Fear of Pop: Volume 1

Fear Of Pop: Volume 1

Volume 1 is the name of the first album by the experimental band Fear of Pop. The album was a project of Ben Folds, John Mark Painter, Fleming McWilliams, and others. It was released on November 17, 1998 on 550 Records (with distribution from Sony Records).

The cover of the album, a piece called Just Your Average Second On This Planet 1997-1998 created by David Bethell, features the silhouette of a running man being pursued by cowboys on horseback with lassoes. The back of the album case shows 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. The inner cover depicts a woman being violently attacked on a TV seen in a city apartment.

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 Folds, Southern and Painter were the primary contributors to the records, a large cast of other musicians were included as well. 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' Australian then-girlfriend (and wife from 1999 to 2007) performed frantic lead vocals on "Root to This" ("root" being a crude Australian slang term for sexual intercourse). 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.

Audio Antihero founder Jamie Halliday named "In Love" by Fear of Pop and William Shatner as his "favourite song of all time."