| the League of Gentlemen | |
| Type: | Studio Album |
| Artist: | Robert Fripp and the League of Gentlemen |
| Cover: | Robert Fripp LoG.jpg |
| Released: | February 1981 |
| Recorded: | July – December 1980[1] |
| Genre: | Post-punk, new wave |
| Length: | 42:27 |
| Label: | EG Records (UK) |
| Producer: | Robert Fripp |
| Prev Title: | God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners |
| Prev Year: | 1980 |
| Next Title: | Let the Power Fall: An Album of Frippertronics |
| Next Year: | 1981 |
The League of Gentlemen is an 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 vinyl format on the Editions EG label.[2] The original album has never been reissued in full on CD, however some tracks are on the abridged Robert Fripp and the League of Gentlemen God Save the King CD release.
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;
Drummer Jonny Toobad left the band during Part 3 of the tour in Manchester on 22 November and was replaced for the remaining dates by Kevin Wilkinson.
The album was recorded in several sessions, featuring either Jonny Toobad and then Kevin Wilkinson on drums.
The album was then released in February 1981 in the UK, Japan, France and the US[3] as well as Germany and Italy.
The album was produced by Fripp and engineered by Tony Arnold at 'Arny's Shack' studio in Parkstone, Dorset, England.
All the tracks are titled in upper case on the album sleeve and on the record label itself. Roman numerals are used for each side and for all part numbering of tracks.
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 gigs 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 Crimson sitting next to me..." So Discipline became the new incarnation of King Crimson, while Discipline remained as the album title only.
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;
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[5] but does not state who he thinks is responsible for any specific instance.
The various uncredited spoken overlays on the album occur mainly on the tracks INDISCREET 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;
INDISCREET I
INDISCREET II
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
INDISCREET III
Key to voices:
Music reviewer Robert Christgau claims to recognise the voices of the following people: Karen Durbin, Chip Stern, Terre Roche, Richard Goldstein and Ellen Willis[5]