THE RESIDENTS

I've mentioned before that I think the first eight studio albums of THE RESIDENTS are their classic period. I understand that many fans of the band have favourites outside of this 1974 to 1981 time frame. On RYM with thousands of ratings for all but "Mark Of The Mole" at under 1,400. They have "Not Available", "Duck Stab/ Buster Glen", "Meet The Residents" and "Eskimo" as the top four of those eight, and "Fingerprince", "Mark Of The Mole", "Commercial Album" and "The Third Reich 'N Roll" as the bottom four. I'm pretty good with that but I'd put "Fingerprince" in the top four and "Eskimo" down.

I have the MVD Audio issue from 2015 and there's no liner notes, but a very cool black and white picture of three of the eye balls and a skeleton following. Haunting is the word and I really like it. At least on the back cover they tell me that there are special appearances by Chris Cutler, Sandy Sandwich(Sandy Partridge XTC), Mud's sis(Helen, e-wife of Hardy), Snakefinger and Don Jackovich. And Fred Frith is given the honour of being called the "Extra hard working musician". There's also the "Special secret appearances: ?" who turns out to be female singer Lene Lovich.

While the previous album "Eskimo" might be the band at their most proggiest, here we get 40 one minute tracks which is so commercial right? I don't have the liner notes like others where we are told to listen to each track three times in a row. And I get it, familiarity is part of growing to like music, and with 40 tracks that will take a ton of listens to actually know these songs even though they are only a minute long. I found myself constantly looking at how much time was left with each track, instead of focussing on the music. This is like the anti-prog album.

This was a tough one for me. I love that this band tried some things over their careers. You know the moles, or the eskimos, sound collages, deconstructed pop tunes, holding the release of an album back until they forgot about it, and on and on. What a band!

I don't know if I've ever felt so compromised over a rating as here. Is this not the ultimate concept album? There is almost no music on this record. It reminds me of what it would have been like back in the day before televisions, when families would gather around the radio for some theatre of the mind. This was recorded over a three year period('76- '79), and I wonder if Zappa's story about Nanook the Eskimo was the inspiration for this, coming off his 1974 album "Apostrophe(')". Both feature a lot of wind.

Three guests help out here in Snakefinger, Don Preston and Chris Cutler. Of course we get plenty of humour like the picture of "Randy, Chuck & Bob on a fact finding expedition to the polar ice cap in 1977". The picture with it shows four men but one has an "x" marked on him, I guess he didn't make it. Or the descriptions of the instruments that the Eskimo ceremonial band played and the picture with it of them playing these crude instruments out in the snow, as the Northern Lights provide the visual.

I'll quote the liner notes here which explains some of their motives for this album. "This album attempts to recreate not only the Eskimo ceremonial music, but also a living context for it's existence, in the form of Eskimo stories. Although on the disc the stories are told purely by sound, a written account is provided to aid your appreciation of this unique culture." And a web site is given for that information. They also suggest to listen to this recording with a warm blanket within reach, and to have a relaxed sate of mind.

I'm so into this because one of my favourite experiences where I live is in the Winter when it's storming, like a blizzard, and I'm looking out at this world that is completely white from my warm little house. Kind of cool. There's a lot of wind on this record. The vocals tend to sound like a caveman is speaking, I'm sure they made that up and it's not really the Inuit language for example. This rides that line of mocking the Eskimo and their lifestyles, but also seeming to be serious about their plight, living in such a harsh environment.

This is the most unique recording in my collection, and for that alone this deserves some props. I am so anti-concept, and this is the ultimate. Yet, I am so sucked into this recording. This is a band who pushed the envelope. Their next release would feature 40 one minute songs, so there's that. No top tracks for me, this comes across as one long suite to my ears, very uniform sounding too. They got me! 4 stars.

This is the last album of their so called classic period of eight straight records to start their careers. This is a concept album about the Moles who live below but their homes are flooded. So they are forced to live above with the Chubs and things just don't go well. A classic tale. The one thing that stands out about this record when comparing it their previous seven is how dark it is. It's like they decided to channel those electronics towards creating atmosphere and moods. This is not an easy album to digest.

