Favorite Top Ten (The Last Word, 2009)
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This article is about the 2009 Will Rothers survey. You may be looking for a similarly named 2007 survey by Rothers. |
"Favorite Top Ten" is the ninth instalment of the blog The Last Word, authored by Will Rothers (better known as Big Brother, the former webmaster of The Residents' official website).
This blog follows a 2007 entry in which Rothers surveyed Cryptic/Residents associates for their favorite Residents projects; in this entry, Rothers instead surveys a hand-picked selection of ten Residents fans (including notable Residents collector Kim Andrews, here writing under the pseudonym "Tweedle_Twiddler").
It was published February 1st 2009 in the Historical sub-section of the website.
The blog
To launch the new year (2009) I selected 5 fans to list their favorite Residents projects. I also picked 5 fans at random.
What did I learned from this little survey?
People think The Bunny Boy (2008-2009) project is the best thing The Residents have ever done. But is it? Maybe it is just the most recent. We’ll give it some time and see how it holds up. The other big winner is Animal Lover (2005). What is remarkable is that both of these are from the current era. In the past, people usually gravitate toward the Classic era, the more naïve recordings from the '70's. Those do still show strong support, especially The Third Reich 'n' Roll (1976), Not Available (1978), Eskimo (1979) and The Commercial Album (1980).
The '80's and '90's are primarily represented by Freak Show (1991) and by The Mole Trilogy (1981-1985). Wormwood (1998), CUBE E (1989-1990) and God in 3 Persons (1988) also get some love.
The surprise is that High Horses (2001) and The 12 Days of Brumalia (2004) both score high considering that neither is a "major" release.
The other thing to see in these lists is the power of the record company, Mute. They released both The Bunny Boy and Animal Lover, the two strongest vote getting projects. They also re-released beautifully packaged versions of The Third Reich 'n' Roll, Eskimo, The Commercial Album, Freak Show, and The Mole Trilogy. All were released in the last five years.
What titles are missing from my expectation? Duck Stab (1978) did not receive the quantity of votes I expected. The usual favorite seems to have gotten pushed down by the strong recent releases, especially The Bunny Boy. Demons Dance Alone with it's dynamic tour could have been a top scoring project but it only did average. I expected that The Residents personal favorite, The Voice of Midnight, would have popped up on someone's list (probably on both best and worst lists, such is its nature).
Well, I guess that is it. Maybe we will try another listing for the start of 2010, a new decade begins. Just think, by 2019 maybe you will have 10 more projects to consider for your list.
Remember, this survey is not scientific. Music is a personal experience. There are no right or wrong favorites.
Below are their lists.
Selection #1
I picked Umi as one of my top five. The reason was that Umi was a prodigal son. That means that he was a fan and then somehow escaped the RZ cult for about 15 years. Then rediscovered The Residents all over again. That seemed like it might offer a different perspective.
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1) 3rd Reich’n’Roll : being good or bad, you’re supposed to never forget your first time. This was my introduction to the other world, such a delicious nightmare. It reactivated the magic of my first record, ‘Ummagumma’. Does it make sense ?
2) Not Available: the dreamy side of 3rd reich. First half of the second side lp, there’s the best piece of jazz I ever heard. One minute of nocturnal sax & piano. Poetry climax.
3) Intermission : what a crazy record it is ! It resumes the best of the Moles Monument. Catchy, extreme, Wagnerian !
4) Tweedles : almost perfect. There were indications for sure, since the new millennium had begun, but here we knew that they were definitely back in town (on the outskirts). Who had thought of such a ferocious full volume album ? Man, on this one they rock ! No kidding and no prisoners.
5) High Horses : an achievement. You can trace this work in ‘history of digital music’ & others, but here it’s the best of. And you can really hear the trip growing inside of you.
6) Animal Lover : so sad and less ‘poppy’ than Demons. Very written & arranged and it contains one of their greatest track ever. It’s about an old woman, nasty little girls & chicken (top ten favourite list songs ?). Pure beauty. Disc 2 is cool too.
7) Postcards from Patmos : still fresh but here we have a masterwork I think. The way all the different movements converge in a symphony of sounds. The culmination of all the ambient interludes they disseminate in previous compositions. Come into the cavern of apocalypse…
8) Have a Bad Day : Rez world is always in perpetual re-evaluation. It’s hard to dig this one at first, but there’s so much music to digest, it’s almost like a new record every time (for the fist 10 listen). You’re tired of the Rez ? Try this one for a change.
9) The 12 Days of Brumalia : by the time you get to the ninth choice, things begin to become a little harder. There is a good amount of crazy little tunes here. The ‘electro’ side is featured but cyber-Rez are still the Rez.
10) BLU 1 : there’s so much goodies everywhere, why not this one ? Not particularly because of Pollex Christi (which is good) but because the all BLU affair was a fairly stuff (getting a bit flat on the 3rd volume but hey !)
The one I didn’t connect with that much.
