''Special Edition Part 1'' is the sixth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by New Zealand band
Fat Freddy's Drop. The band's first release in four years since ''
Bays
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...
'' (2015), ''Special Edition Part 1'' was written intended to be the first part of a double-album. The album featured the singles "Trickle Down" (2018) and "Kamo Kamo" (2019), and reached number four on the New Zealand albums chart.
Production
''Special Edition Part 1'' was recorded as part one of a double-album. The album features three songs from the band's live performance repertoire: "Kamo Kamo", "OneFourteen" and "Special Edition", alongside three unreleased songs.
The album was recorded in Wellington, at Bays, Fat Freddy's Drop's home studio.
The cover art for the album was created by Wellington artist Otis Chamberlain.
Release and promotion
"Trickle Down" was released as the first single from the album in July 2018. This was followed by "Kamo Kamo" on 10 October 2019, which was paired with the official announcement of ''Special Edition Part 1''.
Following the release of the album, the band held Fat Freddy's Drop Summer Record Tour 2020, an eight date tour across New Zealand held from December 2019 to February 2020, including dates at
Western Springs Outer Fields in Auckland and
Horncastle Arena
Christchurch Arena is an indoor arena in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the suburb of Addington. It has gone through a series of name changes, the most recent of which prior to its current name having been Horncastle Arena.
D ...
in Christchurch.
While the second part of the double album was originally intended to be released in 2020,
Fat Freddy's Drop's following album ''Lock-In'' was a special studio live session recorded at the
Michael Fowler Centre
The Michael Fowler Centre is a concert hall and convention centre in Wellington, New Zealand. It was constructed on reclaimed land next to Civic Square, and is the pre-eminent concert site in central Wellington.
Commissioned in 1975, building be ...
recorded during the early days of the
COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand in 2020. ''Lock-In'' features studio live version of several tracks from ''Special Edition Part 1'': "Special Edition", "SixEight", "114" and "Trickle Down".
Critical reception
Tim Gruar of Ambient Light Blog gave the album four out of five stars, describing the album as a collection of "funky jams and festival favourites".
Track listing
Credits and personnel
Members of Fat Freddy's Drop
*Chris (Mu) Faiumu
*Iain Gordon
*Tehimana Kerr
*Toby Laing
*Joe Lindsay
*Dallas Tamaira
*Scott Towers
Other personnel
*Otis Chamberlain – artwork
*Julien Dyne – drums
*Fat Freddy's Drop – producer
*Inject – design
*Tyrone McCarthy – bass
*Will Ricketts – percussion
*Iraia Whakamoe – drums
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{Authority control
2019 albums
Fat Freddy's Drop albums