Gravity

Fred Frith was best known for his unique approach to guitar playing as part of the equally unique Henry Cow, and later Art Bears. Frith had released a solo album in the interim, Guitar Solos (a series of improvised—you guessed it—guitar solos), and a final album with Henry Cow in 1979, Western Culture. For Gravity, Frith teamed up with two Rock In Opposition stalwarts for another look at song-form, dance music and, of course, the avant-garde. On the first side of the record, Swedish group Samla Mammas Manna guest, and the results are a potpourri of ethnic music, improvisation and all the weirdness one might expect from Frith. There's even a golden nugget of prog rock buried inside the brilliant "Norrgarden Nyvla." Lars Hollmer's accordion is a treat, as is Frith's violin. The second side features members of the US band The Muffins, to similar effect. In particular, the deconstruction of "Dancing in the Street" is ridiculously avant-accessible, culminating in a frenzy of tape manipulation before fading with a meandering guitar line. But the following "Slap Dance" is certainly more palatable. The album was released on the US label Ralph Records, perhaps best known for signing The Residents. The following year saw the release of another similar album, Speechless. Here Frith teamed up with another pair of RIO bands, Etron Fou Leloublan and Massacre. A final record for the label, Cheap At Half The Price, would appear in 1983.