THE KING & EYE : never had an interest in Elvis, plus the ‘cover formulae’ is not what excites me the most about the Rez (exception for Satisfaction & a few others). ‘Round this time I forgot about the Rez for a decade or so.
Selection #2
I picked Kellan Duffy as one of my top five. The reason... Kellan was young. There were at least a half-dozen people under 25 who submitted entries. He said he could bring a fresh debate and a younger ear to the occasion. Of the younger people, Kellan convinced me the most that he might do just that. Kellan is 19 and a student majoring in creative writing.
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1. Animal Lover - This album, for me, is the Residents at their best. Each song involves sounds, voices and structures (not to mention the added stories in the CD jacket) that have seldom been heard before or again, i.e. the spectacular chorus in "Elmer's Song," the lead voices in "On the Way (to Oklahoma)" and "Two Lips," as well as all of the album's compositions/instrumentation, which cannot be more spot on (one example "My Window") in their controlled, sometimes reserved and sometimes truly out of control natures. No other album has moved me to tears like this one.
2. Demons Dance Alone - At a very close second place, Demons Dance Alone is the Residents' most heartfelt venture, which is obviously a reflection of the time in which it was released, which was shortly after the 9/11 tragedy. This is an album that, upon listening, is far and away a very different Residents album, because it puts a lot of the cacophonous, Residential "weirdness" aside, and gives us something very human. The album uses almost 100% non-distorted voices, clean, very catchy sounding music, and lyrics that can be wise, funny, and heartbreaking, and usually all at once. Key tracks: "Life Would Be Wonderful," "The Weatherman,"The Beekeeper's Daughter."
3. Not Available - An album that wasn't meant to be heard. What could be more attuned to the Residents? This is a work of music that sounds unlike anything I'm sure you'll ever hear. At times, it hardly even sounds like the Residents! With the crash cymbal opening of "Edweena," you are instantly taken in by the weird brass melody, the slightly off Auto-Drum's beat, and you're really never spit out until the poorly-tuned (but delightfully so) end of "Never Known Questions," and though you may not know what you've just been cooped up in for the last 33 minutes, it's as compelling to listen to again and again as it is infinitely strange.
4. Wormwood - As far as this Harbinger of Taste's tastes go, this is one of the Resident's most important works, not only because it is replete with memorable songs and interesting subject matter (this is another one of the albums with added content to the CD booklet, which goes miles as far as the storytelling is concerned), but because overall, it is making a bold statement - something the best of the Residents' works have done: this album stands to humanize the Bible as it is known and used today, which in a lot of the cases, is in ignorance.
5. The Mole Trilogy - This group albums, tours, and stories is the first of many examples the Residents have set by (literally) getting everything they can out of a project. With the Mole Trilogy (which is something of an oddity in that it contains not three but four parts, most of which do not really form any linear sort of trilogy), the Residents found their niche in the wonderful world of media, launching an ambitiously theatrical tour that is probably, if I'm not mistaken, one of their longest, most successful tours to date. This is also the prime example of the Residents using several means to tell an extended story, most of which is through music that is archetypal of the Residents at the beginning of the '80's.
6. Commercial Album- The Commercial Album is just that: very short, very simple, and gets the point across to you quite frankly, and forces you to remember every little bit like you would if you sat down eight inches away from a television screen (like some of us really do) and took in every bit of the filth commercialized media was feeding you! This album, however, is not quite filth. In fact it's very far from it. It is the perfect example of what you can expect from the Residents, and one I give to anyone who appears slightly interested: it sounds weird, though it is catchy, the lyrics are presented as something pop-ish by the singing Residents, though if you pay any sliver of attention to them, you learn they are there for a reason: to make a statement, to tell a story, to be sinister and beautiful.
7. Tweedles! - The Residents, since their inception and probably even before that, have always had a penchant to tell unforgettable stories that are unique to their own voices. In '05 and '06, though, they tried doing it in a bold, straightforward new way with "The River of Crime" and "Tweedles," the latter of which was the peak and perfection of this era. This style of storytelling I'm talking about mixed the literal reading of lines by the singing Residents, as though we were curled around the fireplace and he was in his favorite chair with a book, probably hunched over and wide-eyed, shouting lines at us from time to time, and the music complimented the story as such. In "The River of Crime," the music, I guess, went a little too far along with the music, like you were listening to an episode of Tom & Jerry, and with every crash, boom, bang, there was a loud trumpet blaring or cymbal crash. With Tweedles, however, the Residents made some of their best music yet, and it did not so much as follow the story as it did enhance it, or add depth to it. With this style of story telling with music, Tweedles was - is - the perfect blend.
8. Duck Stab/Buster & Glen - I can't believe I've placed Duck Stab/Buster & Glen so low in this round up, but the Residents have come out with so much material that needs to be spoken for! The special thing about these two EPs lumped into one package, is that none of the songs relate to one another, and the only running theme is that there is no running theme. With that, the Residents are free to move around to any subject, creating classics like "Hello Skinny," "Sinister Exaggerator," and "Constantinople," all of which, despite this album's placement in the rankings, have stayed at the top for some of my favorite Residents moments.
