Released January 1985 Release date January 1985 | Label Flicknife Records | |
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Recorded August 1984, Computer Music Studio, London Freq(1985) Test Tube Conceived(1986) Similar Test‑Tube Conceived, Captain Lockheed and the S, Lucky Leif and the Longships, Centigrade 232, It Ain't Over till It's Over | ||
1 ned ludd
Freq is a 1985 album by English singer and musician Robert Calvert.
Contents
It was recorded during the time of the UK miners' strike (1984-1985) and in between the songs it features snippets of field recordings by Calvert with miners on a picket line, with Calvert displaying his sympathy for their cause.
The lyrics cover various themes, only "All the Machines are Quiet" and "Picket Line" being explicitly concerned with the miners' strike. "Ned Ludd" is a reworking of a track which was originally part of his stage play The Kid from Silicon Gulch;[1] taking its name from Ned Ludd who inspired the luddite movement in 1811, it deals with Calvert's ambivalent attitude to the impact of new technologies on people's lives.
The music saw a movement away from his previous work as a frontman of a rock group towards a minimalist electronic sound.
The tracks "Lord of the Hornets" and "The Greenfly and the Rose" were recorded as demos in preparation for Calvert's Hype album, but they were issued as a single by Flicknife Records (FLS204) in 1980. The band used for this session is a unique combination of former Hawkwind members, except for Gary Cooper who was Calvert's literary agent at the time.
Track listing
All titles written by Robert Calvert.
Side 1
- "Ned Ludd" – 4:57
- (talk) – 1:31
- "Acid Rain" – 5:06
- (talk) – 2:37
- "All The Machines Are Quiet" – 5:33
Side 2
- (talk) – 1:12
- "Picket Line" – 3:27
- (talk) – 1:06
- "The Cool Courage Of The Bomb Squad Officers" – 5:21
- (talk) – 1:06
- "Work Song" – 3:54
Bonus tracks
- "Lord of the Hornets" – 3:52
- "The Greenfly and the Rose" – 3:39
Original album
Bonus tracks
Credits
Release history
Songs
1Ned Ludd4:57
2Talk 11:31
3Acid Rain5:06