Frith, Fred

Average customer rating:

In These Metal Days
four and one half stars.
A diamond in the rough of transition
Man in transition.
Another Eno World

Before and After Science
Brian Eno , Bill MacCormick , Brian Turrington , Paul Rudolph , Brian Eno , Achim / Moebius, Mobi Eno Brian / Roedelius , Dave Mattacks , Jaki Liebezeit , Phil Collins , Fred Frith , Phil Manzanera , Robert Fripp , Achim Roedelius , and Percy Jones
Manufacturer: Astralwerks
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Another Green World
Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy
Here Come the Warm Jets
Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Discreet Music

ASIN: B00022LRXA
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Tracks:

No One Receiving
Backwater
Kurt's Rejoinder
Energy Fools The Magician
King's Lead Hat
Here He Comes
Julie With...
By This River
Through Hollow Lands (For Harold Budd)
Spider And I

Customer Reviews:

In These Metal Days.......2007-06-11

With this album, Brian Eno left behind pop songwriting to embark upon his "ambient music" period. B&AS makes a wonderful farewell to pop music and stands as his most complete pop album. Although the structure of the original album has been lost with the move to CD format, it is worth remembering that the first 5 songs appeared on side 1 of the album and the remainder on side 2. Viewed from this perspective, it is tempting to relate the title to the album structure: side 1 is wild and manic, while side 2 is calm and melodic. There are parallels in the number of songs and the number of instrumentals. Although Eno never considered hiself a musician, his underrated singing is put to great use on this album, and his songwriting skill is clearly in evidence. Others have given detailed descriptions of the songs, so I will restrict myself to the highlights: the typical lyrical silliness of "Backwater," hearing Kurt Schwitters's infamous "Ur Sonata" -- and more silly lyrics -- on "Kurt's Rejoinder" (presaging Eno's found music experiments of "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts") and the placid beauty of "Spider and I."

Fans of Eno's ambient music will find much to like here and fans who come by way of Roxy Music and/or "Here Come the Warm Jets" will find a quieter, more thoughful and complex album in "Before and After Science." This is music that rewards repeated listening and which, nearly 30 years after its debut, still seems timely and interesting.

four and one half stars........2007-02-25

quirky funk (no one receiving), fingerpoppin' pop (backwater), early leanings toward ambient sounds (energy fools the magician and through hollow lands), and a generous helping of gorgeous slow-tempo numbers have this album from 1977 jumping all over the place, which is fine with me. this is creative music that is easily accessible, completely listenable. "another green world" seems to be the eno album from his song-based (pre-ambient) period that most people latch onto as his masterpiece, but i would argue that "before and after science" gives that outstanding lp a run for its money. great art-rock. highly recommended.

A diamond in the rough of transition.......2006-06-03

Most reviewers have pointed out the presence of upbeat songs, ethereal lyrical explorations, and all out ambience on this album, and it's definitely full of gorgeous examples of all three. Although this is often classified as a transitional album because it houses so many varieties of songs, I think they work stunningly well together; While his first two solo albums are truly wonderful, the constant up-tempo pace was a bit relentless. "Another Green World" introduced the ambience to stunning effect, but I think the amalgamation of each style is fully realized on this album. The styles of song are interspersed just enough to balance the album out, and really "take you places". Plus, the songs in each style on this album can certainly rival the best of Eno's previous three albums: "Backwater" and "kurt's Rejoinder" match any highlight off "Warm Jets" or "Tiger Mountain", while "Here he Comes" and "Spider and I" easily match "Another Green World" in pure ethereal aesthetic. Moreover, everything on this album is quite catchy, and almost certainly mood-inducing. Just get it already!

Man in transition........2005-06-14

Brian Eno's "Before and After Science", his last song-based album until the about-to-be-released (June, 2005) "Another Day on Earth" is in many ways the album you would hope it would be, reflective of his past, pointing in some ways to the future, very much texture-oriented music. On the other hand, while it has its moments, it fails to capture the immediacy of "Here Come the Warm Jets" or the beauty of "Discreet Music", but its still a great listen.

The album is really two sides, the first being more energetic, the second being a bit more ambient in feel. On the first side, there are three things that immediately draw you in-- the first is an overt use of vocal harmonies-- Eno's vocals are almost always in a harmony form with two or three voices singing the line ("No One Receiving", melodic pop song "Here He Comes"). The second is bassist Percy Jones, whose playing on a few of the tracks, in particular "Kurt's Rejoinder", is nothing short of astonishing. The third is the use of space-- look no further than standout "Energy Fools the Magician", where the four piece (Eno, Jones, drummer Phil Collins back when he was a drummer and guitarist Fred Frith) manipulate space as a fifth instrument to amazing effect.

