Customer Reviews

Roadworms

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Residents' last CD Wormwood, did the unthinkable for an American rock band. The tackled the Bible. Maybe not a stretch for a band that has covered Gershwin, James Brown, John Phillip Sousa, Hank Williams, and Elvis Presley, but still....THE BIBLE? Wormwood was 15 dark tales from the Bible. Excelently produced and presented, it did give me a new take on the Old Testement. They were a nasty bunch back in the old days, and it's all written down in the good book. But why would a band want to make a CD about it? And then why would they take it on the road?

Roadworms opens with a strange take on Grand Funk Railroads' We're An American Band. The famed eyeball headed band from Shrieveport La. takes on the little band from Flint Mi. with Un-American Band. They are coming to your land to make you pray with them instead of party down....

The whole CD contains more guitar work on it than anything since Snakefinger (a frequent collaborater who died of a heart attack). Of the course the main course of the Residents is the emaculant keyboard work and the vocals with the obtuse lyrics. Done in the secrecy of the studio Mr Skull is able to sing with out the mask, thus making the vocals a little more listenable than other live efforts. The Cd, basically a retelling of Wormwood is a very listenable Residents CD. Not for everyone, but a must for the Residents Fan.

While many do not consider Roadworms to be a proper album, it is a strong enough work to stand apart from Wormwood, the studio album that spawned this later "live" session. Performed after the Residents had been on tour for some time, the songs contained on Roadworms are, for the most part, drastically reworked from the original Wormwood versions. What is particularly interesting is the predominance of electric guitar, which adds an urgent, ragged texture to the music. The vocalizations of Mr. Skull and Molly Harvey are right on note, and far more expressive than on the studio versions. A few of the standout tracks are Hanging by his Hair, Burn Baby Burn, and Abraham. These alone are worth the purchase of the cd.

I imagine quite a few fans find fault in this work because it deviates far afield of the typical Residents sound (if there is such a thing). If, however, you are willing to flex your ears a bit, you will find it a rewarding listen. It does not rate a full 5 stars because the production leaves something to be desired, and a few of the songs do not reach their full potential. But these are minor complaints, and overall the album is a most immaculate conception, closing with an epic rendition of Judas Saves.

Being in a Wormwood live show, I find that the Berlin Sessions is closer to the live performance and I think much better than the Curious Tales...Maybe it is the begining of a new age for The Residents-not bad indeed. Must for all Residents fans.

This is a very good studio effort. This CD is composed of a bunch of the Wormwood songs recorded in a German studio while touring the Wormwood show. The interesting thing is that the recordings were all mostly done in one take, giving the CD a very fresh, live sound and feel. I skeptically picked up the CD for 5 bucks as a cutout from RalphAmerica. The Residents are infamous for rehashing material for profit, and expected this to be more of the same. But I was pleasantly surpried. While the songs are the same as on Wormwood, their delivery is original.

1. The Residents make sense if you do not like Popular Culture.

2. If you like Music, you will probably not like the Residents.

3. If you're Weird, you will like the Residents.