The Mole Show, Los Angeles, October 30th 1982
On October 30th 1982, The Residents performed The Mole Show twice at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, California. These performances followed two shows at the same venue the previous evening.
A bootleg cassette, Live at the Roxy, 30 Oct. 1982, comprising parts of a supposedly fan-made soundboard recording from both October 30th shows, began circulating later in the year. It has been said that The Cryptic Corporation purchased the recordings from the bootlegger, and released them officially in April 1983 as the live album Mole Show.
In 1998 the Mole Show album was remastered and reissued on CD in an expanded format by Bomba Records, exclusively for the Japanese market, retitled The Mole Show: Live at the Roxy. In 2019, a new remaster by Scott Colburn was included in the pREServed six-disc CD box set Mole Box.
History
The two performances of The Mole Show at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles on October 30th 1982 were the third and fourth performances of the show at the venue, following two shows the previous night. During the finale of one of the previous night's shows, narrator Penn Jillette broke his foot;[1] he would perform seated for the remainder of the first leg of the tour.
It is said that the Roxy's house crew did not get along with The Residents and their crew; Philip Perkins later described them as "super cranks", concluding that "we didn't give them enough drugs I guess".[1]
Set list
- Voices of the Air
- The Secret Seed
- The Ultimate Disaster
- God of Darkness
- Migration
- Smack Your Lips (Clap Your Teeth)
- Another Land
- The New Machine
- Song of the Wild
- Final Confrontation
- Satisfaction
- Happy Home
Live album
Mole Show (also known as The Mole Show: Live At The Roxy) is a 1983 live album by The Residents, recorded at two Mole Show performances on October 30th 1982 at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles.
Supposedly originating from a fan-made soundboard recording which circulated as a bootleg cassette titled Live at the Roxy, 30 Oct. 1982, the album blends together the best portions from both shows to make a full Mole Show concert, fitting within the constraints of a single LP.
History
These performances were not originally intended for release, but were recorded without the band's consent and - supposedly - were released as a bootleg cassette entitled Live at the Roxy, 30 Oct. 1982. The Cryptic Corporation, impressed with the quality of the recording, acquired the master tapes from the bootlegger ("rumored" to be Tom Timony) and reissued it as The Residents' first official live album in 1983.
Release
Apparently reflecting its origins as a bootleg, the packaging for the Mole Show LP was designed to look as if it was made by a fan. The original cover art for the album features a simple, iconic black and white image of the "classic eyeball", taken from a European Mole Show program, glued over a cardboard sleeve. No track listing is featured on the original release, however a paper sheet insert was included, with a list of all the people involved in the show's production. The album was also released as a picture disc, in a limited edition of 1,800 copies.
The album was remastered and reissued on CD in 1998 on Bomba Records as The Mole Show: Live At The Roxy (differentiating it from the 1989 release of Mole Show: Live In Holland), exclusively for the Japanese market. It came with new cover art, a digitally augmented photograph of the outside of a French theatre (not the Roxy), displaying a poster promoting the show. The CD came with a small booklet with liner notes in Japanese, and a track listing in which "Song of the Wild" is erroneously titled "Call of the Wild".
In 2011, another remaster was issued by Birdsong and Hayabusa Landings, again as a Japan exclusive. But the new cover art made by Bomba was not brought back, with the original "classic eyeball" image being used instead. This release came with new notes about the show, and as a bonus track, it included Part 3 of The Residents Radio Special.
It was remastered once again by Scott Colburn as part of The Residents' ongoing pREServed series of expanded reissues, and was released on Cherry Red/MVD on April 5th 2019 as the fourth disc of the comprehensive, six-disc Mole Box.
Track listing
All tracks composed by The Residents unless otherwise noted.
Mole Show (1983)
Side A (22:13)
Side B (28:00)
- Another Land
- The New Machine
- Song of the Wild
- Final Confrontation
- "We Had To Borrow Money From Our Parents..."
