The Equatorial Stars (LP)

Brian Eno is usually credited with the claim that everyone who originally bought a Velvet Underground album subsequently formed a band. It’s no less valid to suggest that many of those involved in electronic music might not have been but for “No Pussyfooting” and “Evening Star”. Indeed few contemporary albums can claim as much lasting influence as “No Pussyfooting” by Fripp & Eno. It’s safe to say that for the vast majority of buyers at the time of its initial release in 1973, this was their first exposure to the small world of electronic music. It’s equally safe to say it wasn’t their last. The equipment used was, by modern standards, primitive. The ideas expressed were, by any standards, enormous. Many went on to have careers based on the possibilities suggested by the album. Fripp & Eno – to their eternal credit – were too busy working as musicians to ever ‘milk it’ in that sense. One further full album, “Evening Star”, was issued in 1975. There were occasional collaborations, but no further recordings under the Fripp & Eno banner until the emergence of “The Equatorial Stars” in late 2004 as a limited edition release via the artists’ websites, followed by a full release in 2005 on CD.

However, it was never issued on vinyl, until now.

“The Equatorial Stars” consists of a series of seven soundscapes. The evident care taken in the construction & presentation of the sound world makes the totality of the work so convincing. The textures & atmospheres forming the heart of each track manage to subtly change & alter, while leaving ample space for Robert’s guitar solos to emerge from the centre. The album was Fripp & Eno’s opportunity to redefine an area of music they helped to launch into the mainstream in the first instance.

It is also, incidentally, Robert Fripp’s personal favourite of his many collaborations with Brian Eno.