Friends & Enemies | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | June 1999 | |||
Recorded | July 1979, October 1983, October 1984 (live sets), January 1999 | |||
Venue | Wolfgangs, San Francisco; McCabe's, Santa Monica; Kuuwumba Jazz Society, Santa Cruz | |||
Studio | Mobius Music, San Francisco | |||
Genre | Experimental music, free improvisation, noise | |||
Length | 158:50 | |||
Label | Cuneiform (US) | |||
Producer | Henry Kaiser, Fred Frith | |||
Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser chronology | ||||
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Fred Frith chronology | ||||
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Friends & Enemies is a 1999 double-CD compilation album of studio and live material by Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser. It contains the complete collaborative recordings of Frith and Kaiser from 1979 to 1999, namely their two studio albums With Friends Like These (1979) and Who Needs Enemies? (1983), an unreleased live album recorded in 1984, and new studio tracks recorded in 1999. The album was released by Cuneiform Records in June 1999.
Oliver DiCicco was the engineer for Frith and Kaiser's two collaborative albums, With Friends Like These and Who Needs Enemies? at Mobius Music in San Francisco, and for the 1999 studio sessions, also at Mobius Music. DiCicco wrote in the Friends & Enemies liner notes that during these recording sessions he "was free to become part of the creative team in a way that transcended mere audio engineering". [1] He said that this creativity "enriched my life and inspired my own artistry". [1]
DiCicco noted that the duo "possess a very special chemistry", with Frith contributing "compositional and melodic aesthetic", and Kaiser adding "an unfettered approach to sound and guitar technique". [1] While making With Friends Like These in 1979, and Who Needs Enemies? in 1983, DiCicco recognized the significance of what they were doing. But it was only during the 1999 studio sessions that he realised how "far ahead of their time" those recording were. [1] DiCicco said their utilization of noise "predates most of the 'out' genre that followed", and the LinnDrum programming on Who Needs Enemies? and the unreleased live album "predated the '90s drum 'n' bass music by more than a decade". [1]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Exclaim! | Favorable [3] |
In a review of Friends & Enemies in AllMusic, Rick Anderson described Frith and Kaiser's first collaboration, With Friends Like These as "one of the defining documents of the downtown avant-garde scene", and said their improvised duets "essentially redefined the sound of the guitar". [2] He complimented Cuneiform Records on including all of the duo's recorded work in this compilation, and called it "a must for noise fans, skronk hounds, and adventurous guitarheads". [2]
Writing in Exclaim! , David Lewis described the evolution of Frith and Kaiser's collaborations, from the Derek Bailey-inspired improvisations with "skewed riff and oddball time signatures" in With Friends Like These, to their inclusion of drum machines and other technologies in Who Needs Enemies? and their unreleased live album—which Lewis said gave their music "a dated and cheesy appeal", to their latest collaborations in 1999 where they blend new technologies with the "purity and beauty" of their first album. [3] Lewis called Friends & Enemies "essential guitar music", and "[a] gem". [3]
All music by Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser, except where noted.
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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1. | "It Moves ..." | With Friends Like These (1979) | 2:07 |
2. | "The Changing of Names" | With Friends Like These | 5:47 |
3. | "It Sings" | With Friends Like These | 5:40 |
4. | "Believing What We Read" | With Friends Like These | 3:02 |
5. | "...But Does It Swing?" | With Friends Like These | 3:31 |
6. | "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues" (Nehemiah "Skip" James) | Who Needs Enemies? (1983) | 3:31 |
7. | "The Golden Eighties" | Who Needs Enemies? | 5:46 |
8. | "Everyday Objects" | Who Needs Enemies? | 2:49 |
9. | "The Kirghiz Light" | Who Needs Enemies? | 4:55 |
10. | "Special Rider Blues" (James) | Who Needs Enemies? | 4:31 |
11. | "Drowsy Maggie" | Unreleased live album (recorded 1984) | 4:06 |
12. | "An HK Guitar Solo" (Kaiser) | Unreleased live album | 3:32 |
13. | "Strandloper" | Unreleased live album | 1:17 |
14. | "Major Nichols" | Unreleased live album | 3:53 |
15. | "The Live Trace" | Unreleased live album | 4:38 |
16. | "See Over" | Unreleased studio sessions (recorded 1999) | 9:05 |
17. | "Fourth Rail" | Unreleased studio sessions | 5:13 |
18. | "Squirrely" | Unreleased studio sessions | 2:56 |
19. | Untitled (hidden track [lower-alpha 1] ) | Unreleased studio sessions | 1:36 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Twisted Memories Give Way to the Angry Present" | With Friends Like These(1979) | 3:53 |
