Van Der Graaf – "The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome" (Charisma – CAS 1131) 1977

It seemed in 1977, that older groups,such as The Broughtons(previous post)being tarnished with the skidmark left behind by Emerson Lake and Palmer,seemed to think that if they truncated their band moniker,they would be both recognised by their former audience,yet accepted as a new band by punters of the new wave.

What usually happened was they found themselves rejected by both,leaving a bargain bucket filler and having to pay back a massive record company investment.Charisma's confidence was fueled by John Lydon singing Van der Graaf Generators praises on Capital Radio.Which i hear he has recently back-tracked from after reading that certain Van Der Graaf personnel have lain claim for 'inventing Punk Rock'?? Er....No. Making supremely Dark Progressive Rock, yes,but Punk Rock,perhaps...er...Not! 

Despite Peter Hammill's noble attempts to look a bit new wavey,the rest of the band gave it away by looking unapologetically 'PROG'! Alongside the guy from String Driven Thing on violin,looking like Captain Ahab as re-imagined by the London Philharmonic,after backing Deep poop-ple and Prick Wankman (nah, hes a good bloke really),was not a help either.

Of course ,this album bombed,even in Italy where they are Gods.

Having not heard any VDGG before, I found this in a pop-up scond-hand record shop in the brutalist concete underpass near my dreadful school in 1982-ish. Quid-fifty(?),can't be that bad. Played it while doing an analytical synopsis on Gustavus Adolphous and the Swedish empire (yes they had an empire???) for my History A-level,which is the kind of stuff that most Prog Rock bohemoths sing about in their songs,that usually come in sections so that they can get more royaties by having more tracks on an LP....technically. This behaviour was ruthlessly frowned upon by the Punks,so no sections on this LP,just nine shortish,for VDGG, tracks.

But all things Gustavus could not obscure the fact that I hated this terrible album.Sounding like some horrible proggy musical,with lyrics written by a morose Tim Rice,who may or may not have been an old boy from one of Van Der Graafs public (or private if american)  schools.

The Public school problem in Prog would not have helped my opinion none,as we Grammar School types despise Posh kids,as well as working class kids....so That's Genesis fucked then? We poor streamed scummers grew up ostricised by our working class scum peers, and ignored by our upper class bastard superiors.

Talking'bout Royalties,I'm not really a republican, but watching the 10 mile long queue in London to view the Queen's coffin today,as saw on the BBC news live feed, I wondered where was the queue in the liberated parts of Ukraine for the newly exhumed mass graves?...which was on the brief 'other' news section after the overwhelming weight of the Royal Family in Mourning propaganda/advertisement that is dominating the airwaves of the world......the Russian Delegation have not been invited apparently,even after Putin sent his heartfelt condolences.A joke that definitely isn't funny anymore.

It took me a few years to force myself to get into VDGG,and when I did,that obsession gene that we on the autistic spectrum,took over.Couldn't listen to anything else for six months or so,loved it all,and Hammill's Solo work up to the Post-Punk Enter K,Black Box and PH7 etc era's.So deliciously dark and doom laden,and one of the few lyric writers to encapsulate my Depression in the medium of popular music...I wanted to say 'Dance (Dahnce)' because it's funnier......OMFG I have to embed that video of Jimmy Pursey expressing himself through the medium of Dahnce again....its worth it:

I may be depressed but i'm Happy,especially after that ,James?

However,still didn't garner much fondness for this punk-prog straddling abortion......bit harsh there but i liked the sound of it....yeah it's alright,just not very good 'tis all.

Haven't put you off have I?

