The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp
| The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Giles, Giles and Fripp | |
| Released | 13 September 1968 |
| Recorded | 26 February — 18 May 1968 Decca Studios No. 2, London |
| Genre | Psychedelic pop, progressive rock, jazz fusion, comedy rock, spoken word |
| Length | 37:43 |
| Label | Deram |
| Producer | Wayne Bickerton |
| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp is the only album from the 1960s psychedelic rock group Giles, Giles and Fripp.
In addition to 13 songs, the album contains two comedic spoken word pieces, "The Saga of Rodney Toady" and "Just George", which are interspersed between the songs. The album is a mix of various styles (folk, classical, pop, psychedelic rock and religious music).
The original U.S. LP version released in 1968 has a completely different cover than the UK version. The album has been released on CD at least 4 times. First in Japan with no bonus tracks, then on Deram in the U.S. and UK with bonus tracks compiled from singles and previously unreleased recordings. A later Japanese re-issue in a paper sleeve contained the bonus tracks and also a bonus paper sleeve reproduction of the U.S. alternative cover. The most recent CD version released by Eclectic Discs has the same bonus tracks as the Deram CD.
According to Robert Fripp the album sold only 500 copies. This information came from his royalty statement, but it is very unlikely that this was the total number of original copies sold. Also during 1968 the group recorded a series of demos at their home studio, which would be released as The Brondesbury Tapes in 2001. Peter Giles was replaced on bass by Greg Lake soon after and the band renamed themselves King Crimson.
Track listing
- The Saga of Rodney Toady (Robert Fripp)
- "North meadow" (Peter Giles) – 2:29
- "Newly-weds" (Peter Giles) – 2:07
- "One in a Million" (Michael Giles) – 2:25
- "Call Tomorrow" (Peter Giles) – 2:31
- "Digging My Lawn" (Peter Giles) – 1:50
- "Little Children" (Robert Fripp) – 2:48
- "The Crukster" (Michael Giles) – 1:35
- "Thursday Morning" (Michael Giles) – 2:50
- Just George (Michael Giles)
- "How Do They Know" (Michael Giles) – 2:14
- "Elephant Song" (Michael Giles) – 3:15
- "The Sun is Shining" (Michael Giles) – 3:06
- "Suite No. 1" (Robert Fripp) – 5:33
- "Erudite Eyes" (Robert Fripp) – 5:05
- Bonus Tracks on 1992 CD release
- 14. "She Is Loaded" - 3:11
- 15. "Under the Sky" - 4:01
- 16. "One in a Million" (mono single) - 2:25
- 17. "Newly-Weds" (mono single) - 2:44
- 18. "Thursday Morning" (mono single) - 2:57
- 19. "Thursday Morning" (stereo single) - 2:57
Personnel
Giles, Giles & Fripp
- Robert Fripp: guitars, mellotron,[2] spoken word
- Peter Giles: bass, lead and backing vocals
- Michael Giles: drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals, spoken word
Additional Personnel[3]
- Ted Barker, Cliff Hardy - trombone
- Raymond Cohen, Gerry Fields, Kelly Isaccs, Boris Pecker, William Reid, G. Salisbury - violin
- John Coulling, Rebecca Patten - viola
- Alan Ford, Charles Tunnell - cello
- Ivor Raymonde - string arrangements
- "The Breakaways" - backing vocals
- Mike Hill, Nicky Hopkins - keyboards
Production
- Produced by Wayne Bickerton
- Engineers: Terry Johnson, Bill Price, Martin Smith
- Re-Mastering: Anthony Hawkins