It is amazing to think that the entire history of King Crimson to date has occurred in the time elapsed since the first crewed test flight to the moon, Apollo 8, December 21-27 1968, and the current Artemis II mission, returning to the moon ahead of a projected landing on the lunar surface in 2028. 

One world: a new view of our own island from the Orion spacecraft (photo: NASA/Reid Wiseman).

Giles Giles and Fripp was coming to an end in December 1968. Greg Lake had moved to London and would replace Peter Giles. A loan from Ian McDonald’s uncle had been secured to buy band equipment. By the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing the following year, King Crimson had already established themselves as a formidable live act and were in the middle of recording their album. Greg Lake announced news of the moon landing from the stage at the Marquee Club on their regular Sunday night residency on July 20 1969 at 9.15pm. Ian McDonald records in his diary going home and watching the men on the moon on TV as Neil Armstrong made his “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Eleven days later, the band recorded Moonchild in Wessex Studios.

King Crimson at the Rainbow Theatre, December 13, 1972.

It is easy to forget that for a few years, from 1969 -1972, men walked on the moon. The last mission to the moon was Apollo 17, December 7-19 1972. The astronauts spent a record 75 hours on the lunar surface. By that time, King Crimson were on a tour of the UK with the third lineup comprising Jamie Muir, Bill Bruford, John Wetton, David Cross and Robert Fripp. 

Earth’s nearest celestial neighbour continues to fascinate the occupants of planet Earth, as it has since the dawn of humanity, inspiring many musicians and artists along the way. Fergus Hall’s painting of Earth viewed from the surface of the moon (at the top of the page), appeared on the back cover of The Young Person’s Guide to King Crimson in 1975. Further afield in the universe, the photograph of the Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius taken by the Carnegie Institution for Science, was used for the cover of Islands. And more recently, on the 2019 tour, King Crimson’s resident stargazer, Tony Levin, took members of the touring party to visit the Paranal Observatory 8600 feet above the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Visiting the Paranal Observatory in 2019 (photos: Tony Levin).

Playlist:  A DGM Space Odyssey.

2001. Soundscape recorded in Argentina using Fripp’s ‘Lunar Module’. 

Moonchild. Recorded 11 days after the first moon landing in July 1969.

Space Groove II.  ProjeKct Two’s cosmic-themed debut.

A Voyage to the Centre of the Cosmos. King Crimson boldly goes... 

Islands. “Islands join hands 'Neathe heaven's sea”

Fragments of Skylab. Space debris from Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists.

Evening Star. Fripp and Eno's homage to another celestial body. 

Improv. Copy that, King Crimson live from Houston,1974.

Mars. The red planet viewed from Plumpton Festival, 1969.

Moonchild. Travis and Fripp reprise the theme in Madrid, 2010. 

Included with the extensive interview feature covering Fripp’s life after Crimson and the establishment of Guitar Craft, was an accompanying ‘Sound Page’ flexi disc with a new Frippertronics piece entitled Easter Sunday. The backing had been recorded three years earlier in Toronto on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1983, with Fripp using the Roland GR-700 guitar synthesiser and his twin Revox tape loop system. Later in the year, guitar solos were overdubbed at Arny’s Shack in Parkstone, Dorset, using a Takamine acoustic and a Les Paul through a Fender Princeton amp. For almost twenty years, Easter Sunday remained a rarity known only from its release on the flexi disc, until it was remastered and included on the CD Love Cannot Bear - Soundscapes Live in the USA in 2005. 

The Guitar Player magazine ‘Sound Page’.

Flexi discs had been around since the 60s, often seen as novelty items aimed at fan clubs - the Beatles had a regular series of such discs, including special recordings thanking their fans at Christmas time. In the mid 90s and later, cover-mounted CDs of music compilations became a commonplace, if not essential, part of magazine publishing. But before that, the inclusion of a flexi disc bound into the magazine’s pages was an infrequent bonus, especially exciting if, as in this case, it contained previously unreleased music. Playable on a regular record player, the thin vinyl sheet performed surprisingly well. It could even have music on both sides, with this release being backed with a track by Allan Holdsworth playing a Synthaxe. Guitar Player released a total of 67 flexi discs between the late 70s and early 90s, containing songs, lessons and demos. 

Listen to the track on Love Cannot Bear -Soundscapes Live in the USA.

