Rez - Composers and Covers

UNCLE WILLIE'S HIGHLY OPINIONATED GUIDE TO THE RESIDENTS

It’s not been so long ago that I was forced to recall the derivation of a particular Residents’ tune, theory, or personification, but it has been a long time since I thought about the origination of the American Composers Series. The Residents’ version of ANYBODY ELSE’S music had always made sense to me (Can you recall a time when you didn’t want The Residents to do Elvis?). After The Third Reich ’N’ Roll, I was always ready to hear The Residents mess with other people’s music. A Resident tells me now that coming off the Mole Show tour, the rigors of winding down, and the need to ignore the pressure of producing something entirely from scratch, made them think about what already existed that would be good to attack with Residency. I heard early-on the names of the possible composers to be “done,” and was delighted at the first combination: George Gershwin and James Brown. But I was scared about the outcome of GG, what with the stuff being closer to straight music than what The Residents had tackled so far. (You answer: What’s the difference between the straightness of “Rhapsody in Blue” and the straightness of “Judy in Disguise?”) Contrary to most other projects, I heard the full Residents’ Gershwin only after most of the finishing musical touches, and said, “Well, you certainly did it, didn’t you?” and meant that the majestic GG was there—plus, it was a young, sexy and non-righteous kind of majestic. For me, appreciating James came more slowly: the evolution of JB/Rez vocals, and getting over JB as a god took time. You answer: Did you go searching for your old ‘Live at the Apollo’ album after hearing The Residents do JB to refresh yourself re the original growling and timing?
The next two, Hank Williams and John Phillip Sousa, were treated less like honored house guests and more like old, beloved flannel shirts that you wear til they’re raw, but whose plaids you can’t change. So, Stars & Hank Forever is more comfortable in presenting these two as recognizable favorites, rather than brainwashing you into a new opinion. • Yes, you take some of this stuff as cartoonie. Some goes the range from close, hands-on, heart wringing to distance-in-drag; from an exploitation of new recording equipment to dogged determinism to make a release date; from “Great Risks that Work” to belabored, old discordant discord; from sagginess to the very edge of thralldom; from Perfection to the Melmac of Music. (You answer: Do you keep your keyboard by your bed? What do you jot your dreams down on?) The Residents aren’t just words slathered on the tongue without benefit of pronunciation: you can tell the difference between the words lying on the salt buds, and the ones lying on the sweet and sour buds, and somewhere along the way, you begin to rely on the peculiar taste. So you want the next American Composer Series Combo to be Allen Toussaint with Moondog, Willie Dixon with Leonard Bernstein, or Charles Mingus with Brian Wilson? (You answer.) I’m asking for Rachmaninov with Perez Prado, no matter what their nationalities. -Nessie Lessons


The Third Reich 'N' Roll (1976)


Vocals - Peggy Honeydew , Pamela Zeibak
Vocals, Drums, Saxophone [Soprano], Saxophone [Alto], Cornet, French Horn, Clarinet, Trombone, Synthesizer, Organ [Pipe Organ], Xylophone, Violin [Electric], Piano, Organ, Guitar, Oud, Bass, Koto, Accordion, Performer [Piped Snooter, Garbage Drums, Stretch Globel, Hanging Lamp, Rubboard] - Residents

Notes: The Third Reich 'N' Roll consists of two suites; "Swastikas On Parade" and "Hitler Was A Vegetarian". Both are flac files.

Liner notes:
The Residents third album was released in 1976. The love / hate relationship the Eyeballed-ones have with pop music has, perhaps, never been better stated than in this scathingly satirical look at '60s bubble-gum rock somehow twisted into shocking '70s bubble-gum avant garde. With a swift kick in the balls, The Residents leave rock and roll as fodder for tomorrow's dough-brains.

Sessions in flac (Updated 19-01-2010)
3rd Reich n Roll
Zip 001
Zip 002


IMPORTANT MESSAGE
The Residents freely admit that the riffs, words, and even sometimes the arrangements found on The Third Reich 'N Roll were shamelessly lifted from their memory of top forty radio of the Sixties. We, as the parent company, support The Residents in their tribute to the thousands of little power-mad minds of the music industry who have helped make us what we are today, with an open eye on what we can make them tomorrow.
-THE CRYPTIC CORPORATION


In 1980 a Third Reich 'N' Roll Collectors Box was produced in a limited edition of 30 copies of which 25 were released. These came with a hand pressed red marbled vinyl edition of the record with silk screened sleeve and labels, in a velvet-lined black wooden box with a sliding panel featuring hand-screened version of the cover art. Also enclosed are two signed and numbered lithographs by Irene Dogmatic. The entire box was enclosed in a drawstring bag made from a piece of Christo's work "Running Fence".

A censored version of the cover art was created for 2500 copies for export into Germany where Nazi symbolism is illegal.


