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.

Fred Records
Parent companyRecommended Records
Founded2002
FounderFred Frith
Distributor(s)RēR Megacorp (UK)
RēR USA (USA)
Locus Solus (Japan)
GenreRock in Opposition
Avant-rock
Experimental music
Country of originEngland
LocationThornton Heath, Surrey
Official websiteFred Records

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.[1] 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.[2][3]

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 used the artist, Tomas Kurth to illustrate the CD covers, often incorporating elements of the original LP covers in the design.[2]

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.[4]

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/FRFC 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/FRFC 02 Fred Frith Impur II[5]
2009 RēR/FRA 07 Fred Frith Nowhere, Sideshow, Thin Air[6]
2010 RēR/FRO 12 Fred Frith Live in Japan[7]
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 [lower-alpha 1]

See also

Notes
  1. A limited edition bonus CD included in the Fred Records Story box set.

References
  1. "Recommended Records, Zürich (RecRec)". Border Music. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  2. Frith, Fred. "Fred Records". Fred Frith's homepage. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
  3. "Interview with Fred Frith". BBC Music. Archived from the original on 15 February 2006. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
  4. Frith, Fred. "Fred Records releases". Fred Frith's homepage. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
  5. "FRITH, FRED: Impur part II". ReR Megacorp. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  6. "FRITH, FRED: Nowhere . Sideshow . Thin Air". ReR Megacorp. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  7. "FRITH, FRED: Live in Japan". ReR Megacorp. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
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