Tracklist:

The Quiet Zone:
A1 Lizard Play 4:28
A2 The Habit Of The Broken Heart 4:34
A3 The Siren Song 6:01
A4 Last Frame 6:12

The Pleasure Dome:
B1 The Wave 3:12
B2 Cat's Eye / Yellow Fever (Running) 5:20
B3 The Sphinx In The Face 5:58
B4 Chemical World 6:10
B5 The Sphinx Returns 1:12

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Dawson – "How To Follow So That Others Will Willingly Lead (Oh My Godley And Creme Cheese)" (Gruff Wit Records – GRUFF 005) 1991

Another crazy as a deep fried mars bar in a box of frogs groop,again from Scotland,and,containing a former Drummer of Stretchheads,is the unforgettably named, 'Dawson'.A derived from various band members' art teacher,who happened to be called...'Dawson'.And there was me hoping they were named after the great Lez Dawson...knickers,knackers,knockers missus!

For those who give a shit....in other words,if you;'re Scottish,they hale,or Hail,from...yeah that's right, Glasgow (pronounced Glaz Go)...or as Joe Biden says it, Glazz ,Gow as in Cow.

Plenty fractured chord sequences and obvious Beefheart influences here kemosabi ...think God is my Co-Pilot,The Shrubs, and Stretchheads with their amplifiers turned off.....very clever they seem to be...falling just short of too clever by 'arf.

Wasn't 1991 the year 'Punk' Broke in USA?...so we had to endure all these,as far as I could determine,heavy Rock groops from Seattle polluting our sceptered Isle with long greasy hair,checked shirts,and lots of quiet then noisy,then quiet,then Loud and so-on, rock songs,as if The Pixies had never existed. Once an ex-acquaintance boasted to me that he'd seen The Pixies six times; I said i could out do him on that one,as i've seen this band who looked like the cast of the Office,or more likely from a real Office, who'd formed a weekend Rock Group precisely ZERO times,and had no plans to change that.

But,the new wave of Punk had been hatched,and spawned a legion of white middle class nerds all claiming to have seen Nirvana when they were the support for Tad. Now if Tad were the only grunge band that existed.I'd be cool with that.....they were basically how Heavy Metal should sound but without the black trousers, topped off by Trucker Caps with plenty meat manufacturer logo's adorning their fashionable, for 1991,Pedophile Trucker chic.Yeah Tad were good.

There were NO British grunge bands (i'm proud to say),except, apparently some big in America token Brits,called 'Bush'.....never heard them I'm pleased to admit.

Alas, wot the British Isles did have,apart from 50 million 'mad for it' Ravers,were a few traditional rock instrument wielding loonies, who made something like the east coast USA style avant-punk,such as God Is My Co-Pilot,and....er...God Is My Co-Pilot?....can I say it again?...or something Japanesie,such as The Boredoms.

Indeed, off-kilter rhythms,fucked up chords,wayward time signatures,nutzoid singing,silly song titles,... you know, Prog Rock by any other words.Why do you think Godley and Creme get a mention?

Glorious Side:

A1 From Bearsden To Baghdad (Via The Erskine Bridge)
A2 Leaf Sweepers And Sandwich Men
A3 Surface Tension
A4 Crick
A5 Records
A6 Booger Hall
A7 George Bush's Family Oil Business (Sanitized Version)

Heavenly Side:

B1 Bodies Under The Floor
B2 Pwep Dub
B3 Barb
B4 Datsun Panel Beating Co.
B5 The Chairman Of British Gas Graciously Accepts His £150,000 Pay Rise (BPM 58-75)

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Red Asphalt ‎– "Red Asphalt" (Synthetic Shadows ‎– #18) 1981/2014

 I was gonna tie this in with Brad Laner's role as a Synth Punk Pioneer, but its more than that.

There's something 'Prog' about this,but they had a synth player in the line-up, and were active during the Punk epoch in San Francisco between 1978 and 1982, so Synth-Punk it is.

They sound like those groups who were really resting/unemployed Actors who play music as a way to get on a stage, Like MARS,Bongwater, Punishment Of Luxury, and  Shoes For Industry (surely The Tubes had to be frustrated actors too?) among others.

Like an agressive off-broadway musical,they reek of professionalism, in that conceptual album kind of way.

