Cheap at Half the Price
| Cheap at Half the Price | ||||
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| Studio album by Fred Frith | ||||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Recorded | August 1983, United States | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:29 | |||
| Label | Ralph (US) | |||
| Producer | Fred Frith | |||
| Fred Frith chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Babyblaue Seiten |   |
| Leonardo Digital Reviews | favorable |
Cheap at Half the Price is a 1983 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith. It was Frith's fifth solo album, and was originally released in the United States on LP record on The Residents' Ralph record label. It was the third of three solo albums Frith made for the label.
Cheap at Half the Price was recorded by Frith at his home in New York City on a 4-track machine. He played all the instruments himself, with the exception of bass guitar on two tracks, and drums, for which he used tapes and samples previously recorded by other drummers. The record differed from Frith's previous experimental albums in that it consisted largely of pop-like songs, and he sang for the first time.
The LP's release in 1983 caused a stir in progressive circles because of its "apparent simplicity" and its departure from the experimental music Frith had become known for. But a remastered version of the album released on CD in 2004 was better received by critics, who admitted that they had overlooked what Frith had been doing at the time.
Cheap at Half the Price was the third of a series of three solo albums Frith made for The Residents's record label Ralph Records, the first being Gravity (1980), an avant-garde "dance" record that drew on rhythm and dance from folk music across the world, and the second being Speechless (1981), a mixture of folk music, free improvisation, avant-rock and noise. He had recorded with The Residents in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and appeared on several of their albums. Both Gravity and Speechless were well received by critics.
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