2. | "Black Glass" | With Friends Like These | 5:28 |
3. | "Third Rail" | With Friends Like These | 3:28 |
4. | "Three Languages" | With Friends Like These | 9:29 |
5. | "One of Nature's Mistakes" | Who Needs Enemies?(1983) | 2:07 |
6. | "Roy Rogers" | Who Needs Enemies? | 5:00 |
7. | "The Confession" | Who Needs Enemies? | 3:56 |
8. | "Objects Everyday" | Who Needs Enemies? | 2:50 |
9. | "Wool and Water" | Who Needs Enemies? | 4:12 |
10. | "The Trace" | Who Needs Enemies? | 2:53 |
11. | "Life in Hell" | Unreleased live album (recorded 1984) | 5:37 |
12. | "The Incarceration" | Unreleased live album | 5:39 |
13. | "An FF Bass Solo" (Frith) | Unreleased live album | 2:38 |
14. | "John S. French" | Unreleased live album | 3:32 |
15. | "Fifteen Blues" | Unreleased live album | 4:34 |
16. | "Dog Puppet Born Out of a Sock" | Unreleased live album | 2:07 |
17. | "Reading Glasses" | Unreleased studio sessions (recorded 1999) | 2:03 |
18. | "A Portrait of the Artists as Two Old Men" | Unreleased studio sessions | 7:06 |
19. | Untitled (hidden track [lower-alpha 2] ) | Unreleased studio sessions | 1:11 |
Sources: Liner notes, [1] Discogs, [4] Fred Frith discography. [5]
This compilation has two hidden tracks not listed in the liner notes: [6]
Sources: Liner notes, [1] Discogs, [4] Fred Frith discography. [5]
Sources: Liner notes, [1] Discogs, [4] Fred Frith discography. [5]
Henry Kaiser is an American guitarist and composer, known as an idiosyncratic soloist, a sideman, an ethnomusicologist, and a film score composer. Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music, Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He is considered a member of the "second generation" of American free improvisers. He is married to Canadian artist Brandy Gale. He is the son of Henry J. Kaiser Jr. and the grandson of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser.
Guitar Solos 3 is the third in a series of three albums of improvised guitar solos by various musicians, and was released in the United States by Rift Records in 1979. Fred Frith coordinated and produced the series, which began with his 1974 debut solo album, Guitar Solos.
Gravity is a 1980 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith from Henry Cow and Art Bears. It was Frith's second solo album and his first since the demise of Henry Cow in 1978. It was originally released in the United States on LP record on the Residents's Ralph record label and was the first of three solo albums Frith made for the label.
Speechless is a 1981 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith of the group Henry Cow. It was Frith's third solo album, and was originally released in the United States on LP record on the Residents' Ralph record label. It was the second of three solo albums Frith made for the label.
Fred Frith appears on over 400 recordings. This is a selection from bands he was/is a member of, collaborations with other bands and musicians, and his solo recordings. The year indicates when the album was first released. For a comprehensive discography, see the Discography of Fred Frith by Michel Ramond, Patrice Roussel and Stephane Vuilleumier.
Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall is a 1973 live double album by various artists recorded at an October 1973 Greasy Truckers concert at the Dingwalls Dance Hall at Camden Lock in Camden Town, London. The concert featured four bands, Camel, Henry Cow, Global Village Trucking Company and Gong, and was recorded with Virgin Records' "Manor Mobile" recording truck.
The Muffins were an American Maryland-based progressive rock/avant-jazz group. They were formed in Washington, DC in the early 1970s and recorded four albums before disbanding in 1981. In 1998 the group reformed and recorded a further five albums and a DVD. The Muffins played at Symphony Space on Broadway in NYC with Marion Brown in 1979, and also performed at a number of festivals, starting with the ZU Manifestival in New York City in 1978, The Villa Celimontana festival in Rome, Italy in 2000, two appearances at Progday in 2001 and 2002, NEARfest in 2005, and the "Rock in Opposition" festival in France in 2009. In 2010, the Muffins headlined at Progday, making a third appearance at this long running festival.
Angels on the Edge of Time is a 2015 collaborative live album of musical improvisations by Lindsay Cooper, Fred Frith, Gianni Gebbia and Lars Hollmer. It was recorded on 30 May 1992 at the AngelicA Festival Internazionale di Musica in Bologna, Italy, and released by I Dischi di Angelica in January 2015. This is the only album released by the quartet.
Ironic Universe is a 2006 double album of prepared guitar music by Janet Feder and Fred Frith. It comprises a studio CD of solo tracks by Feder and duo improvisations by Feder and Frith, and a live DVD of solo performances by Frith and Feder filmed in Colorado. It was released by Dave Kerman's Ad Hoc Records on January 1, 2006.
