The Residents: C/D;S&D

No, sorry, I just expressed myself badly - I think / agree that (with the notable exception of the album God In Three Person, which isn't represented on the comp.) there is a distinct overall downward trend between about 1980 and 1997 (when Our Tired Our Poor Our Huddled Masses came out)

"So how would more recent music correct this impression, as you suggest?"

I think 1998's Wormwood and 2002's Demons Dance Alone are major returns to form both in terms of both quality and "relevance" (or, at least, contemporaneity).

Early tapes make it clear that they actually can play instruments, they just made a point of taking instrumental technique apart at the exact moment the rest of pop was calcifying into stadium rock gloss & empty virtuosity. Taking the formulas of glossy, shallow pop, and making it all gloriously ugly and wrong, but still recognizable. And sometimes, so utterly, bafflingly wrong that it comes out far more mysterious and beautiful.

Beautiful Residents: Not Available, Eskimo and "Six Things To A Cycle", the main theme of which is probably my favorite thing they've ever done.

http://www.theresidents.co.uk/articles/books/art_cutler.html

An extraordinarily large number of people have described Trout Mask Replica as ".... possibly the worst album I've ever heard"; so it's entirely possible that - at least as far as I'm concerned - your description may be the highest possible accolade.

It goes for upwards of $50 used when you can find it these days, I should have xeroxed my friend's copy...

http://www.rzweb.org/books/sonic.html

40-something rock critics are loving the album though, so who knows. (I don't think most Residents fans are 21 years old.)

Because I have a great friend/Residents fanatic whose musical taste is very different from mine but with whom I share a lot of likes, I've heard a ton of Residents music over the years. I still find it, no matter how eloquently he defends it, puerile.

I think you're probably right - indeed, I suspect that the reason the last couple of Residents' projects (Wormwood, Demons Dance Alone) have shown such a long overdue return to form is that they did seem to have stopped trying to produce all-singing all-dancing fully-integrated multi-media conceptual arts projects, and were just concentrating on making music for it's own sake again.

Let's hope Animal Lover doesn't represent a step in the wrong direction.

Besides Buster and Glen (have it also on a 3 incher in the euro ralph 2fer) I haven't really heard anything else. What do I need NOW? Is this the catchiest stuff? I really have no idea. To me it's THE monolith of fucked avant rock.

The Commercial Album sounds interesting...

But if you're loving this, you can't go wrong with any of the albums released 1980.

Fingerprince, Not Available, Third Reich and Roll -- 100% guarenteed

my favorite is Not Available. whenever one of the other ones isn't busy being my favorite.

I remember the first time I heard 'the executioner', when the guitar solo kicked in, I remember being so repulsed and horrified that sitting there thinking 'this is the ugliest music I've ever heard in my life, do I really want to go here? do I even want to be someone who owns this record?' then the guitar faded into the funeral march and it was too late

which album would you recommend to someone interested in them because of the Tuxedomoon connection?

Can't help you, never heard Tuxedomoon

A friend mentioned Residents to me recently and it occurred to me I've never actually tried to listen to their stuff before, which struck me as a bit odd. I just know them from bits I heard on college radio.

you pretty much can't go wrong with any Residents album 1972-1980. for tunes try either Duck Stab or Commercial Album. for concept albums try Fingerprince or Third Reich and Roll. Not Available is the emotional one.

you know what's good out of the recent stuff? Tweedles pulls off the whole literally stated narrative project they've been trying since God In 3 Persons -- but the music is better and the narrative's honed down to the ugliest essentials, I think it's the best thing they've done in 15-20 years.

Anyone know where I can hear The Bunny Boy? Prindle reviewed it today but I can't find a single place to download/stream it. Strongly debating whether catching them on the upcoming tour is worth the money.

for archeologist fans of 'Santa Dog' curious about sample sources: http://closetcurios2.blogspot.com/2008/11/concert-percussion-for-orchestra.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadeo_Roldán

The fifth and sixth of his Rítmicas (1930) appear to be the first works in the Western classical music tradition scored for percussion alone. -- take that, Varèse

which album would you recommend to someone interested in them because of the Tuxedomoon connection?

just picked this one up used at amoeba... http://www.discogs.com/release/339929

it's a good starting point for that sound, and obviously hearing tuxedomoon alongside some residents and snakefinger tracks will help cement that connection. as a whole it's a great listen with quite a lot of variety; one record is selected by ralph records mail-order subscribers and the other by the label/artists themselves.

also, i'm surprised that snakefinger's solo output hasn't been mentioned more on this thread. i'm quite a fan of 'manual of errors'

How is "Not Available"?

LOL @ polite OLD ILM "I have disagree with you there"

New fucking rude and snarky answers please

Don't know if this has been discussed elsewhere in ILM but the Ralph Records webstore is closing down : http://www.ralphamerica.com/

As of August 15, Ralph America will be closing due to the general state of the music business and the expanding cost of creating physical products. It's been a great ride. Thanks for all your support over the past 11 years.

started a POX thread to commemorate: POX Ralph Records

one of the earliest, weirdest, most important independent record labels in the history of the country and I felt like giving up on this place when only one other person contributed a list, but at least sleeve gave a pretty great list

Not Available is fantastic, everything from 1971-1980 is five stars

All I have is Icky Flix. All I need is Icky Flix.

milton totally OTM, but kids are too hip to be weird these days so whatevs.

'Not Available' is one of the best early 'difficult' records and a big gnarly concept album like Residents doing Tarkus.

N.A. has a lovely gauzy sound, possibly due to a primitive recording setup, it sounds kinda plaintive and wistful in places, which I would say is unusual for the Rez.

aw Milton I am glad my Chasms Accord fandom kept you from losing faith completely.

will rep for this song all day everyday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDDVXlEG-_I

my god, this is so cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p3hdT4vmBg

does anyone know is this is on any of their studio albums? i've been on Residents burnout for a while now but this is like the coolest thing I've ever seen

i guess "cool" aint the right word but it's the right balance of awesome and freaky and catchy, something the Residents don't achieve much

It's on The King and I. From the late 80s, I think.