The second side is much more in line with the ambient work of Eno's most recent albums-- a overwhelming feel of haunted ambient with vocals dominates. The entire side is full of fantastic material, from the haunted "Julie With..." to the lyrically brilliant and dark "Spider and I".

Overall, its a rewarding album that finds an artist caught in between forms, but even in transition, his brilliance shines through. Recommended.

Another Eno World.......2005-03-24

The last in Eno's series of quirky, unique albums from the 70's before he moved totally into ambient music and expored his "rock" side only through production of other artists.

Like the titles that came before, Before and After Science finds Eno stringing together a series of offbeat numbers ranging from rock to pop to ambient and everything in between. This record was sequenced with most of the more ambient numbers at the end, unlike Another Green World's free admixture of styles. I personally liked the AGW way better, but fortunately we have the option these days of programming the songs in any order we want, so problem solved.

Eno's star-studded array of collaborators had become as legendary as his skewed sense of pop by this point, with everyone from Phil Manzanera to Phil Collins to Robert Fripp sitting in on this one. They were Eno veterans, but Eno's concurrent interest in German art-rock brings Can's Jaki Liebzeit and Moebius and Roedelius from Cluster to the table on Before and After Science.

My favourite moments: The atmospheric but too-short "Energy Fools the Magician" with the Brand X rhythm section of Percy Jones and Collins, with Fred Frith. The frantic new wave single "King's Lead Hat" (an anagram of Talking Heads) with Fripp. And all of the old "side 2" especially the beautiful "By This River" with Cluster. The piano has haunted me since I first heard it way-back-when, and I enjoy playing it myself. The closing "Spider and I" summons up a massive wall of synths-n-bass, and Eno's resigned vocal is quite fitting as he was about to leave the rock world (as a performer) for a very, very long time.

I have the earlier CD edition and to tell you the truth I don't notice anything radically different about the remaster, so the cheaper original CD might be a good bargain unless you're a real audiophile.

The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone

Average customer rating:

Lots of variety
Zorn's first masterpiece
Definitely a must-have Zorn album!
This is the first major Zorn album
Yes, better than the original

The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone

Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Naked City
Bar Kokhba
Moonchild
At the Mountains of Madness
The Circle Maker [2-CD Set]

ASIN: B00004W3KY
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Tracks:

The Big Gundown
Peur Sur La Ville
Poverty (Once Upon A Time In America)
Milano Odea
Erotico (The Burglars)
Battle Of Algiers
Giu La Testa (Duck You Sucker!)
Metamorfosi (La Classe Operaia Va In Paradiso)
Tre Nel 5000
Once Upon A Time In The West
The Sicilian Clan
Macchie Solari
The Ballad Of Hank McCain (Vocal)
Svegliatti & Uccidi
Chi Mai
The Ballad Of Hank McCain (Instrumental)

Amazon.com

As if John Zorn's super-creative take on film composer Ennio Morricone weren't essential in its first iteration on Nonesuch Records, Zorn is celebrating the album's 15th anniversary with an updated, remastered version. The darker lows and brighter highs make this Gundown clearly superior--with its original cast of characters (Bill Frisell, Arto Lindsay, Diamanda Galas, and many more) sounding alternately darker, sultrier, and more cinematic than ever. Zorn's reticence to record the original album's 10 pieces looks altogether unreasonable, as his genius for adding color and dimension to Morricone's tunes shows profusely. To make this an even better deal, there are six new bonus tracks that feature Marc Ribot as part of an ad hoc string quartet on "The Sicilian Clan" and "Chi Mai," and as sparring partner with British avant guitar god Derek Bailey on the roaring "Svegliatti and Uccidi." This one's magnificently important. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Lots of variety.......2007-06-10

John Zorn stepped away from his game piece albums and began to get into more conventional songs with "The Big Gundown". A set of 15 Ennio Morricone songs, and one Zorn-penned homage to a Morricone song, it's a difficult album to classify. Zorn is usually characterized as jazz, but this is a long long way from Louis Armstrong, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of improvisation. Zorn himself performs only on a minority of the songs. He's more of a producer-arranger. But, even if he isn't playing the alto sax, these songs bear Zorn's unmistakeable imprint. There's an original 1985 section, and Zorn added some bonus songs in 2000.

