Speechless (Fred Frith album)
Encyclopedia
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.
Speechless was recorded in France, Switzerland and the United States, and featured Frith with French Rock in Opposition
group Etron Fou Leloublan
on the first side of the LP, and Frith's New York City band Massacre on the second. It is mostly a studio album with extracts from a Massacre concert mixed into four of the tracks on side two of the LP.
Speechless has been described as a mixture of folk music, free improvisation
, avant-rock and noise. Allmusic said that it is often regarded as one of Frith's best solo albums.
's record label Ralph Records
, the first being Gravity
(1980), an avant-garde
"dance" record that drew on rhythm and dance from folk music across the world, and the third being Cheap at Half the Price
(1983). He had recorded with The Residents in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and appeared on several of their albums. Gravity was well received by music critics.
Just as he had worked with two backing bands on Gravity (Swedish Rock in Opposition
group Samla Mammas Manna
and United States progressive rock
group The Muffins
), on Speechless Frith used French Rock in Opposition group Etron Fou Leloublan
and his own New York City band Massacre. Side one of the LP record was recorded with Etron Fou Leloublan at Studio Freeson in Pujaut
, France and at Sunrise Studios, Kirchberg
, Switzerland in July and August 1980. Side two of the LP consists of four tracks built around extracts from a Massacre concert at CBGB
in New York City in April 1980: "A Spit in the Ocean", "Navajo" and "Saving Grace" were later altered and added to by Frith at Sunrise Studios in July and August 1980, while "Conversations With White Arc" is an unaltered improvised piece. The remaining four tracks of side two were recorded by Frith at Sunrise during the same period.
On Speechless, Frith continued his exploration of world folk and dance music that he had begun on Gravity, but unlike Gravity, Speechless included extensive use of found sounds and field recording
s. Frith said that many of the tapes were made while walking the streets of New York City, and include street fairs and demonstrations. Recordings were also made while visiting friends: the title song's rhythm track is provided by a malfunctioning water pipe in Tim Hodgkinson
's kitchen.
At the time Frith had a passion for tape manipulation and "sound malfunctions". In a 1982 interview with Down Beat
magazine Frith said that so much more can be done with tape: "I'm interested in using the studio for things that you couldn't possibly do in a performance, to use the medium of tape in a way that is intrinsic to it." He added that hardware malfunctions often results in more interesting sounds than was originally intended: "[A] lot of the sounds that I get in the studio have been specifically the result of overloading or causing to malfunction various pieces of technology, like harmonizers
or digital delays
."
Frith described the theme of Speechless as revolving around "questions of power and language, of striving to find a voice but remaining always on the edge being understood." This notion came to him when he once tried to listen to a recording of an interview he had done, and the cassette
machine played back both sides of the tape at the same time, backwards, rendering the words unintelligible. Andrew Jones wrote in Plunderphonics, 'pataphysics & pop mechanics: an introduction to musique actuelle that Speechless is "ultimately about being unable to articulate the words that once flowed freely."
, avant-rock and noise, plus field recording
s and tape manipulation. Featured are also many "happy accidents" that resulted from "sound malfunctions" in the studio. The tracks on the album vary from folk and melodic pieces (including the waltz ballad "Domaine de Planousset"), to noisy avant-rock ("A Spit in the Ocean"), to layered sound collage
s ("Speechless").
Glenn Astarita at Jazz Review
said that the listener can expect "the unexpected, amid pounding backbeats, variable rhythmic flows, and multihued soundscapes." Peter Marsh at BBC Music
described the music as being an "unholy alliance" between Captain Beefheart
's Magic Band
and King Crimson
.
review, described Speechless as "beautifully progressive musicmaking that doesn't take itself too seriously." Glenn Astarita at Jazz Review
said the album was "highly recommended", adding that "Frith’s off-kilter methodologies translate into a fun-filled production, awash with a cartoon-like rationale." Tom Schulte at Allmusic wrote that Speechless is often regarded as one of Frith's best solo albums, and that its "inspired manipulations hold up under repeated scrutiny."
