THIS IS THE 1984 UK LATER PRESSING on MERCURY Records.  SINGLE COVER + INNER SLEEVE. The cover is in VG+ condition: normal wear BUT 1 light sticker mark on rear (top right corner), very light discolouration on corners, mild creases on edges, surface ring-halo, left spine is readable; INNER SLEEVE in VG+ condition, with creases; please for details see photos (with and without flashlight). Vinyl is in VG(+) condition (some clicks/mild crackles, and some backnoise on A1) and playsgreat and without lessening in sound quality. SECOND SOLO ALBUM.

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JULIAN COPE

English musician, writer, historian, and cosmic shaman Julian Cope came to fame in the late '70s and early '80s as the frontman for the Liverpudlian post-punk group Teardrop Explodes. An enigmatic storyteller, contrarian, mystic, and hallucinogen enthusiast, Cope embarked on a genre-defying solo career upon leaving the band in 1983. Beginning with World Shut Your Mouth in 1984, he released a string of LPs that married the Teardrops' love of debauched psych-pop with folk, chamber pop, Krautrock, ambient/electronica, and space and alternative rock.

"FRIED"

1984      LP     MERCURY RECORDS     MERL 48  822 832-1

MADE IN ENGLAND   LATER PRESSING

Comes in a single sleeve with printed inner sleeve

NOTES: Reissue released with printed inner sleeve but no poster.

Rear sleeve has slightly different design, notably MERL 48 cat no appears in white text below barcode.

℗© 1984 Phonogram Ltd. (London)

Original sound recording made by Phonogram Ltd. (London)

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Barcode: (text) 0 42282 28321 4

LABEL: MERCURY - RED LABEL - BLACK TEXT

Label Code: none

Catalog on cover: (spine) 822 832-1  (rear) MER 48 822 832-1

Catalog on labels: MERL 48 (822 832-1)

Matrix / Runout (Side A, Stamped): MERL 48 A-2U-1-1

Matrix / Runout (Side B, Stamped): MERL 48 B-2U-1-1

On labels: All Rights.......Prohibited

℗ 1984 Phonogram Ltd (London)    © 1984 Phonogram Ltd (London)

(All songs by Julian Cope)    Produced by Stevan Lovell for....

Original Sound Recording Made by Phonogram Ltd. (London)

On Inner Sleeve: "Namdan am I, I'm a madman"

On Back Cover: Produced by Stevan Lovell, for Lovell The Dog Productions Ltd

tracklisting

Side A: REYNARD THE FOX - BILL DRUMMOND SAID

LAUGHING BOY - ME SINGING - SUNSPOTS

Side B: THE BLOODY ASSIZES - SEARCH PARTY

O. KING OF CHAOS - HOLY LOVE - TORPEDO

grading

RECORD VG(+) but (please, read above description)

SLEEVE VG+ but (please, see pictures and read above description)

In contrast to the crisp, clean sound of World, Fried often sounds rougher, a bit more shut in. Combine that with Cope's generally successful attempts to project an image of barely stable sanity, helped in large part by the notorious wearing-nothing-but-a-turtle-shell cover photos, and the idea of Fried as his album of crazed musical collapse understandably is a strong one. However, World producer Steve Lovell once again handles things here, along with playing guitar, while even more importantly, key Cope collaborator Donald Ross Skinner, a young musician from Cope's hometown, makes his debut. Kate St. John again contributes cor anglais throughout, adding a haunting atmosphere on many cuts. If anything, the album shows that Cope may be completely musical tripping out as he chooses but he knows exactly what he's doing throughout. Certainly the first cut, "Reynard the Fox," shows him balancing inspiration and arrangement perfectly -- one of his strongest, catchiest choruses eventually bleeds into a freaked-out spoken word bit followed by a total rave-up. Other songs range from further on-the-edge efforts -- the frenetic "O King of Chaos" and more generally weird "Sunspots" -- to gentler, wistful numbers like "Laughing Boy" and "Search Party" that effectively capture a rural psych feeling akin to XTC's own work at the same time. In all, Fried shows Cope at his dramatic best...(AllMusic)