Light. But I digress.
In addition to masterully blending previous styles and letting loose with some of their most inspired playing in years, Robert and David take on house-techno music and ambient psychedelia - and do it better than musicians half their age. "Darshan," despite being a 17-minute take on the same dance rhythm, doesn't get repetitive; there's some dreamy synth or ear-twisting guitar around every corner. The last half of "20th Century Dreaming" sounds like aimless ambient fluff the first time, but there are layers of sounds and instrumentation you'll need headphones to pick apart. Following 55 minutes of this mentally exhausting mayhem, Fripp brings out a solo ambient piece to wind things down peacefully. This is an album probably more appreciated by Fripp fans than Sylvian fans, but definitely worth a listen from both.
~Spiral Mind

One of my favorite recordings...

Track List:
1-God's Monkey
2-Jean The Birdman    
3-Firepower
4-Brightness Falls    
5-20th Century Dreaming (A Shaman's Song)
6-Darshan (The Road To Graceland)
7-Bringing Down The Light

Chapman Stick [Grand And Tenor], Vocals – Trey Gunn
Drums, Percussion – Jerry Marotta
Guitar, Electronics [Frippertronics] – Robert Fripp
Guitar, Keyboards, Tape, Vocals – David Sylvian

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First Day

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