The Residents present BUY OR DIE! Ralph Records 1972-1982, Various Artists 3CD

• 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.

TRACK LISTING

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