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Commercial Single is a 7" single by The Residents, released October 10th 1980 by PRE Records.

The single features two songs, "Shut Up Shut Up" and "And I Was Alone", which had been written and recorded for Commercial Album but left out of the final track listing. These two tracks were featured on a separate 7" single, titled Commercial Single Two, which were included with some early copies of the Celluloid pressing of Commercial Album.

In July 2023, a single containing promotional mono mixes of the Commercial Single tracks was released as a limited edition white label 7" vinyl, titled The Commercial Single Commercials (In Mono), which accompanied some copies of the pREServed vinyl edition of Commercial Album.

History[]

Commercial Single was released in the UK and France by The Residents' European distributor PRE Records to promote the release of Commercial Album in 1980.

As well as six tracks from the album, it also includes "Shut Up Shut Up" and "And I Was Alone", which were not included on Commercial Album as The Residents deemed them to be "too trendy".[1]

These two tracks were also included on a limited edition 7" single titled Commercial Single Two, included with early Celluloid copies of Commercial Album in 1980; however some copies also seem to have been sold separately from the album at the time.

Both tracks have since been re-issued on later CD versions of Commercial Album, in addition to other contemporary bonus tracks. Music videos for the tracks also featured in the 2004 DVD release Commercial DVD.

Track listing[]

All tracks composed by The Residents.

Commercial Single[]

Side A (4:00)[]

  1. Amber (1:00)
  2. Red Rider (1:00)
  3. Picnic Boy (1:00)
  4. Shut Up Shut Up (1:00)

Side B (4:00)[]

  1. When We Were Young (1:00)
  2. Phantom (1:00)
  3. Moisture (1:00)
  4. And I Was Alone (1:00)

Commercial Single Two[]

Side A[]

  1. Shut Up, Shut Up (1:00)

Side B[]

  1. And I Was Alone (1:00)

The Commercial Single Commercials (In Mono)[]

A white label, 7" single titled The Commercial Single Commercials (In Mono) was released in "extremely limited" numbers alongside early copies of the pREServed double LP vinyl edition of Commercial Album on July 7th 2023.

The single contains unique mono mixes of the Commercial Single tracks, created specifically as promotional "commercials" for radio play, featuring voice-overs from an announcer. The "commercial" mixes of the tracks were aired on radio during the album's release cycle in October 1980.

Track listing[]

All tracks composed by The Residents.

Side A[]

  1. Amber
  2. Red Rider
  3. Picnic Boy

Side B[]

  1. When We Were Young
  2. Phantom
  3. Moisture

See also[]

External links and references[]

Commercial Album
(1980)

Side A:
"Easter Woman" · "Perfect Love" · "Picnic Boy" · "End of Home" · "Amber" · "Japanese Watercolor" · "Secrets"
"Die in Terror" · "Red Rider" · "My Second Wife" · "Floyd " · "Suburban Bathers" · "Dimples and Toes" · "The Nameless Souls"
"Love Leaks Out" · "Act of Being Polite" · "Medicine Man" · "Tragic Bells" · "Loss of Innocence" · "The Simple Song"

Side B:
"Ups and Downs" · "Possessions" · "Give It to Someone Else" · "Phantom" · "Less Not More" · "My Work Is So Behind" · "Birds in the Trees"
"Handful of Desire" · "Moisture" · "Love Is..." · "Troubled Man" · "La La" · "Loneliness" · "Nice Old Man"
"The Talk of Creatures" · "Fingertips" · "In Between Dreams" · "Margaret Freeman" · "The Coming of the Crow" · "When We Were Young"

Personnel
The Residents · Fred Frith · Snakefinger · Don Jackovich · Chris Cutler
Sandy Sandwich · Mud's Sis · Nessie Lessons · Lene Lovich · David Byrne · Brian Eno

Related works
"Electronic Elaborate Waste" · "Kraftwerk" · "Cosmetics For Reality" · "Rosco's Righteous Rodent" · "Pretty Baby" · "Tuxedos"
"No Longer Unused" · "Instant Hostility" · "Elevator Lady" · "One Minute Movies" · Commercial Single ("Shut Up Shut Up" / "And I Was Alone") · "Boy In Love" · Minatures ("We're A Happy Family") · "Talkin' in the Town" · "Womb To Worm" · Greener Postures · "Theme For An American TV Show" · Ralph Radio Special · "Commercial Suite" · Commercial DVD · Commercial Album by The 180 Gs · The Commercial Single Commercials (In Mono) · Commercial Book (Commercial Album Radio Ads)

Related articles
Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Grove St. studio · Poor No Graphics · Buy Or Die 1980½ · Diskomo/Goosebump‏‏‎

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