This is the 1st pressing (1976): 1000 copies - liner notes - orange carrot on front cover.Some Copies Included An Insert.
This is the 2nd pressing (1977): Gray carrot - black "a", repeat image, liner notes black on red. This issue also has etched into the run-out after RR 1075, Re 77.
3rd Pressing: Orange carrot - repeat image, liner notes black on white.
4th pressing (1977): Grey carrot - repeat image, liner notes black on white

Torso rereleased on LP & CD (with Bonus Tracks) in 1987
Satisfaction,Loser = Weed,Beyond The Valley Of A Day In The Life,Flying

East Side Digital rereleased on CD 1987 (with Bonus Tracks) & 1997 without.
EuroRalph released a Ltd Ed of 3000 on CD (w/out bonus tracks) in 1993

Mute rereleased the CD in 2005 with a Black Slipcase (Ltd) - covering the "offensive" artwork




George & James : The American Composer Series - Volume One (1984)


A1 Rhapsody In Blue (10:30)
A2 I Got Rhythm (3:02)
A3 Summertime (4:05)
B1 Live At The Apollo: I'll Go Crazy (2:42)
B2 Live At The Apollo: Try Me (0:40)
B3 Live At The Apollo: Think (2:15)
B4 Live At The Apollo: I Don't Mind (2:29)
B5 Live At The Apollo: Lost Someone (5:52)
B6 Live At The Apollo: Please Please Please (1:17)
B7 Live At The Apollo: Night Train (3:25)
Original titles on A-side by George Gershwin and on B-side by James Brown.




Stars & Hank Forever! : The American Composer's Series - Volume Two (1986)


A1 Hey Good Lookin'
Featuring [Slide Guitar] - Snakefinger
A2 Six More Miles (To The Graveyard)
A3 Kaw-Liga
A4 Ramblin' Man
A5 Jambalaya

Sousaside
B1a Nobles Of The Mystic Shrine
B1b The Stars & Stripes Forever
B1c El Capitan
B1d The Liberty Bell
B1e Semper Fidelis
B1f The Washington Post

Plus 3 Hank bonus tracks from Daydream B-Liver:

Pictures Of Life's Other Side
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Dear Brother





The King & Eye (1989)


A1 Blue Suede Shoes (2:36)
A2 The Baby King Part 1 (1:15)
A3 Don't Be Cruel (2:58)
A4 Heartbreak Hotel (1:56)
A5 All Shook Up (2:03)
A6 Return To Sender (2:58)
A7 The Baby King Part 2 (1:20)
A8 Teddy Bear (3:20)
A9 Devil In Disguise (2:57)
A10 Stuck On You (2:13)
A11 Big Hunk O' Love (2:47)
B1 A Fool Such As I (2:34)
B2 The Baby King Part 3 (1:27)
B3 Little Sister (2:56)
B4 His Latest Flame (2:39)
B5 Burning Love (3:05)
B6 Viva Las Vegas (3:09)
B7 The Baby King Part 4 (1:48)
B8 Love Me Tender (4:55)
B9 The Baby King Part 5 (1:07)
B10 Hound Dog (2:19)

Plus Dog Glue from Daydream B-Liver.
Background music from Baby King.





Dont Be Cruel (1990)


1 Don't Be Cruel (3:00)
2 Don't (1:57)
3 Surrender (2:01)
4 The Toy Factory (1:44)
5 Ghost Music (1:45)

Tracks 4 & 5 are not listed on CD package.
Tracks 2 to 5 are outtakes from The King & Eye.


Dont Be Cruel Video




For Elsie (1987)


Intermission Music from "The 13th Anniversary Show".

Based on "Für Elise" by Beethoven (who stole it off some folk song).
One sided LP limited to 1000 copies. On marble green vinyl. It seems that it has not been released on a official label (Official Product is the only information on the non-playable backside of the album), but the website The Residents Discography indicates Cryptic Corporation (The Residents holding) as the publisher.


CD - 500 Pressed
Promo Only Cd Handed Out At The Cube-E New Years Eve Show In 1989.
Cd Contains 10 Minutes Of Extra Material That Is Not Included On The Vinyl Version.






COVER VERSIONS SERIES 1 (2009)


1. Hit The Road Jack (Remix)
2. Teddy Bear
3. Jambalaya
4. Matchmaker
5. Double Shot
6. Kawliga
7. Jailhouse Rock
8. Love Me, Please Love Me
9. Satisfaction
10. Man's World
11. 1999
12. Paint It Black



COVER VERSIONS SERIES 2


01 The Beatles play the Residents and the Residents play the Beatles - Beyond the Valley of a Day in the Life

02 The Beatles play the Residents and the Residents play the Beatles - Flying

03 King Kong

04 Daydream In Space

05 Daydream believer

06 Don't Be Cruel

07 The Third Reich 'n' Roll Concentrate

08 Pollex Christi (Abridged)

09 Oh Suzanna

10 Land of 1000 dances & Double shot

11 Happy Home _ Star Spangled Banner

12 Jingle Bells

This is what eye would like to see on Volume 2.