Stars & Hank Forever [Original recording reissued]

Residents | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 1986
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: East Side Digital
• ASIN: B00004R96J
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,916 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 50% twisted covers, 50% soundscaping, 100% Residents, November 9, 2002

By 

Bill M. "bill_m1" (MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stars & Hank Forever (Audio CD)

In the mid 80s The Residents started an "American Composer Series" which only lasted two albums. Each side of each album consisted of cover tunes from one of four different american composers. "Stars and Hank Forever!" consists of Hank Williams songs, followed by Sousa marches.

The album opens with a bombastic "Hey Good Lookin'" featuring the chaotic guitar of Snakefinger. "Six More Miles (to the Graveyard)" and "Jambalaya" are very dark but beautiful pieces. But my favorite song on the album, and possibly from The Residents in general, is the very catchy "Kaw-liga". This song also spawned a number of remixes, but the original here is still my favorite.

The second side consists of John Philip Sousa compositions, done with The Residents' own electronic instruments. On top of all that, the whole side is meant to sound like you're watching a parade! The songs fade in and out, reverbing in such a way that it sounds like a marching band passing by on the street as each song begins and ends. Before and after each song you can hear what you'd normally hear as an observer in the crowd: applause after each song, some talking, an airplane overhead, etc.

Aside from compilations, I think this particular album best represents a good mix of what the band can do and is musically known for: crazy versions of tunes written by other artists, eerie yet disturbingly catchy songs you can sing along to, and vast-sounding instrumental collections that string together conceptually.

I only started listening to The Residents two years ago, and they've become my favorite band since then. I have just about all of their albums and other odd releases, but "Stars and Hank Forever!" certainly gets some of the most spins on my CD player. The songs are simply done really well, and are a pleasure to listen to.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Very Best and Very Worst of the Residents, June 15, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Stars & Hank Forever (Audio CD)

Originally, this recording came in a plastic LP format, one side with the works of the late Hank Williams the other with the works of the late John Philip Sousa - the famous composer of marches, both as arranged and performed by the Residents.

The Hank Williams side not only works, but is brilliant, and contains the absolute best work the Residents have ever done - at least as far as arranging others music. If you are to get this CD, get it for the Hank Williams stuff. "Kaw-Liga" was actually a hit single in Europe, something we may (unfortunately) never see again.

The Sousa stuff doesn't even work for elevator music, and is best left to folks like me who'll be happy listening to the Residents snore or to listen to some obscure sound check done by them in gosh knows when, and gosh knows where.

A good idea that didn't quite work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a surreal point of view, March 27, 2001

By 

David Higgins (Greenville, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stars & Hank Forever (Audio CD)

What was the "second side" of this album when originally released was the "stars" side. John Phillip Souza. If you use a little imagination and listen to this with the idea of "march music" as intended in the compositions, the visualization is nothing short of incredible. Bands of robots, marching by, playing the songs. The begining and end of the piece contain crowd noises, "Mind if I get to that mail box, thank you very much," as if a lady wants to get her child on the mail box to get a good view of the upcoming parade of musical robots. If you want one of the most pschedelic, humorous and listenable works of electronic music ever accomplished, buy this. If you don't get it, listen to it again.