| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
type |
TVTItem |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
label |
The Commercial Album (Music) |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
page |
TheCommercialAlbum |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
comment |
Commercial Album is one of the most iconic albums by The Residents, released in 1980. A Concept Album built around the premise that mainstream pop songs should be combined with advertising radio jingles, which would result in total commercial success. Each song on Commercial Album is therefore only about a minute long, much like a radio advertising spot. Listeners are instructed to play them three times in a row to get the feeling of a typical pop song, if they want that experience. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
fetched |
2023-09-08T20:30:01Z |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
parsed |
2023-09-08T20:30:01Z |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
processingComment |
Dropped link to XTC: Not a Feature - IGNORE |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
isPartOf |
DBTropes |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_17ce80aa |
type |
All There in the Manual |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_17ce80aa |
comment |
All There in the Manual: The concept is explained in the liner notes. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_17ce80aa |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_17ce80aa |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_17ce80aa |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_1f37a427 |
type |
Face on the Cover |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_1f37a427 |
comment |
Face on the Cover: The band is shown upside down, as the eyes to a pair of faces. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_1f37a427 |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_1f37a427 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26b2747 |
type |
Alliterative Title |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26b2747 |
comment |
Alliterative Title: "Love Leaks Out", "The Simple Song", "The Coming of the Crow", "Medicine Man", "Red Rider", "When We Were Young". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26b2747 |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26b2747 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26cce216 |
type |
Age-Progression Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26cce216 |
comment |
Age-Progression Song: "Troubled Man". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26cce216 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26cce216 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_26cce216 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_2719ab04 |
type |
Special Guest |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_2719ab04 |
comment |
Special Guest: Lene Lovich, Snakefinger, Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Andy Partridge, and two Special Secret Appearances, later revealed to be David Byrne and Brian Eno. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_2719ab04 |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_2719ab04 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_2e70a1db |
type |
Miniscule Rocking |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_2e70a1db |
comment |
Miniscule Rocking: 40 tracks, all lasting a minute long. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_2e70a1db |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_2e70a1db |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_31c55195 |
type |
Inverted Portrait |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_31c55195 |
comment |
Inverted Portrait: On the album cover, where the eyeballs of The Residents (who are standing upside down) are the eyes of two giant people. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_31c55195 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_31c55195 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_34f6774c |
type |
Concept Album |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_34f6774c |
comment |
Concept Album: This might be the most rigorously executed concept album ever. Not only did they record 40 "pop" songs, each exactly a minute in length, but also bought up 40 one minute ad spaces on San Francisco radio, effectively creating their own payola Top 40! |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_34f6774c |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_34f6774c |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_410f79be |
type |
Top Ten Jingle |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_410f79be |
comment |
Top Ten Jingle: Several songs mimic or parody this style. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_410f79be |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_410f79be |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44990492 |
type |
Parody Commercial |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44990492 |
comment |
Parody Commercial: The length of the songs is intended to mimic those of radio commercials, hence the album title. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44990492 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44990492 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44f6517d |
type |
Beach Episode |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44f6517d |
comment |
Beach Episode: "Suburban Bathers" |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44f6517d |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44f6517d |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_44f6517d |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_51f90774 |
type |
Step Up to the Microphone |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_51f90774 |
comment |
Step Up to the Microphone: Hardy Fox sings lead on "Suburban Bathers", "Loneliness", "The Talk of Creatures", and "Fingertips", duets with the Singing Resident on "Birds in the Trees" and "My Work Is So Behind", and sings backing on "Dimples and Toes". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_51f90774 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_51f90774 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_55c72164 |
type |
Death Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_55c72164 |
comment |
Death Song: "Easter Woman", "My Work Is So Behind", and perhaps "Die in Terror". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_55c72164 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_55c72164 |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_55c72164 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_67784113 |
type |
Non-Appearing Title |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_67784113 |
comment |
Non-Appearing Title: Nowhere does the words "Commercial Album" appear on the album. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_67784113 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_67784113 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_67784113 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d332aea |
type |
Driven to Suicide |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d332aea |
comment |
Driven to Suicide: The speaker of "My Work Is So Behind" burns himself to death in his own home to escape his backlog. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d332aea |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d332aea |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d332aea |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d7026fa |
type |
Punny Name |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d7026fa |
comment |
Punny Name: "Commercial" as in both "commercially viable," and "advertisement," which all of the songs were the length of. To illustrate the latter point, they bought 40 ad slots on KFRC, each consisting of one song from the album. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d7026fa |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6d7026fa |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6f77ef8e |
type |
Anti-Love Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6f77ef8e |
comment |
