The artist collective and band The Residents has been shrouded in mystery since their first official release in 1974. To this day, the members manage to work anonymously. They do not give interviews and only appear in public in costumes, often wearing their characteristic eyeball helmets, which have become their trademark.
After meeting at a high school in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the early 1960s, the group began recording and pursuing artistic endeavours. In 1966, they moved to California. Inspired by avantgarde and pop culture, The Residents anticipated the idea of audio piracy and developed groundbreaking marketing strategies and multimedia projects.
A 42-minute mix showcasing some of the band’s conceptual thematic compositions and deconstructions of Western pop music – due to Mixcloud’s license restrictions in two parts.
Featured cover art: The Residents – Meet The Residents (1974) / God In Three Persons (1988)
Playlist
The (Pre-)Residents – We Stole This Riff
The band’s second demo tape for Warner Bros. Records was titled Baby Sex and became notorious for showing a woman performing fellatio on a baby. It begins with a parody of Tim Buckley’s 1970 hit Down By The Borderline.(1971, New Ralph Too)
Residents, Uninc. – Aircraft Damage
As Residents, Uninc., the group released the double 7″ EP Santa Dog. Aircraft Damage contains a passage from their film Vileness Fats in which an Indian princess is summoned by a chant. (1972, Ralph Records / RE: New Ralph Too)
The Residents – Spotted Pinto Queen
This previously unreleased outtake conveys the atmosphere of a sombre farewell song and differs radically from the opulent and whimsical original Spotted Pinto Bean, which appeared on the band’s debut album Meet The Residents, released on their own label. (1972-73, Ralph Records / RE: New Ralph Too)
The Residents – Soulful Sax
Created for fun while working on the complex concept album Eskimo, this track comes from a series of instrumental backing tracks, some of which eventually found their way onto the 7″ EP Duck Stab. (1977, New Ralph Too)
The Residents – Hello Skinny
From the EP Buster & Glen, released at a time when the band was becoming popular with new wave aficionados. (1978, Ralph Records / RE: New Ralph Too)
The Residents – Walter Westinghouse
The mini-opera Walter Westinghouse is about primitive humanoids who are replaced by a new creature destined to rule the world just as badly. (1976, Ralph Records / RE: New Ralph Too)
The Residents and Snakefinger – Plants
From a medley of children’s songs; realised with toy instruments generously provided by Toys-R-Us, Inc., so that during production the studio was buried under about two feet of children’s toys. (1980, Ralph Records / RE: New Ralph Too)
The Residents – Middle East Dance (From ‘ICE2’)
With their concept album Eskimo, The Residents began exploring world music even before it became popular. This approach also led to excursions into other regions of the world, such as Kenya, Scotland and the Middle East. (around 1980, New Ralph Too)
The Residents – Devotion?
From the rock opera God In Three Persons about a man who becomes the manager of a pair of Siamese twins with miraculous healing powers, used to heal the masses. Performed again in 2020 at MoMA in New York City. (1988, Rykodisc)
The Residents – His Latest Flame
Having grown up listening to Elvis Presley’s music since their childhood in the 1950s, The Residents decided in 1989 to dedicate an entire album to the King of Rock & Roll as they explored the significance of poetry and folk songs of the Old West to popular American music. (1989, Enigma)
The Residents – The New Hymn (Recessional)
From a 12″ record with pre-recorded material that accompanied the band’s first tour project, the theatrical Mole Show about a conflict between two cultures – the leisure-oriented, boring Chubs and the Moles, who seek salvation in hard work. (1982, Ralph Records / RE: Klanggalerie)
The Residents – The Weatherman (feat. Molly Harvey)
The album Demons Dance Alone is divided into three parts: Loss, Denial and The Three Metaphors, and deals with the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City on 11 September 2001. The ballad The Weatherman comes from the Loss section. (2002, Ralph America)
Say Something