Meet the Residents [Original recording remastered]

Residents, Residents | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: East Side Digital
• ASIN: B000000PM4
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,227 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Boots

2. Numb Erone

3. Guylum Bardot

4. Breath and Length

5. Consuelo's Departure

6. Smelly Tongues

7. Rest Aria

8. Skratz

9. Spotted Pinto Bean

10. Infant Tango

11. Seasoned Greetings

12. N-Er-Gee (Crisis Blues)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Album by North Louisiana's Phenomenal Pop Combo, May 23, 2000

By 

Michael Sean (Seattle, WA - US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meet the Residents (Audio CD)

The Residents' early work is perhaps their most bizarre andchallenging. Mixing elements of Frank Zappa, Capt. Beefheart, JohnCage, and Sun Ra with their twisted sense of song structure, they craft an odd and often indescribable musical collage unmatched by anything that came before them. Allegedly, the band sent a tape (bluntly-titled "The Warner Bros. Album") to Warner Bros., who ended up passing on the record. Since no name had been written on the package, the rejection slip was sent to 'residents' at the return address. The group adopted the name and decided to put out their stuff themselves, forming Ralph Records in 1972. This album is much more primitive sounding, in both the music and the production technology, than their later synthesizer work. Most of the tracks utilize analog tape effects and more traditional instruments like piano, guitar and horns. The album's infamous cover, a defacing of "Meet The Beatles," enraged Capitol Records (although, supposedly one of the Beatles found it funny and bought a copy). This new re-release benefits greatly from the 20-bit mastering, clearing up much of the previously muddy sound. The original CD release had paired this record with the four songs from their first single, "Santa Dog," but they are no longer included (they can now be found on the 1999 Residents collection, "Refused"). Despite the proliferation of contemporary oddball acts that these guys have influenced (Primus, Ween, Mr. Bungle), this disc still sounds as warped and otherworldly as ever.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Used to hate, now I love it, November 30, 2005

By 

Ryan Dante (Ann Arbor, MI (A community of musical magpies)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meet the Residents (Audio CD)

I just want to say that I am not an art student or a philosopher. I am a high schooler with a wide-ranging palette of musical tastes, but I have to admit that when I bought this CD, I wanted my thirteen dollars back. I didn't get the irony of the whole CD, and I thought that it was immature noise. However, I listened to the CD a couple of times because I figured that I might as well, I bought it after all. I found that beneath the avant-garde sound and dada-esque cover was a catchy and fun, albeit warped, pop album. Now, it is one of my desert island discs, and I think this album really helped me open my mind to other types of music. My family still thinks it sounds like something a retard in a studio would make, and I am still surprised when I hear myself humming the piano part from "Numb Erone". This is an essential album, and there's nothing else like it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their first remains their best, August 4, 2001

By 

David Fields (Lincoln, Nebraska United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meet the Residents (Audio CD)

For all of us impoverished Residents fans who work extra jobs to try to keep up with the latest of their releases, I say this: good job! The Residents sold only 50 of this album upon its first release. To date, they've sold thousands of this released effort, and for good reason: for its sheer inventiveness, and for its clear breaking from traditional pop music this is the Residents best effort. From the habit forming "Smelly Tongues" to the almost classical "Rest Aria" the Residents showed the world (or 50 people to start with) the range of their talents.

Missing in this recording is the presence of moog-like instruments creating artificial sounds. The One Eyed Ones had to use real instruments, real singing, and real sound (well, okay, they did edit the tapes somewhat) to make up this album, and they stood up to the challange and (dare we say it?) TOOK OVER THE WORLD.

True, its an invisible empire (gad, hope no one take's *that* the wrong way) but Residents fans live among us, and the empire has grown from its humble origins (this album and a Santa Dog double single set) in the 1970's.

Listen to this album with an open mind, and open heart, and open ears. And remember: Residents fans are *everywhere*.

The essential album for Residents fans.