Snakefinger

In 1971 he started playing with the crazy Californian pop combo The Residents which he did until his demise in 1987.
In 1972 Philip Lithman returned to England and formed the pub rock band Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers with Martin Stone, a fellow ex-member of Junior's Blues Band.
As a duo, they released the album "Kings of Robot Rhythm". In 1974, as a full band and popular live act in Britain, they released "Bongos Over Balham"
After having first left to LA and after that back again to San Fransisco he recorded his first solo album, "Chewing Hides the Sound", using the name Snakefinger, a name he was given by The Residents , who helped co-writing and producing his album.
In 1980, his second album , "Greener Postures", came out, also co-written and co-produced with The Residents but also containing some of his own stuff.
1965 Photos : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUTHy-4kT14

Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers
were one of the main British pub rock groups of the early '70s, playing a laid-back yet rocking mixture of rock & roll, R&B, country, and folk. The band has its origins in a folk-rock duo formed by ex-Junior's Blues Band members Martin Stone (vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Phil "Snakefinger" Lithman (vocals, guitar, piano, lap steel, fiddle). Lithman moved to San Francisco in the late '60s, leaving Stone to play with Savoy Brown and Mighty Baby. The duo reunited in the early '70s, recording Kings of Robot Rhythm with vocalist Jo-Ann Kelly and various members of Brinsley Schwarz. Kings was released in 1972; that same year, the duo expanded to a band, adding Paul "Dice Man" Bailey (guitar, banjo, saxophone), Paul Riley (bass), and drummer Pete Thomas. During the next two years, Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers became a popular live act in Britain. The full band released Bongos Over Balham in 1974, yet the record sold poorly and the band split in February 1975. Thomas became the drummer for Elvis Costello's backing band, the Attractions, Riley played with Graham Parker, Bailey formed Bontemps Roulez, and Stone played with the Pink Fairies before quitting the music business. Lithman moved back to San Francisco where he began to work with his former associates, the Residents, under the name Snakefinger. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Kings Of The Robot Rhythm (1972)


Upgraded 22-01-10
320 MP3

Bongos Over Balham (1974)


Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
We Get Along
Desert Island Woman
All a Dream
Fiddle Diddle
Breathe a Little
Truck Drivin' Girl
Jungle Song
Midnight Bus
Just Like the Devil
9-5 Songwriting Man

1974 album from pub rock combo Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers. This album is now on iTunes with 9 bonus tracks, so you can listen to samples, or buy it.




Snakefinger 1979
Live at The Boarding House (Flac)
San Francisco,CA
1979-03-12

1. smelly tongues
2. jesus was a leprechaun
3. picnic in the jungle
4. kill the great raven
5. magic and ecstacy
6. here come the bums
7. the model
8. vultures of bombay
9. what wilbur?
10 the spot



1980
Masonic Temple, Cleveland, OH 1980-12-27 (flac)


1981
Snakefinger - Amstelveen 8th April 81

Round this time Snakefinger hit the club circuit with a backing band variously known as "Bast" and the "Dead Residents".
A friend of mine, who had attended this gig , told me the band members were all dressed in battle dress and the place was full with camouflage nets.
Weird.


Uilenstede is the bar/restaurant/club of a students complex in Amstelveen , very close to Amsterdam, where they had concerts once in a while.

Setlist :
01 Living In Vain
02 Magic And Ecstacy
03 I Love Mary
04 Golden Goat
05 Smelly Tongues
06 Trashing All The Loves Of History
07 Don't Lie
08 Picnic In The Jungle
09 The Model
10 Here Come The Bums
11 Kill The Great Raven

Line up :
Snakefinger - guitar, pedal steel guitar, vocals
John (Bong-Hip) Ryan: Drums
Miguel Bertel: Guitar
George B. George: Bass
Guest vocal is none other than Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon).

When on tour in Australia in 1981, he suffered from his first heart attack,which left him hospitalized for six weeks.