The waltz ballad "Domaine de Planousset" was performed live by Frith several times, including at the 4th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville
in Victoriaville in Quebec
, Canada with René Lussier
in October 1986, and at the Bahnhof Langendreer in Bochum
, Germany with Frith's band, Keep the Dog
in mid-1991. The performance with Lussier was released as "Domaine Revisited" on Nous Autres
in 1987, and the performance with Keep the Dog was released as "Domaine de Langendreer" on That House We Lived In
in 2003. "Conversations With White Arc" was revisited on Massacre's 1998 album, Funny Valentine as "Further Conversations With White Arc".
Guests
Production
Recorded at Studio Freeson, Pujaut
, France and at Sunrise Studios, Kirchberg
, Switzerland in July and August 1980.
Guests
Production
Recorded at Sunrise Studios, Kirchberg
, Switzerland in July and August, 1980. Tracks 1, 4 and the end of track 2 were recorded live at a Massacre concert at CBGB
in New York City, April 1980, and were later altered and added to in Switzerland; track 6 is an unaltered improvised piece from the same concert.
Recording
re-issued Speechless on CD with six additional tracks. In 2003 Fred Records
issued a remaster
ed version of the original Speechless LP on CD with no extra tracks.
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and improviser
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
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...
of the group Henry Cow
Henry Cow
Henry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
. It was Frith's third solo album, and was originally released in the United States on LP record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
on The Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
' Ralph
Ralph Records
Ralph Records was The Residents' original record label, the name coming from the somewhat colorful phrase "calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone."...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. It was the second of three solo albums Frith made for the label.
Speechless was recorded in France, Switzerland and the United States, and featured Frith with French Rock in Opposition
Rock in Opposition
Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music...
group Etron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan, also known as EFL, were a French avant-rock band founded in 1973 by actor and saxophonist Chris Chanet. They recorded five studio albums between 1976 and 1985, and released a live album, En Public Aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique recorded during a tour of the United States in 1979...
on the first side of the LP, and Frith's New York City band Massacre on the second. It is mostly a studio album with extracts from a Massacre concert mixed into four of the tracks on side two of the LP.
Speechless has been described as a mixture of folk music, free improvisation
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....
, avant-rock and noise. Allmusic said that it is often regarded as one of Frith's best solo albums.
Background and recording
Speechless was the second of a series of three solo albums Frith made for The ResidentsThe Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
's record label Ralph Records
Ralph Records
Ralph Records was The Residents' original record label, the name coming from the somewhat colorful phrase "calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone."...
, the first being Gravity
Gravity (Fred Frith album)
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...
(1980), an avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
"dance" record that drew on rhythm and dance from folk music across the world, and the third being Cheap at Half the Price
Cheap at Half the Price
Cheap at Half the Price is a 1983 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith. It was Frith's fifth solo album, and was originally released in the United States on LP record on The Residents' Ralph record label...
(1983). He had recorded with The Residents in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and appeared on several of their albums. Gravity was well received by music critics.
Just as he had worked with two backing bands on Gravity (Swedish Rock in Opposition
Rock in Opposition
Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music...
group Samla Mammas Manna
Samla Mammas Manna
Samla Mammas Manna was a Swedish progressive rock band, often characterized by its virtuoso musicianship, circus references and silly humour, similar in many ways to the song-writing styles of Frank Zappa. They were one of the founding members of the Rock in Opposition movement in the late 1970s....
and United States progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
group The Muffins
The Muffins
The Muffins are 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...
), on Speechless Frith used French Rock in Opposition group Etron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan, also known as EFL, were a French avant-rock band founded in 1973 by actor and saxophonist Chris Chanet. They recorded five studio albums between 1976 and 1985, and released a live album, En Public Aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique recorded during a tour of the United States in 1979...
and his own New York City band Massacre. Side one of the LP record was recorded with Etron Fou Leloublan at Studio Freeson in Pujaut
Pujaut
Pujaut is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, France and at Sunrise Studios, 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 in July and August 1980. Side two of the LP consists of four tracks built around extracts from a Massacre concert at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
in New York City in April 1980: "A Spit in the Ocean", "Navajo" and "Saving Grace" were later altered and added to by Frith at Sunrise Studios in July and August 1980, while "Conversations With White Arc" is an unaltered improvised piece. The remaining four tracks of side two were recorded by Frith at Sunrise during the same period.
