Fireside Favourites
Encyclopedia
Fireside Favourites is an album released by Frank Tovey, better known as Fad Gadget
, in September 1980. The music developed the primitive industrial
sound of his first recordings, the singles "Back to Nature" (1979) and "Ricky's Hand
" (1980). Realised with an expanded array of collaborators, including a number of notable record producer
s, the album's instrumentation combined the synthesizer
s, drum machine
s and found object
s of previous releases with conventional guitar
, bass
and percussion
. The lyrics and subject matter ridiculed various aspects of modern society and featured observations from sometimes bizarre perspectives.
The opening track, "Pedestrian", was a commentary on society's obsession with the automobile
. It segued into "State of the Nation", whose chorus declared that "Life begins when you're ready to face it". "Salt Lake City Sunday" satirized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from its practice of tithing
("They want you to repent / They want your ten per cent") to its belief in conversion of the deceased
("You leave my ancestors to rot in their graves"). "Coitus Interruptus" described the vacuousness of modern relationships ("The boys sleep with girls / The boys sleep with boys / Never find that high / Never acting coy") with deadpan puns ("Emission impossible"). The jaunty title track and then-current single, "Fireside Favourite", juxtaposed sexual conquest with nuclear nightmare
imagery ("Hey now honey, open your eyes / There's a mushroom cloud up in the sky / Your hair is falling out and your teeth have gone / Your legs are still together but it won't be long").
"Newsreel" parodied all-pervading news reportage ("Put the mike into the mouth of the wound / Tape the sound of fading life / Edit out the sounds that displease / Ask the feelings of a dead man's wife"). "Insecticide", also released as the B-side of "Fireside Favourite", was narrated from a fly
's point of view ("I creep up the wall / And then across the ceiling / I spin round the bulb / And land on a sandwich"). "The Box", a rerecording of the B-side of Fad Gadget's debut single, "Back to Nature", concerned premature burial
. The closing track, "Arch of the Aorta", was a largely instrumental piece with looped
background voices depicting conversation between medical staff and a patient.
Fireside Favourites did not make the mainstream charts.
Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget is the stage name of Francis John Tovey , a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both New Wave and early Industrial music....
, in September 1980. The music developed the primitive industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
sound of his first recordings, the singles "Back to Nature" (1979) and "Ricky's Hand
Ricky's Hand
"Ricky's Hand" is a song by Fad Gadget, released as a single in 1980. It was the second Fad Gadget single, following "Back to Nature" the previous year. The track was not included on any studio album, predating a debut LP by several months, but does appear on several compilations...
" (1980). Realised with an expanded array of collaborators, including a number of notable record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s, the album's instrumentation combined the synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s and found object
Found object
A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. Found objects may exist either as utilitarian, manufactured items, or things which occur in nature...
s of previous releases with conventional guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
. The lyrics and subject matter ridiculed various aspects of modern society and featured observations from sometimes bizarre perspectives.
The opening track, "Pedestrian", was a commentary on society's obsession with the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
. It segued into "State of the Nation", whose chorus declared that "Life begins when you're ready to face it". "Salt Lake City Sunday" satirized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from its practice of tithing
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
("They want you to repent / They want your ten per cent") to its belief in conversion of the deceased
Baptism for the dead
Baptism for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is the religious practice of baptizing a living person on behalf of one who is dead, with the living person acting as the deceased person's proxy...
("You leave my ancestors to rot in their graves"). "Coitus Interruptus" described the vacuousness of modern relationships ("The boys sleep with girls / The boys sleep with boys / Never find that high / Never acting coy") with deadpan puns ("Emission impossible"). The jaunty title track and then-current single, "Fireside Favourite", juxtaposed sexual conquest with nuclear nightmare
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
imagery ("Hey now honey, open your eyes / There's a mushroom cloud up in the sky / Your hair is falling out and your teeth have gone / Your legs are still together but it won't be long").
"Newsreel" parodied all-pervading news reportage ("Put the mike into the mouth of the wound / Tape the sound of fading life / Edit out the sounds that displease / Ask the feelings of a dead man's wife"). "Insecticide", also released as the B-side of "Fireside Favourite", was narrated from a fly
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
's point of view ("I creep up the wall / And then across the ceiling / I spin round the bulb / And land on a sandwich"). "The Box", a rerecording of the B-side of Fad Gadget's debut single, "Back to Nature", concerned premature burial
Premature burial
Premature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive. Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally or intentionally...
. The closing track, "Arch of the Aorta", was a largely instrumental piece with looped
Tape loop
In music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
background voices depicting conversation between medical staff and a patient.
Fireside Favourites did not make the mainstream charts.
Track listing
All songs written by Fad Gadget.- "Pedestrian – 3:20
- "State of the Nation" – 3:48
- "Salt Lake City Sunday" – 2:12
- "Coitus Interruptus" – 4:39
- "Fireside Favourite" – 4:31
- "Newsreel" – 3:42
- "Insecticide" – 3:09
- "The Box" – 4:19
- "Arch of the Aorta" – 6:17
Personnel
- Fad GadgetFad GadgetFad Gadget is the stage name of Francis John Tovey , a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both New Wave and early Industrial music....
– vocals, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, drum machineDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
, ashtrayAshtrayAn ashtray is a receptacle for ash and butts from cigarettes and cigars. Ashtrays are typically made of fireproof material such as glass, heat-resistant plastic, pottery, metal, or rock....
, metal chairChairA chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
, electric shaverRazorA razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of unwanted body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, disposable razors and electric razors.... - Eric RadcliffeEric RadcliffeEric Radcliffe is a recording engineer and producer who worked with New Wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new... - John FryerJohn Fryer (music)John Fryer is an English record producer. Best known for his production work, he also branched out as a musician as one of only two constant members of This Mortal Coil , providing keyboards, strings and synthesizer sequencing for the band, and its offshoot, The Hope Blister.- Career :Starting out...
– extra fingers, ashtray, metal chair - Nick Cash – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Daniel MillerThe NormalThe Normal is the recording artist name used by English music producer Daniel Miller, a film editor at the time, who is best known as the founder of the record label Mute Records.-Background:...
– electronic percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, synthesizer, sequencerMusic sequencerThe music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :... - Phil Wauquaire – bass synthesizer, bass