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The League of Gentlemen (album)
Encyclopedia
The League of Gentlemen is a recorded music album by Robert Fripp
. The music on the album was performed by members of a band which toured Europe and North America throughout 1980 under the name of 'The League of Gentlemen'
. The album was released in the UK in 1981 in the Long Play (LP) Record Album
format on the Editions EG label. It has never been reissued on CD.
/New wave
period in UK music just as the scene was evolving into more diverse musical ideas which eventually gave birth to 'alternative rock'.
It was released in the same month as the NME and Rough Trade
combined to release a mail-order compilation of the music of the UK Post-punk
/New wave
scene. This, now classic, compilation was released in the form of the C81 promotional cassette tape and effectively marked the end of the scene it celebrated and the start of the 'Indie' period.
So the 'League of Gentlemen' was released at a cultural cusp. The band had been positioned by Fripp himself as a "new wave instrumental dance band" which would suggest that he considered the music produced by the band to be 'New wave' in character. Commentators have pointed to the rawness of the production as significant in so far as this approach had been popular among producers of Post-punk
/New wave
recordings of the time.
It may be that Robert Fripp was seeking to make his music fit to the prevailing 'alternative' style of the time or it may simply be a reflection of the speed with which the record was recorded and released at the end of an exhausting tour. Whatever the motivation or the underlying reasons the music seems to fit well with the Post-punk scene, a feeling which is only re-inforced by the socio-political messaging laid over the tracks in the form of vocal samples. The musical backbone of the album is the spiky and complex interaction between guitar and keyboards and the repetitive and gradually developing nature of the melodic themes to which the bass and drums provide a utilitarian (or simply uninspired) backdrop.
See 1981 in music
.
The tour was split into three discernible parts;
Drummer Jonny Toobad left the band during Part 3 of the tour in Manchester on November 22 and was replaced for the remaining dates by Kevin Wilkinson.
Given the tour dates above, the departure date of Toobad and the stated commitment (on the album sleeve) to work together between the following dates;
Then we can deduce that;
The album was then released in February 1981 in the UK, Japan, France and the USA as well as Germany and Italy.
The primary performances on the album are credited to;
Also credited are;
In addition Robert Christgau
claims to recognise uncredited 'spoken overlays' (or samples as we would now call them) by Karen Durbin, Chip Stern, Terre Roche, Richard Goldstein and Ellen Willis
but does not state who he thinks is responsible for any specific instance.
They may be classified by their location in the running order of the album, the distinct voices heard and the following opening phrases or sounds;
INDISCRETE I
INDISCRETE II
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
INDISCREET III
Key to voices:
Music reviewer Robert Christgau
claims the recognize the voices of the following people: Karen Durbin, Chip Stern, Terre Roche, Richard Goldstein
and Ellen Willis
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
. The music on the album was performed by members of a band which toured Europe and North America throughout 1980 under the name of 'The League of Gentlemen'
League of Gentlemen (band)
The League of Gentlemen was a band active during March–December 1980 that featured guitarist Robert Fripp of King Crimson fame. Other members included bass guitarist Sara Lee , keyboardist Barry Andrews and percussionist Johnny Toobad, replaced late in the band's tenure by Kevin Wilkinson...
. The album was released in the UK in 1981 in the Long Play (LP) Record Album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
format on the Editions EG label. It has never been reissued on CD.
Cultural context
The album emerged at the extreme tail-end of the Post-punkPost-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
/New wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
period in UK music just as the scene was evolving into more diverse musical ideas which eventually gave birth to 'alternative rock'.
It was released in the same month as the NME and Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
combined to release a mail-order compilation of the music of the UK Post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
/New wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
scene. This, now classic, compilation was released in the form of the C81 promotional cassette tape and effectively marked the end of the scene it celebrated and the start of the 'Indie' period.
So the 'League of Gentlemen' was released at a cultural cusp. The band had been positioned by Fripp himself as a "new wave instrumental dance band" which would suggest that he considered the music produced by the band to be 'New wave' in character. Commentators have pointed to the rawness of the production as significant in so far as this approach had been popular among producers of Post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
/New wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
recordings of the time.