On Speechless, Frith continued his exploration of world folk and dance music that he had begun on Gravity, but unlike Gravity, Speechless included extensive use of found sounds and field recording
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
s. Frith said that many of the tapes were made while walking the streets of New York City, and include street fairs and demonstrations. Recordings were also made while visiting friends: the title song's rhythm track is provided by a malfunctioning water pipe in Tim Hodgkinson
Tim Hodgkinson
Tim Hodgkinson is an English experimental music composer and performer, principally on reeds and keyboards. He is best known as one of the core members of the British avant-rock group Henry Cow, which he formed with Fred Frith in 1968...
's kitchen.
At the time Frith had a passion for tape manipulation and "sound malfunctions". In a 1982 interview with Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine Frith said that so much more can be done with tape: "I'm interested in using the studio for things that you couldn't possibly do in a performance, to use the medium of tape in a way that is intrinsic to it." He added that hardware malfunctions often results in more interesting sounds than was originally intended: "[A] lot of the sounds that I get in the studio have been specifically the result of overloading or causing to malfunction various pieces of technology, like harmonizers
Effects unit
Effects units are electronic devices that alter how a musical instrument or other audio source sounds. Some effects subtly "color" a sound, while others transform it dramatically. Effects are used during live performances or in the studio, typically with electric guitar, keyboard and bass...
or digital delays
Digital delay line
A digital delay line is a discrete element in digital filter theory, which allows a signal to be delayed by a number of samples. If the delay is an integer multiple of samples digital delay lines are often implemented as circular buffers...
."
Frith described the theme of Speechless as revolving around "questions of power and language, of striving to find a voice but remaining always on the edge being understood." This notion came to him when he once tried to listen to a recording of an interview he had done, and the cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
machine played back both sides of the tape at the same time, backwards, rendering the words unintelligible. Andrew Jones wrote in Plunderphonics, 'pataphysics & pop mechanics: an introduction to musique actuelle that Speechless is "ultimately about being unable to articulate the words that once flowed freely."
Music
Speechless is an instrumental album that includes elements of folk music, free improvisationFree 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....
, avant-rock and noise, plus field recording
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
s and tape manipulation. Featured are also many "happy accidents" that resulted from "sound malfunctions" in the studio. The tracks on the album vary from folk and melodic pieces (including the waltz ballad "Domaine de Planousset"), to noisy avant-rock ("A Spit in the Ocean"), to layered sound collage
Sound collage
In music, montage or sound collage is a technique where sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage, the use of portions of previous recordings or scores...
s ("Speechless").
Glenn Astarita at Jazz Review
Jazz Review
Jazz Review was a British jazz magazine, founded in 1998 by a former editor of The Wire and jazz writer Richard Cook and Roger Spence of the talent management agency Direct Music. The magazine covered the entire range of jazz history from early jazz, through Swing to Bebop, Modern Jazz and the...
said that the listener can expect "the unexpected, amid pounding backbeats, variable rhythmic flows, and multihued soundscapes." Peter Marsh at BBC Music
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
described the music as being an "unholy alliance" between Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
's Magic Band
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
and King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
.
Reception and influence
Rock critic Peter Marsh, in a BBC MusicBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
review, described Speechless as "beautifully progressive musicmaking that doesn't take itself too seriously." Glenn Astarita at Jazz Review
Jazz Review
Jazz Review was a British jazz magazine, founded in 1998 by a former editor of The Wire and jazz writer Richard Cook and Roger Spence of the talent management agency Direct Music. The magazine covered the entire range of jazz history from early jazz, through Swing to Bebop, Modern Jazz and the...
said the album was "highly recommended", adding that "Frith’s off-kilter methodologies translate into a fun-filled production, awash with a cartoon-like rationale." Tom Schulte at Allmusic wrote that Speechless is often regarded as one of Frith's best solo albums, and that its "inspired manipulations hold up under repeated scrutiny."
The waltz ballad "Domaine de Planousset" was performed live by Frith several times, including at the 4th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville
Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville
The 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 in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec 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....