Let's describe all the songs since the music sample is often deceptive for this CD. "The Big Gundown" aims for creepy. There are ominous piano chords, dissonant noises, and screams. The music resolves somewhat when a Brazilian percussion section begins, and ends with some Rawhide-esque "ha"'s. "Peur Sur La Ville" is built around an unsettling piano figure and noises. It has a unconventional free-jazz aura to it. "Poverty" is a quiet song based on Toots Thielman's whistling. "Milano Odeo" is a catchy, almost rock-n-roll song taken at a brisk pace. As the song goes on, the keyboards get more unsettling and the guitar gets noisier. "Erotico" has bluesy organ, and Bill Frisell's most romantic electric guitar (in an '80's way) paired with female vocalizations. "Battle Of Algiers" might be my favorite (maybe just because of the represented movies I've seen it's my favorite). Wayne Horvitz pounds out the tense piano line while sounds effects explode in the background. "Giu La Testa" has a slow build for about four minutes, then there's a plucking, walking part to take the song out. "Metamorfosi" is a good song to play when you want guests to leave, Diamanda Galas screams on top of tribal drums. "Tre Nel 5000" is credited to Zorn as a composer. To me, it sounds like a 4 1/2 minute dose of ambient noise. "Once Upon A Time In The West" starts quietly and deliberately, with feedback swelling and decaying. Robert Quine and Jody Harris play their guitars otherwise very minimalistically (not minimally, the feedback is constant). That ends the 1985 section of the CD.

The 2000 section uses an updated cast of players. "The Sicilian Clan" is familiar from the "Naked City" CD, though the instrumentation is more acoustic, and Cyro Baptista adds "western movie" percussion. "Macchie Solari" is another unsettling song. It ends in a fit of crashing piano chords and screams. "The Ballad Of Hank McCain" teams Mike Patton's heroic baritone with Jamie Saft's organ and Baptista's background congas. It's one of the more accessible songs, I wonder what it would sound like with a fuller band. The later instrumental version sounds about the same except, of course, without singing. "Svegliatti And Uccidi", with Marc Ribot and Derek Bailey on guitar-mangling duties, is a skronky blow-out. "Chi Mai", with the same musicians as "The Sicilian Clan", has a pretty melody and gentle music.

Some of these songs are very cool and original, others I can go without. Since it's a mixed bag I give it three stars. Zorn is certainly an original, and fans will want to make sure they have this one.

Zorn's first masterpiece.......2005-04-30

One of the best albums in Zorn's catalog, "The Big Gundown" is a masterpiece augmented in this 15th anniversary edition with a number of new recordings. These are reinterpretations of Mooricone pieces (with one Zorn original) for various groups. The entire record is powerful and energetic, with breathtaking arrangements, brilliant performances, and a fire that had not been captured in Zorn's previous recordings. It is also probably his first true masterpiece.

I think in many ways, the opener and title track best illustrates the aesthetic on the record, if you don't like that one, you'll probably not care for the rest of it-- it covers a number of moods, being dark, haunting, theatrical, explosive and esoteric, sometimes all at once. This sort of theatrical mood extends across a number of songs, the haunting circular piano and percussion workout "Peur Sur la Ville" (with a blazing alto sax solo from Tim Berne), an the dark electric guitar workout take of "Once Upon a Time in the West", reduced a funereal pace.

But there are also many moments of delicate beauty as well-- take for instance "Poverty (Once Upon a Time in America)", with an unusual instrumentation of whistling, harmonica (both handled by Toots Theilman), harp and accordian. Particularly when the harmonica takes the melody, the support swells and embraces and holds on, expressing pain and loss and fear for the future. Or consider the brooding and yet someone still light "Giu la Testa (Duck You Sucker!)", building anticipation through its dark motifs and bizarre instrumentation (among others, the Japanese shamisen, english horn, acoustic guitar, gamecalls and keyboards).

