Fred Frith discography
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.[1]
Bands
- Legend (1973, LP, Virgin, UK)
- Unrest (1974, LP, Virgin, UK)
- Concerts (1976, 2xLP, Caroline, UK)
- Western Culture (1979, LP, Broadcast, UK)
- The Virgin Years – Souvenir Box (1991, 3xCD, East Side Digital, US)
- Henry Cow Box (2006, 7xCD, Recommended, UK)
- Stockholm & Göteborg (2008, CD, Recommended, UK)
- The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set (2009, 9xCD+DVD, Recommended, UK)
- The Henry Cow Box Redux: The Complete Henry Cow (2019, 17xCD+DVD, Recommended, UK)
Henry Cow / Slapp Happy
- Desperate Straights (1975, LP, Virgin, UK)
- In Praise of Learning (1975, LP, Virgin, UK)
- Hopes and Fears (1978, LP, Recommended, UK)
- Winter Songs (1979, LP, Recommended, UK)
- The World as It Is Today (1981, LP, Recommended, UK)
- The Art Box (2004, 6xCD, Recommended, UK)
- Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits (1980, LP, Crammed Discs, Belgium)
- Memory Serves (1981, LP, Celluloid, France)
- One Down (1982, LP, Celluloid, France)
- Live from Soundscape (1994, CD, DIW, Japan)
- Killing Time (1981, LP, Celluloid, France)
- Funny Valentine (1998, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Meltdown (2001, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Lonely Heart (2007, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Love Me Tender (2013, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Learn to Talk (1984, LP, Rift, US / Recommended, Europe)
- The Country of Blinds (1986, LP, Rift, US / Recommended, Europe)
- Learn to Talk / Country of Blinds (1990, CD, RecRec, Switzerland)
- Etymology (1997, CD-ROM, Rarefaction, US)
- Rē Records Quarterly, Vol. 1 No. 2 (1985, LP, Recommended, UK)
- Live, Love, Larf & Loaf (1987, LP, Rhino, US)
- Invisible Means (1990, LP, Demon, UK, Windham Hill, US)
- Naked City (1990, LP, Elektra/Nonesuch, US)
- Torture Garden (1990, LP, Elektra/Nonesuch, US)
- Heretic, Jeux des Dames Cruelles (1992, CD, Avant, Japan)
- Grand Guignol (1992, CD, Avant, Japan)
- Leng Tch'e (1992, CD, Toy's Factory, Japan)
- Radio (1993, CD, Avant, Japan)
- Absinthe (1993, CD, Avant, Japan)
- Naked City Live, Vol. 1: The Knitting Factory 1989 (2002, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Death Ambient (1995, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Synaesthesia (1999, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Drunken Forest (2007, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Ayaya Moses (1997, CD, Ambiances Magnétiques, Canada)
- Upbeat (1999, CD, Ambiances Magnétiques, Canada)
- Saturn's Finger (1999, CD, Buzz, Netherlands)
- Digital Wildlife (2002, CD, Winter & Winter, Germany)
- Unsquare (2008, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
- That House We Lived In (2003, 2xCD, Fred, UK)
- "Unreleased Orckestra Extract" (3" CD single, 2006, Recommended, UK)
- Ragged Atlas (2010, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
- The Letter (2012, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
- Another Day in Fucking Paradise (2016, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
- Closer to the Ground (2018, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
Studio albums
- Guitar Solos (1974, LP, Caroline, UK)
- Gravity (1980, LP, Ralph, US)
- Speechless (1981, LP, Ralph, US)
- Cheap at Half the Price (1983, LP, Ralph, US)
- Quartets (1994, CD, RecRec, Switzerland)
- Clearing (2001, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Prints: Snapshots, Postcards, Messages and Miniatures, 1987–2001 (2002, CD, Fred, UK)
- Eleventh Hour (2005, 2xCD, Winter & Winter, Germany)
- To Sail, to Sail (2008, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Clearing Customs (2011, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
Music for Dance
- The Technology of Tears (And Other Music for Dance and Theatre) (1988, 2xLP, RecRec Music, Switzerland)
- Allies (Music for Dance Volume 2) (1996, CD, RecRec, Switzerland)
- The Previous Evening (Music for Dance Volume 4) (1997, CD, Recommended, UK)[lower-alpha 1]
- Accidental (Music for Dance Volume 3) (2002, CD, Fred, UK)
- The Happy End Problem (Music for Dance Volume 5) (2006, CD, Fred, UK)
