Residents Masterpiece?

Out_There · Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:15 am Post subject: Residents Masterpiece?

Some people consider it to be Duck Stab, some think it's God In Three Persons, some say Eskimo. Tell me what album you think is The Residents' master work.

JerryvonKramer · 2-Eye Joined: 22 Dec 2008 Posts: 41 : Items

I was thinking about this the other night. With most "big" artists, there is some degree of critical consistency about their work. For example, almost all major magazines and website agree that when it comes to David Bowie Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust are 5 star albums, whereas The Man To Fell to Earth and Aladdin Sane are 4 star affairs, and when it comes to The Kinks there no real argument that The Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur are their best albums and that their late 70s albums are pretty mediocre. In my experience, this "critical consensus" tends to be right more often than it is wrong.

However, with The Residents no such consensus exist. First there is the issue of the fact that lots of mainstream magazines and sites haven't even reviewed all their albums (I think Rolling Stone just has one, The King and Eye!) And then when they do actually review the albums they are all over the place. Look at the scores given on AMG -- 3 stars for Duck Stab (! and despite the fact the reviewer says it is much better than Fingerprince), only 3.5 for Not Available, then 4.5 for Eskmo, 4.5 for 13th Anniversary, and 5 for God in The Persons. This shows AMG at their absolute worst, it's like they haven't got a clue.

Objectively speaking, I think if the mainstream press gave The Residents the same sort of attention they give other long-established acts they'd probably agree that following Rez albums are "5 star" efforts:

Not Available
Duck Stab
Eskimo
God in Three Persons
Demons Dance Alone

I very very much want to include The Commercial Album there too as one of the most awesomely achieved concept albums ever recorded, but I foresee rack journalists criticizing it for "not developing" songs or whatever. I can see some reviewers giving Third Reich and Roll 5 stars too but most would give it 4 I reckon.

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Anyway, for me, it's got to be Not Available. From start to finish it just sounds amazing. The music is haunting, soft and at the same time jarring. And then you have this mad, nonsensical opera playing itself over it which seems to both cohere and be packed with great one-liners but which never makes sense. It's an album that is beautiful yet oddly disconcerting at the same time -- and it becomes more disturbing the more you try to think about it. Then there's the unusual "story" about how the album was recorded the and the mystery surrounding it. This album is everything the Residents are distilled in 35 minutes of perfection, it is their masterpiece.

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lemon poop · 1-Eye Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Posts: 5 : Items

citizensmurf · 4-Eye 2-Skull Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 352 : Items

Freak Show would be one of those masterpieces, hands down.

I'd also go with Not Available, Eskimo and G3P. There are so many, but these are the ones that should garner critical praise if such praise was forthcoming.

snorp · 3-Eye 2-Skull Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 333 : Items

My vote goes for Not Available
as well , my favourite for...um...
three decades.

snorp · 3-Eye 2-Skull Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 333 : Items

i agree with Lemon ,
Something Else by The Kinks
is far better than Aurthur .

Kramer did you mean , The
Man Who Sold The World ?

My "5 Star" Bowie's
would be : Ziggy & Aladdin ,
Hunky Dory is a bit uneven ,
MWSTW is a Classic .
Also enjoy Man Of Words/Man Of Music ,
crassly retitled Space Oddity .

Bunnysbrother · 4-Eye 1-Skull Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 219 : Items

This is like saying, What's the masterpiece of your body, your left foot or your right hand? Or, what's the masterpice of a tree? The branches, the leaves, or the acorns?

Out_There · Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:52 pm Post subject:

screwy · 5-Eye 3-Skull Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 574 : Items

God in Three Persons probably, but Eskimo and Not Available will be the most mentioned ones.

Bunnysbrother · 4-Eye 1-Skull Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 219 : Items

Out_There · Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:50 pm Post subject:

KoolBand · Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:55 am Post subject:

Gingerbreadman has got some of the greatest lyrics like, in any form of anything. ever.

tinno66uk · Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:06 am Post subject:

for me, Not Available is the album that best defines the Residents (if that is at all possible!), and after 20 years i don't tire of hearing it.

it's hard to describe, but although i totally understand the album, i.e. the feelings and moods it evokes, i can't explain it to anybody. it is so mysterious...

for me it captures the dream state perfectly, also the miracle of existance
(which is sadly all too brief).

Bunny Boy almost ranks alongside it as a masterpiece. this is another album that i cannot stop playing, it is so multilayered, there is so much going on, and it keeps you guessing.

and so many other albums have so many other fantastic moments...

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Angakok

It seems like everyone agrees on Eskimo (and Not Available) being among their five best works - so do I, a fan since 89/90 when I heard their classic 70's albums and the mole trilogy.

Eskimo is such a singular and odd album, even among the residents own releases, and has less of the humour/goofiness from many of their vocal albums (but it's there if you look). It is closer to "serious" contemporary music, and doesn't fail as such either. A clever experiment in sound and rythm, ethnicity, authenticity and storytelling without words, which they pull off beautifully!

I'd include:
Not available
Mark of the Mole
Animal Lover
Duck Stab

And why does everyone hate "Tunes of two cities"?
On another thread here many puts it among the bootom 5)
I think "Tunes..." is great as a complement to the stories introduced on the first album in the series, and it is what it says, tunes, showing the cultural difference of the two cultures. "Smack your lip, clap your teeth" is a swingin' all time classic!

I am just discovering Animal Lover after having ignored the residents for some years. I think it is a damn good album.

I saw Bunny Boy and think they still are doing great!
Even better live in Oslo nov. 29th 2008 than on the initial album - rawer, more powerful and dynamic. I think the singing resident or BB is just reaching his stride and this Manson/redneck/lumberjack bunny has lots more stories to tell.

To round off I can agree that every Rez album is special, and worth checking out.

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Prince Mason · 2-Eye 3-Skull Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 447 : Items

Without being redundant, I am gonna have to add in Meet the Residents. Even after having listened to The Residents for 5 or 6 years, after I was finally able to find that album, it totally blew my mind.

I do have to agree that Not Available might be their best, however. All the "classical" albums are terrific, and the most recent ones are nearly as great. It's that whole middle midi-y period which usually ends up leaving me dissatisfied... comparatively speaking, of course!

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