, Canada with René Lussier
René Lussier
René Lussier is a musician based in the province of Québec, Canada. He is a composer, guitarist, bass guitarist, percussionist, bass clarinetist and singer. Lussier has collaborated with such figures as Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Jean Derome and Robert M. Lepage...
in October 1986, and at the Bahnhof Langendreer in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
, Germany with Frith's band, Keep the Dog
Keep the Dog
Keep the Dog was a United States-based experimental rock touring band from New York City formed in 1989 by English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith...
in mid-1991. The performance with Lussier was released as "Domaine Revisited" on Nous Autres
Nous Autres
Nous Autres is a live album by Fred Frith and René Lussier recorded in October 1986 at the 4th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada...
in 1987, and the performance with Keep the Dog was released as "Domaine de Langendreer" on That House We Lived In
That House We Lived In
That House We Lived In is a double live album by the United States experimental rock band Keep the Dog. It comprises material from their final European tour in 1991 and was released by Fred Frith on his own Fred Records in 2003.-Background:...
in 2003. "Conversations With White Arc" was revisited on Massacre's 1998 album, Funny Valentine as "Further Conversations With White Arc".
Side one
- "Kick the Can (part 1)" – 2:19
- "Carnival on Wall Street" – 2:51
- "Ahead in the Sand" – 3:16
- "Laughing Matter" / "Esperanza" – 7:47
- "Women Speak to Men; Men Speak to Women" (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...
, Curran) – 5:39
Side two
- "A Spit in the Ocean" – 2:17
- "Navajo" – 3:05
- "Balance" – 5:04
- "Saving Grace" – 1:57
- "Speechless" – 3:05
- "Conversations With White Arc" (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...
, LaswellBill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
) – 1:14 - "Domaine de Planousset" – 2:59
- "Kick the Can (part 2)" – 2:14
Bonus tracks on 1991 CD re-issue
- "The Entire Works of Henry Cow" – 1:00
- "So Schnell Ich" (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...
, LaswellBill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
, MaherFred MaherFred Maher is an American drummer, programmer and record producer.He was a member of Massacre , Material, Scritti Politti, Lou Reed, and is best known as the producer of I'm Talking's album Bear Witness , Lou Reed's album New York , Matthew Sweet's album Girlfriend , and Information Society's self...
) – 3:25 - "I'm Still Here and I Know What Time It Is" (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...
, Curran) – 1:06 - "No More War" (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...
, Gore) – 4:46 - "Typical American Family" – 1:01
- "Dig" – 3:07
Side One
- 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, violin, mellotron, organ and bass guitar (track 1), voice (track 3) - Etron Fou LeloublanEtron Fou LeloublanEtron Fou Leloublan, also known as EFL, were a French avant-rock band founded in 1973 by actor and saxophonist Chris Chanet. They recorded five studio albums between 1976 and 1985, and released a live album, En Public Aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique recorded during a tour of the United States in 1979...
:- Guigou Chenevier – drums, tenor saxophone and voice (track 3)
- Bernard Mathieu – soprano and tenor saxophones, voice (track 3)
- Ferdinand RichardFerdinand RichardHervé Richard , better known as Ferdinand Richard, is a French avant-rock bass guitarist and composer.Richard was a founding member of the French avant-rock group Etron Fou Leloublan in 1973, and remained with them until they broke up in 1986...
– bass, guimbarde, voice - Jo Thirion – organ, harmonium
Guests
- Tina Curran – recorders, unusual edits
- Roger Kent Parsons – bagpipes (track 4)
- Bob OstertagBob OstertagRobert "Bob" Ostertag is an experimental sound artist based in San Francisco.- Early career :...
– field tape recordings
Production
Recorded at Studio Freeson, Pujaut
Pujaut
Pujaut is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, France and at Sunrise Studios, 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 in July and August 1980.
- Francois Riether – engineer (France)
- Etienne Conod – engineer (Switzerland)
- Robert Vogel – engineer (Switzerland)
Side Two
- 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, violin, keyboards, bass guitar (tracks 3,5,8), drums (tracks 2,3), voice - Massacre:
- Bill LaswellBill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
– bass guitar - Fred MaherFred MaherFred Maher is an American drummer, programmer and record producer.He was a member of Massacre , Material, Scritti Politti, Lou Reed, and is best known as the producer of I'm Talking's album Bear Witness , Lou Reed's album New York , Matthew Sweet's album Girlfriend , and Information Society's self...