- Nowhere, Sideshow, Thin Air (Music for Dance Volume 6) (2009, CD, Fred, UK)
- Field Days (The Amanda Loops) (2015, CD, Fred, UK)
- Propaganda (2015, CD, Fred, UK)
Music for Film
- The Top of His Head (1989, LP, Crammed Discs, Belgium) – original soundtrack to the film The Top of His Head by Peter Mettler
- Step Across the Border (1990, 2xLP, RecRec, Switzerland) – original soundtrack to the film Step Across the Border by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel
- Middle of the Moment (1995, CD, RecRec, Switzerland) – original soundtrack to the film Middle of the Moment by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel
- Eye to Ear (1997, CD, Tzadik, US) – collection of film and theatre music
- Rivers and Tides (2003, CD, Winter & Winter, Germany) – original soundtrack to the film Rivers and Tides by Thomas Riedelsheimer
- Eye to Ear II (2004, CD, Tzadik, US) – music from Gambling, Gods and LSD by Peter Mettler, Returning Home by Andy Abrahams Wilson, Hirschen Mit Goldenen Hufen by Petra Mäussnest, and Sideshow by Kristin Varner
- Eye to Ear III (2010, CD, Tzadik, US) – music from Drei Gegen Troja by Hussi Kutulcan, and Thirst by Deborah Kauffman and Alan Snitow
Composer only
- Pacifica (1998, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Freedom in Fragments (2002, CD, Tzadik, US)
- Back to Life (2008, CD, Tzadik, US)
Live albums
- Live in Japan (1982, 2xLP, Recommended, Japan)
- Stone, Brick, Glass, Wood, Wire (Graphic Scores 1986–1996) (1999, CD, I Dischi di Angelica, Italy)
- Impur II (2009, CD, Fred, UK)
- Storytelling (2017, CD, Intuition, Germany)
- All Is Always Now – Live at The Stone (2019, 3xCD, Intakt, Switzerland)
- Woodwork (2019, CD, Klanggalerie, Austria)
Composer only
- Impur (2006, CD, Fred, UK)
Collaborations
With Bruce Ackley, Henry Kaiser and Aram Shelton
- Unexpected Twins (2019, CD, Relative Pitch Records, US)
With Noël Akchoté
- Réel (1996, 10" LP, Rectangle, France)
With Lotte Anker
- Edge of the Light (2014, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
With ARTE Quartett
- Still Urban (2009, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
- The Big Picture (2009, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
With Derek Bailey and Antoine Berthiaume
- Soshin (2003, CD, Ambiances Magnétiques, Canada)
With Derek Bailey, Sonny Sharrock, John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Charles K. Noyes
- Improvised Music 1981 (1992, CD, MuWorks, US)
With Anne Bourne and John Oswald
- Dearness (2002, CD, Spool, Canada)
With Anthony Braxton
- Duo (Victoriaville) 2005 (2006, CD, Les Disques Victo, Canada)
With Chris Brown
- Cutter Heads (2007, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
With John Butcher
- The Natural Order (2014, CD, Northern Spy, US)
With John Butcher and Theresa Wong
- Quintillions Green (2016, FLAC, Otoroku, UK)
With Lindsay Cooper, Lars Hollmer and Gianni Gebbia
- Angels on the Edge of Time (2015, CD, I Dischi di Angelica, Italy)
With Lol Coxhill
- French Gigs (1983, LP, AAA, France)
With Chris Cutler
- Live in Prague and Washington (1983, LP, Recommended, UK) – 1990 CD release retitled Live in Moscow, Prague & Washington
- Live in Trondheim, Berlin & Limoges, Vol. 2 (1994, CD, Recommended, UK)
- 2 Gentlemen in Verona (2000, CD, Recommended, UK)
- The Stone: Issue Two (2007, CD, Tzadik, US)
With Chris Cutler and Thomas Dimuzio
- Golden State (2010, LP, Recommended, UK)[lower-alpha 2]
With Lesli Dalaba, Eric Glick Rieman and Carla Kihlstedt
- Dalaba Frith Glick Rieman Kihlstedt (2003, CD, Accretions, US)
With Totsuzen Danball
- Live at Loft Shinjuku Tokyo Japan 23.July'81 (1982, CT, Floor, Japan)
With Evelyn Davis and Phillip Greenlief
- Lantskap Logic (2018, CD, Clean Feed, Portugal)
With Jean Derome, Pierre Tanguay and Myles Boisen
- All is Bright, But it is Not Day (2002, CD, Ambiances Magnétiques, Canada)
With Michel Doneda
- Fred Frith Michel Doneda (2014, CD, Vand'OEuvre, France)
With Mark Dresser and Ikue Mori
- Later... (2000, CD, Les Disques Victo, Canada)
With Jean-Pierre Drouet
- En Public aux Laboratoires d'Aubervilliers (1997, CD, Transes Europeennes, France)
With Jean-Pierre Drouet and Louis Sclavis