The Stone: Issue Two is a 2007 live album of improvised experimental music by Fred Frith and Chris Cutler. It was recorded at The Stone in New York City on 15 December 2006 and was one of four CDs released between 2006 and 2010 by Tzadik Records to raise funds for The Stone. It was Frith and Cutler's fourth collaborative album.
2 Gentlemen in Verona is a 2000 live album of improvised experimental music by Chris Cutler and Fred Frith. It was recorded Verona, Italy on 16 April 1999 and released by Recommended Records in April 2000. It was Frith and Cutler's third collaborative album.
Live in Trondheim, Berlin & Limoges, Vol. 2 is a 1994 live album of improvised experimental music by Chris Cutler and Fred Frith. It was recorded in Limoges, France on 13 December 1979; at the Nordlydd Contemporary Music Festival in Trondheim, Norway on 16 October 1991; and in Tacheles, Berlin, Germany on 2 November 1991. The album was released by Recommended Records in 1994. It was Frith and Cutler's second collaborative album.
Live in Prague and Washington is a live album of improvised experimental music by Chris Cutler and Fred Frith. It was recorded at the 8th Prague "Jazz Days" Festival in Prague in former Czechoslovakia on 25 May 1979, and at the DC Space in Washington, D.C., on 20 December 1979. The album was released by Recommended Records in 1983 on a 45 rpm 12" LP. It was Frith and Cutler's first collaborative duo album.
Dalaba Frith Glick Rieman Kihlstedt, also stylized as DalabaFrithGlickRiemanKihlstedt, is a 2003 studio album of improvised experimental music by Lesli Dalaba, Fred Frith, Eric Glick Rieman and Carla Kihlstedt. It was recorded at Guerrilla Recording in Oakland, California, and was released by Accretions Records in San Diego, California in 2003.
Storytelling: Live at Theater Gütersloh is a 2017 live album by English guitarist Fred Frith. It was performed by Frith in a trio with Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker and Swiss percussionist Samuel Dühsler on 18 March 2017 at the Theater Gütersloh in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The recording was released on 18 August 2017 by Intuition in Germany as Volume 12 of its European Jazz Legends series.
With Friends Like These is a 1979 studio album of improvised experimental music by Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser. It was recorded in July 1979, and was released on LP by Metalanguage Records later that year. It was Frith and Kaiser's first collaborative album, and was followed in 1983 by Who Needs Enemies?
Who Needs Enemies? is a 1983 studio album of improvised experimental music by Henry Kaiser and Fred Frith. It was recorded in October 1983, and was released on LP by Metalanguage Records later that year. It was Kaiser and Frith's second collaborative album, following on from their first, With Friends Like These in 1979.
French Gigs is a 1983 live collaborative album of improvised experimental music by Lol Coxhill and Fred Frith. It was recorded live in France in Limoges and Poitiers in October 1978, and in Reims in 1981. The album was released on LP by AAA in 1983, on CD by AYAA in 1991, and again on CD by Klanggalerie in 2020. The 1991 release includes a new track recorded via correspondence in 1991–92 by Coxhill in London and Frith in Munich, while the 2020 release includes the extra 1991 track, plus another new track recorded in Aubervilliers, France in 1999, the last performance by Coxhill and Frith. The 2020 release was re-mastered by Myles Boison.
Upbeat is a 1999 live and studio album by the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet, an American-based contemporary classical and experimental music guitar quartet comprising Fred Frith, René Lussier, Nick Didkovsky and Mark Stewart. It is their second album, after Ayaya Moses (1997), and was released by Canadian record label, Ambiances Magnétiques. The live material was drawn from concerts the quartet had performed in Germany, Switzerland, France and Spain in November 1997. The studio tracks were recorded at Tonstudio Amann in Vienna, Austria, also in November 1997.
The Henry Cow Box Redux: The Complete Henry Cow is a seventeen-CD plus one-DVD box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow; it was released by RēR Megacorp in November 2019. The box set comprises the previously released 2006 Henry Cow Box and the 2009 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set, totalling over sixteen hours. A bonus CD: Ex Box – Collected Fragments 1971–1978 was given to advance subscribers of the 2019 Box Redux, and contains newly recovered and previously unreleased recordings, plus the contents of the 2006 box set bonus CD-single: "Unreleased Orckestra Extract". The 2019 Box Redux plus the Ex Box bonus CD contains all the officially released studio and live recordings of Henry Cow, excluding "Bellycan" as released on the 1991 East Side Digital version of Legend, and the complete version of "The Glove" from the 1991 East Side Digital version of Unrest.