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Text Box: FRIPP & ENO - TOP GEAR BBC - JOHN PEEL SESSION A bootleg recording has been widely circulating claiming to be a recording of Fripp & Eno live on John Peel’s infamous Top Gear show for the BBC. Anyone who has heard it knows that it is simply a replaying of a large portion of both sides of ‘NO PUSSYFOOTING’ IN REVERSE OR BACKWARDS. Strangely, however it is not fraudulent as described in an interview given by Brian Eno himself to to Radio 1's “Keeping It Peel” broadcasts to mark the first anniversary of John Peel's death. He commented briefly over "The Big Ship" : "When I first started making music, it was John Peel's shows that inspired me. And then when I did make music, it was John Peel who played it first on the radio. So I have to thank him for my career. I also have to thank him for playing a whole album of mine backwards on the air once ... it was pretty abstract music, but all the same, John, I can't understand how anybody could make that kind of mistake ! Anyway it's all forgiven now and we still love you and we still miss you." This must be in reference to this broadcast as it is too much of a coincidence to be anything else. I suppose in the days of reel-to-reel tapes, it was possible to make an error of this nature. It is also possible that it was intentionally played backwards by John Peel as the reverse replay is not without it’s own merits. This original BBC radio broadcast aired on December 18, 1973.

TRACK LISTING

THE HEAVENLY MUSIC CORPORATION

SWASTIKA GIRLS

General Notations

‘The Heavenly Music Corporation’ is the very first representation

of the system which came to be known as ‘Frippertronics’.

It is a combination of two straight run-throughs.

The first to create the backing loop, while the second

provided Fripp with the opportunity to add additional soloing on top.

Both run-throughs are in stereo playback format,

which essentially means there are four-tracks playing simultaneously.

‘Swastika Girls’ consists of a digital keyboard sequence fed through a VCS3 synthesizer

recorded by Brian Eno with additional guitar solos by Robert Fripp.

This digital sequencer was probably one of the earliest known of it’s kind.

A sort of primitive version of modern midi sequencers where a series or pattern of notes

is stored into a memory and played back as a loop, which can be sped up or slowed down

or altered in a number of ways.

Presumably Eno would have then subtly manipulated the sound/timbre of the VCS3 synthesizer

while this sequencer was repeating this note sequence for the duration of the piece.

There are also apparent tape loops of Fripp playing along with these digital sequences.

It’s possible (but unlikely) that these were manually repeated by Fripp.

RELEASE HISTORY

Originally vinyl release November 1973

1989 The Definitive Edition CD Issue

1994 The Essential Fripp and Eno CD Issue

2008 Remastered Expanded 2CD Edition

BUY IT HERE

This newest version is 24-bit remaster from the original analogue tapes

with very minimal noise reduction applied making it the most

accurate representation to date.

Additional CD index points have been added for all tracks,

to allow quicker/easier access to specific points in the music.

This new edition does not include any new material,

but does include a simulation of the aforementioned John Peel

accidental reverse playback of the album in it’s entirety

as well as a wonderful “half-speed” forward playback of

‘The Heavenly Music Corporation’, which is meant to simulate

the 33-1/3 RPM vinyl playback on the 16-2/3 RPM playback setting

that existed on many turntables at the time.

This suggestion was made by Sid Smith

while conveying his personal experience of listening

to the piece in this fashion.