sadatx

My friends always tell me that I choose the music I like based upon how few people have heard of the band. So I get some flack for liking obscure music. However, even though I've always thought that The Residents were one of the more well know bands I like (out of the lesser know bands in my cd collection), I'm still amazed at how many people have never even heard of them. But I guess I shouldn't be, considering how closely the band gaurds their anonymity.

Some background: The group consists of four members, who have never shown their faces (far before slipknot had the idea...) and usally dress in tuxedos and top hats with giant eyeball masks covering their faces.

They started their group at some point around 1970 or '71 after moving to San Francisco from Shreveport, LA. After being rejected by every label they sent a demo tape to they decided to start their own company and released their first record Santa Dog in 1972 which was limited to three hundred copies and sent to prominent people of the time (Frank Zappa, Richard Nixon....). Today an original copy of Santa Dog fetches quite a bit of money among collectors.

Their sound can best be described as eclectic, satirical, absurd. It's as if they take pop culture shove it in a Cuisinart drink what comes out, then puke it up and reconstruct it to form something entirely strange (my personal favortie is their Eskimo Album, a series of "authentic eskimo chants" that might very well be just a jumble of westren pop culture themes).

They were pioneers in the decontruction of pop music and in the relatively new medium (at the time they started) the music video. Check out their Icky Flix DVD for a taste.

Here are some links for more info:

www.residents.com

www.theresidents.co.uk

www.residents.terra.pl/start.html

jimk

i had read about the residents for years, knew about the wacky eyeball masks & knew they were considered very "arty." never heard a note of their music, though.

so a bud of mine with similar taste & curiosity in music went to check them out here in chicago a couple years ago. on the way in, i saw a guy in the lobby that i used to bartend with, & he was out of his mind on acid (we're all in our late '30's), so that gave me an indicator of what i was in for.

the visuals were awesome (even without acid), but i gotta say that most of the music was unlistenable. heavily amplified operatic vocals, odd time signatures........

occasionally i could make out the theme of a song & they seemed to be funny & satiric, which i could appreciate.

if anyone asked me, i would describe them as a punk/psychedelic mid '80's update of captain beefheart.

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cchris

Very much like TISM from here in OZ.

But every Country should have one..

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sipsake

Started listening to The Residents in college back in the late 80's.
Haven't thought of them in years. Thanks for a moment of reminiscence.

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