Fear of Pop
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fear of Pop | |
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| Country | USA |
| Years active | 1997 – 1999 |
| Genres | Indie Rock, Experimental |
| Labels | 550/Sony |
| Members | Ben Folds, Caleb Southern, John Mark Painter, Fleming McWilliams, William Shatner, Frally Hynes |
Fear of Pop is the name of an experimental recording project by Ben Folds (of Ben Folds Five) and Caleb Southern (Ben Folds Five's long time producer), along with John Mark Painter (Fleming and John), William Shatner and others. Their first album, Volume 1 was released in 1998.
[edit] Biography
Folds and Southern began recording music for the "Fear of Pop" project during 1997 in various locations around the United States as an outlet to make music away from Ben Folds Five. In an open letter to fans on Frank Maynard's quasi-official Ben Folds Five website, Folds said that Fear of Pop had "helped satisfy my need to express some things musically - textures, orchestration, rhythms - things that don't always naturally fall into the standard three minute singer/song format. I love to paint sounds in an abstract way, discovering their effect after it's all put together. Once you’ve sold a million records, you've earned the right to experiment self-indulgently at the expense of your record company." [1]
In 1998, 550 Records (under Epic/Sony) released Fold's Volume 1 to the masses. The cover of the album featured the silhouette of a running man (possibly naked, possibly Ben Folds) being pursued by cowboys on horseback with lassos. The back of the album case showed the silhouette of a boy in a cowboy outfit sitting on a park bench with what appears to be an erect penis in his hands. At some stores, a limited edition 12" vinyl single for "In Love" was bundled for free with Volume 1. It featured a remix of the song by Thievery Corporation, as well as a couple of cuts off of the album. Although given much critical praise, it was deemed by some to be not as accessible (yet at the same time more complex and challenging) than his earlier work with Ben Folds Five.
Although considered a Ben Folds solo project (his first since forming Ben Folds Five) there was also a large cast of other musicians included, most significantly Southern and Painter. Perhaps most notably, William Shatner provided vocals on "In Love" (as well as the reprise, "Still in Love"). Painter's wife, Fleming McWilliams, sang on several tracks. Frally Hynes, Folds' then-girlfriend (and now wife), performed frantic lead vocals on "Root to This." Folds himself sang on a number of songs as well.
The track "Rubber Sled" is a humorous reference to Ben Folds Five bass player, Robert Sledge. A clip of Brick by Ben Folds Five is playing in the background at the beginning of this song, though played at twice its normal speed, and a sample of Folds yelling "Robert Sledge on the bass guitar!" can be heard approximately halfway through the song. "I Paid My Money" was at least almost a decade old at the time it was recorded in 1998. The original 1990 demo version featured Folds singing over an african-american choir.
On January 22, 1999 Fear of Pop gave their first and only live performance (as confirmed by Fleming and John's website) on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. They performed "In Love" with William Shatner on lead vocals, along with Folds and McWilliams quietly duetting underneath the actor's monologue. Eddie Walker, the drummer for Folds' first band, Majosha, played drums during this appearance.
Folds has hinted that another "Fear of Pop" album will eventually be recorded, with Volume 3 being the rumored title.