Released in 1981 we get six tracks worth about 41 minutes. And while I'm not into concept albums, I find this one to be very interesting and well done with the way everything flows and how they tell the story instrumentally and virtually with samples etc. I would place this in the lower half of their first eight releases but this really holds up well to repeated listens, it doesn't get old. So while I'm not overly enthusiastic, I am convinced enough that there is something special going on here, to go for that fourth star.

THE RESIDENTS subscribed to this "theory of obscurity" idea which meant no interviews, no pictures, they didn't reveal who they were personally, and they even created this album with the view of not releasing it until they had forgotten about it. So in the liner notes it states that this record was recorded in 1974, after their debut then, and album number two. But they put it in the vaults, called it "Not Available", and it wasn't brought out until 1978, and it's officially studio album number four.

Many feel like it sounds like their later albums, but that's not the experience I had with this one. In fact without knowing about all this "theory of obscurity" stuff, I felt like this album "sounded" like their debut. I literally felt that because the character voices on here, that will pop up on other albums, they just aren't that funny or well done. It's like they were finding their sound here, but they didn't actually find it on "Not Available". Not nearly as funny, and the music isn't nearly as good. On the other hand, it took four spins of this for it to finally click with me. It was so surprising when this happened!

So on the one hand this feels like a step down from their other early stuff, but on the other hand this just clicked with me which means I really am into this now. Weird! The other thing about this album is that it's supposed to be a concept album of some sort. I don't think anyone really knows what the concept itself is though. So this is different yet familiar. It's not "Mark Of The Mole" different, in that they have gone into new territories. Lots of percussion, piano and electronics, but the vocals dominate and are hit and miss. This is the highest rated THE RESIDENTS album on RYM.

The songs from this EP were originally to be part of the "Fingerprince" album released in 1977. From the same sessions and all, but that would have pushed the time of that album well over 50 minutes, and we're talking vinyl days. So they released it 2 years later in 1979 as a 16 minute EP with different cover art than is shown here. It was re-issued in 1981 and with the album cover shown here, and once more in 1985 with again different cover art. When cds arrived they combined it with "Fingerprince" where it belonged, and that was 1987.

Yes as a stand alone piece this does feel a little underwhelming, I will admit that, but the songs "Melon Collie Lassie" and "Walter Westinghouse" needed to be heard, so I'm grateful for the original EP. But even more thankful for it being back where it belongs with "Fingerprince".

Based on their first eight studio albums alone I feel THE RESIDENTS are a top three Avant band when it comes to the USA. Zappa and THINKING PLAGUE would also get my votes, but this band should really be proud of those first eight records. They kept things in their own zone for the most part although that eighth album "Mark Of The Mole" is a little different, but I think it works. It's the lowest rated on here of the first eight, while RYM has this album I'm reviewing today as the lowest rated of those. And while I don't always agree with RYM users, in this case I do.

"The Third Reich 'N' Roll" is an album full of parody and while I do like that style, a full record of it is too much. In fact the phrase "too much" is something I use a lot with this second album of theirs. Yes we get a hint of this direction from their debut "Meet The Residents" where they parody that Nancy Sinatra song. Here it's well over a dozen popular 60's songs that have been given a makeover, THE RESIDENTS style. Completely destroying some of them. The cover art and all of those Third Reich references are too much. I'm surprised Dick Clark didn't take them to court, but honestly all of this stuff probably only created a ripple back then.

So two side long suites where we get a lot of humour and inventive ideas in collage form pretty much. This is fun, especially for someone of my age who knew all these songs by the time I was a young teenager. And I like a lot of these 60s tunes. This is my least favourite of their first eight but many will point to this as their favourite of those. A matter of taste. The entertainment value is very high here. Just get all eight, come on!

