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THE FIRST IN-DEPTH RETROSPECTIVE OF THE SEMINAL LABEL!
FEATURING CLASSIC SINGLES, ALBUM CUTS, RARITIES AND FIVE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS.
THE RESIDENTS! YELLO! SNAKEFINGER! MX-80 SOUND! RENALDO AND THE LOAF! ART BEARS! AND MORE.
OVERSEEN BY THE RESIDENTS, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES.
7,500 WORD ESSAY BY THE RESIDENTS’ MYSTERIOUS ARCHIVIST.
ARTWORK BY GARY PANTER AND PORNO GRAFIX.
Ahead of the curve as ever, in 1972 The Residents turned their back on the mainstream music industry and established their own Ralph Records imprint, taking control of every aspect of the recording, design and manufacturing process of their records. Over the next decade, Ralph would release numerous seminal singles and albums by a diverse range of artists from both the US and Europe, capturing the zeitgeist perfectly in the era of punk and new wave, when the DIY aesthetic went overground.
Featuring key singles, vital album tracks and a number of recordings appearing on CD for the first time, as well as previously unheard material from Schwump, Snakefinger, MX-80 Sound and Gary Panter, ‘Buy Or Die!’ is not only an insight into The Residents’ world but also into the workings of their DIY mindset, with most of the tracks here being recorded in the group’s own studio, and released in artwork produced by their own graphics department. From established names such as Yello and The Residents themselves, to lesser-known gems by Fred Frith, Tuxedomoon et al, this is a distinctive snapshot of that experimental and open-minded time and place, as seen through the lense of one of America’s most adventurous artists.
Complete with a 7,500 word first hand account essay from The Residents’ Mysterious Archivist, plenty of unusual and rare imagery and many tracks sourced directly from the Ralph tape archive, all overseen by The Residents (enabled by RA), ‘Buy Or Die!’ will entertain, enthral and infuriate in equal measure.
Tracklist
DISC ONE
1 Ivory And The Brain Eaters - Fire
2 The Residents - Smelly Tongues
3 The Residents - Satisfaction
4 Schwump - Aphids In The Hall
5 Schwump - You're A Martian / Home
6 Schwump – ‘maginary Dreams (Demo)*
7 The Residents - Beyond The Valley Of A Day In The Life
8 The Residents - Tourniquet Of Roses
9 The Residents - Constantinople
10 Snakefinger - The Spot
11 Snakefinger - Smelly Tongues
12 The Residents - Hello Skinny
13 The Residents - Not Available (A Brief Introduction)
14 The Residents - Santa Dog '78
15 Art Bears - Rats & Monkeys
16 Art Bears - Collapse
17 Art Bears - The Winter Wheel
18 Snakefinger - What Wilbur?
19 Snakefinger - Kill The Great Raven
20 Chrome - Meet You In The Subway
DISC TWO
1 Chrome - I Left My Heart In San Francisco
2 MX-80 Sound - I Left My Heart In San Francisco
3 The Residents - I Left My Heart In San Francisco
4 Tuxedomoon - I Left My Heart In San Francisco
5 Snakefinger - Picnic In The Jungle
6 MX-80 Sound - Someday You'll Be King
7 MX-80 Sound - White Night
8 Tuxedomoon - What Use?
9 Tuxedomoon - 7 Years
10 MX-80 Sound - It's Not My Fault
11 Snakefinger - The Model
12 The Residents - Diskomo
13 Snakefinger - The Man In The Dark Sedan
14 The Residents - Amber
15 The Residents - Shut Up, Shut Up RDX
16 Gary Panter - Tornader To The Tater
17 Gary Panter - Italian Sunglasses Movie
18 Gary Panter - Rozz Tox*
19 Snakefinger - Golden Goat
20 MX-80 Sound - O Type
21 MX-80 Sound - Old Too Fast*
DISC THREE
1 Fred Frith - Dancing In The Street
2 Fred Frith - What A Dilemma
3 Yello - Bimbo
4 Yello - I.T. Splash
5 Yello - Night Flanger
6 Yello - Bostich
7 Yello - Rock Stop
8 MX-80 Sound - Why Are We Here?
9 Tuxedomoon - Jinx
10 Tuxedomoon - Incubus (Blue Suit)
11 Fred Frith - A Spit In The Ocean
12 Fred Frith - Saving Grace
13 Renaldo And The Loaf - A Medical Man
14 Renaldo And The Loaf - Honest Joe's Indian Gets The Goat On The Way To The Cowboys' Conga
15 Renaldo And The Loaf - Ted's Reverie
16 Renaldo And The Loaf - Melvyn's Repose
17 Snakefinger - Breakfast In Baltimore (1981 EP Demo)* 18 Snakefinger - Life Isn't Easy (1981 EP Demo)*
19 Yello - Pinball Cha Cha
20 Yello - Homer Hossa
21 Snakefinger - Eva's Warning
22 The Residents - Would We Be Alive?
*previously unreleased