Tracks
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This is The Residents' first release on CD, along with its sister release, "Hell!". It's a compilation of their 'tamest' songs, and even then, it still sounds scary at some points. One of their greatest releases yet.
Couple of key tracks:
"Hellno", from the Census Taker soundtrack, is a cheerful little pop tune that slowly fades into a dark and gloomy atmosphere. Kinda like the movie itself, which starts as a silly comedy and ends in an uneasy tale of murder and grief.
"It's a Man's World" is their infamous 1984 eyeball single. Silly, twisted version of the James Brown classic. The Residents' version has become one of their greatest "hits."
"Ups & Downs", the original version of the Commercial Album song, appears on Residue, and it is one of the coolest tracks in this compilation. It was recorded circa 1979, where they had that creepy, atmospheric sound from Eskimo and The Replacement.
"Serenade for Missy", from The Tunes of Two Cities, is a jazzy little tune from Chub culture. It features saxophone from Norman Salant and a sexy guitar solo from Snakefinger. Really light-headed song, it serves as a break from all the heavy synthesizers from earlier.
"Easter Woman" and "Amber", two tales of unfortunate death from The Commercial Album, sound colorful on the outside until you stop to hear the lyrics. The former is a husband's mourning of his wife, while the latter is an ironically cheerful story of a little girl's irresistible curiosity drowning her in a whirlpool. Creepy stuff.
"Happy Home", from The Tunes of Two Cities, is one of the most important songs in the Mole Trilogy. It's apparently an excerpt from a musical for Chubs, and it sounds like the ending part. One of the greatest moments from this compilation and the original album itself is how the instruments gradually increase in number, making the song more and more intense as they go. Epic stuff right 'ere.
"Crashing", from the Renaldo & The Loaf collaboration record Title in Limbo, is a short little tale about a plane accident. It does what "Amber" already did: it's an adorable song about a horrifying situation. Even the music itself recognizes its morbidness at the final seconds, making this one of the most unsettling tracks on the album. Great vocals by Nessie Lessons.
"Mahogany Wood", from Title in Limbo, is well-known in The Residents' catalog (I don't know about Renaldo & The Loaf though). One of the most normal-sounding tracks in this compilation, it showcases a certain influence from oriental culture. Renaldo's vocals give more weight to the song at the last minutes.
"Kula Bocca Says So", from The Big Bubble, is the rocking anthem that marks the end of that album. Ramsey's vocals are as outstanding as ever, and there's even some backups at the end, where the drums come in as well. It kinda sounds like a revolution song, and I think it is, if I'm correct on who Kula Bocca actually is in the Mole's story. Simply brilliant.
"The New Hymn", from Intermission, was the walk-out music for The Residents' Mole Show. It's got a sweet percussion pattern, and the backing vocals help with the situation where a whole race of people leaves its land, unsure of where to go. Pretty sweet.
"The Festival of Death", from the critically-acclaimed Eskimo, is one of the few songs from this compilation that actually has a "heavenly" sound (unlike "Hell!", where pretty much every track fits right in). The unusual instrumentation and the overall "chilly" atmosphere makes this one of the best tracks.
Overall, this album is simply PERFECT for new listeners, and it probably was meant to be like that. All of the songs are fairly accessible, but there's still a great amount of uneasy weirdness. When it's over, they can check out "Hell!" if they're ready for a darker, scarier sound.
Couple of key tracks:
"Hellno", from the Census Taker soundtrack, is a cheerful little pop tune that slowly fades into a dark and gloomy atmosphere. Kinda like the movie itself, which starts as a silly comedy and ends in an uneasy tale of murder and grief.
"It's a Man's World" is their infamous 1984 eyeball single. Silly, twisted version of the James Brown classic. The Residents' version has become one of their greatest "hits."
"Ups & Downs", the original version of the Commercial Album song, appears on Residue, and it is one of the coolest tracks in this compilation. It was recorded circa 1979, where they had that creepy, atmospheric sound from Eskimo and The Replacement.
"Serenade for Missy", from The Tunes of Two Cities, is a jazzy little tune from Chub culture. It features saxophone from Norman Salant and a sexy guitar solo from Snakefinger. Really light-headed song, it serves as a break from all the heavy synthesizers from earlier.
"Easter Woman" and "Amber", two tales of unfortunate death from The Commercial Album, sound colorful on the outside until you stop to hear the lyrics. The former is a husband's mourning of his wife, while the latter is an ironically cheerful story of a little girl's irresistible curiosity drowning her in a whirlpool. Creepy stuff.
"Happy Home", from The Tunes of Two Cities, is one of the most important songs in the Mole Trilogy. It's apparently an excerpt from a musical for Chubs, and it sounds like the ending part. One of the greatest moments from this compilation and the original album itself is how the instruments gradually increase in number, making the song more and more intense as they go. Epic stuff right 'ere.
"Crashing", from the Renaldo & The Loaf collaboration record Title in Limbo, is a short little tale about a plane accident. It does what "Amber" already did: it's an adorable song about a horrifying situation. Even the music itself recognizes its morbidness at the final seconds, making this one of the most unsettling tracks on the album. Great vocals by Nessie Lessons.
"Mahogany Wood", from Title in Limbo, is well-known in The Residents' catalog (I don't know about Renaldo & The Loaf though). One of the most normal-sounding tracks in this compilation, it showcases a certain influence from oriental culture. Renaldo's vocals give more weight to the song at the last minutes.
"Kula Bocca Says So", from The Big Bubble, is the rocking anthem that marks the end of that album. Ramsey's vocals are as outstanding as ever, and there's even some backups at the end, where the drums come in as well. It kinda sounds like a revolution song, and I think it is, if I'm correct on who Kula Bocca actually is in the Mole's story. Simply brilliant.
"The New Hymn", from Intermission, was the walk-out music for The Residents' Mole Show. It's got a sweet percussion pattern, and the backing vocals help with the situation where a whole race of people leaves its land, unsure of where to go. Pretty sweet.
"The Festival of Death", from the critically-acclaimed Eskimo, is one of the few songs from this compilation that actually has a "heavenly" sound (unlike "Hell!", where pretty much every track fits right in). The unusual instrumentation and the overall "chilly" atmosphere makes this one of the best tracks.
Overall, this album is simply PERFECT for new listeners, and it probably was meant to be like that. All of the songs are fairly accessible, but there's still a great amount of uneasy weirdness. When it's over, they can check out "Hell!" if they're ready for a darker, scarier sound.