Donnerstag, 28. Oktober 2021

The Residents - Meet The Residents (1974)

The Residents are true avant-garde crazies. Their earliest albums (of which this is the first) have precedents in Captain Beefheart's experimental albums, Frank Zappa's conceptual numbers from Freak Out!, the work of Steve Reich, and the compositions of chance music tonemeister John Cage -- yet the Residents' work of this time really sounds like nothing else that exists. 

All of the music on this release consists of deconstructions of countless rock and non-rock styles, which are then grafted together to create chaotic, formless, seemingly haphazard numbers; the first six "songs" (including a fragment from the Nancy Sinatra hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'") are strung together to form a larger entity similar in concept to the following lengthier selections. The result is a series of unique, odd, challenging numbers that are nevertheless not entirely successful. 

The album cover is a fierce burlesque of the Beatles' first U.S. Capitol label release, sporting puerilely doctored photographs of the Fab Four on the front and pictures of collarless-suited sea denizens on the back (identified as Paul McCrawfish, Ringo Starfish, and the like). This is an utterly bizarre platter that may appeal to very adventurous listeners.

Tracklist:

Side A (23:06):

Boots (Hazelwood) (1:30)
Numb Erone (1:23)
Guylum Bardot (1:22)
Breath and Length (1:45)
Consuelo's Departure (1:55)
Smelly Tongues (1:35)
Rest Aria (5:41)
Skratz (1:18)
Spotted Pinto Bean (6:37)

Side B (21:19):

Infant Tango (6:01)
Seasoned Greetings (5:12)
N-ER-GEE (Crisis Blues) (10:06)


The Residents - Meet The Residents (1974)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

3 Kommentare:

Eric S. hat gesagt…

If you knew anything about Shreveport--thank your lucky stars you don't--or their tenure at Centenary College, you'd know how truly mind-blowingly deranged all this. As someone from Shreveport once told, if God ever gave the earth an enema, Shreveport would be the point of entry. How these fella escaped much less went on to make so much amazing music, er, "music" is an epic tale to be told.

Throwing stones from a glass house,

a guy from South Louisiana

Jobe hat gesagt…

I've always wanted to hear this but the cover scared me. Thanks

zero hat gesagt…

Thanks for your comments, you are welcome!

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