Learn to Talk
Encyclopedia
Learn to Talk is a studio album by United States
experimental
rock
band
Skeleton Crew, recorded at Sunrise Studio, Kirchberg
, Switzerland
, between Christmas and New Year 1983/1984. It was their debut album and was released in 1984.
The album was recorded when Skeleton Crew was the duo of Fred Frith
and Tom Cora
. The band was best known for their improvised
live performances, during which they played various instruments simultaneously. While the recordings are not live (except for two tracks), they do to a large extent convey the dynamics of the live act. The music is both sparse and raw, consisting of songs interspaced with cello, guitar and violin instrumental fragments. Tape cut-ups also feature throughout the album, including a Ronald Reagan
speech, Sousa's
"Washington Post
" and TV ad clips.
The songs were composed or arranged by Frith and Cora, except for "The Way Things Fall (Back Apart)" which included lyrics by Rebby Sharp, who Frith had worked with in Orthotonics
.
Side Dirt
re-issued Learn to Talk together with Skeleton Crew's next album The Country of Blinds
on a single compilation CD, Learn to Talk / Country of Blinds
, omitting "Los Colitos" and "Life At The Top" from Learn to Talk, and "Money Crack" from The Country of Blinds.
In 2005 Fred Records
re-issued Learn to Talk and The Country of Blinds on a double compilation CD, Learn to Talk / The Country of Blinds
, omitting "Money Crack" from The Country of Blinds, plus ten extra tracks.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Skeleton Crew, recorded at Sunrise Studio, Kirchberg
Kirchberg, St. Gallen
Kirchberg is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:Kirchberg has an area, , of . Of this area, 59.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.9% is forested...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, between Christmas and New Year 1983/1984. It was their debut album and was released in 1984.
The album was recorded when Skeleton Crew was the duo of Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
and Tom Cora
Tom Cora
Thomas Henry Corra , better known as Tom Cora, was a United States cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational performances in the field of experimental jazz and rock...
. The band was best known for their improvised
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
live performances, during which they played various instruments simultaneously. While the recordings are not live (except for two tracks), they do to a large extent convey the dynamics of the live act. The music is both sparse and raw, consisting of songs interspaced with cello, guitar and violin instrumental fragments. Tape cut-ups also feature throughout the album, including a Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
speech, Sousa's
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
"Washington Post
The Washington Post (march)
"The Washington Post" is a march composed by John Philip Sousa in 1889. Since then, it has remained as one of his most popular marches throughout the United States and many countries abroad.-History:...
" and TV ad clips.
The songs were composed or arranged by Frith and Cora, except for "The Way Things Fall (Back Apart)" which included lyrics by Rebby Sharp, who Frith had worked with in Orthotonics
Orthotonics
The Orthotonics were an American experimental rock and free improvisation group from Richmond, Virginia. They began in 1979 as the Ortho-Tones, but changed their name to the Orthotonics in 1982...
.
Track listing
Side Free- "Que Viva" (Skeleton Crew) – 3:40
- "Onwards and Upwards" (Skeleton Crew) – 3:39
- "The Way Things Fall (Back Apart)" (CoraTom CoraThomas Henry Corra , better known as Tom Cora, was a United States cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational performances in the field of experimental jazz and rock...
/FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
/Sharp) – 2:35 - "Not My Shoes" (Skeleton Crew) – 2:14
- "The Washington Post" (SousaJohn Philip SousaJohn Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
arr. Skeleton Crew) – 1:28 - "We're Still Free" (Skeleton Crew) – 4:16
- "Victoryville" (Skeleton Crew) – 2:43
Side Dirt
- "Los Colitos" (trad. Ecuador/CoraTom CoraThomas Henry Corra , better known as Tom Cora, was a United States cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational performances in the field of experimental jazz and rock...
/FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
) – 2.53 - "Life at the Top" (FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
) – 1:44 - "Learn to Talk" (Skeleton Crew) – 3:40
- "Factory Song" (Skeleton Crew) – 5:13
- "It's Fine" (Skeleton Crew) – 4:22
- "Zach's Flag" (CoraTom CoraThomas Henry Corra , better known as Tom Cora, was a United States cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational performances in the field of experimental jazz and rock...
) – 3:10
Track notes
- "Victoryville" was recorded live in December 1983 at the 1st Festival International de Musique Actuelle de VictoriavilleFestival International de Musique Actuelle de VictoriavilleThe Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville is an annual international music festival held in Victoriaville, Quebec that showcases contemporary music.-External links:*...
in Victoriaville, QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(additional material from a malfunctioning tape-recorder which played both sides of the tape at once). - Part of "Learn to Talk" recorded by CKRL in Quebec CityQuebec CityQuebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
Personnel
- Tom CoraTom CoraThomas Henry Corra , better known as Tom Cora, was a United States cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational performances in the field of experimental jazz and rock...
– Cello, bass guitar, casio, drums, home-made drums and contraptions, singing - Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
– Guitar, six-string bass, violin, casio, home-made bass, piano, drums, singing
Sound and art work
- Robert Vogel – Engineer, Producer
- Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
– Engineer - Skeleton Crew – Producer
- Thomas Newbolt – Cover art work
CD reissues
In 1990 RecRec MusicRecRec Music
RecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
re-issued Learn to Talk together with Skeleton Crew's next album The Country of Blinds
The Country of Blinds
The Country of Blinds is a studio album by United States experimental rock and jazz band Skeleton Crew, recorded at Sunrise Studio, Kirchberg, Switzerland, December 1985 and January 1986. It was their second and final album and was released in 1986....
on a single compilation CD, Learn to Talk / Country of Blinds
Learn to Talk / The Country of Blinds
Learn to Talk / The Country of Blinds is a double CD compilation album by United States experimental rock and jazz band Skeleton Crew. It was released by Fred Records in 2005 and comprises the band's two studio albums, Learn to Talk and The Country of Blinds, with one track omitted, plus ten live...
, omitting "Los Colitos" and "Life At The Top" from Learn to Talk, and "Money Crack" from The Country of Blinds.
In 2005 Fred Records
Fred Records
Fred Records is a British independent record label created in 2002 by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith to re-release his own back catalogue of recordings and previously unreleased material...
re-issued Learn to Talk and The Country of Blinds on a double compilation CD, Learn to Talk / The Country of Blinds
Learn to Talk / The Country of Blinds
Learn to Talk / The Country of Blinds is a double CD compilation album by United States experimental rock and jazz band Skeleton Crew. It was released by Fred Records in 2005 and comprises the band's two studio albums, Learn to Talk and The Country of Blinds, with one track omitted, plus ten live...
, omitting "Money Crack" from The Country of Blinds, plus ten extra tracks.