Ticket 2 Ride

Andy Summers of The Police and Robert Fripp of King Crimson, seems an odd pairing of guitarists. In the early 1980s, the two decided to record together. The result was two very interesting albums of instrumental music. I purchased those vinyl records (I still have them), and though they only made a small blip on the musical radar, they have resurfaced after being hugely forgotten for forty years.

“I’d been in the band for a few years and I wanted to try something else, musically, just to prove that I existed outside of the framework of The Police as a musician,” Summers explains.

Fripp put King Crimson oh hiatus in 1974 and spent the last half of the decade on solo work and collaborating with Peter Gabriel, Darryl Hall, David Bowie and other artists, either producing their albums or lending his unique guitar sound to their music. Fripp and Brian Eno had already worked together on two albums, and Eno would enlist Fripp to guest on albums he produced. He would power-up King Crimson in 1981 with the release of Discipline, with a new lineup of players.

“It was all very amenable,” Summers says. “Robert and I had no idea what we were going to play – we just sat with our guitars and various bits of equipment, and started to discover what could be made between us.”

I Advance Masked, released in 1982, was quite a departure, at least for fans of Summers. This was another chapter in Fripp’s long history of taking the guitar beyond the realm.

They reunited for Bewitched, released in September 1984. “I don’t know if we should have made the second album,” Summers admits. “I just don’t think we had enough tracks, and Robert didn’t have the time to stay all the way through. So we didn’t get all ‘out-there’ with it.”

Some tapes of the recording sessions were found years later, music not used for the albums interested Summers, who passed it along to Fripp. The duo shelved this material in order that Bewitched retain a basic European sensibility. “I don’t want to sound patriotic,” Summers told interviewer Mark Mehler, “but I’m not Ry Cooder. I like the overriding English-ness of our music, and American sounding guitars don’t fit the image Robert and I are looking for.”

The Complete Recordings, released in 2025, include freshened versions of the two albums, plus a CD of leftover songs, plus a Blu-ray of everything in 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround & 24/96 hi-res stereo. Plus, a ‘fly on the wall’ audio documentary – ‘Can We Record Tony?’ – taken from Robert Fripp’s own archive cassettes of the 2 guitarists’ original improvisations and conversations, also in 24/96 hi-res. Presented in a 10-panel book-sized digi-sleeve with 16-page booklet including photos & sleeve-notes from new interviews with Andy Summers and Robert Fripp.

I Advance Masked – disc 1

I was very much immersed in the Police and Fripp’s new version of King Crimson, so obtaining a copy of I Advance Masked was a no-brainer. Summers was an underrated guitarist, he developed all the fills, guitar sounds and rhythms that populated his playing on Police albums. Fripp was an innovator of textures, loops and new guitar sounds.

Is it Fripperonics? Reggae grooves? No. It has elements of Fripps work with King Crimson and Summers work with the Police. One might think Kraftwerk for guitars. There’s quite an assortment of guitar styles and techniques, and the usual effects that change guitars into searing, otherworldly, chiming and lonely sounds. Fripp is known for the heavy processing and manipulation of his guitar. Summers uses his guitar effects to achieve a wide of tonal variations to lengthen, delay and shift modulation in his work with the Police to shimmer and punctuate the chords and melodies.

“In the Cloud Forest” stunning, very ambient and ghostly.

“Girl on a Swing” Gentle, sublime and stirring. There are two distinct but separate melodies, swirling yet only touching gently.

“New Marimba (early mix)” is a pulsating gem.

“The Truth of Skies” and “Painting and Dance” are also standout tracks.

Bewitched – disc 2

Two years later came Bewitched, and a decidedly different sound.

This album found the focus more on songs with bass, percussion and synthesizers. Sounding more jazz fusionish instead of mainly dueling guitars on the previous ambient album. Use of programmed rhythms are spread across the album as building blocks of soundscapes. This was fairly new sound design in the early 1980’s.

According to notes, Fripp departed during the sessions and left his colleague to shape and finish the album. Actually, these songs sounded closer to Fripp’s then-version of King Crimson.

“Begin the Day” is a gem. “Tribe” has an Eastern vibe in the frantic tempo. “Maquillage”, “Guide” and “Forgotten Steps” would make good film soundtrack music, eerie and atmospheric.

Honestly, the ideas sound unfinished. Summers did a yeoman’s job at the time of making their ideas and sketches into releasable music. The weirdness of 80’s music was taking shape (thank goodness no gated drum sound!) with guitar synthesizers, World rhythms and that quirky guitar energy.

Mother Hold the Candle Steady – disc 3

More of what the first two albums offered. I expected these to be leftovers, unfinished and of slight interest. There are a few really interesting tracks, but what I found was average at best.

“Skyline” is the strongest track here.

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Having both of the original albums on CD, with clean sound is worth the price. A few of the bonus tracks are very good. I don’t own a quality player for the high resolution sound, but maybe I will someday!