COMMERCIAL ALBUM

Should The Commercial Album be judged as a concept album or a compilation of forty one-minute ditties? This dichotomy is problematic insofar as both of its parts are essentially the same; a compilation of ditties is the concept.

In the liner notes the band points out that (a) most pop songs consist of one minute of content repeated as verses and choruses, and (b) most advertising jingles are also one minute long. However, the songs on The Commercial Album aren't exactly earworms, and I think it's fair to say that few, if any, would have worked as jingles, whether in 1980 or today. While it's tempting to guess that the Residents intentionally made anti-pop songs, it seems more likely that they tried to create music that was, as they say, like most pop music - - i.e., that was catchy. In fact, a small number of songs, among them "Red Rider," "Easter Woman," and "Picnic Boy" (sung by Lene Lovich), are are somewhat tuneful and are, as seems typical of the Residents, twisted.

Overall, the tracks themselves seem to be the inevitable result of a (self-imposed) need to produce forty different one-minute pop songs. Thankfully, the group did not just throw together a few dozen songs over the weekend; apparently The Commercial Album was created over a one-year period. Nonetheless, around half of the songs sound like they were churned out to meet a quota.

So, three stars for a great idea, though only adequately executed.

(P.S. I strongly suggest The Commercial Album to fans of They Might Be Giants. It seems certain to me that the Residents, and specifically this album, must have been an influence on Flansburgh and Linnell.)