- Satisfaction
- Happy Home
The Mole Show: Live at the Roxy (1998)
- Voices of the Air (3:09)
- The Secret Seed (2:08)
- Narration (0:42)
- The Ultimate Disaster (4:37)
- Narration (0:11)
- God of Darkness (2:41)
- Narration (0:17)
- Marching to the Sea (2:43)
- The Observer (1:22)
- The New Hymn (4:23)
- Another Land (3:32)
- Narration (0:12)
- Call of the Wild (3:16)
- Don't Tread On Me (2:51)
- Final Confrontation (3:34)
- Narration (1:58)
- Satisfaction (Jagger/Richards) (2:21)
- Happy Home (3:12)
Birdsong and Hayabusa Landings reissue (2011)
- Voices of the Air
- The Secret Seed
- Narration
- The Ultimate Disaster
- Narration
- God of Darkness
- Narration
- Marching to the Sea
- The Observer
- The New Hymn
- Another Land
- Narration
- Call of the Wild
- Don't Tread On Me
- Final Confrontation
- Narration
- Satisfaction (Jagger/Richards)
- Happy Home
- Ralph Records 1977 Radio Special Part 3 (from Eat Exuding Oinks!
Credits
- Written & Directed by The Residents
- Music Written & Played by The Residents
- Narrator: Penn Jillette
- Choreographer: Kathleen French
- Dancers: Kathleen French, Carlo Werner Lamaitre, Sarah McLennan Walker, Chris Van Ralte
- Vocalist: Nessie Lessons
- Sound: Scott Fraser
- Lighting Designer: Philip Perkins
- Lighting Director: Dan Gillham
- Stage Manager: Laurence Campling
- Backdrop Movers: Raoul N.D. Seimbote, Eric Knorr
- Artistic Direction: The Residents
- Sets & Props: Laurence Campling, Leigh Barbier, Homer Flynn, Hardy Fox
- Costumes: Sheenah Timony
- Tour Manager: Paul Young
- Publicist: Mara Mikialian
- Manager: Bill Gerber / Lookout Management
- Legal Matters: Evan Medow
- Business: Siegel & Feldstein
- Security: Thomas Timony
- Merchandising: Diane Flynn
- Merchandising Asst.: Ray Paulsen, Sally Lewis, Gary Mikialian, Nancy Baddock
- Thanks to: Sharon Berosini, Adam Gordon, Gary & Nicole Panter, Mark Mothersbaugh and his friend Anna, John Kennedy, Ken Friedman, Doug Sanberg, Graeme Whiffler, Eric Feldman, Helen Hall, Lou Stathis, Elliot Roberts, Elmer Valentine, Jay Clem, Rob and Rodney from BGP, Kevin and everyone at E-MU Systems, Steven Banks, Joshua Brody, Andy Hewitt, Videowest, Ralph Records
Liner notes
Mole Box (2019)
Narrated by Penn Jillette, and originally recorded and released, so the story goes, by bootleggers, this album is a very-friendly condensation of two concerts (early and late shows) given by The Residents at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles on October 30th, 1982, the fourth date on a brief, five night Californian Mole Show tour.
Release history
| Year | Label | Format | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Ralph Records | LP | US | No track listing. |
| 1998 | Bomba Records | CD | JP | Remaster |
| 2011 | Birdsong & Hayabusa Landings | Remaster, features excerpt from the 1977 Radio Special. | ||
| 2019 | MVD, New Ralph Too, Cherry Red | US, EU | Remaster, as part of The Mole Box. |
See also
- The Mole Show (tour)
- The Mole Show, Los Angeles, October 29th 1982
- Mole Show: Live in Holland
- Mole Box
External links and references
- The Mole Show at The Residents Historical
- The Mole Show at RZWeb (archived via archive.org)
- The Mole Show Live at the Roxy at RZWeb (archived via archive.org)
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Penn broke his foot during the finale of the 1st night's show... The house crew hated us--super cranks. We didn't give them enough drugs I guess." Philip Perkins, comment posted in The Residents unofficial Facebook group, January 31st 2025
