Fred Records

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Fred Records
Image:FredRecords_logo_t.png
Parent company Recommended Records
Founded 2002
Founder Fred Frith
Distributing label RēR Megacorp (UK)
RēR USA (USA)
Locus Solus (Japan)
Genre Rock in Opposition
Avant-progressive rock
Experimental music
Country of origin Flag of England England
Location Thornton Heath, Surrey
Official website Fred Records

Fred Records is a British independent record label created in 2002 by 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.

Contents

[edit] Background

From the mid-1980s Fred 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 mountain climbing accident in 1995. [1] Under Swiss copyright law all the rights to Frith's music released by RecRec reverted back 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 a sub-label 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 Frith to remaster the original recordings and 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]

[edit] 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 includes one of these tributary codes. For example "RēR/FRA 02" reads: "Recommended Records / Fred Records Archive #2".

[edit] Releases

These are all the titles currently released on the Fred Records label.[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Recommended Records, Zürich (RecRec). Border Music. Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
  2. ^ a b Frith, Fred. Fred Records. Fred Frith's homepage. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
  3. ^ Interview with Fred Frith. BBC Music. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
  4. ^ Frith, Fred. Fred Records releases. Fred Frith's homepage. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Fred Frith
Henry Cow • Art Bears • Massacre • Skeleton Crew • Keep the Dog
Duck and Cover • French Frith Kaiser Thompson • Death Ambient • Fred Frith Guitar Quartet • Maybe Monday • Cosa Brava
Aksak Maboul • Material • Naked City
Discography
Guitar Solos (1974) • Gravity (1980) • Speechless (1981) • Live in Japan (1982) • Cheap at Half the Price (1983) • The Technology of Tears (1988) • The Top of His Head (1989) • Step Across the Border (1990) • Quartets (1994) • Middle of the Moment (1995) • Allies (1996) • Eye to Ear (1997) • The Previous Evening (1997) • Pacifica (1998) • Stone, Brick, Glass, Wood, Wire (1999) • Clearing (2001) • Freedom in Fragments (2002) • Accidental (2002) • Prints (2002) • Rivers and Tides (2003) • Eye to Ear II (2004) • Eleventh Hour (2005) • Impur (2006) • The Happy End Problem (2006) • Back to Life (2008)
Related articles
Fred Frith discography • Fred Records