Giles, Giles & Fripp The Cheerful Insanity Of: The Songs

Giles, Giles & Fripp's 1968 Debut Album The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp: The Songs on 200g Import LP. Now Reissued With the Spoken Word Sections Removed. Newly Remastered by David Singleton. Cut by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering.

The first standalone release of the songs from Giles, Giles & Fripp’s 1968 debut album, now with spoken word sections removed. New 2025 remaster by David Singleton. Vinyl cut by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering. LP pressed on 200-gram super heavyweight vinyl.

While 1967 is rightly remembered for an abundance of classic albums, there were also quieter debut LPs emerging, signaling popular music’s imminent changes to a more rock-oriented, musician-centered approach. It was also the year that Robert Fripp applied for a ‘singing organist’ role advertised by brothers Peter and Michael Giles, despite having no experience either as a singer or organist.

Experiencing a few challenges and disappointments on the way, the year was an exciting one for the trio, who recorded a series of demo tapes which eventually led to them being offered a record deal with Decca Records. In 1968, The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp album was released, bringing a mix of folk and psychedelic pop interspersed with Goon-ish humor, a slightly confusing cocktail of seriousness and comedy but nonetheless an album showing some beautiful harmonies and fine guitar playing. For all its lack of commercial success, the album has been reissued on several occasions – though never in an edition that focuses purely on the songs. For this updated 2025 release, the somewhat dated spoken word/humorous interludes have been removed which has allowed for the songs to flow as an album revealing it as a charming, sometimes whimsical example of late British psychedelic music.