French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson - The Ashkenaz, Berkeley, CA.1987 | VOODOO WAGON

French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson - The Ashkenaz, Berkeley, CA.1987

Back From The Dead Again...Originally posted by Mitch
Monday, September 20, 2010 and July 27, 2015

We mentioned and posted a Henry Kaiser track the other day and as 

regularly featuring Richard Thompson (especially of late) and being 

in contact with John ‘Drumbo’ French via his Facebook page this is so 

timely . . . not for the nervous this band exercised their experimental 

side worthy of any modern Jazz ensemble or Robert Fripp type 

experimental grouping. 

Enjoy!

 I know I DO!?

 A SILENT WAY SPECIAL

French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson

The Ashkenaz 

Berkeley, CA. 1987

Soundboard @192 

"It's time again (by resurrection from the FBS  archives) for the usual  distribution 

of musical abuse for the uneducated, unknowing, and those who didn't get back

 home safely before the blog was nuked.  

Here are four men who will hand out the punishment:  

John French (yeah, the same Beefheart drummer and vocalist 

of the Magic Band), Fred Frith (of Henry Cow), Henry Kaiser (who went to 

Antarctica as a diver and photographer), and Richard Thompson-  

whom you should know anyway.

 May the Lord have mercy on your virgin ears...

because we don't have any to spare.  If only these guys had made a video....” 

Silent Way

John French - drums, voice
Fred Frith - bass, guitar, voice
Henry Kaiser - guitar, voice
Richard Thompson - guitar, voice

Notes:  This gig took place just after the recording sessions of their first

 album, Live, Love, Larf & Loaf. The music is fresh, and they obviously 

have a good time.

Disc1 

1. Tuning / introduction    
2. Wings a la mode (Adams/French)    
3. Killerman gold posse (Thompson)   
4. Drowned dog black night (Thompson)    
5. Disposable thoughts (French)   
6. A blind step away (Thompson)   
7. The second time (French/Frith)   
8. Where's the money (Frith) 
9. Madness of love (Thompson)   
10. The same thing (Dixon)   
11. FF solo guitar (Frith)    
12. Tir-nan-darag (Kaiser/Frith)    
13. Back street slide (Thompson)    

Disc2 

1. Night comes in (Thompson)    
2. Quick sign (Frith)   
3. Suzanne (French)    
4. Drumboogie / Not Fade Away (French)/(Hardin/Petty)  
5. Hard headed woman (Demetrius)    
6. Same old me (Frith)    
7. When the spell is broken (Thompson)    
8. The Devil in the Drain (Kaiser/Pinkwater)    
9. The Calvary Cross (Thompson)    
10. Surfin' USA (Berry)    

Drowned Dog Black Night - French, Frith, Kaiser & Thompson

Obscure RT song hidden on first album by supergroup French, Frith, Kaiser and Thompson titled "Life, Love, Larf and Loaf." Album featured efforts by John "Drumbo" French, Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser and of course Richard Thompson. Thompson's absolutely heaviest song ever (which makes "Shoot Out the Lights" sound like a nursery rhyme) is a perverse apocalyptic vision of a storm. Video is made up of random violent storm footage intercut with stills from the 1951 Oscar nominated "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman," based on the legend of the sea captain doomed to sail the seas forever unless he can find a woman to love him and go with him on his ghost ship. James Mason as the Dutchman, Ava Gardner as Pandora. The song strangely fits with the cataclysmic and mystic ending to the movie. AJ Calhoun

says on his YouTube channel

Recent Kaiser 

Henry Kaiser - Future Blues / Jinx Blues

Henry’s tribute to Elliot Ingber . . .