FRED FRITH

FRED FRITH
CHEAP AT HALF THE PRICE
(320kbs)

Cheap at Half the Price is a 1983 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. It was Frith's third and last album for The Residents' Ralph Records label and was recorded by Frith at his home in New York City on a 4-track recorder. Frith played almost all the instruments himself, with the exception of bass guitar on two tracks, and drums, for which he used drum tapes and samples previously recorded by other drummers.
Cheap at Half the Price differs from Frith's previous "avant-garde"/experimental albums in that it comprises a collection of pop-like songs, and he sings for the first time. The album raised eyebrows at the time in "progressive circles" for its apparent simplicity and departure from what was then regarded as "Fred Style". However, Frith's exploration of song forms here was developed further with Tom Cora in Skeleton Crew where they played deceptively simple and catchy songs, often using melodies derived from Scandinavian and Eastern European music. One retrospective review of the album described it as "... very much part of the complex of musical activities Frith engaged in at the time, rather than a departure. More than that, he wove lots of those strands together into one coherent work. It bursts with inventiveness, and eradiates the irrepressible joy of playful creativity."

1. Some Clouds Don't 3:17
2. Cap The Knife 2:51
3. Evolution 3:26
4. Too Much Too Little 2:13
5. True Love 2:59
6. The Welcome 2:29
7. Same Old Me 3:00
8. Some Clouds Do 2:52
9. Instant Party 1:59
10. Person To Person 2:23
11. Walking Song 3:16
12. Flying In The Face Of Facts 2:46
13. Heart Bares 4:58
14. Absent Friends 4:02
15. The Great Healer 2:07

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