It may be that Robert Fripp was seeking to make his music fit to the prevailing 'alternative' style of the time or it may simply be a reflection of the speed with which the record was recorded and released at the end of an exhausting tour. Whatever the motivation or the underlying reasons the music seems to fit well with the Post-punk scene, a feeling which is only re-inforced by the socio-political messaging laid over the tracks in the form of vocal samples. The musical backbone of the album is the spiky and complex interaction between guitar and keyboards and the repetitive and gradually developing nature of the melodic themes to which the bass and drums provide a utilitarian (or simply uninspired) backdrop.
See 1981 in music
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
.
Touring
The album sleevenotes state that 'The League of Gentlemen' played a total of 77 gigs during 1980 and includes a full list of all these gigs starting at Moles, BATH on 10 April 1980 and finishing at the School of Economics, LONDON on 29 November 1980.The tour was split into three discernible parts;
- Part 1: April 10 to June 1 - UK and Europe
- Part 2: June 14 to July 22 - North America
- Part 3: September 10 to November 29 - UK
Drummer Jonny Toobad left the band during Part 3 of the tour in Manchester on November 22 and was replaced for the remaining dates by Kevin Wilkinson.
Recording and Release
The album was recorded in at least two (possibly three) separate session sequences. One (or two) with Jonny Toobad on drums and another with Kevin Wilkinson on drums.Given the tour dates above, the departure date of Toobad and the stated commitment (on the album sleeve) to work together between the following dates;
- Period 1: 19 March to July 22
- Period 2: September 8 to September 24
- Period 3: November 10 to December 4
Then we can deduce that;
- The first sequence of recording sessions may have begun in early June during the break between Parts 1 and 2 of the tour,
- A second sequence may also have book-ended the September dates of Part 3 of the tour,
- The final sequence of recording sessions must have occurred after the tour had concluded.
The album was then released in February 1981 in the UK, Japan, France and the USA as well as Germany and Italy.
Production
The album was produced by Robert Fripp and engineered by Tony Arnold at 'Arny's Shack' studio in Parkstone, Dorset, England.Track listing
All the tracks are titled in CAPITAL LETTERS on the album sleeve and on the record label itself. Roman numerals are used for each side and for all part numbering of tracks.Side I (EGED 9A)
- INDISCREET I (1.47)
- INDUCTIVE RESONANCE (4.35)†
- MINOR MAN (3.45)†
- HEPTAPARAPARSHINOKH (2.03)†
- DISLOCATED (4.35)†
- PARETO OPTIMUM I (2.07)
- EYE NEEDLES (3.12)†
- INDISCREET II (2.35)
Side II (EGED 9B)
- PARETO OPTIMUM II (1.27)
- COGNITIVE DISSONANCE (3.38)†
- HG WELLS (3.25)†
- TRAP (4.45)†
- OCHRE (3.07)
- INDISCREET III (1.26)
- The run-out groove on this side bears the message "THE NEXT STEP IS DISCIPLINE" – this was a reference to Fripp's next project which was a new band called Discipline. The band was announced in the British music press and they played some gig and started recording before Robert Fripp as he later reported to journalists was driving home, listening to a tape of the new band, and found "..the presence of King CrimsonKing CrimsonKing Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
sitting next to me..." So Discipline became the new incarnation of King Crimson, while Discipline remained as the album title only.
Artists/Contributors
All songs above are credited as being by Robert Fripp except those marked † which are credited as being by 'The League Of Gentlemen'.The primary performances on the album are credited to;
- Barry AndrewsBarry Andrews (musician)Barry Andrews is a vocalist and keyboardist. He is a former member of the bands XTC and League of Gentlemen with Robert Fripp, and was co-founder of Shriekback. He has collaborated with Brian Eno on several projects, most recently guesting on keyboards for the 2005 album Another Day On Earth...
: Organ - Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
: Guitar - Sara LeeSara Lee (musician)Sara Lee is an English bassist and singer-songwriter, best known for replacing Dave Allen on bass guitar in post-punk band Gang of Four. Lee confirmed in an interview on Rundgrenradio.com that Sara Lee is her birth name.-Biography:...
: Bass guitar - Jonny Toobad (Johnny Elichaoff): drums (on HEPTAPARAPARSHINOKH and DISLOCATED)
- Kevin WilkinsonKevin WilkinsonKevin Wilkinson was a musician based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England.- Career :Born Kevin Michael Wilkinson in Stoke-on-Trent, he is credited as a former official member of several successful British pop groups, including The League of Gentlemen , The Waterboys , China Crisis and Squeeze...