Also available on the official YouTube channel:

Although not widely discussed before on this site, Fripp’s cameo appearance in the 1979 film of The Who’s rock opera has become the stuff of legend. Significant also as it was his first meeting with future wife Toyah on set, something that she has always kept quiet about in her interviews relating to the iconic movie. Here for the first time are some of the film’s outtakes featuring the Crimson ‘Ace Face’ with the Mods on location in Brighton. 

On Brighton promenade during filming.

Fripp wisely heads to the estate agents during the street riot scene.

A keen motorcyclist, it was the sharp-suited Fripp’s ability to handle a two-wheeler that clinched him the part. Frequently seen backstage in the 70s, his bike was a useful place to warm up before the show or make a quick getaway afterwards. But it was reportedly his insistence that he use his own 750cc Norton Commando that cost him a bigger role in the movie when it was discovered that the Mods exclusively rode Italian scooters. 

Fripp on his bike in 1971.

Next in the frame for the lead had been John Lydon, whom Toyah had helped to prepare for the part. But he was also rejected, with no one being willing to insure the former Sex Pistol for the role. Finally, Phil Daniels was cast to play Jimmy, the troubled, pill-popping Londoner who travels to Brighton for a bank holiday dust-up between Mods and Rockers.

Debbie Harry and Robert Fripp in Alphaville, 1978.

Like his fellow cast member Sting, this was a time when Fripp took a break from music to pivot into movies. He had co-starred with Debbie Harry in the remake of Alphaville the previous year. Although his acting career may have slowed after Quadrophenia, it was an experience that would serve him well in his later life as a YouTuber alongside Toyah. 

Quadrophenia Alley, Brighton.

Excited by the discovery of the photos, we jumped on the DGM speed-restricted moped and visited ‘Quadrophenia Alley’ to search for Fripp’s signature, visible above. 

The assembled cast on Brighton Beach.

What Pete Townshend said about it: “Oh well.” Or maybe that was Peter Green?

UPDATE:  This article was published on April 1st. Parts of the story may be completely untrue. 

We know it from both the 1974 studio album of the same name, and The Night Watch live album released in 1997. Here is the classic improv heard for the first time as a trio mix focusing on the playing of David Cross, John Wetton and Robert Fripp, recorded live at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw on November 23, 1973.

From Sid Smith’s notes: “Trio, well-known for Bill Bruford’s decision to sit in silence with his drumsticks crossed over his chest for the duration of the piece, earned him the now-legendary credit, “admirable restraint.” However, what if Bill had decided to play nothing on the improvisation that preceded Trio? It's a piece that features all kinds of percussion, along with some of Bruford's trademark grooves and dynamic punctuation, which really help shape it. How might it all have sounded if Bill had sat this one out?”

Download here: Starless and Bible Black (trio mix).

Or listen to a preview on the official YouTube channel:

To hear the improvisation as originally played, listen to the complete concert here: King Crimson live at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam - November 23, 1973

Saturday at 18:00 GMT...

Sunday at 12:00 GMT...

Now clad in natural wood, it’s all looking wonderfully Scandi, although any resemblance to a sauna ends there as work is ongoing to install the insulation and soundproofing. The studio is being constructed on the site of a building formerly known as The Dental Laboratory — we’re just hoping it’s not going to be called Denture Studios. 

Looking forward to knitting together more classics, David Singleton and Stormy welcome a delivery of Rockwool.

View from the live room looking through the newly installed partition door into the control room. 

The arrival of the catalogue for Jamie Muir’s retrospective exhibition sparked considerable interest, with members of the team scanning it for artworks that might have particular Crimson appeal — and possible future album cover use. There would appear to be many possible candidates. The body of work is quite remarkable, and it is fair to say that few of us had fully realised, or properly appreciated, what a magnificent and imaginative artist he was. There is still time to visit the Ab Anbar gallery until April 1. Check here for details: Gallery opening times.

Meanwhile, work continues at DGM HQ where the latest Elemental mixes are now beginning to be discovered by David, while Mr Stormy has been preparing the Exposure Sessions multitracks for release on dgmlive, full of previously unheard takes and sonic experiments. These will be released throughout the year, beginning very soon. 

Objects of interest in the archive:

A pair of posters from 2021, signed by the full band. It looks like they were expecting Mellotrons in St Augustine.  King Crimson were reunited with their old friends The California Guitar Trio as opening act on these dates.