9. The Third Reich 'N' Roll - It says here on the CD sleeve: "AVOID IF YOU ARE A BIGOT, A NARROW-MINDED B*STARD OR HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOUR." This is the statement that started it all for me. I was younger and was going through a sort of punk phase, where I wanted to hear everything the government didn't, and somehow I dropped the Locust and found the Third Reich 'N' Roll! This album, more than anything, is a visual and musical statement that holds up even (actually, especially) today. It is the purest bare ass to be shown to popular culture - it is funny, each tune is blended perfectly together for a serious baring of teeth.
10. Cube E - Part one is the exploring of American history through music. Part two is the exploring of American pop history through it's most prime example: Mr. Elvis Presley (though The King and Eye gives us a more fleshed-out example). From "From the Plains to Mexico," to the gritty, end-of-the-road rendition of "Hound Dog," Cube E as an album and tour, is the most intriguing and vintage-feeling experience the Residents have given us to watch unfold.
The Residents project I did not connect with:
The Voice of Midnight - At the end of what the Residents deemed their "Story Telling Era," the Voice of Midnight was released, and maybe I'm alone on this one, but it was the first Residents album that really took me a long time to get all the way through. I didn't know what to make of it. I had read Hoffman's Der Sandmann several times, and loved it, so I was excited. But upon listening, it was like I was listening to the soundboard recording of a very good play, but couldn't watch any of it happen, and to me, it felt limited. I felt most all the rhythms and ways in which the songs are sung had been iterated in other Residents albums before. Overall, it just didn't feel as fresh or fleshed-out as, say, it's successor The Bunny Boy has been, or as organic and beautiful (even if it's beautifully ugly at certain points) like Tweedles. There's a lot of talking, still moments where there's not much going on in the music department, and I emphasize the word talking - that is to say, I didn't feel the inspired poet behind this one, but, rather sadly, I didn't feel much at all.
Selection #3
I selected santadog9. All the usual qualifications were there: almost 30 years of fandom, owns everything, seen 14 shows, etc. But santadog9 also stood out because she is female. The only one to my knowledge that applied to make a list. Would a list from a female perspective be different from a male one? Likely not, but I wanted to find out.
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10. Eskimo in all its forms – For 20 years I listened to this album. I slept to it. 20 years of the visuals created in my head to go along with the music. Sure, we all wanted the opera, but what we did get was the DVD. Visually stunning, and mood evoking. When I showed the DVD to friends, they asked if the iced tea I served up had mushrooms in it.
9. 10th Anniversary Special – Tap your foot to wind! I know, it’s a Ralph release.. let’s not split hairs. The idea of naïve Penn Jillette locked up in a studio with a collection of Ralph Records and giving his opinions of the music he was being introduced to is hilarious. At first he hates The Residents for taunting him so, but in the end, he realizes that they are the best thing he’s ever heard in his life.
8. Bunny Boy – You’ve got a great story premise, clues on the Youtube, wonderfully scored music, and a live performance that presents the entire thing from the perspective of a lunatic in a bunny suit. This is a fine example of The Residents at the TOP of their game.
7. Mole Trilogy - The composers have arrived!
6. The Commercial DVD – Loved the new versions, and the fan based videos were amazing!
5. 13th Anniversary Live Tokyo – For years I thought music could not be as intense live as to what I had heard on this album. Eloise makes my eyes roll up into the back of my head, and I can’t even guess how many times I have stomped about the living room to Jailhouse Rock so loud that the windows shook. I get goose bumps every time I listen to it.
4. God in 3 Persons – I was 20 years old when this came out, and boy did I think it was erotic! The remixes were over the top! The spoken words in Holy Kiss of Flesh, so dark, so maniacal, so brutal, so hot. It made me feel like a voyeur just listening to it.
3. Smell My Picture - This release has been in heavy rotation since I laid my hands on it.
2. Duck Stab - Classic! This is the one that changed my life. I’ve recently mixed a CD compilation of Duck Stab alternating tracks with Les Claypool tracks. The two next together very well.
1. Our Finest Flowers - A set list and some bad take out result in a highly imaginative album that I feel is THE most underrated Residents release. It’s considered a “greatest hits” but there is nothing redundant about the music on the album. Leave it to The Residents to make a “mash up” album of themselves. Sure you can only appreciate the full spectrum of the album if you are very familiar with previous releases, but it doesn’t stop me from offering up samples of Finest Flowers to new listeners as prime examples of what The Residents are about.
Least favorite projekt: Disfigured Night.
Selection #4
When I picked Kennerguy66 I truly believed I would get a different selection. You see Kennerguy66, age 20, has only been a fan for a year. However, Kennerguy66 was subjected to The Residents constantly while growing up because he is a second generation Residents fan. He has had the unique situation of digesting the entire Residents catalog in only one year.
