| Just Fred | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 23, 1996 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Reprise [3] | |||
| Producer | Steve Albini | |||
| Fred Schneider chronology | ||||
| ||||
Just Fred is the second solo album by the American musician Fred Schneider, released in 1996. [4] [5] Its first single was "Bulldozer". [6] Schneider promoted the album by playing shows with his band, the Slobs. [7]
Produced by Steve Albini, the album was recorded in two weeks. [8] [9] [1] Schneider was backed by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Deadly Cupcake, and Six Finger Satellite. [10] [11] Consisting of members of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the Didjits, and Tar, Deadly Cupcake was formed by Albini. [12] Most of Schneider's vocals are in the same style that he uses with the B-52's, although electronic effects are added to "Secret Sharer", and "Helicopter" utilizes a conversational voice." [13]
"Coconut" is a cover of the Harry Nilsson song; it first appeared on a Nilsson tribute album. [14] [15]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [16] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [17] |
| Fort Worth Star-Telegram | [11] |
| The Huntsville Times | 3/5 [18] |
| Knoxville News Sentinel | [19] |
| Orange County Register | [9] |
| Toronto Sun | [12] |
The Knoxville News Sentinel stated: "Schneider still uses his distinctive style—an emphatic shout/sing delivery with an ironic tone—but now it's accompanied by heavy angst as he sings about endangered freedon ('Helicopter'), betrayal ('Lick', 'Secret Sharer') and destruction ('Bulldozer')." [19] Rolling Stone concluded that "Albini manages to make all these guitars sound authentic and contemporary, but Just Fred is as much a nod to the late-70s underground scene that spawned the B-52's, when the punk rock of the Ramones seemed just fine alongside the quirky pop of bands like Blondie and Talking Heads." [20] The Huntsville Times declared that Just Fred "borders on inanity at times, but it's just as enjoyable as 'Love Shack' or 'Roam', and no one could argue that those tracks contributed to the salvation of mankind." [18]
The Telegram & Gazette deemed the album "a bomb" and "an annoying drag of a record." [21] The New York Times concluded that "with punk in the middle of a revival that takes itself seriously, Mr. Schneider has latched on to the pop flippancy amid punk's burly guitars ... Schneider treats punk rock as another kitschy source." [2] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution determined that "a few tracks illuminate surprising similarities between Schneider's arch yelp and Johnny Rotten's—'Secret Sharer' could be a Never Mind the Bollocks outtake." [22]
AllMusic called the album "a surprisingly enjoyable fusion of Schneider's bizarre charm and lean, loud alternative rock that proudly illustrates his punk roots." [1]
All lyrics by Fred Schneider, music written as noted, except "Coconut" which is written by Harry Nilsson
† = performed by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
†† = performed by Six Finger Satellite
All others performed by Deadly Cupcake
Harry Edward Nilsson III, sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experiments, a return to the Great American Songbook, and fusions of Caribbean sounds. Nilsson was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists to achieve significant commercial success without performing major public concerts or touring regularly.
The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson (guitar), and Keith Strickland. Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band has also added various members for albums and live performances.
The B-52's is the debut album by the Athens, Georgia-based new wave band the B-52's. The kitschy lyrics and mood, and the hook-laden harmonies helped establish a fanbase for the band, who went on to release several chart-topping singles. The album cover was designed by Tony Wright.
Shellac is an American noise rock band from Chicago, Illinois, composed of Steve Albini, Bob Weston and Todd Trainer and formed in 1992.
Frederick William Schneider III is an American singer and frontman of the rock band the B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his sprechgesang, which he developed from reciting poetry over guitars.
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun. In 1985, Pezzati was replaced by Dave Riley, who played on Big Black's two full-length studio albums, Atomizer (1986) and Songs About Fucking (1987).
Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet are a Juno Award-winning Canadian instrumental rock band, formed in 1984. They remain best known for the track "Having an Average Weekend", of which an alternate version was used as the theme to the Canadian sketch comedy TV show The Kids in the Hall. Although commonly classified as a surf rock band they rejected the label, going so far as to release a track called "We're Not a Fucking Surf Band", although they also later released a compilation box set titled Oh, I Guess We Were a Fucking Surf Band After All.
Cynthia Leigh Wilson is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of new wave rock band the B-52's. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays percussion during live shows. She is the younger sister of the late guitarist Ricky Wilson (1953–1985), who was also a founding member of the band.
Don Pyle is a Canadian record producer and musician, who has also been a member of multiple bands. Pyle is openly gay.
Fred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter active in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after it was used in the film Midnight Cowboy in 1969. Though highly regarded by contemporary folk singers, he was reluctant to tour and spent much of the last 30 years of his life assisting with the preservation of dolphins.
"Rock Lobster" is a song written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson, two members of the B-52's. It was twice recorded and released as a single, first by DB Records as their debut release in April 1978, and again the following year for the band's self-titled debut album on Warner Bros. Records.
Songs About Fucking is the second and final full-length studio album by the punk rock band Big Black, released in 1987 by Touch and Go records, and reissued in 2018. The album includes a rendition of Kraftwerk's "The Model" in a remixed version from that which appeared on Big Black's then-recent single. The compact disc of Songs About Fucking added the other side of that single, a cover of Cheap Trick's "He's a Whore".
Steve Albini is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer, and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, Flour, and is part of Shellac. He is the founder, owner, and the principal engineer at Electrical Audio, a recording studio complex in Chicago. In 2018, Albini estimated that he had worked on several thousand albums over his career. He has worked with acts such as Nirvana, Pixies, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, and former Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
Mesopotamia is an EP by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1982. It was produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads and was originally planned to be the band's third studio album. Due to conflicts with Byrne and record label pressure, recording sessions were aborted prematurely and only six of ten songs to be completed were released. The record was distributed as a 12-inch EP by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and by Island Records on vinyl and cassette in the UK and other non-U.S. markets.
Fred Schneider and the Shake Society is the debut solo studio album by American new wave musician Fred Schneider, released in 1984 by Warner Bros. Records. It was re-released in 1991 as Fred Schneider.
Richard Barone is an American rock musician who first gained attention as frontman for the Bongos. He works as a songwriter, arranger, author, director, and record producer, releases albums as a solo artist, tours, and has created concert events at Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, SXSW, and New York's Central Park. He teaches the course “Music + Revolution” at The New School's School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, has served on the Board of Governors of The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), serves on the Advisory Board of Anthology Film Archives, and hosts the "Folk Radio" show on WBAI New York.
24 Hour Revenge Therapy is the third studio album by American punk rock band Jawbreaker, released on February 7, 1994, through Tupelo Recording Company and Communion Label. Before the release of their second studio album Bivouac (1992), frontman Blake Schwarzenbach developed a polyp on his vocal chords. While on tour in Europe, he went to a hospital; upon returning to the United States, the band took up day jobs. Recording sessions for their next album were held at Steve Albini's house in Chicago, Illinois across three days in May 1993. While on tour, they listened to tapes they made of the sessions; Schwarzenbach was unhappy with the recordings. Three songs were subsequently recorded in a single day at Brilliant in San Francisco, California in August 1993 with Billy Anderson.
"Private Idaho" is a single released by the B-52's from their second studio album Wild Planet (1980).
For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson, released on 9 May 1995 by Musicmasters, is a tribute album by various artists and dedicated to the songs of American musician Harry Nilsson. The album was released the year after Nilsson's death. Proceeds went to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Sport Fishin': The Lure of the Bait, The Luck of the Hook is the second album by Canadian surf rock group Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, released in 1993 through Cargo Records. It was recorded by Steve Albini.
