residents: residue of the residents

Residue of The Residents collects outtakes, rare tracks and other experiments from this legendary San Francisco collective. Originally released on Ralph Records in 1983 and spanning The Residents’ career up to that point, this first-time vinyl reissue has been expanded to a double LP and contains 26 songs from the late ’70s and early ’80s—the group’s most fertile period. Highlights from the first LP include the Morricone-inspired “The Sleeper,” the dreamlike “Whoopy Snort” (initially on the LAFMS compilation Blorp Esette), the intense collage piece “Kamikaze Lady” from the pre-Residents 1971 Baby Sex tapes, and the RAO Studio Orchestra version of “Ups & Downs” (which may be the group’s finest pop moment). The second LP features many insider favorites that have not been available on vinyl for decades: “Loser = Weed” (initially released as the B-side to the Satisfaction single), “Death in Barstow” and “Melon Collie Lassie” (from the Babyfingers EP), as well as The Residents’ contributions to the great Subterranean Modern compilation. Balancing the group’s conceptual impulses with a dark palette of electro-esotericism, Residue of The Residents is an intoxicating collection that serves as an ideal starting point for the uninitiated.