Even though one may think this concert cannot have happened on April 8. 1981 because Snakefinger had his first heart attack after the concert in Melbourne on May 3rd 1981, taking six weeks to recuperate before going back to the US,the date on the cover of Melbourne is wrong.(Not March 5th but actually May 3rd)


Live at Rafters Manchester UK 10th April 1981(Flac)

00 - tuning up
01 - Smelly Tongues
02 - Trashing All The Loves Of History
03 - Don't Lie
04 - Living In Vain
05 - Magic And Ecstasy
06 - I Love Mary
07 - Golden Goat
08 - Picnic In The jungle
09 - Jinx
10 - The Model
11 - Here Come The Bums
12 - Kill The Great Raven
13 - corrupted Man's Heart Is A Ghetto
14 - The Man In The Dark Sedan
15 - Who Is The Culprit?
16 - Jesus Was A Leprauchaun
17 - wot Wilbur?
18 - The Spot

ThanX Starboy!



Snakefinger Live at Melbourne University 03.05.1981

01. Smelly Tongues
02. Thrashing All The Loves of History
03. Don't Lie
04. Living In Vain
05. Magic And Ecstacy
06. I Love Mary
07. The Golden Goat
08. Picnic In The Jungle
09. Jinx
10. Kill The Great Raven
11. Corrupted Man
12. Man In The Dark sedan
13. Who Is The Culprit
14. Jesus Was A Leprechaun
15. What Wilbur
16. The Spot
17. Everybody Needs Somebody


Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Ontario, CA. 1981-10-09 (Flac)

Chase Park, New York, NY.1981-10-16(Flac)

688, Atlanta, GA.1981-10-23 (Flac)


1982

Amstelveen March 82

1. Living In Vain-Magic & Ecstasy 4:39
2. I Love Mary 2:24
3. Golden Goat 4:45
4. Smelly Tongues 3:04
5. Trashing All The Loves Of History 3:20
6. Don't Lie 3:24
7. Golden Goat 4:51
8. Picnic In The Jungle 3:44
9. The Model 4:02
10. Here Comes The Bums 2:53
11. Kill The Great Raven 3:04
12. Talkin' In The Town 2:29
13. Save Me From Dali 3:27

CBGB's NYC 2nd May 1982

01. intro
02. Eva's Warning
03. I Followed George's Dream
04. Living In Vain
05. Beatnik Party
06. I Am Nino?
07. Kill The Great Raven
08. The Model
09. Who's The Culprit, Who's The Victim
10. Jesus Was A Leprachaun
11. tape flip > You Sliced Up My Wife
12. Bring Back Reality
13. Man In The Dark Sedan
14. I Love You Too Much To Respect You
15. Thrashing All The Loves of History

Thanks to Shane for taping/trading this Snakefinger show!


1983
Snakefinger - Milan 12-07-83



Acoustic Set :

1. Diving Duck
2. Preaching the Blues
3. Robert Johnson cover
4. Sick & Die (Muddy Waters cover)
5. Crawling King Snake

Electric Set :

6. She Walk
7. My Baby She Looks So Fine
8. You Feel Like Cryin'
9. You'll Hear Me Cryin' About You
10. Can't Be Satisfied (Muddy Waters cover)
11. You Don't Treat Me Right
12. Ten Years Ago
13. Everyday I Have The Blues (jump in at the very beginning)
14. What Did You Do To Me
15. Instrumental Blues >
16. Tore Down
17. Crosscut Saw
18. Natural Ball

Encores :

19. It Hurts Me Too
20. Stolen Moments
21. I'm Going Home Tonight

This show is something marvelous...A fantastic blues show, just pure blues, i would say unique,considering that Snakefinger used to mix blues with avant-garde stuff. The recording is excellent, an audience tape that sounds like a soundboard....my advice is that here you have something you cannot lose, a real unusual show for Snakefinger.

1984

Key Largo,Portland Oregon 5th July 1984

Setlist:
01 - (tuning up)
02 - I Love Mary
03 - I Followed George's Dream
04 - Eva's Warning
05 - This Is Not A Disco Song
06 - Beatnik Party / Shining Faces
07 - Magic & Ecstacy
08 - Berkeley Encounter Group
09 - Kill The Great Raven
10 - The Model
11 - Here Come The Bums
12 - Bring Back Reality (cut)
13 - There's No Justice In Life
14 - Trashing All The Loves Of History
15 - Living In Vain
16 - Picnic In The Jungle
17 - (guitar encore) (???)