The bonus tracks are no less essential-- Zorn brought in about everyone he played with for the originals, these were a chance to catch up. The amazing thing about Zorn is that as an arranger, he's lost none of his flair in the intervening years, in fact, he may have even gotten better. Zorn uses his "Bar Kokhba" sextet (the Masada String Trio augmented by guitarist Marc Ribot, drummer Joey Baron and percussionist Cyro Baptista) to great effect on breathtaking arrangements of "The Sicilian Clan" and "Chi Mai", and adds another great guitar workout feature with Ribot and Derek Bailey in a noisy, disjoint take of "Sveggliatti and Uccidi", but its Mike Patton's Tom growl on "The Ballad of Hank McCain" that is the gem of the material-- stunning delivery that really captures something special (and may be the best vocal Patton has ever done) over a delicate organ (Jamie Saft) and percussion (Baptista) backdrop that matches and perhaps outstrips the best of the original material.

This is essential music for Zorn fans, if you're not, this may well be a good place to start-- the music can be difficult, and it covers a ton of moods, but there is a lot to hear. Highly recommended.

Definitely a must-have Zorn album!.......2004-04-27

I've got about 30 Zorn albums, and this was the first I heard, back in college late during an all-nighter. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Fantastic stuff, and very weird. This is more listenable than some, but definitely not the most easy of Zorn's albums. Great treatments of some familiar pieces if you're into spaghetti westerns.

This is on my must-have list for Zorn albums.

This is the first major Zorn album.......2003-03-15

Back in the mid-1980s, Zorn wrote new arrangements of Ennio Morricone's soundtrack music. He hired the best musicians to play the songs. Then, in 2000, he remastered the old album and filled out the disc with five more Morricone songs.

The result is CD that's all over the place, ranging from beautiful to ugly, from very complex to painfully simple. "Chi Mai," for example is a song you'll listen to over and over. It never gets old. But then there's "Metamorfosi," in which a woman howls and screams over the sound of slowly pounding drums.

Yes, better than the original.......2002-08-14

I just recently took the plunge on this reissue of the Big Gundown, comparing it to my original Nonesuch CD, and the new one is a winner. The music is obviously the same, and great it still is, but I always regretted the thickness of sound and low-level mastering of the original CD. The reissue has cleaned, brightened and polished the sound to a much higher level, it blossoms immediately in the ears and is now superb. The additional tracks are a treat too, Chi Mai is one of Morricone's greatest and pithiest themes, although the manner of the new material is fairly straight-ahead. Also nice is the extensive liner notes, an addition from the original release and a departure for many other Tzadik-Zorn recordings. Zorn fans should go for this in an instant, as should the Zorn-curious. This is his single greatest and most important record.

Tracks:

Glass: Paru River [Aguas da Amazonia] - Ensemble: Uakti
Chopin: Waltz No. 7 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2 - Piano: Dmitri Alexeev
Ten Long Years - B.B. King, Eric Clapton
Iguazu - Gustavo Santaolalla
Norketsou Bar - Winds of Passion
Pink Shoes - Fred Firth, Thomas Bloch
Rachmaninov: 1. Moderato [Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18] -Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen Piano: Yefim Bronfman The Philharmonica
Satie: No. 1 Lent [Gnossiennes Arranged by Claude Chaloub] - Daryl Johnson, Michael Brook, The String Octet Violin: Claude Chaloub
Run - Fred Firth, Thomas Bloch
Brahms: Waltz, Op. 39, No. 15 - Piano: Katia Lab, Marielle Labe
El Carretero - Gonzalo Grau
Sweet - Fred Firth, Thomas Bloch
Yeghishi Bar - Yeghish Monaukian
12/12 - Cafacuba, Kronos Quartet
Fawn - Fred Firth, Thomas Bloch

Album Description

From "Orlando" to "The Tango Lesson" and onward, director Sally Potter has always been closely involved with the soundtracks to her films--with outstanding results. This score for "Yes" is no different, as it weaves diverse music--including Philip Glass, Gustavo Santaolalla, Kronos Quartet, "Fawn" (by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan), and Eric Clapton with BB King--into both a superb tapestry for this motion picture and as a compelling listening experience on its own.

Further original music by Sally Potter was made with the participation of long-term collaborator, the celebrated guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith, who has played on Sally's last four films. Frith has composed for Ensemble Modern and Asko Ensemble amongst others. Best known world-wide as an improvising guitarist, he played on albums ranging from The Residents and Reni Lussier to Brian Eno and Amy Denio.

Customer Reviews:

An aural journey through diverse cultures.......2005-06-28

Quite an eclectic mix of artists and music. I am not sure this CD is for everyone...

From hypnotic instrumentals to howling blues to middle eastern influenced dances to chill dance grooves to classical piano to latin salsa, the soundtrack takes you on an aural journey through diverse cultures. I'm sure it reflects the culture clash depicted in the movie's storyline.

