''Commercial Album'' is an album released by
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
group
the Residents
The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, ''Meet the Residents'' (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music vi ...
in 1980. It is commonly considered a follow-up to ''
Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
''Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen'', later renamed as just ''Duck Stab'', is the fifth studio album by American art rock group The Residents, released in November 1978. It is named after the first side of the album, ''Duck Stab!'', a seven-song EP r ...
'', in that it retains the former album's pop-oriented song structures. The album contains 40 songs, each lasting exactly one minute - a deliberate allusion to
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
mainstream radio. The album's liner notes state that, to form a complete pop song, tracks from the album should be played three times in a row.
The album features a number of guest musicians, notably
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler (born 4 January 1947) is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of other bands, including Art Bears, Ne ...
and
Fred Frith
Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser.
Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...
from
Henry Cow
Henry Cow were an English experimental rock group, founded at the University of Cambridge in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler, b ...
. Other guests are featured anonymously, such as
Andy Partridge
Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock music, rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writi ...
from
XTC
XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...
(as "Sandy Sandwich") and
Lene Lovich
Lene Lovich (; born Lili-Marlene Premilovich; March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Single ...
(as "Mud's Sis"). It has also been recently confirmed that
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
and
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
appear on the album uncredited.
As a promotional stunt, the Residents purchased 40 one-minute advertising slots on San Francisco's most popular Top 40 radio station at the time,
KFRC, such that the station played each track of the album over three days. This prompted an editorial in
''Billboard'' magazine questioning whether the act was
art or advertising.
Track listing
All tracks last exactly one minute, but with a 3-second pause between songs, making each track last around 1:03. On the original LP version of the album, "Die in Terror" is incorrectly printed as track 14, between "The Nameless Souls" and "Love Leaks Out".
1988 CD bonus tracks
* Tracks 41 and 42 are outtakes from the album, released separately as the ''Commercial Single''.
* Track 44 was recorded for the 1980 Morgan Fisher project ''Miniatures''.
* Tracks 45-48 were previously released on the 1983 compilation
''Residue''.
* Track 49 was previously released as a single in 1984.
* Track 50 was previously released as a single in 1987.
2019 pREServed edition bonus tracks
After a small bit of silence, an unlisted track plays, a "concentrate" mix of the advertisements that were aired in promotion of the album on KFRC.
Personnel
*Written and produced by the Residents
*Guest musicians:
**Fred Frith: Guitar on 'Japanese Watercolor',
[The Residents - Heaven? ]RykoDisc
Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.
History
Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...
RCD 20012] (1986) Track Credits ''Moisture'[The Residents - Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses [Euro Ralph CD017] (1997) Track Credits]& 'The Coming of The Crow'
[The Residents - Hell! ]RykoDisc
Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.
History
Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...
RCD 20013] (1986) Track Credits
*Special Appearances
**
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler (born 4 January 1947) is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of other bands, including Art Bears, Ne ...
– Drums on 'Love Leaks Out',
'Moisture'
& 'The Coming of The Crow'
**Don Jackovich – Drums on 'Love Leaks Out'
**
Sandy Sandwich – vocals, guitar on "Margaret Freeman"
**Mud's Sis – Special Appearance
**
Snakefinger
Philip Charles Lithman (17 June 1949 – 1 July 1987), who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collab ...
– Special Appearance on 'Moisture',
& Vocals on 'Ups And Down'
*Secret Special Appearances
**
Lene Lovich
Lene Lovich (; born Lili-Marlene Premilovich; March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Single ...
– Secret Special Appearance
[The Residents - Commercial Album ute, CDSTUMM243(2004) Track Credits]
**Nessie Lessons – Vocals on 'Amber'
**
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
– Synthesizer on "The Coming of the Crow"
**
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
– Backing vocals on "Suburban Bathers"
*Cover design and art direction:
**Pore Know Graphics
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Commercial Album, The
The Residents albums
1980 albums
Charisma Records albums
Ralph Records albums
Concept albums