The Residents: Eskimo and Commercial Album (79-80)
The liner notes for Eskimo claimed The Residents attempted to recreate "a living context" for the Eskimo's unique culture, songs and ceremonies that had been passed down for generations. The result was more like live-action stories without dialog rather than traditional songs. Eskimo received widespread praise from critics and the public (still does).
But the reality was that the "Inuit" chants were actually advertising slogans for various products like Coca-Cola, Charmin' bathroom tissue, etc. The Residents had read a negative review of their Duck Stab album, claiming that kids would not like it, there was no beat, couldn't dance to it, etc. The Residents didn't think kids were as dumb as the reviewer implied they were and they decided their next album (Eskimo) would be "of wind noises and grunting" to prove it. The album out sold Duck Stab.
(Both Eskimo and Duck Stab have been recently re-released by Ralph Records,) "Buy or Die".
The Walrus Hunt
Birth
Arctic Hysteria
The Angry Angakok
A Spirit Steals a Child
The Festival of Death
There was a companion album released in 1980 called Diskomo, which featured re-mixes of Eskimo backed by disco beats. Sorry, but I don't have that one ...
To prove their point, The Residents followed up with their "Commercial Album" in 1980. From the liner notes:"Point one: Pop music is mostly a repetition of two types of musical and lyrical phrases, the verse and the chorus.
Point two: These elements usually repeat three times in a three minute song, the type usually found on top-40 radio stations.
Point three: Cut out the fat and a pop song is one minute long. Then record albums can hold their own top-40, twenty minutes per side.
Point four: One minute is also the length of most commercials and their corresponding jingles.
Point five: Jingles are the music of America.
Conclusion: This compact disc is terrific in shuffle play. To convert the jingles to pop music, program each song to repeat three times." - - Taken from The Residents website.
With their increasing popularity, The Commercial Album out sold Duck Stab and Eskimo, proving The Residents had been wrong about kids. It also probably made The Residents the only band that was disappointed by their success with an album. And I think it's a great album.
Easter Woman
Perfect Love
Picnic Boy
End of Home
Amber
Japanese Watercolor
Secrets
Die in Terror
Red Rider
My Second Wife
Floyd
Suburban Bathers
Dimples and Toes
The Nameless Souls
Love Leaks Out
The Act of Being Polite
Medicine Man
Tragic Bells
Loss of Innocence
The Simple Song
Ups and Downs
Possessions
Give it to Someone Else
Phantom
Less Not More
My Work is so Behind
Birds in the Trees
Handful of Desire
Moisture
Love is
Troubled Man
La La
Loneliness
Nice Old Man
The Talk of Creatures
Fingertips
In Between Dreams
Margaret Freeman
The Coming of the Crow
When We Were Young
One Minute Movies: Moisture, Act of Being Polite, Perfect Love, and Simple Song
2 comments :
Eskimo is my 2nd fave Residents album. I have five copies on vinyl. Three of them are on white vinyl (original release) and one is a Picture Disk!
Many thanks for all the Residents stuff. I have been intrigued by them for a long time and will now finally check them out!
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