Listening to the sample tracks (at Barnes & Noble.com) makes me wish that I lived in a more culturally diverse area... This is the type of movie I have to watch on DVD because theaters won't risk showing independent films here.

To find the sample tracks at B&N search for "Yes" as the title, then sort the results by "date released". Since it just came out, it should be near the top of the list. Enjoy.

BTW, my 4-star rating is based only on the sample tracks I was able to hear.

Average customer rating:

sonic~textural~evokative

Rivers and Tides: Working With Time

Manufacturer: Winter & Winter
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers & Tides
Clearing
Step Across the Border
Touch the Sound - A Sound Journey With Evelyn Glennie

ASIN: B0000953PX
Release Date: 2003-08-05

Tracks:

Part I.
Part II.
Part III.
Part IV.
Part V.
Part VI.
Part VII.
Part VIII.

Customer Reviews:

sonic~textural~evokative.......2003-08-19

Stunning minimalism with sonorous spice. With the first handful of notes played in the beginning of the sound score for this film, I knew straight away that I must have this music in my collection. The film is wonderful enough as is, however, adding Frith's magical composing makes the film and Andy Goldsworthy's work all the more intriguing. I am familiar with Frith's work along side John Zorn, but this is another level. Thanks to Amazon we're able to have this at lower price! One last thing, the packaging of this CD is also quite unique, very inventive.

Average customer rating:

Nous Autres
Fred Frith & René Lussier
Manufacturer: Victo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00002MWDR
Release Date: 1995-11-01

Tracks:

Cage de Verre
Same Wide Wall
Vinegar Minutes
Ketsui
Plaisirs Instantan
Fun in America
Iceberg
Solo en Rineur
De Mire
Two Squares and Three Circles
Assuming They're Human
Cage de Fer
J'Aime la Musique
Poignde Clous
Domaine Revisited
Riaville Bump

Average customer rating:

Downtown superstardom

Allies

Manufacturer: Rer
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Clearing
Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall

ASIN: B0006NCWX4
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Tracks:

Rifka
Small Mercy 1
Nenad
A Rock And A Hard Place
Davor And Dzeneta
Small Mercy 2

Customer Reviews:

Downtown superstardom.......2005-06-12

First off, this is a band to die for: George Cartwright, founder and leader of that iconoclast outfit, Curlew, on alto sax; Tom Cora, downtown legend, on cello; Joey Baron, one of the most sophisticatedly swinging drummers around; and leader Frith, on bass, guitar, violin, keyboards, drum machine, and tape manipulations. Really, this disc would be worth acquiring just for aggregation of musicians playing together.

But a lot more than just downtown superstardom is going on here: There's an entirely apposite if way weird sensibility happening--the kind of dark aural soundscape Mike Patton occasionally purveys, e.g., on Delirium Cordia, but with a more recognizable song structure and compositional rigor.

Not for everyone, but anyone who digs edgy, downtown, industrial jazz will want to give a listen.

Average customer rating:

Accidental
Fred Frith
Manufacturer: Fred Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000668LK
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Tracks:

The Tangled Bank
Hit And Run
Gatto Nero
Old Geometry
Their Blood Is Black And Yellow
In A Heartbeat
Fooled Again
Accidental
Absinthe Memories (For Phil Minton)
Incoming
Almighty Home At Last

Average customer rating:

wondrous imagination from guitar innovator.
fred's a genius
Astounding player!
Astounding player!
abstract beauty

Clearing
Fred Frith
Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Shadow Behind the Iron Sun
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Death Ambient
Friends & Enemies

ASIN: B00005J72P
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Tracks:

White
Open Ocean
Chains
The Bow Moon
Minimalism
Not With Love But With Fear
Theatre
Gaifu Kaisei
Road Movie
This Earth Is A Flower
Blue

Amazon.com

Clearing is guitarist-composer-improviser Fred Frith's first solo guitar recording in over 20 years, and it's a dazzling disc. While its 11 pieces vary considerably, they hang together beautifully. Frith fully exploits the traditional qualities of his instrument but he also expands its sonic reach. Case in point: the lovely "White" recalls the playing of Nick Drake and John McLaughlin, but "Chains" could be the work of a Hollywood sound-effects artist with a particularly sharp ear. The percussive string-tapping on "Minimalism" creates a shower of dancing tones that reverberate with each other and bathe the listener in a wash of all-encompassing sound. Asian music is clearly an influence, both directly and by way of psychedelia, on a number of tracks. Clearing is a thoroughly pleasurable experimental album that will compel listeners to return to it again and again. --Fred Cisterna

Customer Reviews:

wondrous imagination from guitar innovator........2004-08-02

Fred Frith has done just about a million things in the music world, although he remains known primarily as a prime experimental guitarist. He released the groundbreaking _Guitar Solos_ back in 1974, and _Clearing_ is the first release since then that presents to us Frith unaccompanied in the spotlight.