1985

Snakefinger - Out-takes (1985)
(Recorded At Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco)
Basic Tracks 1986-07-26/27
(Recorded At Different Fur Studio, San Francisco)

TRACK LISTING

Total (35:44)

OUTTAKES
01 I Gave Myself To You.....................(4:47)
02 This Is Not A Disco Song.................(3:45)

The first two "outtakes" tracks are alternate versions of songs on his 1985 single "I Gave Myself To You" and "This Is Not A Disco Song".
Both tracks are flawed in that there's a tape munch within them.

* some differences that caught my ear, could be more
I Gave Myself To You - a different vocal take by Snakefinger, different background keyboard swooshes
(the tape munch is 3:23 into this file)
This Is Not A Disco Song - different background keyboard "laser sounds"
(the tape munch is 2:18 into this file)

BASIC TRACKS
03 The Golden King..........................(8:11)
04 There's No Justice In Life...............(3:27)
05 8 1/4....................................(4:22)
06 Move.....................................(2:20)
07 Bad Day In Bombay Pts. 1 And 2...........(5:56)
08 Bless Me For I Have Sinned...............(2:50)

The remaining six are "basic tracks" for material that later ended up on the "Night Of Desirable Objects" LP.
One track has two source tape flaws.
All are instrumentals at this point, and all vary from the content on the LP in some way.

* some differences that caught my ear, could be more
The Golden King - no vocals, different intro with extra low-key segment, guitar solos not present, different ending
There's No Justice In Life - no vocals, keyboard fill-in's not present, guitar solos not present
8 1/4 - guitar solo in middle not present, guitar flourish near end not present
(there's a small tape flaw 0:06 into this file, & another at 3:19)
Move - middle keyboard solo not present, Snakey's solo near end is different
Bad Day In Bombay Pts. 1 And 2 - Pt. 1, no vocals, wobbly keyboard part not present, middle keyboard squeaks not present; Pt. 2, no piano solos or main guitar solo
Bless Me For I Have Sinned - no vocals, no ?cowbell clank just before the main refrains, no guitar solo, different ending

Too bad there's those flaws, but if that's what it takes to hear these, oh well. Sweet stuff all!

Crank it up and ENJOY! it as I have, and share it so others can hear it.

LINE UP
Snakefinger - guitar, sing
Miguel Bertel - guitar, sing
Eric Drew Feldman - keyboards, synthesizers
Ben Guy - bass, sing
John "BongHit" Ryan - drums
Baby Meinhof - sound
(John Seabury - bass on Disco Song)
(Snakefinger - bass on Gave)

jschmoe (DaD)More Cheers and Apologies.


1986

Music Machine, Los Angeles, CA 13th June 1986

01 Yeti: What Are You?......................(6:24)
02 Magic And Ecstasy........................(2:12)
03 Beatnik Party............................(4:56)
04 8 1/4....................................(3:49)
05 Bad Day In Bombay, Part 1................(4:14)
06 Bad Day In Bombay, Part 2................(2:17)
07 Save Me From Dali........................(3:06)
08 Move.....................................(2:09)
09 Golden Goat..............................(5:05)
10 The Model................................(3:39)
11 The Golden King..........................(8:15)
12 There's No Justice In Life...............(5:02)
13 I Gave Myself To You.....................(7:06)
14 Eva's Warning............................(5:27)
15 Kill The Great Raven.....................(2:46)
16 Climbing The Ladder......................(5:15)

LINE UP
Snakefinger - guitar, sing
Miguel Bertel - guitar, sing
Eric Drew Feldman - keyboards, synthesizers
George G. George OR Ben Guy - bass, sing
John "BongHit" Ryan - drums
Baby Meinhof - sound




Snakefinger's Vestal Virgins

Live In Chicago was recorded June 20, 1986 at The Vic in Chicago, IL. It was released on cassette by Ralph Records in 1986 and subsequently reissued on CD by T.E.C. Tones in 1996. Snakefinger performs one new song, "Climbing The Ladder".