They had their moments,but like if a Saxophone appeared in a Punk group they were automatically called Jazz-Punk, if a synth made an appearence, it was Synth-Punk;orif you were too stagey, you were Prog-Punk, or Prunk as Cardiacs called themselves.

 

Tracklist:

A1 Red Asphalt
A2 Goodbye Sunshine
A3 S.T.A.B.
A4 Jive Puppet
A5 Survival, Evasion, Escape
A6 Peligro
A7 Human Capital
A8 Nuclear Judas
B1 Refugee
B2 Factory Dead
B3 Ghost Town
B4 White Meat, Dark Meat
B5 Phone Call From God
B6 Hurtling Moons Of Barsoom
B7 Gothic Night Summer Dream

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MCH Band ‎– "Jsme Zdrávi A Daří Se Nám Dobře" (Fist Records) 1983

The MCH band couldn't get on groovy state label Supraphon,so they had to do the same as the UK bands who couldn't get on EMI, and make their own cassettes.
This is their second on Fist records.
More excellent proggy post-punk from darkest Czechoslovakia.

Tracklist:

A1 Prasinec
A2 Procházka Kolem Pivovaru
A3 Maškara Na Větvi
B1 Prej Hoří Národní Divadlo
B2 Viselci
B3 Truppen Marschieren Bei Nacht
B4 Kdo Ví

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MCH /post Extempore/ Band ‎– "Krokodlak" (Fist Records) 1982

The MCH band, named after band leader Mikoláš Chadima, bless him,was a more forward looking Czech Prog band that exuded elements of Post-Punk experimentalism, with a Rock In Opposition vibe, and the much needed influence of punk rock's immeadiacy. That means theres not much singing,no over long tracks, trimmed beards, and shorter shoulder length hair.They could even be the best thing to come out of Czechoslavakia since The Plastic People of the Universe....who were obviously a major influence.
This was their first cassette underground release, when they had just changed their name from The unrecorded, Extempore Band (Better name), to the initials of the lovely Mikoláš.

Tracklist:

A1 Pydlisyn
A2 Peklo
A3 Krokodlak / Vènováno V.T./
B1 Hobit / Zpěv Skřetů/
B2 Jak Šlo Vejce Na Van Dr
B3 Král Hromady

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This Heat - "Live at Actionspace London 17/07/1981" (Bootleg)

A rather tinny recording of pre or post(?) Gareth williams This Heat in action at Actionspace in 1981.The audience noise is conspicuously silent,except for the occasional distant shout in the murk where all the bass frequencies were exiled to.

Loads more live This Heat can be found by clicking HERE!

Tracklist:

1. Horizontal Hold
2. Paper hats
3. SPQR
4. Cenotaph
5. Makeshift Swahili
6. A New Kind Of Water
7. Greenfingers
8. Health and efficiency
9. Twilight Furniture

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or
DOWNLOAD the speed corrected version + HERE!

Officer! ‎– "8 New Songs By Mick Hobbs" (AAA ‎– C01) 1984

Eight, thirty-four year old songs by Mick Hobbs, with chums from 'The Work' and others, recorded at This Heat's 'Cold Storage' studio, by Charles Bullen. You simply can't get any more post-punk Avant-Prog than that!?
It all sounds like if Caravan had formed in 1978 and mated with Henry Cow.....and Yes, 'Tunnels' is rather good indeed.

Tracklist:

A1 Join The AA 0:49
A2 Life At The Water's Edge 5:05
A3 Dogface 1:43
A4 Tunnels 3:49
B1 Way 3:23
B2 You 3:36
B3 Spooky 3:20
B4 All Reality Is Symbolic 2:38

DOWNLOAD 8 more mp3 files of mick hobbs songs HERE!

