Fred Records

Lore & Background

From the mid-1980s, Frith released much of his music on the Swiss independent label RecRec Music. That label went bankrupt in 1997 after its founder, Daniel Waldner, died in a mountaineering accident in 1995. Under Swiss copyright law, all rights to Frith's music released by RecRec reverted to him, totaling 13 titles. Having lost money in unpaid royalties, Frith wanted to re-release all the titles on a single label. In the early 2000s, with the help of Chris Cutler of Recommended Records, Frith set up his own label, Fred Records, as an imprint of Recommended Records.

Reader's Guide

Fred Records gave Frith an opportunity to re-issue material from his archives that would have been difficult to release elsewhere. Advances in technology enabled him to remaster the original recordings and produce a sound much closer to what was originally intended. The label also released previously unreleased material by Frith and in collaboration with other musicians. To create a consistent image, Frith has artist Tomas Kurth illustrate the CD covers, often incorporating elements of the original LP covers. The catalogue is divided into three tributaries: FRO (Fred Records Original) for re-releases of previously released original material; FRA (Fred Records Archive) for previously unreleased material from Frith's archive; and FRFC (Fred Records French Connection) for previously unreleased material recorded in France. Catalogue numbers include these codes, e.g., 'RēR/FRA 02'.

Did You Know?

• Fred Records was created in 2002 as an imprint of Recommended Records.
• The label was formed after RecRec Music went bankrupt in 1997 following the death of its founder Daniel Waldner in a mountaineering accident in 1995.
• Under Swiss copyright law, rights to 13 titles reverted to Frith after RecRec's bankruptcy.
• Artist Tomas Kurth illustrates the CD covers, often incorporating elements of the original LP covers.