TURN-ONS AND TURN OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists Live!” Editions EG. The English musician-theoretician is a cerebral kinda guy, so it’s not surprising that the concept here is more interesting than the concert: 17 students (from beginner to professional) from Fripp’s guitar school in West Virginia are challenged (Fripp’s big on challenging his charges) with a short-notice series of concerts in Washington. The result is a long stretch of plectrum-plucked minimalism that at its best soothes with an Oriental spareness. The monotony that soon sets in is countered by a sound so rich and clear you can almost smell the rosewood.