Officer! ‎– "Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes" (Officer! Self-released ‎– NO 001) 1988

Whereas "Cough" from 1985 reminded me of 'The Dirty Three', this lime green offering from the second summer of love reminds me of 'The Legendary Pink Dots' or maybe a more dysfunctional Deep Freeze Mice"?
This is an unfortunate comparison as I can't stand 'The LPD's', but love 'The Dirty Three',even'The Deep Freeze Mice' are growing on me,whereas they used to leave me cold (haha!?).
It's not quite as irritating as any LPD's release, and its eccentrically shambling and jaunty quality is actually rather charming.
The LPD's wore obvious influences on their sleeves, in their Casiotone Syd Barrett stylee, but I can't really identify Officer's specific inspirations, beyond perhaps some tuneful prog, like Caravan maybe?
Above all, this was one of the better records from the year that carved its name on the tombstone for the rock group forever,and the year zero of 'Chav' culture.I doubt Mick Hobbs was ever seen with a Brian Jones haircut shaking a pair of maracas or a tambourine ,dancing like a Twat!

Tracklist:

A1 Coma
A2 R Tune
A3 Simone
A4 Old St
A5 Remove Your Hat (Parts 1 & 2)
B1 (I've Got A) Nice Girlfriend
B2 (I Only Want To Make You) Smile
B3 Truck
B4 Hid It ('Cos I Wanted You To Find It)
B5 Gawping
B6 Bright Star

DOWNLOAD HERE!.....Yes or No?

Officer! ‎– "Cough" (Ayaa Records) 1985

I rather like this lo-fi outing for Mick Hobbs' 'Officer!' 
Dare one suggest that this sounds not unlike post-cave Australian trio 'The Dirty Three' in places, which I intend as a compliment.
A lot of the tunes are Violin led , like the aforementioned antipodean '90's threesome. Which seems to replace the Henry Cow-isms that tarnish Officer!'s other records.
Recorded in France, it says, and sounds as if it was either done at a concert where the audience didn't turn up, or in a rehearsal room with very little sound dampening.Either way it adds a very agreeable 'Live' feel to the proceedings.
On a more sombre note.....
I don't usually pay tribute to the Police,but....Play the 'sad' tunes in tribute to the Officer of the French Gendarmerie who was killed yesterday after selflessly signing his own death warrant and took the place of a hostage at the Carcassone Supermarket siege, by one of those Islamic Fuckwit Terrorist Twats!......and for any Flat Earth 'truthers' out there; no, it wasn't a fucking 'False Flag' attack!

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Officer! ‎– "Ossification" (Ayaa ‎– DT 1284) 1984

Mick Hobbs' post-prog post punky pop collective 'Officer!' made some slightly annoying but very eccentric song based Avant-pop. This is their/His debut disc, predictably distributed by old mate Chris Cutlers' Recommended Records. They all sounded like this on Recommended. Blatant echo's of the Avant-Prog days of the early 70's can be heard, tinged with folky, operatically trained upper middle class ladies, and classically trained musicians; all this blended with the new DIY prog of the post-punk era. Classically English sounding, but big in France apparently. I've heard Mick speak French with a heavy English accent(as I myself speak it), they (*the Frogs) like that y'know.When they 'like' you, you stay liked,one thing they* ain't is fickle.

Tracklist:

Side Alpha

Dynamite
Anagrams
Air
Telepathy
Spitter's Hooked (On Love)
Dogface
Some

Side Béta

Boxers V Wrestlers
Tunnels
Apply
Office Occasion
Origin
Hello
Top. Top, Top

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Mick Hobbs ‎– "Bandagen/Officer!" (No Records ‎– No. 002) 1989

The Quirky post-prog lunacy of Mick Hobbs on solo duty,as theatre score composer and as his 'band', 'Officer!'.
Side A sees our Micky as provider of an avant-garde soundtrack to Pergoletti's stageplay "Bandagen", and side B has some 'Officer!' songs masquerading as superior 'Filler'.
For the Theatrical side,I suppose you need the play to augment the sparsity of the minimal content for maximum effect?
The 'Officer!' side  is Mick's usual abstract post-punk prog inventiveness,as he regularly churns out for The Work, The Momes, and Half-Japanese.
Naturally he gets some help from the usual suspects Like Tim Hodgkinson and Andy Wake, both from The Momes.

