It is hard to believe that there is a tribute album to The Residents that does not suck, but it exists: Eyesore: A Stab At The Residents was released in 1996 on Vaccination Records, and I think it is better than about 90% of the original Residents releases. (I never thought I'd say that about an album that has Primus on it.) Like so many great albums, it seems to be out of print, so here it is for your listening pleasure in digital form.
MP3s: Only a Mother / Unknown- Mahogany Wood / Untitled | Idiot Flesh - Bach Is Dead | Heavy Vegetable - Time's Up | Frank Pahl - Everyone Comes To The Freak Show | Borgia Popes / UBZUB - Constantinople / What Could The Matter Be? | Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - Electrocutioner | Mooseheart Faith - Firefly / Vinegar | The Splatter Trio - 6 Things To A Cycle Part 1 (Chew Chew Gum) | Amy Denio / UBZUB - Act Of Being Polite / N-Err-Gee (Crisis Blues) | Utotem / Greg Roe - Sinister Exaggerator / H.E.L.L. No! | Giant Ant Farm - Eva's Warning | Charming Hostess - Won't You Keep Us Working? | Richie West & Bomb Factory - Voices Of The Air | Silica Gel - Shut Up! Shut Up! | The Mommyheads - Moisture | Super Collider / UBZUB - The Walrus Hunt / Lord, It's Lonely | Snakefinger - Smelly Tongues | Fibulator - You Yes Yes Yes You | DramaGold - You Yes Yes Yes You (Reprise) | Shakin Ray Levis - Red Rider | Poxy Boggards - Santa Dog | The Splatter Trio - 6 Things To A Cycle Part 2 (Good Good Coffee) | Big Butter - Their Early Years | Cracker - Blue Rosebuds | Pink Floyd The Barber - Boo Who? | Non Credo - Nice Skinny Sinister Old Man | The Lungpigs - No One Laughs When They Leave | Eskimo - Happy Home | Primus - Hello Skinny / Constantinople | Stan Ridgway & J.E.D. / Greg Roe / The Residents - Excuse & The Booker Tease / Gingerbread Man / Benny The Bouncing Bump (live) | Unknown - Untitled
Some of the tracks are actually different songs running into each other, as indicated by the slashes. It might be a bit confusing at first, but I am sure you can figure out who plays what, where they stop and where they start pretty easily with the help of the Discogs info. And how could it be a Residents tribute if it wasn't confusing?
I used to own this on CD. Have since lost it, which is I guess not a huge loss considering how much of a complete pain in the ass the packaging was. I concur about its awesomeness. At this time I couldn't resist a record containing both U Totem _and_ Silica Gel, two of my faves at the time. As a pleasant side effect it introduced me to the musical axis that later brought the world Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (both Idiot Flesh and Charming Hostess had musicians now in that estimable group).
The highlight for me is Amy Denio's "Act of Being Polite", which is about ten billion times better than the original "Commercial Album" cut. Also surprisingly good: The Cracker cut.
Posted by: Hans Keller | July 13, 2008 at 07:59 PM
What's up with the offhanded residents bashing?? I won't stand for it I tells you!.
But also thank you so much for posting this, you made my day!
Posted by: poga | July 13, 2008 at 10:29 PM
I am also offended by the Primus bashing. Primus is the shit! Cool stuff though....
Posted by: Nash Roads | July 14, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Tnx!
Posted by: Ferrari | July 14, 2008 at 07:29 AM
Good post except for picking on the Residents. Why don't you pick on somebody with 2 eyes?
Posted by: B.D. | July 14, 2008 at 07:41 AM
haven't listened to them all yet- but yeah- the cracker track is nice and dark...as you said- surprisingly good.
Posted by: trav | July 14, 2008 at 08:43 AM
les claypool sounds almost like the singing Resident.
Posted by: Matlock | July 14, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Good post. Thanks..
Posted by: mırc | July 16, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Same concept, four years earlier: http://tinyurl.com/64yafe
Big City Orchestra, the Buds, BX3, Steven Clark, Margaret Freeman, Field Trip, Gadgetto, the Guilt, Mark Hanley, Ism, Gobi Littledove, the Psylos, Mike Shannon, Shockheaded Peters, Smithism, Teen Lesbians and Animals, Theatre of Ice, Urban Force Organization, Warmth, and X-Ray Pop.
Posted by: anonymous | July 17, 2008 at 02:41 AM
Surely you jest. There is no way this tribute (though well put together) comes anywhere close to being as good as an original Residents record. It doesn't even contain thee single greatest Residents cover version which is "Would We Be Alive" by NOMEANSNO. I dare you to take a road trip from LA to NY with only a copy of 'Freak Show' to listen to, and tell me that it isn't one of the most astounding things you didn't know existed. You simply cannot.
Posted by: Neal Burgess | July 20, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Hey, I like the Residents, although the earlier stuff of theirs is superior (TR&R, Commercial Album, Buster and Glen/Duck Stab). Will have to hear this tribute. My stoner pals in college intro'd me to the Residents, and I still very much like the band's recordings. Amazing live show, too. Don't have anything negative to say about them.
Posted by: Jim | July 26, 2008 at 04:27 PM
I picked up this CD several years ago from a radio station. I'd heard of the Residents before, but that's about it. I just reached over to my copy of Eyesore and popped it in, just to refresh my memory about that "untitled" track you have here. It's nothing. On one of my older CD players, I needed to skip backwards from track 31 to get to the beginning of Benny, while the onc I have it in now will continue playing after track 30.
Posted by: Nick | August 03, 2008 at 01:21 PM
Thank you. You're the best. For sure.
Posted by: JG | December 23, 2008 at 05:08 AM
This album is legendary. It really is a special collection of artists doing an extraordinary job. May Vaccination Records live long in our hearts and worm its way into the hearts of generations to come!
Posted by: babyfingers | May 13, 2009 at 03:33 PM
i know i'm late, but i'm just here to endorse the Primus-bashing.
Posted by: tomasz | June 06, 2009 at 02:34 PM
Betty's Body is missing, why?
Posted by: neshas | February 16, 2012 at 03:46 AM
Betty's Body is missing because none of these artists could time travel six years into the future to hear it. Fucking amateurs.
Posted by: Chris | February 16, 2012 at 07:25 AM