A 1981 test pressing of Robert Fripp's Let The Power Fall, released on Editions EG with the catalogue number EGED 10. There was a problem with the last track on Side 2 on this test copy. 

A JVC HM-200E binaural headphone/microphone with foam head. Launched in 1978, this was designed to capture sound exactly as a human would hear it. There are two omnidirectional electret condenser microphones powered by AA batteries built into the headphone. Any long-term followers of DGM will remember Tony Levin’s From The Caves Of The Iron Mountain CD released in 1997, with Jerry Marotta on drums and Steve Gorn on flutes, which was recorded by engineer Tchad Blake using this kind of binaural microphone.

Items for carrying away to our friends at the FX Copy Room this week include two half-inch tapes containing Live I by Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists, and a number of DATs, a format which has not proven to be good for archival storage, and are now best left to the specialists to recover the data. Hopefully the contents of some of the above will become available to listen to here on dgmlive later in the year.

. . .

On this day, 41st Guitar Craft Anniversary, word, sound, and vision:

A Still Point

The beginning of any process is from a Still Point. If a process begins where activity is already underway and in motion, the naturally-proceeding unfolding of the process, of the process discovering / discerning itself in manifestation, will be compromised.

If a person / group undertaking a process begins from movement, the process is undermined. Expressed cataphatically, for a process to move to a completion, it is necessary for those participating to be still before beginning.

A Still Point is where we are quiet in our body, thinking and feeling. This is the beginning point from which all action moves.

Robert Fripp
Friday 4^th. July, 2025
Bredonborough; Middle England.

. . .

Live performance in Castione della Presolana, Italy

Robert Fripp & The Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists: 70 guitarists from around the world, playing in movement.

Entrance free - registration necessary: eventbrite.it

. . .

A New Album

Just in from The League Of Crafty Guitarists:

LIVE VI is now available, a new live recording by The League of Crafty Guitarists in collaboration with the Mendoza Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Pablo Herrero Pondal.

The album captures a singular musical encounter, bringing together The League of Crafty Guitarists and the Orchestra in a performance featuring Soundscapes by Robert Fripp, orchestrated by Andrew Keeling, alongside Guitar Craft and King Crimson pieces. The acoustic guitar ensemble merges with orchestral writing, unfolding a language that balances precision and openness, structure and space.

Additional orchestral arrangements for The League of Crafty Guitarists were written by Juan Emilio Cucchiarelli and Joaquín Guevara.

Recorded live, LIVE VI reflects not only the Performance, but the process: a shared field shaped by attention, resonance and silence.

Available on Bandcamp:
https://thelcg.bandcamp.com/album/live-vi

. . .

A New Photo Gallery

Hundreds of photos have been uploaded to the 2025 Introduction To The Guitar Circle & The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists' event page... Click here.

. . .

Upcoming courses and projects with Robert Fripp:

An Introduction To Guitar Craft & The Guitar Circle

with Robert Fripp
Thursday 16 – Sunday 26, April 2026
Villa Sancelso, Castione della Presolana, Italy.

Upcoming events hosted by associated / affiliated / related initiatives:

Introduction to Guitar Craft & International Guitar Orchestra XI

Hosted by Música En Movimiento
Tuesday 23 – Sunday 28, June 2026
Villa Elisa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Introduction to Guitar Craft & Workestra Tour

Hosted by Guitar Work
Saturday 4 – Sunday 12, July 2026
San José de Costa Rica, Costa Rica

Guitar Craft at Camp Caravan: Beginning and Continuing

Presented by Tony Geballe, Curt Golden, Brad Hogg, Victor McSurely, Chris Paquette, Dev Ray, Mikael Weichbrodt, and Erin Wigger.
Saturday 18 – Sunday 26, July 2026
Camp Caravan, Royalston, Massachusetts, USA

Silence in Music: A Guitar Craft Project

with Andrés Ceccarelli, Marian Hafenstein, Ignacio Gracián, Martin Schwutke, John Hicks, Mariana Scaravilli and a team of experienced guitar circlers.
Hosted by Silence in Music
Friday 31, July – Sunday 9, August 2026
Casal Sagrat Cor, Viladrau, Spain

The three-week tour supported the THRAK album, the first full studio album to be recorded in ten years. Featuring complex compositions as well as a return to live improvisation delivered by the newly configured band, the run is packed with unique moments all the way through to its concluding two-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall. 

Also available to download from dgmlive: 

THRAK tour of Europe, 1995