Tracklist:

Music From Bandagen

A1 Undovetailing
A2 Heartwood
A3 Kindliche Kleidung
A4 Spewing
A5 Jasminduft
A6 Inflation
A7 Ballacodep
A8 Deflated
A9 Happy Days, Lonely Nights
A10 Arbeitstitel 

Officer! - Some Songs

B1 Good Cement
B2 Plan For Peace
B3 My Song About My Head
B4 Hunter
B5 Damage
B6 Good Citizen's Car

DOWNLOAD illegally HERE officer!

The Lowest Note On The Organ ‎– "The Lowest Note On The Organ EP" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 006) 1983

A 'Work' related group, featuring Mick Hobbs of 'The Work',  Rick Wilson of 'The Work, and Trevor Goronwy of 'Camberwell Now' and 'This Heat';and completing our Avant Rock connections,  produced by Charles Bullen of,its them again, 'This Heat.
A quirky little e.p. which could easily be labelled 'Art Rock' by those who know better.

Tracklist:

A1 Thusly Routed We Gambol
A2 Jane
A3 Meddle-A-Beadle

B Trial By Silhouette

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The Work ‎– "The Worst Of Everywhere" (Woof Records ‎– WOOF 005) 1982

A novel angle on the 'Live' album by our fav proggy punky avant rockers, The Work.
Capturing a whole tour schedule in 69 untitled short snippets from April 1980 to March 1982 in Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia.All roughly recorded and roughly edited using the medium of audio cassette.
It kinda works as one,or maybe two sidelong disjointed conceptual collages, in the tradition of Frank Zappa's 'Lumpy Gravy',or at least in its post-punk version thereof?

Tracklist:

1-69 - "Untitled 1-69"

DOWNLOAD the worst of everywhere to anywhere HERE!

Peter Hammill ‎– "Nadir's Big Chance" (Charisma ‎– CAS 1099) 1975

1975 is often cited as the Nadir of popular music,but it contained quite a few overlooked influential classics.An often cited influence on the punk rock explosion is Hammill's "Nadir's Big Chance" album.For its anger, short aggressive tunes, and lack of showy musicianship. Also as John Lydon played a track from it on his infamous Capital radio show. That says less about this record than it does about Mr. Rotten's musical roots. He liked Folk,Prog,and Captain Beefheart, much more to do with the music after punk than during. Which explains the music he got involved with immediately after the Pistols, who really were the 'Last' rock band...time to move on. 
This is one of Peter Hammills top three albums in my opinion, alonside "Over", and "The Silent Cornser and the Empty Stage".......again he's back by his old mates from Van Der Graaf Generator, so it can sound at times like a basic version of his more celebrated group persona rather than a purely 'solo' record.

Tracklist:

Nadir's Big Chance 3:27
The Institute Of Mental Health is Burning 3:50
Open Your Eyes 5:10
Nobody's Business 4:15
Been Alone So Long 4:20
Pompeii 4:50
Shingle Song 4:10
Airport 3:02
People You Were Going To 5:10
Birthday Special 3:40
Two Or Three Spectres 6:20

DOWNLOAD from rock's nadir year HERE!

Peter Hammill ‎– "pH7" (Charisma ‎– CAS 1146) 1979

PH7 is a good litmus test for the way I feel about a lot of Hammill solo works.Lyrically, of course, they are brilliant;But he struggles to get away from that Bad experimental Musical comparison.

The cover looks like this record must be part of a dystopian future of pop, but it could as easily have come from the dystopian past of pop too. There are a fair number of concept album filler ballads littered among a few tunes that post-punk kids might like;"Porton Down" for instance.And "Careering" may well have had its title lifted by John. Q Rotten for his "Metal Box" concept album later that same year.

One of his better albums, but ultimately his wordy lyrics, and stagy delivery tend to reduce the opportunity for the music to breath.Sometimes while listening to this LP, you just want ex-choirboy Peter to just SHUT UP! Maybe even Neutralised,like the backing has been?