As is to be expected, _Clearing_ is outstanding. Like the classic _Guitar Solos_, _Clearing_ explores the tonal boundaries of the guitar and draws sounds from the guitar both ugly and beautiful -- lots of sounds one might not attribute to the guitar were it not for the obvious fact that _Clearing_ is a solo guitar album. "Chains" indeed sounds like numerous chains of various sizes being dragged across a stone floor.

Although the sound is unfamiliar, Frith never fails to merge the avant-garde mind with sublime craftsmanship. He always uses the peculiar sounds of instrument to create imaginative, mesmerizing compositions. At its simplest, there is "Minimalism" -- a repetitive piece of layered, super-fast prestissimos with a truly foreboding, tense atmosphere that true black metal bands should take note. The edgy, Eastern sounding "Theatre" is the longest piece on the album, and it intuitively flows through evocative motifs comprised of complex arrays of interlocking guitar patterns, with a middle section that sounds like industrial dance music gone completely insane and "broken" (all on guitar, mind you). "This Earth Is a Flower" has a title that makes you think it will be a pretty song, but it opens with sharp, rasping noise accompanied by low machine-like grumbling that makes you think of having an acid trip in steel factory. Not pretty, but good. This song follows "Road Movie", which is downright funky in a Frithian way.

It's quite strange, but the opening piece, "White", Frith uses an unembellished guitar, and he crafts a bittersweet, somber atmosphere with unusual chord structures and erratic harmonics. Then there is "Not With Love But With Fear", my favorite piece on the album. It is a complex mix of bizarre melodies forcefully plucked over a backdrop of agitated, squealing arpeggios smeared with feedback. And it ends with some mellow Frith that makes me think of the beach. Also evocative is the appropriately named "Open Ocean", a surreal synaesthesia that uses atonal guitar sonics to evoke a vivid ocean scene. Even though lack tonal centeredness and consisting largely of scratching sounds and alien-bird-like sounds, it is somehow very beautiful, especially on the hair-raising, sporadic showers of acoustic guitar chords.

This is a must for Frith fans, but also worthwhile for fans of avant-garde guitar playing and those seeking a good introduction to Frith's massive catalogue of music.

fred's a genius.......2003-11-15

There is so much atmosphere to be found here, it could fill the space for every planet in the solar system. Frith's guitar sometimes slices, sometimes twangs, but is consistantly incredibly beautiful. I think this is his best album in recent years; his vast soundscapes (created only by his guitar!) will draw you in...please listen.

Astounding player!.......2003-01-24

For those of you that do not know the legacy of Henry Cow, Fred Frith is one of the most inventive, creative and daring with an acoustic or electric guitar beyond anything you could ever imagine. This album is an acoustic triumph for this all-too engrossing virtuoso! Some selections are simplier than others. Fred uses space to its upmost advantage. Then there are also selections of superbly placed natural studio effects intermixing with the natural guitar. If you like avant gaurd or not sure about it, but you appreciate acoustic playing, this record is a must! Awesome spin!!!

Astounding player!.......2003-01-24

abstract beauty.......2001-11-07

This is a wonderful album. It would be an excellent introduction into avantgarde music for those who generally find the genre too shrill, disturbing or disjointed. Every song here, though devoid of traditional harmony, hangs together and sounds beautiful. If you are a guitar player yourself, you will recognize many of the sounds as those which are often incidental to your playing - a scrape on the strings, an accidental hammer-on, an overtone - used to create amazing soundscapes. Good stuff.

Average customer rating:

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Fred Frith
Manufacturer: Rer
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Lo-Fi | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0006NCWWK
Release Date: 2005-01-21

Tracks:

Some Clouds Don't
Cap The Knife
Evolution
Too Much Too Little
The Welcome
Same Old Me
Some Clouds Do
Instant Party
Walking Song
Flying In The Face Of Facts
Heart Bares
Absent Friends
The Great Healer

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Music Composers

Music Composers