This is the second installation of "The American Composer's Series" by THE RESIDENTS after covering James Brown and Gershwin on the first volume. Here it's Hank Williams and John Philip Sousa getting treated with a makeover courtesy of THE RESIDENTS. This was released in 1986 and is around 43 minutes long. The Hank Williams side is surprisingly good with at least two tracks standing out for me. The Sousa side which is really one long suite but divided into section is mostly about hearing a marching band and I have a hard time with it.

My favourite on side one is "Kaw-Liga" as it's quite catchy with horns, guitar, vocals and more. The closer on side one "Jambalaya" opens with outbursts of drums before it settles in with a steady beat and almost spoken vocals. It's interesting at least. And while I'm not into the Sousa music, I really like their idea of us hearing a marching band in a parade marching down the street, and we hear all that goes with that including outbursts of applause, people talking, nature etc. All the while Sousa music is being improved upon by THE RESIDENTS. That second side is a tough listen though.

Neither of the "American Composer Series" volumes are essential in my opinion but they are entertaining in a strange way.

"Fingerprince" was released back in 1977 and while it's impact was not immediate on me like their others have been, this one really grew on me with repeated listens. A very consistent album with the usual humour, along with the electronics and percussions that dominate musically, but the vocals really are key. And they can be hilarious. It's interesting when they add warmth to their sound how it hits me emotionally. Usually the organ or atmosphere does this.

So we get eight tracks on side one of shorter pieces followed by the side long suite called "Six Things To A Cycle" that clocks in around 15 minutes and is divided into six parts. I do prefer that second side the most, as the first side is where it took me some listens to appreciate it. Of the first side songs I like "Tourniquet Of Roses" the most. Drums and horns as the vocals arrive and we get two different singers, and I can't get enough of the one that sounds really dumb.

I much prefer this to Zappa's humour but I suppose either one needs a really immature person as a listener to really appreciate it. Yes these guys do cross some lines in my world with their irreverence, but I have to give it up to this band for being so committed to their sound, to the point of not listening to other band's music, keeping it all inside their little world and it worked. "Godsong" is interesting as they go off the map here with determined vocals and an urgent sound. So much of this album is repetitive and sparse, especially side one.

The six piece suite includes the ultra catchy Pt.4 about chewing gum. Funny and repetitive. That yell in Pt.1 is startling. Pt.2 has some warmth, while Pt.3 is quite catchy. Warmth on Pt.5 the longest section along with horns, vibes and vocals. Originally the band wanted to make this a 3 sided album, including what is now the "Babyfingers" EP to this recording, but decided against it. It would be added though on later re-issues making this about a 53 minute album at that point.

Again this took some listens to appreciate as it's not as immediate as some of their other classics, but this is for sure a solid 4 stars in my world.

Review #165!

This is part two of The Residents's Mole Trilogy. You may be expecting some insane rock opera-type series. If you're familiar with The Residents, you may be expecting an expansive synth-led orchestrations. But both of these assumptions are incorrect. What you get here is not a continuation of the plot of the first Mole album, but a tangent album that shows the musical tastes of the Chubs and Moles. The Chubs love jazz, and the Moles love industrial and experimental. Now, another assumption you may have is that this is a very diverse and cool Residents album. But again, that is wrong. The music tends to get very monotonous, since the eyeballs use the same 5 or so synths. But some stand out tracks keep me from giving this album a two-star review. "Mousetrap", "Serenade for Missy", and "Smack Your Lips" are all great ones. So not necessary for any reason, but worth a few listens at least.

Review #164!

What The Residents are doing here is redefining the word 'cover'. An Elvis cover album chock-full of mysterious, dark renditions of his hits, with very Residenty interludes splotched throughout the album ('The Baby King', 1-5). Although some songs feel a bit drowned out and dull, the majority of them are delightfully dark, and full of some of the best 80's Residents synth themes. Some of these songs are: 'Teddy Bear', 'Love Me Tender', and 'Heartbreak Hotel'. Overall, this album is a great album in The Reidents's career, and a good conclusion to mark the end of an era for the band (the following one being the multimedia era). Prog on!