Fred Records

{{Short description|British independent record label}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}} {{Use British English|date=September 2012}} {{Infobox record label | name = Fred Records | image = FredRecords logo t.png | image_bg = | parent = Recommended Records | founded = 2002 | founder = Fred Frith | defunct = | distributor = RēR Megacorp (UK)<br>RēR USA (USA)<br>Locus Solus (Japan) | genre = Rock in Opposition<br>Avant-rock<br>Experimental music | country = England | location = Thornton Heath, Surrey | url = {{url|https://web.archive.org/web/20120510023511/http://www.fredfrith.com/frecords.html|Fred Records}} }} '''Fred Records''' is a British independent record label created in 2002 by the English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith to re-release his own back catalogue of recordings and previously unreleased material. It is an independent company working in co-operation with Chris Cutler and Recommended Records, utilising Recommended Records' distribution network.

==Background== From the mid-1980s, Frith released much of his music (solo and in collaboration with other musicians) on the Swiss independent record label RecRec Music. However, the label went bankrupt in 1997 after its founder, Daniel Waldner died in a mountaineering accident in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bordermusic.wordpress.com/2007/01/16/recommended-records-zurich-recrec/ |title=Recommended Records, Zürich (RecRec) |work=Border Music |access-date=30 January 2007 |archive-date=7 July 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707174539/http://bordermusic.wordpress.com/2007/01/16/recommended-records-zurich-recrec/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Under Swiss copyright law all the rights to Frith's music released by RecRec reverted to him, totalling 13 different titles. Having lost money in unpaid royalties, Frith wanted to re-release all the titles on a single label. In the early 2000s, and with the help of Chris Cutler of Recommended Records, Frith set up his own label, Fred Records as an imprint of Recommended Records.<ref name=FR>{{cite web |url=http://www.fredfrith.com/frecords.html |title=Fred Records |work=Fred Frith's homepage |first=Fred |last=Frith |access-date=25 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204062514/http://www.fredfrith.com/frecords.html |archive-date=4 February 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/experimental/interviews/int_frith.shtml|title=Interview with Fred Frith|work=BBC Music |access-date=25 January 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060215162125/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/experimental/interviews/int_frith.shtml |archive-date = 15 February 2006}}</ref>

The new label gave Frith an opportunity to re-issue material from his archives that would have been difficult to release elsewhere. Advances in technology also enabled him to remaster the original recordings and to produce a sound much closer to what was originally intended. In addition, Frith has released previously unreleased material by himself and in collaboration with other musicians. To create a consistent image for the label as a whole, Frith has artist Tomas Kurth illustrate the CD covers, often incorporating elements of the original LP covers in the design.<ref name=FR />

==Tributaries== Currently, the Fred Records catalogue is divided into three tributaries: *FRO (Fred Records Original) – re-releases of Frith's previously released original material *FRA (Fred Records Archive) – releases of previously unreleased material from Frith's archive *FRFC (Fred Records French Connection) – releases of previously unreleased material from Frith's archive recorded in France. The catalogue numbers of each release include one of these tributary codes. For example, "RēR/FRA 02" reads "Recommended Records / Fred Records Archive #2".

==Releases== These are all the titles currently released on the Fred Records label.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fredfrith.com/artwork.htm |title=''Fred Records releases'' |work=Fred Frith's homepage |first=Fred |last=Frith |access-date=25 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706151911/http://www.fredfrith.com/artwork.htm |archive-date=6 July 2007 }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable" !Year released !Catalogue no. !Artist !Title |- |2002 |RēR/FRO 01 |Fred Frith |''Gravity'' |- |2002 |RēR/FRA 01 |Fred Frith |''Accidental'' |- |2002 |RēR/FRO 02 |Fred Frith |''Guitar Solos'' |- |2002 |RēR/FRA 02 |Fred Frith |''Prints'' |- |2003 |RēR/FRA 03 |Keep the Dog |''That House We Lived In'' |- |2003 |RēR/FRO 03 |Fred Frith |''Step Across the Border'' |- |2003 |RēR/FRO 04 |Fred Frith |''Speechless'' |- |2004 |RēR/FRO 05 |Fred Frith |''Middle of the Moment'' |- |2004 |RēR/FRO 06 |Fred Frith |''Cheap at Half the Price'' |- |2004 |RēR/FRO 07 |Fred Frith |''Allies'' |- |2005 |RēR/FRO 8/9 |Skeleton Crew |''Learn to Talk / Country of Blinds'' |- |2005 |RēR/FRO 10 |Massacre |''Killing Time'' |- |2006 |RēR/<nowiki>FRFC</nowiki> 01 |Fred Frith |''Impur'' |- |2006 |RēR/FRA 05 |Fred Frith |''The Happy End Problem'' |- |2008 |RēR/FRO 11 |Fred Frith |''The Technology of Tears'' |- |2008 |RēR/FRA 06 |Fred Frith & John Zorn |''The Art of Memory II'' |- |2009 |RēR/<nowiki>FRFC</nowiki> 02 |Fred Frith |''Impur II''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rermegacorp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ReRFRFC&Category_Code=&Store_Code=RM|title=FRITH, FRED: Impur part II|publisher=ReR Megacorp|access-date=11 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715174423/http://www.rermegacorp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ReRFRFC&Category_Code=&Store_Code=RM|archive-date=15 July 2011}}</ref> |- |2009 |RēR/FRA 07 |Fred Frith |''Nowhere, Sideshow, Thin Air''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rermegacorp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ReRFRA07&Category_Code=GUIT&Store_Code=RM|title=FRITH, FRED: Nowhere . Sideshow . Thin Air|publisher=ReR Megacorp|access-date=11 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715174427/http://www.rermegacorp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ReRFRA07&Category_Code=GUIT&Store_Code=RM|archive-date=15 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- |2010 |RēR/FRO 12 |Fred Frith |''Live in Japan''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rermegacorp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ReRFRO12&Category_Code=&Store_Code=RM|title=FRITH, FRED: Live in Japan|publisher=ReR Megacorp|access-date=13 October 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715174457/http://www.rermegacorp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ReRFRO12&Category_Code=&Store_Code=RM|archive-date=15 July 2011}}</ref> |- |2015 |RēR/FRA 08 |Fred Frith |''Field Days (The Amanda Loops)'' |- |2015 |RēR/FRO 13 |Fred Frith |''Propaganda'' |- |2021 |RēR/FRSB1 |Fred Frith |''The Fred Records Story 2001–2020 Volume 1: Rocking the Boat'' |- |2021 |RēR/FRSB2 |Fred Frith |''The Fred Records Story 2001–2020 Volume 2: Crossing Borders'' |- |2021 |RēR/FRSB3 |Fred Frith |''The Fred Records Story 2001–2020 Volume 3: Stepping Out'' |- |2021 |RēR/TCCCFF |Tom Cora, Chris Cutler, Fred Frith |''Live in Tel Aviv and Aubervilliers'' {{efn|A limited edition bonus CD included in the ''Fred Records Story'' box set.}} |}

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080516085650/http://fredfrith.com/ Fred Frith home page]. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120510023511/http://www.fredfrith.com/frecords.html Fred Records] *[http://www.rermegacorp.com RēR Megacorp]. Recommended Records UK. *[http://www.locus-solus.co.jp Locus Solus]. Recommended Records Japan. *[http://www.rerusa.com RēR USA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427184351/http://www.rerusa.com/ |date=27 April 2014 }}. Recommended Records USA.

Category:British independent record labels Category:Record labels established in 2002 Category:Alternative rock record labels Category:Experimental music record labels Category:Fred Frith Category:2002 establishments in the United Kingdom