A videotape was released by T.E.C. Tones a few years later which featured the entire concert Snakefinger - Live at The Vic'sAudio



1987
Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI.1987-04-13 (Flac)



Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ 25th April 1987 (Flac)

01 Sophia's Playful Pipes...................(4:32)
02 Yeti: What Are You?......................(4:03)
03 You Don't Blame Me, Do Ya? (?!?).........(3:42)
04 Magic And Ecstasy........................(2:24)
05 Beatnik Party............................(5:06)
06 Shining Faces ('I Am Nino') (CUT)........(2:05)
07 Move.....................................(2:55)
08 Gasoline.................................(2:26)
09 Artists In Bed...........................(3:48)
10 The Golden King..........................(7:12)
11 There's No Justice In Life...............(4:00)
12 I Gave Myself To You.....................(6:48)
13 Picnic In The Jungle.....................(4:27)
14 Eva's Warning............................(7:11)
ENCORE
15 The Model................................(4:14)
16 Climbing The Ladder......................(5:40)

70:44

9:30 Club Washington DC 29th April 1987

1. Sophia's Playful Pipes/Yeti, What are You/You Don't Blame Me, Do You? (13:13)
2. Beatnik Party/Move (10:03)
3. You're a Can of Gasoline and I'm a Lighted Match (2:25)
4. Artists in Bed (4:53)
5. The Golden King (7:08)
6. There's No Justice in Life (3:14)
7. Band introduction/I Gave Myself to You (4:15)
8. I Gave Myself to You (cont'd.)/Picnic in the Jungle/Eva's Warning (14:45)
9. The Model (5:10)
10. The Golden Goat (5:42)
11. Climbing Up the Ladder (5:46)


(Unknown Venue), Oslo, Norway 31st May 1987 (Flac)

(? ? Maybe at Metpo like 1987-05-29 gig ? ?)

01 Sophia's Playful Pipes...................(2:21)
02 Yeti: What Are You?......................(4:18)
03 You Don't Blame Me, Do Ya? (?!?).........(3:41)
04 Magic And Ecstasy........................(2:29)
05 Beatnik Party............................(5:09)
06 Shining Faces ('I Am Nino')..............(2:04)
07 Move.....................................(2:36)
08 Gasoline.................................(2:40)
09 Artists In Bed...........................(3:42)
10 The Golden King..........................(7:25)
11 There's No Justice In Life (CUT).........(3:00)
12 I Gave Myself To You (CUT)...............(0:49)
13 Picnic In The Jungle (CUT)...............(4:06)
14 Eva's Warning............................(6:38)
ENCORE
15 The Model................................(4:30)
16 Climbing The Ladder......................(6:01)

Snakefinger - guitar, sing
Eric Drew Feldman - keyboards, synthesizers
Ben Guy - bass, sing
Johnny Bonghit Ryan - drums
Baby Meinhof - sound

ThanX to jschmoe@DaD


More demos and Interviews:

Snakefinger - Riffs

01 - (electric guitar solo)
02 - Friendly Warning (riff)
03 - Friendly Warning (riff) [continued]
04 - Magic And Ecstacy (riff)
05 - (blues song)
06 - (Snakefinger talks)
07 - SF Radio interview for the 7" "The Spot" KSAN-FM
08 - SF Radio interview for the 7" "The Spot" pt.II KSAN-FM
09 - SF Radio interview for the 7" "The Spot" pt.III KSAN-FM
10 - (silence)
11 - The Golden Goat (instrumental demo)
12 - Living In Vain (instrumental demo)
13 - I Come From An Island (instrumental demo)
14 - I Come From An Island (instrumental demo) [continued]
15 - Save Me From Dali (instrumental demo)
16 - The Man In The Dark Sedan (instrumental demo)
17 - VPRO Interview with Snake & Hardy Fox 1986 (excerpt)

Radio Shows

WKSU Radio Industrial Wasteland


VPRO Radio Tribute - LIVE & HOMER FLYNN INTERVIEWS

From the Womb to the Worm
Interview 1
Hard & Tenderly/ Double Shot [ Residents]
Interview 2
What Wilbur
Interview 3
# Snakey Wake
Interview 4
Cantaten to der Dyin Prunen
Interview 5
Who is the Culprit and Who is the Victim



Snakefinger - The Man In The Dark Sedan WMV

Snakefinger - Live In Toronto MP4 (1987)

1 Dont blame me

2 Magic & Ecstacy

3 Beatnik Party

4 Shinig Faces/Move

5 Youre a can of gasoline

6 Artists in bed

Snakey Wake

Music Performed By The Residents To Honor Snakefinger On August 24th, 1987.

Wiki