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My Top Ten Residents list:
I've spent days since receiving my acceptance letter listening to roughly 30 albums. I thought my list would be easy to compile and number, but boy as I wrong. I divided the material into 3 groups, 1972-1980, 1981-1997, 1998-now. I tried to pick the best of the best from each subset. Now after a much heated debate and deliberation, with myself. I've come to a conclusion.
1. Third Reich 'N' Roll - This was my introduction to The Residents just over a year ago. About 5 seconds in, I was in love. This project has humor, experimentation, and intensity. It took the musical conventions of the time, inverts, twists, mangles, the sounds of classic tunes, and molds them into a non-stop joyous experience.
2. The Bunny Boy - This was the first real release to come out since becoming a fan. I can't really put into words what this project has meant to me. First of all, it's outstandingly catchy songs, the story of Bunny searching for his brother Harvey. It's an intriguing mystery, only made more amazing by the internet series, the tour, and being able to communicate with Bunny. This project sucked me in so deeply that I read through sections of the bible and spent time brainstorming what could've happened. This is really a fan's dream. It's a project not only with audio and video, but interactivity beyond anything The Residents have tried before. Some people have been fans for 20+ years and never seen a performance, I was a fan for 9 months and was lucky enough to see a concert. This was incredibly close to being my #1, but Third Reich is still holding strong.
3. The Commercial Album - Initially I kind of wrote this project off; Thinking minute long songs are a great premise for an al bum, but what kind of story could they bring to the table? Then I realized that there aren't 15 arrangements for 3-5 minutes, The Residents managed to compose and arrange 50 unique songs for one album! That's just incredible. It also helps that The Commercial Album is very well balanced, it's catchy, not overbearing, dark and light, somber and happy. Plus the covers of 'Hit The Road Jack' and 'Jailhouse Rock' put it over the top in my book.
4. Eskimo - I just love the whole feeling of this album. The wind, the chanting, the spirits. The scope is grand, creating an Eskimo culture on a record. The Residents not only managed to create this but make it so rich and deep that it could be listened to many times. It truly is it's own world. A fully fleshed out one as well. The DVD is also impressive, the photos combined with the music brings it to another level altogether. I will be sitting on top of my garage during the next snow storm while listening, to heighten the experience.
5. Animal Lover - This project harkens back to the experimentat ion days and I was very impressed. Basically, Animal Lover is a late 1970's Residents project with new equipment and a slightly more polished sound. The instrumentation is incredible, especially the harmonica during 'My Window'. To me it was almost like an Ennio Morricone score, only deeper and with far more emotion.
6. Duck Stab/Buster and Glen - How could I forget this gem? Most people suggest this as a gateway into The Residents world. I can see why. This release is pretty accessible(as far as The Residents go), it has catchy songs, with a classic Residents twist. Actually while I was typing this I was humming 'Electrocutioner'. That's the thing about this album, it manages to stick in your head.
7. God In Three Persons - After the initial listen to this, I felt almost uneasy. I've thought about the meaning behind GI3P more than any other Residents record. I honestly can't put my finger on it but I'm almost overwhelmed. As for the record itself, there are some incredible songs like 'Hard and Tenderly', and the shocking 'Holy Kiss of Flesh'. This is also momentous because it was the first major foray into storytelling. (Not including 'Not Available' because the music was in the forefront there with the story)
8. Mark of The Mole - The Mole Trilogy is an integral part of Residents history. Mark of The Mole is the beginning of this tale. It could work in many ways as an allegory to modern society or what have you, but is more fun as a tale chronicling the Moles and the Chubs. Two different groups with two different ways of life, forced to live together. The music is great, easy to listen to and tells a story of another world. Mark of The Mole also deserves recognition for leading to The Residents first world tour. Without the Moles who knows what would've happened?
9. Fingerprince - This is another classic Residents piece, filled with great pieces of music. The entire 'Six Things To A Cycle' is amazing, 'Walter Westinghouse' originated here, and 'Death In Barstow' amongst others. I thoroughly enjoy this entire record. It just clicks with me, and has a very natural feeling.
10. Demons Dance Alone - Is another great piece. Written on the Icky Flix tour, just after 9/11 happened. This was a very tender time in our history and The Residents took this shocking event and turned it into something else, both sad and beautiful. Every member supposedly put a personal or statement into this record. I find that amazing, that although they conceal their identities, they bare their souls for everyone to hear. They showed something inside, while covering what everyone else shows on the outside. I think that's what they're all about. Before I start rambling I'll tell you this, the first time I heard Life Would Be Wonderful (part 3) it made my eyes well up. It was the first time the Singing Resident spoke directly to us, as himself. It was a speech I'll never forget. "If our good friend Snakefinger Hadn't had a heart attack..."
There was a spot reserved for my least favorite project. I couldn't think of one. So I'll use this space for something else.