: drums (all other tracks)
Also credited are;
- Danielle DaxDanielle DaxDanielle Dax is an experimental musician and producer most active from the late-1970s to the mid-1990s. She was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.- Biography :...
(courtesy of the Lemon Kittens) - for "Hamsprachtmuzic" (i.e. vocal stylings) on the track 'MINOR MAN' and for the album sleeve front cover. - J.G.BennettJohn G. BennettJohn Godolphin Bennett, was a British mathematician, scientist, technologist, industrial research director, and author. He is perhaps best known for his many books on psychology and spirituality, and particularly the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff...
(courtesy of Elizabeth Bennett) - for "Extracts from the Sherbourne House talks" - vocal samples used at various points on the album. - Marjori - for the Photo of the League taken at Gramercy Park, New York, during July 1980 which appears on the reverse of the album sleeve.
- Rob O'Connor - for "Cover Glue".
- Paddy Spinks - for "Strategic Interaction".
In addition Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
claims to recognise uncredited 'spoken overlays' (or samples as we would now call them) by Karen Durbin, Chip Stern, Terre Roche, Richard Goldstein and Ellen Willis
Ellen Willis
Ellen Jane Willis was an American left-wing political essayist, journalist, activist and pop music critic.-Biography:...
but does not state who he thinks is responsible for any specific instance.
Spoken Overlays/'Indiscretions'
The various uncredited spoken overlays on the album occur mainly on the tracks INDISCRETE I, II and III. The compilation of these 'indiscretions' is credited to Robert Fripp.They may be classified by their location in the running order of the album, the distinct voices heard and the following opening phrases or sounds;
INDISCRETE I
- "This is addressed to people who have the intention to work" - Voice 1
- "Rock and roll is about fucking" - Voice 2 and Voice 3
- "That is the possibility that we should explore" - Voice 1
- "Can you tell me about your first experience of a nuclear explosion" - Voice 4
- - Sound of female groaning (evoking orgasmic ecstasy) -
- - Sound of air-raid siren followed by applause -
- "There are people who want to know more" - Voice 1
- "This is not a record which is out to showcase a guitar player" - Voice 5
- "How do I dance to this music?" - Voice 2 and Voice 3
- "Then what am I to do about it?" - Voice 1
- "Don't dance with your feet" - Voice 2 and Voice 6
INDISCRETE II
- Features more of the above with emphasis on Voices 2 and 3 extemporising on the subject of rock music. Also included is the complete non-sequitur "I'd like to spend about 100m a year on sewers" and the observation "This country's going down the well" probably sampled from TV or radio. Voice 5 also gets an airing on the subject of Charlie ChristianCharlie ChristianCharles Henry "Charlie" Christian was an American swing and jazz guitarist.Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar, and is cited as a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra...
's guitar sound.
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
- Features extended excerpts of Voice 1 lecturing on the subject of 'change'.
INDISCREET III
- Features a number of clips of Voice 5 criticising the League of Gentlemen's music and making unfavourable comparisons with a Talking HeadsTalking HeadsTalking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
record and a live performance by TelevisionTelevision (band)Television was an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1973. They are best known for the album Marquee Moon and widely regarded as one of the founders of "punk" and New Wave music. Television was part of the early 1970s New York underground rock scene, along with bands like the Patti...
. These comments are interspersed with samples from TV and radio presumably chosen to signify that the opinions of Voice 5 are held to be of questionable value e.g. "Why should we put up with this nonsense" and "I think it stinks".
Key to voices:
- Voice 1: J.G.BennettJohn G. BennettJohn Godolphin Bennett, was a British mathematician, scientist, technologist, industrial research director, and author. He is perhaps best known for his many books on psychology and spirituality, and particularly the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff...
- Voice 2: Terre Roche
- Voice 3: Maggie Roche
- Voice 4: Unknown Female
- Voice 5: Unknown Male
- Voice 6: Unknown Female
Music reviewer Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
claims the recognize the voices of the following people: Karen Durbin, Chip Stern, Terre Roche, Richard Goldstein
Richard Goldstein
Richard Goldstein may refer to:*Richard Goldstein , former editor and writer for The New York Times who has written books on sporting and historical topics...
and Ellen Willis
Ellen Willis
Ellen Jane Willis was an American left-wing political essayist, journalist, activist and pop music critic.-Biography:...