{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Commercial Album | type = studio | artist = the Residents | cover = Thecommercialalbum.jpg | alt = | released = October 1980 | recorded = September 1979 – October 1980 | studio = | genre = Experimental rock | length = 43:18 | label = Ralph Records | producer = The Residents | prev_title = Eskimo | prev_year = 1979 | next_title = Mark of the Mole | next_year = 1981 }} {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |title=The Commercial Album Review by Rick Anderson |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-commercial-album-mw0000652383#review |website=AllMusic |access-date=15 October 2023}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Pitchfork'' | rev2score = 7/10 }}
'''''Commercial Album''''' is the seventh album released by the American experimental rock band the Residents in October 1980 by Ralph Records.
== Background == The album is commonly considered a follow-up to their 1978 album ''Duck Stab/Buster & Glen'', in that it retains the former's pop-oriented song structures. It contains 40 songs, each lasting exactly one minute – a deliberate satire of Top 40 mainstream radio. The album's liner notes state that, to form a complete pop song, tracks from the album should be played three times in a row.
The album features a number of guest musicians, notably drummer Chris Cutler and guitarist Fred Frith of the recently disbanded Henry Cow. The credits mention Frith as an "Extra-Hard Working Guest Musician." Frith told author Cole Gagne that he recorded parts for around 25 tracks and was later told by a band member that he appeared on at least 15 of the released cuts, but that he could only identify himself on three tracks on which he played bass.<ref name="Inc.1990">{{cite book|author=Cole Gagne|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1914109|title=Sonic Transports|date=1990|publisher=de Falco Books|pages=98|isbn=0-9625145-0-0|access-date=17 May 2023}}</ref> Other guests are credited under pseudonyms, such as Andy Partridge of XTC (as "Sandy Sandwich") and Lene Lovich (as "Mud's Sis"); Brian Eno and David Byrne appear on the album uncredited.
As a promotional stunt, the Residents purchased 40 one-minute advertising slots on San Francisco's most popular Top 40 radio station at the time, KFRC, such that the station played each track on the album over the course of three days. This prompted an editorial in ''Billboard'' magazine questioning whether the act was art or advertising.<ref name="Inc.1980">{{cite book|author=Jack McDonough|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT22|title=Air Time, Ad Time Fuse In Residents' S.F. Promo|date=15 November 1980|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|series=Billboard|pages=22–|issn=0006-2510|access-date=28 March 2012}}</ref>
== Track listing == All tracks last exactly one minute, but with a three-second pause between songs making each last around 1:03. On the original LP, "Die in Terror" is incorrectly printed as track 14, between "The Nameless Souls" and "Love Leaks Out". {{Track listing | total_length = 21:39 | all_writing = the Residents. | title1 = Easter Woman | length1 = 1:03 | title2 = Perfect Love | length2 = 1:03 | title3 = Picnic Boy | length3 = 1:03 | title4 = End of Home | length4 = 1:03 | title5 = Amber | length5 = 1:03 | title6 = Japanese Watercolor | length6 = 1:03 | title7 = Secrets | length7 = 1:03 | title8 = Die in Terror | length8 = 1:03 | title9 = Red Rider | length9 = 1:03 | title10 = My Second Wife | length10 = 1:03 | title11 = Floyd | length11 = 1:03 | title12 = Suburban Bathers | length12 = 1:03 | title13 = Dimples and Toes | length13 = 1:03 | title14 = The Nameless Souls | length14 = 1:03 | title15 = Love Leaks Out | length15 = 1:03 | title16 = Act of Being Polite | length16 = 1:03 | title17 = Medicine Man | length17 = 1:03 | title18 = Tragic Bells | length18 = 1:03 | title19 = Loss of Innocence | length19 = 1:03 | title20 = The Simple Song | length20 = 1:03 | headline = Side one }} {{Track listing | total_length = 21:39 | title21 = Ups and Downs | length21 = 1:03 | title22 = Possessions | length22 = 1:03 | title23 = Give It to Someone Else | length23 = 1:03 | title24 = Phantom | length24 = 1:03 | title25 = Less Not More | length25 = 1:03 | title26 = My Work Is So Behind | length26 = 1:03 | title27 = Birds in the Trees | length27 = 1:03 | title28 = Handful of Desire | length28 = 1:03 | title29 = Moisture | length29 = 1:03 | title30 = Love Is... | length30 = 1:03 | title31 = Troubled Man | length31 = 1:03 | title32 = La La | length32 = 1:03 | title33 = Loneliness | length33 = 1:03 | title34 = Nice Old Man | length34 = 1:03 | title35 = The Talk of Creatures | length35 = 1:03 | title36 = Fingertips | length36 = 1:03 | title37 = In Between Dreams | length37 = 1:03 | title38 = Margaret Freeman | length38 = 1:03 | title39 = The Coming of the Crow | length39 = 1:03 | title40 = When We Were Young | length40 = 1:03 | headline = Side two }}
=== 1988 CD bonus tracks === {{Track listing | total_length = 1:08:01 | length43 = 1:27 | writer49 = James Brown, Betty Jean Newsome | writer48 = Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | writer44 = The Ramones | length50 = 4:03 | length49 = 3:44 | length48 = 3:08 | length47 = 4:34 | length46 = 2:56 | length45 = 2:58 | length44 = 1:11 | length42 = 1:00 | title41 = Shut Up, Shut Up | length41 = 1:00 | title50 = Hit the Road Jack | title49 = This is a Man's Man's Man's World | title48 = Jailhouse Rock | title47 = Diskomo | title46 = Boy in Love | title45 = The Sleeper | title44 = We're a Happy Family / Bali Ha'i | title43 = Theme for an American TV Show | title42 = And I was Alone | writer50 = Percy Mayfield }}
* Tracks 41 and 42 are outtakes from the album, released separately as the ''Commercial Single''. * Track 44 was recorded for the 1980 Morgan Fisher project ''Miniatures''. * Tracks 45–48 were previously released on the 1983 compilation ''Residue''. * Track 49 was previously released as a single in 1984. * Track 50 was previously released as a single in 1987.