Honorable Mention: Cube-E - The spectacular Cube-E fell just short of my top ten list. All three segments are distinct, Buckaroo Blues, Black Barry, and The Baby King. Each section represents a movement in our nation's history as portrayed by The Residents. The stand outs from each section to me are, 'Teddy Bear', 'From The Plains To Mexico', and 'Forty-Four'.
Selection #5
The final choice for my hand picked five was Tweedle_Twiddler. The list would not be complete without the inclusion of a long time totally hard core fan and collector. Tweedle_Twiddler has every release, plus things that were not released. He has attended 41 shows and been a member or organizer of every Residents fan group. Much of the information in the Historical originated from his own archives.
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I just want to share two things that I took into consideration when making this list. Firstly, BB did not ask what we think are Their best projects, but rather what are our current personal favorites. In making any aesthetic comparisons, personal experience & preferences have a much greater influence than the innate beauty of a piece - Beauty truly lies in the eyes of the Bee Holder! The justifications are more my preferences and not a description of the projects content. Secondly, when evaluating art, it can really only be done within a given "class" (how do you compare an oil painting with a recording or a performance?). In this case, I am picking my top seven audio works and my top three non-audio works. I am only comparing shows that I have actually attended (everything after 13th Anniversary) since the video & audio residue from previous shows cannot be compared. For an audio-only top-ten add Residue (my first Residents' album), Wormwood, and Demons Dance Alone.
AUDIO PROJECTS - Chronological order (Except Bunny)
The Bunny Boy Album / Show - 2008
The Bunny Boy album is the Residents' greatest audio achievement. It strikes my Rezzie chord like no other and has the distinction of being the only album that kicked off every other Residents' piece from my rotation when it came out. Layers upon layers of rich sound color & textures with wheels within wheels for a storyline. All of the early musical sketches that were shared on the Bogcast were just as solid as the completed piece, and the second Bunny Boy show in NY was the absolute best individual show of the 41 shows that I have had the privilege of attending. If this were the only album and tour they had ever done, I would be hooked all over again.
Santa Dog / Refused - 1972
There are still beginnings to things that never end, and Santa Dog is all that and more. Ungodly familiar, mental and sentimental - I get nostalgic every time I hear it. His Holy Houndness adorns my clothes in all of my Christmas Morning Fotos and Satan God in all his forms are the de facto standard for my New Years Eve over the last quarter century. The live Santa Dog NYE that I saw at Cube NYE and Santa Dog 2nd Millennium win the best Santa Pup awards.
Third Reich 'n' Roll / Satisfaction - 1977
The Classics (i.e. the first 7 albums - MTR, NA, 3R, FPrince, DS/BG, ESK, COMM) form the core of my Residential being and I cannot in any real way distinguish between them as far as what twizzles my tweedle more. They are all in the top ten, but this is a top ten list, so 3R represents the best embodiment of the classics for me. I also have collected it the most vigorously of the classics. Its hard/harsh sound is only fit for someone with a penchant for the Rz, so I never expose newbies to it.
Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats? - 1984
I am including this as a favorite audio, even though it is truly a video. Inexplicable, otherworldly and completely Residential, the music stands all by itself, so for me the outlandish video just endears it that much more. Vileness Flats has the same seminal genesis quality for The Residents' video that Santa Dog has for audio. The music is a synthesis of new and old and this CD always sounds fresh whenever I pull it out and dust it off.
God In Three Persons / Holy Kiss / G3P Instru - 1988
The music makes me feel more intimate with the group than other pieces. It is intimate and wacky with heavy on the freaky. A bizarre story/poem of yin, yang, and ying-yangs, the music and the storyline are each incredibly beautiful on their own. The visual and imagery symbols are uncanny and psychiatric references abound. In college, I actually took the lyrics to our free campus psychiatrist to interpret. He thought maybe it was about confronting one's sexuality, BUT he was more interested in why I was asking and what it meant to me...
Freak Show - 1992
This one has a lot of emotional context for me. It came out right when the independent record distribution crashed and nobody wanted to distribute it. To hear something so beautiful without anyone to care was really depressing. (Thank GOD for Ralph America, EuroRalph, and the Euros!) A dark & quirky audio masterpiece, it runs the gamut of emotions, but in the end is strangely uplifting. Densely layered and beautifully mixed, it (like Eskimo) compellingly reproduces the atmosphere of the lyrical content. So many wonderful live cuts and side projects were spawned from its not-so-humble beginnings that it is hard to imagine that it does not deserve some serious respect.
Animal Lover / AL Instrumental - 2005
I dug into this heavily during my six-month recover from major surgery. It was the first time I used my audiophile headphones, and it really made (and makes!) a difference in my appreciation for ALs subtle (sub)sonics. Moody, dense, layered, atmospheric, and weird (as usual) it has some of the most fantastic morphings of instruments with voices. I listened to it nonstop for over 24 hours day when it first came out. Imaginary Jack & ALI outgrowths all shine.