- I Dream of You Jumping (2001, CD, Les Disques Victo, Canada)
- Contretemps etc... (2011, CD, In Situ, France)
With Ensemble Modern
- Traffic Continues (2000, CD, Winter & Winter, Germany)
With Janet Feder
- Ironic Universe (2006, CD+DVD, Recommended, US)
With Hardy Fox
- A Day Hanging Dead Between Heaven and Earth (2018, CD, Klanggalerie, Austria)
With Evelyn Glennie
- The Sugar Factory (2007, CD, Tzadik, US)
With Barry Guy
- Backscatter Bright Blue (2014, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
With Tim Hodgkinson
- Live Improvisations (1992, CD, Woof, UK)
With Percy Howard, Charles Hayward and Bill Laswell
- Meridiem (1998, CD, Materiali Sonori, Italy)
With Nicolas Humbert and Marc Parisotto
- Cut Up the Border (2020, CD, Rogueart, France)
With Darren Johnston
- Everybody's Somebody's Nobody (2016, CD, Clean Feed, Portugal)
With Darren Johnston Devin Hoff, Larry Ochs and Ches Smith
- Reasons for Moving (2007, CD, Not Two, US)
With Henry Kaiser
- With Friends Like These (1979, LP, Metalanguage, US)
- Who Needs Enemies? (1983, LP, Metalanguage, US)
- With Enemies Like These, Who Needs Friends? (1987, CD, SST, US)
- Friends & Enemies (1999, 2xCD, Cuneiform, US)
With Carla Kihlstedt and Stevie Wishart
- The Compass, Log and Lead (2006, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
With Hans Koch
- You are Here (2017, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
With Joëlle Léandre, Alvin Curran and Urs Leimgruber
- MMM Quartet – Live at the Metz' Arsenal (2012, CD, Leo, UK)[lower-alpha 3]
- MMM Quartet – Oakland/Lisboa (2015, CD, RogueArt, France)
With Joëlle Léandre and Jonathan Segel
- Tempted to Smile (2003, CD, Spool, Canada)
With Annie Lewandowski
- Long as in Short, Walk as in Run (2011, CD, Ninth World)
With René Lussier
- Nous Autres (1987, LP, Les Disques Victo, Canada)
With Helen Mirra
- Kwangsi Quail (2015, LP, Shhpuma, Portugal)
With Mózg Injectors
- Sylvan Trail (2019, 12" LP and CD, Mózg, Poland)
With Bob Ostertag and Phil Minton
- Voice of America (1982, LP, Rift, US)
With Bob Ostertag and John Zorn
- Attention Span (1990, CD, RecRec, Switzerland)
With Evan Parker
- Hello, I Must Be Going (2015, CD, Les Disques Victo, Canada)
With Francois-Michel Pesenti
- Helter Skelter (1992, CD, RecRec, Switzerland)
With Marc Ribot
- Subsonic 1. Sounds of a Distant Episode (1994, CD, Sub Rosa/Subsonic, Belgium)
With Ferdinand Richard (as Fred & Ferd)
- Dropera (1991, LP, RecRec, Switzerland)
With Danielle Roger
- Pas de Deux (2008, CD, Ambiances Magnétiques, Canada)
With Rusconi
- Live In Europe (2016, CD, Qilin, Germany)
With Katrin Scholl, Daniel Erismann, Lucas N. Niggli, Hans Koch and Peter Kowald
- Nil (1995, CD, Unit Records, Switzerland)
With Sonargemeinschaft (Sonar Community)
- Drift (2008, CD, Poise, Germany)
With Toychestra
- What Leave Behind (2004, CD, S.K., France)
With Benjamin Vergara
- Fanfarrisimo (2019, LP, Tour De Bras, Canada)
With Katharina Weber and Fredy Studer
- It Rolls (2015, CD, Intakt, Switzerland)
With Michel Wintsch, Franziska Baumann and Bernard Trontin
- Whisperings (2002, CD, RecRec, Switzerland)
With John Zorn
- The Art of Memory (1994, CD, Incus, UK)
- 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 5 (2004, CD, Tzadik, US)
- The Art of Memory II (2008, CD, Fred, UK)
- Late Works (2010, CD, Tzadik, US)
With John Zorn, Onnyk and Toyozumi Yoshisaburo
- Ars Longa Dens Brevis (2000, CD, Allelopathy, Japan)
Footnotes
- The Previous Evening was designated "Music for Dance Volume 4" after Accidental was released.
- Golden State is an LP-only release; "a CD just wouldn't be the same, sonically, visually or ontologically." – Chris Cutler.[2]
- MMM stands for "MillsMusicMafia", with reference to Mills College where Leandre, Frith and Curran teach music.[3]
References
- Ramond, Michel; Roussel, Patrice; Vuilleumier, Stephane. "Discography of Fred Frith". New York Downtown Scene and other miscellaneous discographies. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
- Cutler, Chris. "CUTLER, CHRIS, THOMAS DIMUZIO, FRED FRITH: Golden State (LP)". ReR Megacorp. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
- "Joelle Leandre/Fred Frith/Alvin Curran/Urs Leimgruber: MMM". Leo Records. Retrieved 17 April 2012.