The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles, Giles And Fripp

This was by no means a major release; these are, however, the first recordings from guitarist Robert Fripp, and as such, of interest to the timeline. The band came to London from provincial Bournemouth, on England's south coast. Brothers Peter Giles and Michael Giles, bass and drums respectively, had spent the last seven years as a rhythm section together, performing mainly R&B covers. In London, they managed to secure a deal with Deram Records, who released two singles and the album, The Cheerful Insanity Of Giles, Giles & Fripp. Unfortunately, the album's highlight is on the opening track: "North Meadow" reveals a concise arrangement and the tight interplay of the Giles brothers. Otherwise, the tracks are predictably of the era. Each album side presents a musical story as terminally dated as the other: Fripp's "The Saga of Rodney Toady" on the first side, and on the second, Michael Giles's "Just George." The closing track "Erudite Eyes" finally gets electric and eclectic, but good luck getting that far through the record. Lyricist and jack-of-all Pete Sinfield would later remark "if one wondered what my contribution to King Crimson was, they should simply listen to this album!" But the album's failure was portentous: GG&F met up with Fairport Convention's Judy Dyble and her boyfriend Ian McDonald in response to an ad Dyble had placed for a backing band. Dyble remained for a short while (a version of "I Talk to the Wind" appeared on The Young Persons' Guide To King Crimson in 1975) before the men took over. And a few months and one wealthy uncle later, King Crimson was born.