NON-AUDIO FAVORITES
CubeE Tour - 1990
What can I say about Cube-E? The show has all the good things you've come to love and adore about a performance by the Residents and it set the standard high for everything afterward. Compact & intense, the lights (Chris Macgregor's first with the Band), sound-quality, costumes, performance, the flow of the show and the Spectacular Ocular ending of the first act has reserved its place in my heart. The Residents showed what sentimentalists they really are at the Cowell Theater Cube-NYE. It also spawned my single (pre-Bunny Boy) favorite song of all time - Organism. It is not surprising that it toured so much and was well received around the world.
Bad Day On The Midway - Game - 1995
BDM masterfully incorporates all of the aspects of Residents' art - audio, visuals, crazy storylines, characters, lyrics and cutting-edge (at the time!) technology. When it came out, I played with it more than my tweedle, and the pleasure it gave was just as good! It is undeniably a Labor of Love that should prove beyond a shadow of a reasonable doubt that The Residents love their fans.
The Fillmore Shows - Live At The Fillmore / Wormwood 1997 & 1998
The Fillmore shows were magical and I was lucky enough to see all eight of them. Forget that it was Halloween in SanFran and an incredible presentation that could have only been done at home (dragging that gear around would be crazy!). All the evidence you need to know how wonderful it was is the 2-CD audio from the show. It was so crazy-ass good and sought after that RalphAm had to rerelease a limited edition (!). Get it if you haven't already. (You know the rules!)
The Fillmore Wormwood show is the most underrated Residents' performance ever. It should not be compared to the touring Wormwood, as it was really a different show. The Bog Historical page shows how little residue actually exists. No video of any Fillmore show was released and no audio of the Wormwood Fillmore has seen the light of day. It was the first live appearance of The Venerable Guest Musicians Carla Fabrizio and Nolan Cook (God Bless them and keep them safe!). When the curtain opened for Act 2, it had the most Residents on stage ever (an entire Gamelan orchestra!). It had The BIG drum and delivered the hair-raising thrice-in-a-lifetime religious experience of The Conch Shell at the end of King of Kings. OK, I'll stop. I have heard that the WormWood Fillmore residue quality is not great, but for Historicity, I am groveling for a release of it in some form.
Not so liked
The only thing that leaves me limp is the Stars "side" of Stars & Hank. It always seems a bit bland. It might be because I marched with the sousaphone to all of those darn Sousa tunes all through high school and am all oompah'd out... The Hank side has some true gems and, of course, their most released song - Kawliga.
Random selection #1
The random people proved to be just as provocative in their choices. Random person number one is Diomidis. Though he could have easily been selected because he is from Crete. That alone would give him a different perspective.
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1.Big Bubble
One of the best rock alboums I've ever listened. An alter-ego-band, a new language, a great story, great music, a great alboum.
2.Demons Dance Alone
Great party, great music, great show.
3.Freak Show
Fantastic project with a glorious alboum, a really beautiful collector's comic book and very nice video footage.
4.Wormwood
Brilliant music, interesting bible concept, and one of the three best live shows I have ever seen!!!
5.High Horses
Magical carousels and a beautiful package!!!
6.Disfigured Night
Very good Resident live show.
7.The King And Eye RMX
The king and eye is an excellent album but the remix was something so unexpectable like a kick in the crotch! Unbelievable!
8.Brumalia
I like the idea, maybe cos I like a bit the paganist ideas, as a Greek I suppose, and I also like the nusic.
9.Gingerbread Man
Wonderful album, various musics on the same theme.
10.The Bunny Boy
A good enough alboum but the whole project with the internet series and the show are great. And it happens NOW!!!
I have to say that I was a little dissapointed of the Animal Lover, I was expected one more powerful album from the Residents which it was not in my opinion.
Random selection #2
Random choice person number two is Nice Old Man. One of his claims to fame is that he was in the audience 27 years ago when The Residents first played The Mole Show at The Kabuki theater in San Francisco. Impressive.
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projects listed chronologically.
1) Not Available. It was the first Residents album I heard, and bought (on vinyl), and I love the concept that it was developed without an audience in mind; that it was made only for the performers themselves. I still listen to it as much, or more than, most Residents albums. Edweena...
2) Eskimo. I have one of the second pressings on vinyl, as well as the CD version, and love the idea of music "to be an Eskimo by." Unlike anything that was coming out at the time. A refreshing disc that sounds as good today as it did in 1979. I love the splashing noises!
3) The Commercial Album. Every one of the 40 "songs" (40 on vinyl, 50 on CD) is a mini-soundtrack to a complex minute in the Residents world. Some of their most accessable (to the general listening public) tunes show up on this disc, but I like it a lot anyway.
