You need this album. You just do. I could just leave it at that, but I will elaborate a little. I was at this concert - Royal Albert Hall, December 1993 - and it was one of the most amazing gigs I've ever attended. Never have I felt so emotional at a gig, never has the music spoken to me in this way. I know that sounds a bit farty, but please bear with me! A few years earlier Robert Fripp had asked David Sylvian (ex singer with Japan and now a successful and innovative solo artist) to front a new version of Fripp's band King Crimson. Probably wisely Sylvian declined but the pair agreed to work together, first on series of improvised concerts in Japan and Italy in 1992 where they developed a stunning selection of new music, then on a fully fledged album project with a full band. This was issued in 1993 as The First Day and is well worth getting hold of. Fripp's muscular guitar work suits Sylvian's vocals surprisingly well. Missing from the album, strangely, were the ballads that they had been playing. Thankfully the tour in late 1993 saw the inclusion of these. This live album - Damage - contains the best First Day tracks - "Brightness Falls" is especially good live, some Sylvian classics - a heartbreaking version of "Wave" is a highlight - and "The First Day" which didn't make the studio album but which is so lovely. But best of all is the song "Damage". Arguably the best thing Sylvian has ever written, certainly his best ever vocal, this song reduced me to tears in the Albert Hall, and continues to do so every time I play it - which is a lot! Backed by some shimmering Frippian soundscapes and some tasteful embellishments by Trey Gunn on the chapman stick, Sylvian gives this everything he's got. That deep and reassuring croon is tender and highly emotional and there is an awed silence at the end of this hugely affecting ballad. Worth the album price just for this track alone. The rest of the album is great though. This version of Damage is the remixed Sylvian version. The original release contained a Fripp mix but that was only a limited edition. The Fripp mix however contained a storming version of "Darshan" which Sylvian replaced with more sedate take on "Jean The Birdman". But even this questionable decision can't take anything away from the sheer brilliance of this album. Please buy it now and transform your life!
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