Commercial album

"In many ways, The Commercial Album is the most fully-realised and accessible document The Residents have managed, so far at least. It is shocking in how catchy some of the pieces were, but retaining all the playfulness and eerie storytelling, even it mini-bite-sized form ... As you would expect from The Residents, this is a constantly entertaining, occasionally baffling, but always enthralling record. This expanded reissue gives us a fuller picture, with The Residents content to dabble with their creations over the years, something they have never been afraid to do. This edition nicely enhances what was a fine album already".

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"The 'Commercial Album' is made up of songs in a more conventional format, with conventional arrangements of keyboards, guitars, percussion and vocals - though hardly conventional songs. The concept is, in part, a satire of the "Top 40" format, with forty individual tracks, with the twist that, given most pop songs are three minutes long, and made up of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus, these forty songs have all been produced as one minute jingles, without repetition. The liner notes (once again, a source of significant mirth) state that you should "set your turntable to repeat each track three times to convert these jingles to pop songs".I find the music hilariously funny. Anyone who doesn't believe music should be funny should probably avoid the Residents; anyone who doesn't believe music can be funny must listen to the Residents - although they might do better to start with Meet the Residents, or Third Reich and Roll (also recently re-released) ... Design is an iterative process, and there are so many small details that contribute to these CD's and the original albums being more than just products, more than just CD's, more than just music - I would agree strongly with those who refer to it as art. Even after forty years, the Residents' work is hilariously disturbing, outrageous, utterly uproariously insane art".

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