Disappointed I missed out on the Secret Records "In Between Dreams" with "Dreaming Of An Eyeball Beaming". I was sacked out at sell time. Damn it! I'm old! Threw $80 on one of the test pressings but would have loved to have the sleeve. Forgive me, I'm a visual guy. Oh well.
I'm thinking ...maybe, the Ryko's had a paper sheet for the plastic.....maybe..I'll have to check my old box of 'long-boxes'.. I remember having one or two from their Zappa releases.
I'm listening to the "In Between Dreams" live album on Bandcamp right now. It's pretty good, which is no surprise, since I saw the show live. I'll probably buy the digital download, since it's the cheapest and easiest way to get it and lossless files are all I need. Too bad the bonus disc does not come with it, but I think I can do without it. The Dream clips are just spoken text with some ambient noise (as far as I remember) and I already have a few live versions of "Six More Miles". Still would have been nice to have.
I've been listening to0 and I agree that it is good. I saw them when they played in Brooklyn NY, but the show got shut down so I did not get to hear the last 30 or so minutes. Its nice to be able to hear a higher quality version than YouTube.
hm, I "pretty good" kind of sums it up for me. I'm not pulling the trigger on these releases yet. I feel a bit ... underwhelmed.... I saw IBD twice. The first time was great and only the 2nd time I had seem them. 2nd time was almost exactly the same even though it was a year later. First time I saw them was Wormwood, and had tix to WOW (and really regret not going, as that is the concert CD that sounds the best to me). IBD was.... not really the residents for me in the end. I'm starting to hear the harshness of the guitar, and the general blues band vibe and constant screaming seem a bit wearing rather than cathartic. Oh well. I'm glad HF is still out there, but somethings lost (and not just the other HF).
Pretty much exactly my thoughts after I saw the show. Still a good show and there is nothing else like them around, but I'm missing the subtleties in their arrangements, and especially so for the guitar work.
Ryko definitely used some longboxes — I had some of their Bowie longboxes on the wall in my room as a teenager. I think you're right about the paper sheet in the Zappa ones.
IBD was my second Residents show as well. I once saw them back in the late 80s, which must have been the Cube-E show, since I remember the old guy character with the kid puppets on his lap singing Elvis covers. Back then I only really knew "Man's World" and I mainly went because the Residents were considered cool. I only became a Residents fan over the last few years and I'm sad about all the shows I missed. So if I get the IBD download it will partly be because I've seen the actual show. I agree about the constant screaming part though.
Excellent find, thank you! I find this quote of Homer intriguing: "After Hardy left Cryptic Corporation two companies bought his ownership share – a US distribution company MVD, and a London record label Cherry Red." Strange thought, 2 record labels owning shares of the Residents' legacy... Then again I'm sure Homer made sure he stays in control of whatever gets released and how.
Very well said...I've gone on and on elsewhere about how the guitar wankery of Nolan Cook is not only "harsh" (great word choice) but hackneyed in terms of note choice, articulation, and tone -- he's an affront to the great guitarists who have enlivened the Residents work through the years (Snakefinger, Fred Frith, etc. ). For some reason Homer keeps hiring him and his silly shredder ax back again and again. I'm holding back on these releases as well. The first Residents show I saw was "Wormwood," and it was mind-blowing. Then came "Bunny Boy" and "Talking Light," which weren't as musically satisfying, but at least had interesting ideas behind them. Then I saw "Wonder of Weird" and was so underwhelmed by every element (music, performance, production) that I just walked away and don't plan on coming back, especially with the passing of Hardy Fox. Looking back, I feel the Residents' music fits into three distinct eras critically: 1). Up through Mole Show, when both the music and the conceptual ideas behind it were very strong. 2). Post-Mole Show through Bunny Boy or so, when the music wasn't particularly interesting (lots of MIDI generated grooves and dissonance), but the conceptual underpinnings were still thoughtful and provocative. Lots of good stuff in this period -- "Cube-E," "God in Three Persons," "Demons Dance Alone," "Wormwood," etc. 3). The present era, when neither the music nor the ideas are compelling. ...honestly, not a bad track record for being a non-mainstream act on the scene for this many decades...
I WILL say.... the couple of Dyin' Dog 'demos' I've heard are pretty 'nice'..... It's funny.... I remember when "CUBE-E" was just about to start, thinking....'well, THIS could be the 'last hurrah' for these guys!' Shows how dumb I was!
Posts like this one always baffle me - when people say they are the fan of a band and then they go on to use insulting words to tell about their displeasure with their artistic choices. I just don't understand why you would use words like "affront" and "wankery" to talk about a band you enjoy? Is it that personal to you? But even so, would you use the same words if you had the chance to talk directly to them? Don't get me wrong, I'm far from happy with the guitar work as of late, and it's been a while since I've been really happy with a full album of theirs (though certainly quite a few after "Wormwood"), but it would never occur to me to insult the band because of that. I am really curious why, could you explain?
He’s like an anchor in their sound. Anything else can be going on in the music but he’s always there. He’s a great player, but there’s something intentionally almost kitsch about the Residents having a lead guitar player. I don’t know if I’m getting across what I mean.
I've been enjoying Cook's guitar when I see them live. Mybonly reservation is the volume he plays at may have led to Homer's vocals becoming more screams than anything else live in recent years.
