''Just Fred'' is the second solo album by the American musician Fred Schneider, released in 1996. Its first single was "Bulldozer". Schneider promoted the album by playing shows with his band, the Slobs.

Production

Produced by

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

, the album was recorded in two weeks. Schneider was backed by

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet are a Juno Award-winning Canadian instrumental rock band, formed in 1984. They remain best known for the track "Having an Average Weekend", of which an alternate version was used as the theme to the Canadian sketc ...

, Deadly Cupcake, and

Six Finger Satellite Six Finger Satellite (a.k.a. 6FS) are an American synthesizer-based post-hardcore band, based in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. History The band formed in 1990 around a line-up of J. Ryan (singer/keyboards), John MacLean (guitar) ...

. Consisting of members of

the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spence ...

the Didjits The Didjits were an American punk rock band formed in Mattoon, Illinois in 1983, composed of Rick Sims (a.k.a. Rick Prot5) on guitar/vocals, Doug Evans on bass, and Rick's brother Brad Sims, on drums. Didjits were known for the aggressive guita ...

, and

Tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...

, Deadly Cupcake was formed by Albini. Most of Schneider's vocals are in the same style that he uses with

the B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, p ...

, although electronic effects are added to "Secret Sharer", and "Helicopter" utilizes a conversational voice." "

Coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

" is a cover of the

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...

song; it first appeared on a Nilsson tribute album.

Critical reception

The ''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel, also known as Knox News,'' is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: ''The ...

'' stated: "Schneider still uses his distinctive style—an emphatic shout/sing delivery with an ironic tone—but now it's accompanied by heavy angst as he sings about endangered freedon ('Helicopter'), betrayal ('Lick', 'Secret Sharer') and destruction ('Bulldozer')." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' concluded that "Albini manages to make all these guitars sound authentic and contemporary, but ''Just Fred'' is as much a nod to the late-70s underground scene that spawned the B-52's, when the punk rock of the Ramones seemed just fine alongside the quirky pop of bands like Blondie and Talking Heads." ''

The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' is a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama, and printed in Birmingham, Alabama. It also serves the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an af ...

'' declared that ''Just Fred'' "borders on inanity at times, but it's just as enjoyable as 'Love Shack' or 'Roam', and no one could argue that those tracks contributed to the salvation of mankind." The ''

Telegram & Gazette The ''Telegram & Gazette'' (and ''Sunday Telegram'') is the only daily newspaper of Worcester, Massachusetts. The paper, headquartered at 100 Front Street and known locally as ''the Telegram'' or the ''T & G'', offers coverage of all of Worceste ...

'' deemed the album "a bomb" and "an annoying drag of a record." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' concluded that "with punk in the middle of a revival that takes itself seriously, Mr. Schneider has latched on to the pop flippancy amid punk's burly guitars ... Schneider treats punk rock as another kitschy source." ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' determined that "a few tracks illuminate surprising similarities between Schneider's arch yelp and Johnny Rotten's—'Secret Sharer' could be a ''Never Mind the Bollocks'' outtake."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called the album "a surprisingly enjoyable fusion of Schneider's bizarre charm and lean, loud alternative rock that proudly illustrates his punk roots."

Track listing

All lyrics by Fred Schneider, music written as noted, except "Coconut" which is written by

# "Whip" (Tim Mosher) # "Helicopter" (

Richard Barone Richard Barone is an American rock musician who first gained attention as frontman for the Bongos. He works as a songwriter, arranger, author, director, and record producer, releases albums as a solo artist, tours, and has created concert events ...

) # "Sugar in My Hog" † (Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet) # "Bulldozer" (Mosher) # "

" (Arranged by

) # "Center of the Universe" (John Coté) # "Radioactive Lady Eyeball" (Mosher) # "Lick" † (Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet) # "Bad Dream" †† (Richard Barone,

Gary Lucas Gary Lucas (born June 20, 1952) is an American guitarist/songwriter/composer who was a member of Captain Beefheart's band. He formed the band Gods and Monsters in 1989. Lucas has released more than 50 albums to date as a solo artist or band l ...

) # "Secret Sharer" † (Mosher) # "Stroke of Genius" †† (Mosher) † = performed by

†† = performed by

All others performed by Deadly Cupcake

Personnel

* Fred Schneider –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

;

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

;

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

for all tracks *

- co-writer, "Helicopter", "Bad Dream"; arranger, "Coconut" *

**Reid Diamond - bass **Don Pyle - drums **Brian Connelly - guitars *

**Jay Ryan - TFA couplet maximizer **Richard Pelletier - drums **John MacLean - guitar, synth **James Apt - bass *Deadly Cupcake ** Rick Sims - guitar ** Russell Simins - drums ** Tom Zaluckyj - bass

References

{{Authority control Fred Schneider albums 1996 albums Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Steve Albini