=== 2019 pREServed edition bonus tracks === {{Track listing | total_length = 1:01:50 | length43 = 1:02 | length50 = 3:04 | length49 = 1:03 | length48 = 1:08 | length47 = 1:04 | length46 = 1:01 | length45 = 1:06 | length44 = 1:03 | length42 = 1:04 | title41 = Shut Up, Shut Up | length41 = 1:02 | title50 = Instant Hostility | title49 = No Longer Unused | title48 = Tuxedos | title47 = Pretty Baby | title46 = Rosco's Righteous Rodent | title45 = Cosmetics for Reality | title44 = Kraftwerk | title43 = Electronic Elaborate Waste | title42 = And I was Alone | length51 = 2:37 | length52 = 1:10 | title51 = Elevator Lady | title52 = We're a Happy Family | headline = Disc One | writer52 = The Ramones }}After a small bit of silence, an unlisted track plays, a "concentrate" mix of the advertisements that were aired in promotion of the album on KFRC. {{Track listing | title1 = Shut Up, Shut Up {{small|(''Residue'' version)}} | length12 = 1:26 | length3 = 3:07 | length4 = 2:55 | length5 = 1:28 | length6 = 0:53 | length7 = 1:09 | length8 = 1:04 | length9 = 2:30 | length10 = 1:45 | length11 = 1:32 | length13 = 1:45 | headline = Disc Two | length14 = 1:05 | length15 = 1:03 | length16 = 1:06 | length17 = 1:04 | length18 = 1:09 | length19 = 1:10 | length20 = 5:48 | length21 = 3:04 | length22 = 2:34 | length23 = 2:28 | length2 = 1:03 | total_length = 44:38 | title2 = And I was Alone {{small|(alternate)}} | title13 = The Coming of the Crow {{small|(live 1986)}} | title3 = Ups and Downs {{small|(''Residue'' version)}} | title4 = Boy in Love | title5 = Die in Terror {{small|(1982 rehearsal)}} | title6 = Give it to Someone Else {{small|(1982 rehearsal)}} | title7 = Love Leaks Out {{small|(1982 rehearsal)}} | title8 = The Talk of Creatures {{small|(1982 rehearsal)}} | title9 = Easter Woman {{small|(live 1986)}} | title10 = Amber {{small|(live 1986)}} | title11 = Red Rider {{small|(live 1986)}} | title12 = Die in Terror {{small|(live 1986)}} | title14 = Moisture {{small|(''Icky Flix'')}} | length1 = 1:12 | title15 = Act of Being Polite {{small|(''Icky Flix'')}} | title16 = Perfect Love {{small|(''Icky Flix'')}} | title17 = The Simple Song {{small|(''Icky Flix'')}} | title18 = Red Rider {{small|(''Commercial DVD'')}} | title19 = Moisture {{small|(''Commercial DVD'')}} | title20 = Commercial Album suite {{small|(live 2005)}} | title21 = Give it to Someone Else {{small|(live 2013)}} | title22 = Easter Woman {{small|(live 2015)}} | title23 = My Second Wife {{small|(live 2015)}} | title24 = Loss of Innocence {{small|(live 2015)}} | length24 = 2:18 }}
== Personnel == *Guest musicians: **Fred Frith: guitar on "Japanese Watercolor",<ref name=":0">The Residents - Heaven? [<nowiki/>RykoDisc RCD 20012] (1986) Track Credits</ref> "Moisture",<ref name=":1">The Residents - Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses [Euro Ralph CD017] (1997) Track Credits</ref> and "The Coming of the Crow",<ref name=":2">The Residents - Hell! [<nowiki/>RykoDisc RCD 20013] (1986) Track Credits</ref> bass *Special Appearances **Chris Cutler – drums on "Love Leaks Out",<ref name=":0" /> "Moisture",<ref name=":1" /> and "The Coming of the Crow"<ref name=":2" /> **Don Jackovich – drums on "Love Leaks Out"<ref name=":1" /> **Sandy Sandwich (Andy Partridge) – vocals and guitar on "Margaret Freeman"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Oliver |date=2016-09-23 |title=That time when XTC's Andy Partridge sang for the Residents |url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/that_time_when_xtcs_andy_partridge_sang_for_the_residents |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=Dangerous Minds}}</ref> **Mud's Sis (Lene Lovich) – special appearance<ref>The Residents - Commercial Album [Mute, CDSTUMM243] (2004) Track Credits</ref> **Snakefinger – "special appearance" on "Moisture",<ref name=":1" /> vocals on "Ups and Downs" *Secret Special Appearances **Nessie Lessons – vocals on "Amber"<ref name=":0" /> **Brian Eno – synthesizer on "The Coming of the Crow"<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Knipfel|first=Jim|title=The Residents Sell Out [Commercial Album pREServed Liner Notes]|publisher=Cherry Red Records, MVD Entertainment Group, New Ralph Too|year=2018|pages=2}}</ref> **David Byrne – backing vocals on "Suburban Bathers"<ref name=":3" /> *Cover design and art direction by Pore Know Graphics
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{The Residents}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Commercial Album, The}} Category:The Residents albums Category:1980 albums Category:Charisma Records albums Category:Ralph Records albums Category:1980s concept albums