― george gosset (gegoss), Sunday, 9 January 2005 10:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― Bumfluff, Sunday, 9 January 2005 10:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― chaki in charge (chaki), Sunday, 9 January 2005 10:44 (nineteen years ago) link
― don, Sunday, 9 January 2005 18:16 (nineteen years ago) link
Not to mention funnier. The Residents couldn't pull off "Judy in Disguise" if their eyeballs depended on it.
― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Sunday, 9 January 2005 20:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Sunday, 9 January 2005 20:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― chaki in charge (chaki), Sunday, 9 January 2005 20:26 (nineteen years ago) link
Obviously, they had a certain style. But that's an easy (and inaccurate) criticism that someone might make about any comedians that they didn't happen to like. I mean, if someone didn't like the Marx Brothers, couldn't they make the same allegation?
It's not true of the Residents, anyway. Just thinking of the first album, "Boots" is not the same joke as "Smelly Tongues," which is not the same joke as "Rest Aria," which is not the same joke as "Spotted Pinto Bean," which is not the same joke as "Seasoned Greetings," etc.
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 9 January 2005 21:26 (nineteen years ago) link
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).
― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 10 January 2005 10:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 10 January 2005 17:54 (nineteen years ago) link
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.
― (Jon L), Monday, 10 January 2005 22:54 (nineteen years ago) link
http://www.theresidents.co.uk/articles/books/art_cutler.html
― (Jon L), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 00:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 04:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― a, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 11:45 (nineteen years ago) link
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.
― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 12:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― don, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 19:27 (nineteen years ago) link
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
― (Jon L), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 19:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― don, Thursday, 20 January 2005 00:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― (Jon L), Thursday, 20 January 2005 01:24 (nineteen years ago) link
40-something rock critics are loving the album though, so who knows. (I don't think most Residents fans are 21 years old.)
― a, Thursday, 24 February 2005 13:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― a, Thursday, 24 February 2005 13:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 24 February 2005 14:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― pdf (Phil Freeman), Thursday, 24 February 2005 15:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 24 February 2005 17:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― a, Thursday, 24 February 2005 21:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― a, Thursday, 24 February 2005 21:12 (nineteen years ago) link
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.
― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Friday, 25 February 2005 04:24 (nineteen years ago) link
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.
― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 25 February 2005 15:16 (nineteen years ago) link
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...
― @@r0n h. z@nd3r$ (AaronHz), Friday, 8 April 2005 23:46 (nineteen years ago) link
But if you're loving this, you can't go wrong with any of the albums released 1980.
― milton parker (Jon L), Saturday, 9 April 2005 00:16 (nineteen years ago) link
Fingerprince, Not Available, Third Reich and Roll -- 100% guarenteed
― milton parker (Jon L), Saturday, 9 April 2005 00:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― @@r0n h. z@nd3r$ (AaronHz), Saturday, 9 April 2005 00:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― @@r0n h. z@nd3r$ (AaronHz), Saturday, 9 April 2005 00:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 9 April 2005 00:32 (nineteen years ago) link
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
― milton parker (Jon L), Saturday, 9 April 2005 00:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― @@r0n h. z@nd3r$ (AaronHz), Saturday, 9 April 2005 01:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― -the-night-watch- (-the-night-watch-), Saturday, 9 April 2005 13:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― @@r0n h. z@nd3r$ (AaronHz), Sunday, 10 April 2005 11:45 (nineteen years ago) link
which album would you recommend to someone interested in them because of the Tuxedomoon connection?
― baaderonixx, Friday, 13 June 2008 14:29 (fifteen years ago) link
Can't help you, never heard Tuxedomoon
― Tom D., Friday, 13 June 2008 14:30 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― Bimble, Friday, 13 June 2008 15:16 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― Milton Parker, Friday, 13 June 2008 18:51 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― Reatards Unite, Saturday, 23 August 2008 19:21 (fifteen years ago) link
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
― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 17 December 2008 21:35 (fifteen years ago) link
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'
― psychgawsple, Thursday, 18 December 2008 00:21 (fifteen years ago) link
How is "Not Available"?
― European Bob (admrl), Saturday, 24 July 2010 00:08 (thirteen years ago) link
LOL @ polite OLD ILM "I have disagree with you there"
― European Bob (admrl), Saturday, 24 July 2010 00:09 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― A prog venn diagram for you to think about (Matt #2), Saturday, 24 July 2010 08:27 (thirteen years ago) link
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
― Milton Parker, Saturday, 24 July 2010 15:17 (thirteen years ago) link
How do you mean?
― dow, Sunday, 19 March 2023 00:23 (one year ago) link
well for one there are these promo images
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/meettheresidents/images/2/21/Fingerprincepromo.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170130074653
https://i.redd.it/z9d75qdshvw61.jpg
for two idk what it is exactly but I think it actually accomplishes the goal of sounding very off without necessarily trying to. its not just using prickly series of notes its layering a bunch of them on top of each other
furthermore it has the Marge Simpson voice in it which in itself is kinda freaky for a 70s album
― frogbs, Sunday, 19 March 2023 21:37 (one year ago) link
wtf I love this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF2o5RDkq9A
― frogbs, Thursday, 3 August 2023 02:27 (eight months ago) link
God In Three Persons is not an amazing album overall but "Kiss Of Flesh" is incredible. Love a few others like "Hard And Tenderly"
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 2 March 2024 19:50 (one month ago) link