Release Date: 07 July 2023
Label: New / Cherry Red
Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)
No of Units: 2
Barcode: 5013929360914
Genres: Rock Experimental
Description
Formed in the early 1970s, The Residents have now been charting a unique path through the musical landscape for 50 years. In celebration of that remarkable and unlikely anniversary, we present an expanded vinyl edition of the classic 1980 LP ‘Commercial Album’.
Following almost a decade spent attempting to redefine what pop music could be, but with zero hit singles to show for it, The Residents finally caved and produced their own pop music album as the 80s dawned. But rather than have each song repeat the same minute of music three times as per the traditional pop format, The Residents produced no less than 40 one-minute pop masterpieces, and invited the listener to do the repeating bit themselves if they felt the need.
The resulting ‘Commercial Album’ both showcased the incredible depth of the group’s musical palette and proved definitively that they could easily be as big as The Beatles if they wanted to. Probably bigger, actually.
Featuring a breathless collage of toe-tappers, memorable melodies, instrumental experiments and guest performers (Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and XTC’s Andy Partridge among them), the record has since acquired legendary status among both fans and confused onlookers alike.
Alongside the original album, this 2LP edition presents the ‘COMS 1-3 RDX Suite’ – a brand new interpretation of (almost) the entire album, produced by the group using the original multi-track tapes – and a brand new sleevenote essay shedding new light on the album’s production.
‘Commercial Album’ is the latest in The Residents’ extensive ongoing pREServed series – expect more throughout 2023 and 2024. Possibly even 2025 too, the way things are going.
Tracklisting
Kevin Ayers
Wrath
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Tigertailz
The Fall
The Residents
The Residents
The Residents
The Residents
The Residents
The Residents
The Residents
The Residents