4) The Mole Show. This would include Mark of the Mole, The Tunes of Two Cities, Intermission, The Mole Show at the Roxy, The Mole Show Live in Holland, and the show I saw at the Kabuki Theatre in San Francisco. I'll never forget the chills I had run up my spine when I watched the Residents, in their eyeball heads, come onto the stage and stand behind the burlap screen. Weirdest, craziest, best show I've seen.
5) God in Three Persons. I love all of the music in this project, the original God in Three Persons (including the great artwork on the album cover), the Soundtrack, Double Shot of Love, and Holy Kiss of Flesh. The concept, the music and artwork are all top notch, and this remains one of my favorite projects.
6) Freak Show. Since I was unable to snag one of the 250 promo copies on vinyl, I was forced to buy it on CD. And then I had to buy a CD player. This disc was my first foray to digital music from vinyl. I still love the sound of vinyl, but I love the sound of Freak Show enough to play it over and over on my CD player, in my car, on my iPod, etc. I always crank up the volume on Benny, the Bouncing Bump. The comics, the hardcover book and the CD ROM complete this project for me.
7) Have a Bad Day. Not only do I love the music on this disc, but I wasted hundreds of hours playing the video game on my PC. What a creepy, and intoxicating, project.
8) The Fillmore Shows, Oct. 28, 29, 30, and 31. I was in line early enough each night (with the exception of the 29th) to get one of the few tables set up near the stage. On the first night I went with a friend from San Jose who wasn't familiar with the Residents. Changed his life. The next night I went with my wife. We got the Fillmore too late (surprise) to get a table, but still had a great time. My 12 year old son went with my on the 30th and he's loved the Residents ever since. At the midnight show on Halloween my friend from Australia joined me. Yeah, he flew half way around the world for that show and we still talk about it to this day. (BTW, he's the same guy who went to the Kabuki Theatre Mole Show with me.) It's a tradition at our house, every Halloween we play the CD and watch the "Disfigured Night" video. Yes, video. I still have the original VHS tape.
9) Wormworm. Including the Wormwood disc, Wormwood Live 1999, In Between the Screams, Roadworms, the Berlin Sessions, and of course the Wormwood shows at the Fillmore, one year after the "Disfigured Night" show. I love the subject matter -- the dark side of the bible -- and of course the music. One of my all time favorites.
10) The Bunny Boy. This one is still new to me, so it's getting heavy play in my rotation and I really like it. I've got to say, so far it's one of my favorite Residents discs in the past decade.
Random selection #3
dAvid pAddy was selected at random, but he is a long time serious fan who says he has lost the ability to look at the world outside of a Residents frame any more. Sounds good enough to make a list to me.
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1. Not Available—The shiniest gem in the whole mine of weirdness. I love music and art that makes me believe in an entirely different world, a secret beguiling realm of oddness happening somewhere down the hall. This does that. Whole books could be written about this album alone.
2. Cube E—Of the many Residents shows I’ve seen over the years, Cube E still stand out as the best for me. It was like a visitation from Mars. I think the elaborate, multiple sets is what makes it stand out from the other shows for me.
3. Freak Show—As much as I love a number of the projects from the 80s, Freak Show was their most coherent and ambitious projects in years, and it still sounds and looks amazing.
4. Bunny Boy—And they’re still at it. Just when I find myself getting crusty and cranky about stupid new technologies and the inevitable death of music in the downloading era, The Residents prove me wrong. Again.
5. Eskimo—Like Not Available this is one of those one-off sonic adventures that sounds like nothing else in the universe. And, like a number of their works, I really wasn’t sure about this when I first heard it, only to find its strange beauty and wonder growing on me year by year, decade by decade.
6. Santa Dog (especially the original four song set)—You just have to love these relatively tamed trimmings of their wildest years. Well, I do. Wis-koooo-sa!
7. Third Reich ‘n’ Roll—For years this was the album I used to try to convert people to the Eyecult. I’m not sure how successful it is as a litmus test, but this is the album that got me started. It’s my gateway drug.
8. Animal Lover—One of my favorites of the Noughties. There’s something unique about the overall mood and atmosphere of this album that just stays with me. I have a feeling that listeners will realize how great this is ten years from now.
9. Commercial Album—Even though it risks being a cute gimmick, I think this album (and the amazing DVD) has the conceptual complexity of Eskimo and it began to reveal an emotional Residential world of loneliness and melancholy.
10. Mole Trilogy—I have fought with this thing for years. There are times when I haven’t really liked it. Then I realize that I probably play Tunes of Two Cities more than any other record and (dare I say it? Yes, I dare I say it) that I think The Big Bubble is one of their best records. So, after all, those pesky moles creep into the list.
I will also note a project that has never really done it for me — Disfigured Night. Perhaps if I was with that original German audience I would feel differently, but I have always felt that this goes on a little too long, with little musical development or dynamic interest. Ah well.
Random selection #4
The Quiet Tongue is another of my random selections. Fully qualified, however, to make his list. His dream is to write a book that goes album by album giving a listener's perspective.