Tracklist:

My Favourite 2:50
Careering (Don't Ask Me) 4:00
Porton Down 3:35
Mirror Images 3:50
Handicap And Equality 4:00
Not For Keith 2:25
The Old School Tie 4:50
Time For A Change
Imperial Walls 5:00
Mr X (Gets Tense) 4:45
Faculty X 4:10

DOWNLOAD from a point of neutrality HERE!

Peter Hammill ‎– "Patience" - (Naive Records ‎– NAVL 3) 1983

Surprise surprise, here's a few Peter Hammill solo albums from his vast canon.This one, Patience, is the one I like the best from his post-punk period.
It still sounds like VDGG with different drumming, keyboards and less Saxes;all replaced by a minimal rock group backing in a prog/post punk stylee.....which is surprising,or not, as everyone from VDGG are in the backing band.Oh, they're sooooo versatile those progressive rockers aren't they? 
The lack of mournful ballads like refugees from a Steven Sondheim  off-broadway musical is a major plus.

Tracklist:

Labour Of Love 5:50
Film Noir 4:13
Just Good Friends 4:20
Jeunesse d'Orée 4:45
Traintime 4:23
Now More Than Ever 5:36
Comfortable? 4:52
Patient 6:11

DOWNLOAD with patience HERE!

The League Of Gentlemen - "The Greyhound,London 19-09-1980" (Bootleg)

An very good quality audience recording of a rather hot gig at The Greyhound.....in Fulham?
A very tight and cohesive unit The League of Gents were by this time in the year.
Theres some Fripp banter too, and some expert handling of a heckler in the audience.All good stuff.

Tracklist:

01 Inductive Resonance 05:45
02 Trap 04:54
03 Heptaparaparshinokh 03:30
04 Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx II 03:11

        (Fripp Speaks)

05 Boy At Piano 04:04
06 Christian Children Marching, Singing 03:45
07 Dislocated 05:30
08 Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx III 03:30

09 Untitled
10 Minor Man 03:28
11 Farewell Johnny Brill 04:09
12 Eyes Needles 03:24
13 Inductive Resonance 05:01

14 Encore 1

15 Encore 2

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The League Of Gentlemen ‎– "Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx (Official Bootleg Live in 1980)"

Recorded live at El Mocambo, Toronto, 17-18 June 1980, and Harpo's, Detroit, 10 July 1980, during The League's lengthy tour that comprised of virtually their entire existence as a band.
Fripp wanted to return to making music for people, specifically to 'Dance' to,and this was the result. A sped up version of 1980's King Crimson, with organ. It certainly gets some kind of foot tapping reaction at times, yet still retaining that artsy edge to raise it above being a wedding Disco band with pretensions. They definitely come under the label of 'Concept Band', in a twist from the classic prog rockers penchant for things conceptual, thee 'Concept Album'; which I assume the official album is.
The 'High-brow Guitarist plays in jobbing dance band' concept.They could have been XTC.

Tracklist:

1 Inductive Resonance 5:15
2 Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx I 2:17
3 Trap 4:53
4 Boy At Piano 4:24
5 Heptaparaparshinokh 2:09
6 Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx II 3:20
7 Christian Children Marching, Singing 3:46
8 Ooh! Mr. Fripp 4:34
9 Dislocated 4:25
10 Minor Man 3:31
11 Thrang Thrang Gozinbulx III 3:38
12 Farewell Johnny Brill 3:58
13a Inductive Resonance 5:25
13b [Silent] 5:21
13c [Untitled] 0:49

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The League Of Gentlemen ‎– "The League Of Gentlemen" (Editions EG ‎– EGED 9) 1981

