God of Darkness
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"God of Darkness" is an instrumental by The Residents, the fourth track on their album The Tunes of Two Cities (the second part of the group's epic Mole Trilogy), released by Ralph Records on March 6th 1982.
The song s a Mohelmot spiritual, referencing one of the Moles' several deities (previously mentioned in the lyrics of "The Ultimate Disaster" from the 1981 album Mark of the Mole).
"God of Darkness" was included in the set list of The Residents' Mole Show live tour, as the penultimate number in the show's first act.
History
"God of Darkness", like many other artworks associated with The Residents, is shrouded in mystery. Thankfully, there is context that can be taken from Mark Of The Mole. The second suite from that album, "The Ultimate Disaster", features a short piece titled "Won't You Keep Us Working? Working Down Below?" This song features the Moles praying to their "God of Darkness" to stay in their homes where they "work down below."
Relationship to the Mole Show
This song was chosen to be part of the Mole Show. It would be played as the penultimate song of the first act. What the song actually represents in the context of the show is ambiguous; it is described in the Mole Show's script as "Mood / Purpose: Somber / Rest spot".
As with all the other instrumentals featured in the show, this song was accompanied by an interpretive dance, with each dancer holding props while dancing to the song. Live footage can be found on the Mole Show DVD as well as the live performance on La Edad de Oro.
Legacy
"God of Darkness" was revisited once as part of Charles Bobuck's Radio Thoreau project, on the suite Performance Art (1982-1990 Taking It On The Road). The metallic percussion from the song's intro was integrated into the 13th Anniversary Show arrangement of "Walter Westinghouse".
Several versions of the song do exist, but almost all of them are associated with the Mole Show. This includes a rehearsal demo featured on Mole Dance 82. The song has been released on all versions of the Mole Show, inducing the infamous Uncle Sam Mole Show.
List of releases
- The Tunes Of Two Cities (1982) [Version 1]
- Mole Show (1983) [Version 2]
- Mole Show: Live In Holland (1989) [Version 3]
- The Tunes of Two Cities / The Big Bubble CD reissue (2005) [Version 1]
- Radio Thoreau (2014) [Version 4]
- Mole Box (2019) [Version 1] [Version 2] [Version 5] [Version 6]
- Mole Dance 82 (2021) [Version 5]
List of versions
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Grove Street studio recording, October 1980 - January 1982 (3:05)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mole Show live recording, Roxy Theater, Los Angeles, California, October 20th 1982 (2:35)
- ↑ Mole Show live recording, Muziekcentrum, Utrecht, Holland, June 4th 1983 (2:33)
- ↑ A Bobuck fix
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Grove Street "Mole Dance 82" studio rehearsal, March - April 1982 (3:07)
- ↑ Uncle Sam Mole Show live recording, New Music America Festival, National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., October 7th 1983 (3:08)
External links and references
- The Tunes of Two Cities at RZWeb
- The Tunes of Two Cities at Discogs
- The Tunes of Two Cities at The Residents Historical
- Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS