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1. Meet The Residents – Not only do I turn to this release again and again – but I also enjoy my copy of the original CD release and the remastered versions in entirely different ways. Hearing the cleaned up remaster allows the listener to discover things long buried in the mix – but I also enjoy my copy of the original (ESD CD) release for its ability to suddenly send the listener into a wash of Rezzie noise.
2. Not Available – another release from the early era that I continually revisit – the songs are like comfort food – always welcome whether you’re hungry or not. Just try getting Ship’s a Going Down out of your head once it’s in place….impossible!
3. The Commercial Album – This, to me, is a perfect record. The concept, songwriting and performances all marry in a perfect union. There are a ton of artists to follow that obviously used The Commercial Record as their textbook – Les Claypool must have worn out a half dozen copies.
4. Brumalia – a beautiful collection of pure Residential genius evoking all the many moods of the Brumalia season – heavy on the Seasonal Affectational Disorder!
5. High Horses – You are there! Put this release on for a fellow doser from back in the day and relive the experience of that moment when the acid just begins to take hold and things start appearing….just a little more colorful…and the pace of life just a little bit too fast….even if you’re sitting perfectly still on a park bench taking it all in. Also – this was the CD I shared with a dear friend who wasn’t really into the Rezzies – after this – he became obsessed right along with me -20this musical particular statement is powerful stuff on its own merits!
6. Wormwood – Again, for me – a perfect record – but one from the modern era. Long absent from Resident recordings since Snakefinger’s passing – Snakey buzzing guitar lines suddenly were present in the Residents work again – both in the studio and live. Leave it to the Residents to put a spotlight on some of the Good Book’s best forgotten moments….
7. Refused – What can I say? I love Santa Dog – and this definitive gathering of all Dogs up to 1999 was - and continues to be - a fulfilling listening experience for me from start to finish. The versions are so musically distinct from each other – sometimes the Santa Dog theme is but the tiniest of threads holding it together.
8. Live at The Fillmore ’97 – I would have loved this release whether or not I had been present at he show or not – but having been in attendance just adds to the visuals I can conjure up when listening. This is Mr. Skull on the best of nights, on top of his game and in great comic form as master of ceremonies of Residential Insanity. The opening performances of Jambalaya and 44 are beyond extraordinary.
9. Cube E Live in Holland – Before my first Residents show – I would obsess over the images included in this release knowing I just had to see this band live. I especially love the energy and performances of the live renditions from The King & Eye release.
10. Animal Lover – I think this contains some of my favorite moments of Residential musicianship of all Residents releases. I don’t distinguish between the original and the Instrumental release – I like to take ‘em all in one chunk.
Which project did not personally connect for me?
Tweedles. When I first listened to this it seemed like the Residents were dangerously close to treading musical water – maybe I just didn’t get something that’s still there eluding me, but I felt like this was too close to other works and statements that I felt were already better stated through other projects.
Random selection #5
Random submission #5 comes from E. Mayer. He writes his interests "went from being a greater fan of the operatic trend in the Residents work to the purely compositional ‘music about music,’ which entailed finding out that some of my once least-favorite, most difficult records were becoming part of the top 10."
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1. Whatever Happened to Vileness Fats?/The Census Taker
Like the video looks--dithered, browning and naturalizing the synthetic patterns. Impersonal, buried cerebral tissue in a forest.
2. Hunters
Again depersonalized instrumental, yet even more owing to the abstract, peripheral emotions expressed by the elliptical melodies.
3. Tunes of Two Cities
Isolation and study of the note and the sound, appearing large in empty space. Songs are like logos, minimal and monolithic, a circular idol--pointing to God in 3 Persons.
4. The Big Bubble
Concentration of melodic style to create intentional insularity. A backdrop animation cel from previous efforts now looking at itself, boiling with the change of intense, repetitious self-exposure.
5. Cube-E: Live in Holland
Gestural stage music that depicts space. Music is perceived as a ghost that looms a million times larger than the tiny human realities that sponsor its creation.
6. The King and Eye
Innocence is the overlap between the king and the eye. Humorous, because nothing in it identifies with what it is. Emotion and its value are just words, as indifferently irrelevant as every chord in here.
7. Our Finest Flowers
Immersion in the synthetic, both aurally and conceptually. Synths themselves, both melodically and timbrally, sound like composites, the crosshatching of elements that are also hybrids. Digital mist.
8. Residue Deux
Entanglements of rhythm drawing strong contrast of color; a comic book. Intoxicated psychosis grows into scientific detachment.
9. dot.com
Emphasis on sequence of melodies, what transforms and what drones; emotional restraint; longer melodic passages build tall figures.
10. Freak Show
Innovation of harmony; tighter unity of instrumentation. Focused on overall flow or movement of the entire track length. Sections wind curvy, sliding like a roller coaster.
Least Favorite: River of Crime
Melodrama gives claustrophobic impression of humanity while the music overwhelms with inappropriate size. Didactic, serious without as much questioning of the reality of emotion.