Anti-Love Song: "Perfect Love". Could count as a Break-Up Song too. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6f77ef8e |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_6f77ef8e |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_7cfe042d |
type |
Alternative Rock |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_7cfe042d |
comment |
Alternative Rock: How much more alternative can you get? |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_7cfe042d |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_7cfe042d |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_7f933d43 |
type |
Claustrophobia |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_7f933d43 |
comment |
Claustrophobia: "The Nameless Souls" |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_7f933d43 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_7f933d43 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8338de89 |
type |
"I Want" Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8338de89 |
comment |
"I Want" Song: "Give It to Someone Else". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8338de89 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8338de89 |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8338de89 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8970d739 |
type |
The One That Got Away |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8970d739 |
comment |
The One That Got Away and One True Love: "Perfect Love" |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8970d739 |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_8970d739 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_91d3ab1e |
type |
Ominous Pipe Organ |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_91d3ab1e |
comment |
Ominous Pipe Organ: One shows up on "Phantom". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_91d3ab1e |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_91d3ab1e |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9603fba3 |
type |
The Something Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9603fba3 |
comment |
The Something Song: "The Simple Song" |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9603fba3 |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9603fba3 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_979ca348 |
type |
Repurposed Pop Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_979ca348 |
comment |
Repurposed Pop Song: Pop songs are transformed in to advertising jingles. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_979ca348 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_979ca348 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_979ca348 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9c8701b5 |
type |
A Day in the Limelight |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9c8701b5 |
comment |
A Day in the Limelight: Hardy's role as a singer is more pronounced here than even the group's first few albums. Snakefinger arguably gets an even bigger one. He's all over this album as usual, but on top of that he duets with Andy Partridge on "Margaret Freeman", an uncredited Brian Eno on "The Coming of the Crow," and Fred Frith on "Ups and Downs", in which he also sings lead. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9c8701b5 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9c8701b5 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9e9c53ee |
type |
One-Man Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9e9c53ee |
comment |
One-Man Song: "Picnic Boy", "Floyd", "Medicine Man", "Troubled Man", "Nice Old Man". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9e9c53ee |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_9e9c53ee |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4c37cbe |
type |
Mood Whiplash |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4c37cbe |
comment |
Mood Whiplash: Every track will genuinely change your mood. Sometimes in-between the songs themselves. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4c37cbe |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4c37cbe |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4c37cbe |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4ecfcbf |
type |
Dead Partner |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4ecfcbf |
comment |
Dead Partner: "Easter Woman": |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4ecfcbf |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4ecfcbf |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_a4ecfcbf |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c4b74656 |
type |
One-Woman Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c4b74656 |
comment |
One-Woman Song: "Easter Woman", "My Second Wife" and "Margaret Freeman". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c4b74656 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c4b74656 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c4b74656 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c75df49a |
type |
Shout-Out |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c75df49a |
comment |
Shout-Out: The couple on the album cover are John Travolta and Barbra Streisand. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c75df49a |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c75df49a |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c75df49a |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c9a71d47 |
type |
Innocence Lost |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c9a71d47 |
comment |
Innocence Lost: "The Loss of Innocence", where a man visits a sideshow carnival. When he leaves "the waves of people drown the sounds of loss of innocence". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c9a71d47 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_c9a71d47 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d0f0a80d |
type |
One-Word Title |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d0f0a80d |
comment |
One-Word Title: "Possessions", "Phantom", "Moisture", "Loneliness", "Fingertips". |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d0f0a80d |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d0f0a80d |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d0f0a80d |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d45c0b86 |
type |
Refuge in Audacity |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d45c0b86 |
comment |
Refuge in Audacity: Some of these songs are a test to your endurance. Luckily they only take up a minute each. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d45c0b86 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d45c0b86 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_d45c0b86 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_dbfd6b8 |
type |
Lyrical Dissonance |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_dbfd6b8 |
comment |
Lyrical Dissonance: A few, but by far the biggest example, of this album and maybe their whole career, is "Amber", which is upbeat almost to the point of glurgeinvoked: |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_dbfd6b8 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_dbfd6b8 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_e680af6f |
type |
Grief Song |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_e680af6f |
comment |
Grief Song: A surprisingly large portion of the album is about failed relationships or the death of a loved one. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_e680af6f |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_e680af6f |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_f8b511e7 |
type |
Harsh Vocals |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_f8b511e7 |
comment |
Harsh Vocals: Sort of a given, with Randy behind the mic. |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_f8b511e7 |
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| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_f8b511e7 |
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_f8b511e7 |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_name |
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ItemName |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_name |
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|
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The Commercial Album (Music) / int_name |
| | The Commercial Album (Music) / int_name |
itemName |
The Commercial Album (Music) |