All ex-prog rockers loved XTC, so if you wanted to do some post-punky thing for the kids you had to have an ex-XTC member in your new dance group, hadn't you?
XTC were never the same for me after Barry Andrews's steam organ and stripped down upright piano left the line-up after "GO 2"....and where did he go too (see what I did?)?......Robert Fripp's new mutant Disco inspired dance combo, "The League Of Gentlemen".
Understandably they sound not unlike a combination of XTC and discipline-era King Crimson, with some inspired contributions from Danielle Dax as the cherry on this particular cake.
They did a massive tour,following on from Fripp's massive Frippertronic's tour from the previous years. One has to admire Robert's work ethic.A musician,although he didn't see himself as one, who actually works hard to earn his money.This is all in tandem with his revinvented version of King Crimson,which was also happening at the same time.
You get sick of hearing Pop Stars moaning about illegal downloads costing them money.Why don't they take a leaf out of Fripp'sbook and actually work for a living like everyone else has to.It's the modern era, the recording some crap tunes then sitting back watching the cash roll in has died due to market forces,move with the times, shut up, and play live.

Tracklist:

A1 Indiscreet I 1:47
A2 Inductive Resonance 4:35
A3 Minor Man 3:45
A4 Heptaparaparshinokh 2:03
A5 Dislocated 4:35
A6 Pareto Optimum I 2:07
A7 Eye Needles 3:12
A8 Indiscreet II 2:35
B1 Pareto Optimum II 1:27
B2 Cognitive Dissonance 3:38
B3 H.G. Wells 3:25
B4 Trap 4:45
B5 Ochre 3:07
B6 Indiscreet III 1:26

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Robert Fripp ‎– "Exposure" (EG ‎– EGLP 101) 1979

Back to the theme of the Prog influence/infiltration on Post Punk. Who better to start with than thee arch-prog experimentalist on the six string,Robert Fripp.
As a teenager, brought up on glam,a bit of prog and the new wave, I always wondered who this smart looking gentleman was who was always pictured in the music press. One was very impressed at how out of place he looked, like a stockbroker who'd accidentally stumbled into a music store. He was often seen with Eno, who used to be in Roxy Music,so one knew who he was, therefore the conclusion of that was that this Fripp chap couldn't be all bad. I had heard of King Crimson,but didn't know he was in them, so hearing this unusual take on rock music was a revelation to someone who thought The Ruts were a bit too good on their instruments for their own good.
Fripp,was and still is, my favourite Guitarist, and the most 'white' by far.You won't find Fripp relying on Blues licks to flesh out a tune.Unusual time signatures, and fractured riffs, coupled with some ambient sustain driven Frippertronics, make his style hard to pin down for more than five minutes.And the fact that he insists on playing while sitting on a stool,scores the highest anti-rock points currently available.
This album is a kind of Prog super group album, with that other great forward moving dark-progger Peter Hammill of Van Der Graff Generator contributing some vocals and lyrics, and various Genesis chums Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel contributing the stuff they do best.
There is but one faux-pas included here.....Darryl Hall!!!!..but we can overlook that can't we?
Of all the progressive rock bands,it was probably these luminaries who absorbed the Punk message the best,and produced something new from it,in sync with the rest of the Post Punk/prog brigade.
This era of Fripp,also produced one of the great images of all time, up there with Doctor Feelgood, and the Magic Band.

Tracklist:
A1 Preface 1:15
A2 You Burn Me Up I'm A Cigarette 2:23
A3 Breathless 4:41
A4 Disengage 2:46
A5 North Star 3:06
A6 Chicago 2:12
A7 NY3 2:16
A8 Mary 2:06
B1 Exposure 4:25
B2 Häaden Two 2:53
B3 Urban Landscape 2:35
B4 I May Not Have Had Enough Of Me But I've Had Enough Of You 3:50
B5 First Inaugural Address To The I.A.C.E. Sherborne House 0:03
B6 Water Music I 1:27
B7 Here Comes The Flood 4:01
B8 Water Music II 4:16
B9 Postscript 0:39

Bonus Track:

18 Exposure (Alt Take)

19 Mary (Alt Take)

20 Disengage (Alt Take)

21 Chicago (Alt Take)

22 NY3 (Alt Take)

DOWNLOAD for some decent exposure HERE!