And let's not forget the amazing cover photo
I heard "Evening Star" first, probably in the mid-eighties and was enamoured by its abstract ambient subtlety. I was just getting to know Fripp who would become my favourite guitarist, due to his totally unique, un-rock approach to raucous guitar. In "Evening Star" he showed his experimental side, willing to think in purely sonic terms. Eno was already familiar as someone who could take the sounds of others and warp them into lush, sonic landscapes. His work with Fripp pre-dated his ambient albums by a few years.
No Pussyfooting has two parts - The Heavenly Music Corporation - a perfect title - which is Fripp's drone notes, overlayed with his unique soloing, more reminiscent of classical violin than anything rock or blues based. The tones have harsh overdriven edges but they seem rich and golden as they echo and roll around between the speakers.
Part two - Swastika Girls - is slightly stranger and less accessible, but equally enjoyable to my ears. Similar approach of sound-on-sound, echo tape loops, long drone notes dissolving slowly into each other but this time less melodic, more abstract, beginning with the sound of laughing insects and drifting into bright sunlight, more delicate, picked guitar notes cascading around each other. In comes full-on Fripp guitar, hard to describe but completely wonderful to me. At 18 minutes 42 seconds it seems to finish all too soon.
Highly recommended. Not as relaxing as some, but beautiful as hell.
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17849252
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