– drums
- Bill Laswell
Guests
- Steve Buchanan – snake saxophone (track 2)
- George CartwrightGeorge CartwrightGeorge Cartwright VC, ED was a British-born Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Early life:Cartwright was born in South Kensington, London, on 9 December...
– alto saxophone (tracks 1,2,4) - Mars WilliamsMars WilliamsMars Williams is an American jazz and rock saxophonist. Originally a ten year classical clarinetist after being exposed to Big Band and Dixieland Jazz by his trumpet playing father, Mars migrated to the saxophone in his senior year of high school, citing influences from Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane...
– baritone saxophone (tracks 1,2,4) - Tina Curran – recorders, bass guitar (tracks 2,7)
Production
Recorded at Sunrise Studios, 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 in July and August, 1980. Tracks 1, 4 and the end of track 2 were recorded live at a Massacre concert at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
in New York City, April 1980, and were later altered and added to in Switzerland; track 6 is an unaltered improvised piece from the same concert.
- Charlie Martin – engineer (USA)
- Etienne Conod – engineer (Switzerland)
- Robert Vogel – engineer (Switzerland)
Bonus tracks on 1991 CD re-issue
- 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, bass guitar, keyboards, tapes (tracks 14,17), drums (track 16), noise (track 16), voice (track 17,18), homemades (track 18), effects (track 19) - Bill LaswellBill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
– bass guitar (track 15) - Fred MaherFred MaherFred Maher is an American drummer, programmer and record producer.He was a member of Massacre , Material, Scritti Politti, Lou Reed, and is best known as the producer of I'm Talking's album Bear Witness , Lou Reed's album New York , Matthew Sweet's album Girlfriend , and Information Society's self...
– drums (track 15) - Tina Curran – voice (track 16)
- Steve Kretzmer – drums (track 17)
- Tetsuto Koyama – bass guitar (track 19)
- Miyamoto – drums (track 19)
- Masami ShinodaMasami ShinodaMasami Shinoda was well-known Japanese alto-saxophonist and composer. He began his career in the 1980s and was a member of both Seikatsu Kojo Iinkai Orchestra, and the Japanese band Compostela. His final performance, given in Tokyo in 1992 as a guest saxophonist for the band Cassiber, was...
– alto saxophone (track 19) - Chie MukaiChie Mukaiis a female Japanese composer and musician, best known for her underground improv-folk group Ché-SHIZU. She has been involved in improvised performance since 1975, when she participated in the East Bionic Symphonia group, a graduation project for students of Takehisa Kosugi at the Bigakko art...
– kokyu (track 19) - Kenichi Takeda – taisho koto (track 19)
- Keiji HainoKeiji HainoKeiji Haino born May 3, 1952 in Chiba, Japan, and currently residing in Tokyo, is a Japanese musician whose work has included rock, free improvisation, noise, singer-songwriter, solo percussion, psychedelic, minimalism and drone styles...
– voice (track 19) - Tenko Ueno – voice (track 19)
Recording
- Track 14 is a tape collage of Henry CowHenry CowHenry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
's entire discography prepared by Frith for Morgan FisherMorgan FisherMorgan Fisher is an English keyboard player / composer, and is most known for being a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still highly active in the music industry...
's 1980 Miniatures compilation album; it contains a portion of every track recorded by the band and was assembled by Frith in New York City and KUNM, Albuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
in 1980 according to a strict mathematical system. - Track 15 was recorded with Massacre live at Rue Dunois, Paris in 1981 and at home in New York City.
- Track 16 is from Elliott SharpElliott SharpElliott Sharp is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five recordings ranging from blues, jazz, and orchestral music to noise, no wave rock,...
's State Of The Union compilation, recorded at home in New York City, 1982. - Track 17 is from a record-by-mail project with Steve Gore for his LP Ridin' On A Bummer, recorded at home, 1983.
- Track 18 is from the Japanese compilation Sound Cosmodel, recorded at home, 1982.
- Track 19 is from the Japanese compilation Welcome To Dreamland, collated from the other songs on that record at Studio Dig, Tokyo, February 1985.
Artwork
- Tina Curran (Frith's wife at the time) – album cover artwork on the original LP record
CD reissues
In 1991 East Side Digital and 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 Speechless on CD with six additional tracks. In 2003 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...
issued a remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed version of the original Speechless LP on CD with no extra tracks.