History Music / TheCommercialAlbum

** Snakefinger arguably gets an even bigger one. He's all over this album as usual, but on top of that he duets with [[Music/{{XTC}} Andy Partridge]] on "Margaret Freeman", an uncredited Music/{{Brian Eno}} on "The Coming of the Crow, and Fred Frith on "Ups and Downs", in which he also sings lead.

** Snakefinger arguably gets an even bigger one. He's all over this album as usual, but on top of that he duets with [[Music/{{XTC}} Andy Partridge]] on "Margaret Freeman", and not only duets with Fred Frith, but sings on "Ups and Downs".

--> ''His doctor died a year ago''

** 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", and not only duets with Fred Frith, but sings on "Ups and Downs".

* ConceptAlbum: 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!

''Commercial Album'' is one of the most iconic albums by Music/TheResidents, released in 1980. A ConceptAlbum built around the premise that mainstream pop songs should be combined with advertising radio jingles, which would result in a 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.

* DeathSong: "Easter Woman," "My Work Is So Behind," and perhaps "Die in Terror."
* DrivenToSuicide: The speaker of "My Work is So Behind" burns himself to death in his own home to escape his backlog.
* FaceOnTheCover: The band is shown upside down, as the eyeballs to a pair of faces.

* LyricalDissonance: 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 {{glurge}}:

* NonAppearingTitle: Nowhere does the word "Commercial Album" appear on the album.
* OminousPipeOrgan: One shows up on "Phantom".

* ParodyCommercial: The length of the songs is intended to mimick those of radio commercials, hence the album title.

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: 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."
* TheSomethingSong: "The Simple Song".

''''

# "Picnic Boy" – 1:01
# "End of Home" – 1:04
# "Amber" – 1:02
# "Japanese Watercolor" – 1:02

# "Red Rider" – 1:02
# "My Second Wife" – 1:02

# "Suburban Bathers" – 1:04

# "The Nameless Souls" – 1:04
# "Love Leaks Out" – 1:04

# "Medicine Man" – 1:04

# "Loss of Innocence" – 1:04
# "The Simple Song" – 1:02

# "Ups and Downs" – 1:04

# "Phantom" – 1:04

# "My Work Is So Behind" – 1:04
# "Birds in the Trees" – 1:04
# "Handful of Desire" – 1:04
# "Moisture" – 1:04

# "Troubled Man" – 1:04
# "La La" – 1:04
# "Loneliness" – 1:04
# "Nice Old Man" – 1:04
# "The Talk of Creatures" – 1:04
# "Fingertips" – 1:04

# "The Coming of the Crow" – 1:04
# "When We Were Young" – 1:02

** 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," and not only duets with Fred Frith, but sings on "Ups and Downs".

!! ''Commercial Tropes'':

* ConceptAlbum: This might be the most rigorously-excuted 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!

!! Commercial Tropes:

* DeathSong: "Easter Woman," "My Work Is So Behind," and perhaps "Die In Terror."

* IWantSong: "Give It To Someone Else".

* LyricalDissonance: 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 {{glurge}}:

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: 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."

* SpecialGuest: Music/LeneLovich, Music/{{Snakefinger}}, [[Music/HenryCow Fred Frith, Chris Cutler,]] [[Music/{{XTC}} Andy Partridge]], and two Special Secret Appearances, later revealed to be Music/DavidByrne and Music/BrianEno.

* ParodyCommercial: The length of the songs is intended to mimick those of radio commercials, therefore the album title.

* LyricalDissonance: 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 [[glurge]]:

* LyricalDissonance: A few, but by far the biggest example, of this album and maybe their whole career, is "Amber," a very up-tempo, melodic number about losing a loved one to natural disaster:

* ADayInTheLimelight: Hardy's role as a singer is more pronounced here than even the group's first few album.
** Though Snakefinger arguably gets an even bigger one; on "Ups and Downs," he not only sings lead, but duets on guitar with Fred Frith. And that's on top of his everpresent role as guitarist.

** Though Snakefinger arguably gets an even bigger one on "Ups and Downs," where he not only duets with Fred Frith, but sings lead.

** Snakefinger sings lead on "Ups and Downs".

* ConceptAlbum: This might be the most rigorously-excuted concept album ever. Not only did they record 40 "pop" songs, each exactly a minute in length, but also bought up 40 one minute add spaces on San Francisco radio, effectively creating their own payola Top 40!

* LyricalDissonance: A few, but by far the biggest example, of this album and maybe their whole career, is "Amber," a very uptempo, melodic number about losing a loved one to natural disaster:

* MoodWhiplash: Every track will guaranteely change your mood. Sometimes inbetween the songs themselves.

* MinisculeRocking: 40 tracks, all lasting one minute long.

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Hardy Fox sings lead on "Suburban Bathers," "Loneliness," "The Talk of Creatures," and "Fingertips," duets with Randy on "Birds in the Trees," and sings backing on "Dimples and Toes."

* SpecialGuest: Music/LeneLovich, Music/{{Snakefinger}}, Fred Frith and Chris Cutler (Music/HenryCow) Andy Partridge from the band Music/{{XTC}}, and two Special Secret Appearances, later revealed to be Music/DavidByrne and Music/BrianEno.

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Hardy Fox sings lead on "Suburban Bathers," "Loneliness," "The Talk of Creatures," and "Fingertips," and duets with Randy on "Birds in the Trees."

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Hardy Fox sings lead on "Suburban Bathers," "The Talk of Creatures," and "Fingertips," and duets with Randy on "Birds in the Trees."

* SpecialGuest: Music/LeneLovich (sings on "Picnic Boy"), Music/{{Snakefinger}}, Fred Frith and Chris Cutler (Music/HenryCow) Andy Partridge from the band Music/{{XTC}}, and two Special Secret Appearances, later revealed to be Music/DavidByrne and Music/BrianEno.

* ATurnAtTheMicrophone: Hardy Fox sings lead on several numbers.

* DrivenToSuicide: Mr. Skull's character in "My Work is So Behind" burns himself to death in his own home to escape his backlog.

* HarshVocals: Some tracks have 'em.

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Snakefinger, the guitarist, sings lead on "Ups and Downs."

* SpecialGuest: Music/LeneLovich (sings on "Picnic Boy"), Music/{{Snakefinger}}, Fred Frith and Chris Cutler (Music/HenryCow) Andy Partridge from the band Music/{{XTC}} (can be heard on "Margaret Freeman").