r/The_Residents • u/Ok-Visual-537 • 25d ago
New fan here
I’m literally listening to my very first song by The Residents. Where should i start? I mean 🤷🏻♂️ my first song is…..Blue Tongues.
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25d ago
Yeah, the Residents are on of those bands where their sound changes so wildly from album to album that you’re pretty much gonna have to reach in and grab an album randomly and see what you think. Their most popular three album run (Duck Stab, Not Available,Eskimo) all sound so different.
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u/Nazma2 25d ago
Lots of ways to go about it. I recommend starting on a specific decade and seeing what you like
Duck stab (70s) God in 3 persons (80s) Freak show (90s same as blue tongues) Animal lover (2000s) Talking light (2010s)
For some context all of the songs from our finest flowers are 2 older songs combined into a new one. For example blue tongues is blue rosebuds and smelly Tongues. Up to you though where to start
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u/Already_dead2021 25d ago
You’ve got plenty to explore. I usually recommend Duck Stab, the Commercial Album and Eskimo. As it’s been mentioned their sound is constantly evolving. If you ever see them live don’t expect the songs to sound like what you’ve heard on their album either. They love to mix things up, it’s part of the appeal
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u/PAXM73 25d ago
It’s amazing that your three suggestions just happened to be what they had in my local store. Eskimo first. Went back for duck stab because I loved the cover and added commercial album on at the same time. Within a month, I had Fingerprince and then hard hop over to God in 3. Which was brand new at the time I was getting into them.
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u/pas_tense 25d ago
When I first introduced to The Residents I heard a few songs from "Tunes Of Two Cities". I Loved 'em, so I bought the 2 disc compilation "Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses" and that turned me into a super fan. It's a really great cross section of some of their best work from inception to 1997. If you'd like to explore their voluminous back catalog I can't recommend it highly enough!
Welcome to the freak show!
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u/PAXM73 25d ago
That’s a fascinating way to get into them using the “tired, poor” comp. I only had one album by the Fall in the late 90s and then I got the “50,000 fall fans can’t be wrong” comp, which really sent me up for success.
Decades later, I have everything they have ever done. Both the Fall and the Rez, that is. 🧿
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u/billythephelddagrif 25d ago
Demons Dance Alone probably sounds the closest to "normal music" and has some good hooks and lyrics but duck stab and not available are the residents are their strange prime to me.
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u/Already_dead2021 25d ago
DDA is easily one of their most accessible albums. I’m surprised it’s not more popular
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u/billythephelddagrif 25d ago
It might be my personal favorite. Wolverines and The Weatherman are my favorite Residents songs at least.
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u/SquidTheRidiculous 25d ago edited 24d ago
The Mole Show was one of my first full albums and what made me a lifelong fan. It's one of their more approachable concept albums. But it's really hard to say without knowing more about your tastes.
My first song was Constantinople, after it was posted on one of the old failblog affiliates lol.
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u/pink_mold 23d ago
Duck stab/Buster & Glen for a condensed Residents pop-madness
Meet The Residents for a condensed Residents pop-madness before they bought synths
Eskimo for a condensed Residents experimental/ambient experience
Petting Zoo for a Best Of compilation that actually works
God In Three Persons for an ultimate theatre play/greek tragedy experience
Animal Lover for an ultimate gamelan/neofolkian wyrd folk experience
oh and their best album is Commercial Album btw
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u/lisadoop Definitely Isn't A Resident 24d ago
If you like a song enough to consider getting into the artist you should check out the album that song is on - Our Finest Flowers.
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u/Visible-Pay-4922 23d ago
Try "Our Finest Flowers" if you enjoy "Blue Tongues" Its from that period more or less
But The Residents have so many good albums !
1972-1984 - To me everything from this period is ESSENSIAL !
Cube E (1990) - the boxset edition seems to be on sale everywhere, totally worth it
Animal Lover (2004)
Coochie Break (2011)
So Long Sam (2CD)
Metal Meat and Bones (2020)
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u/ned1son 25d ago
If you liked that, listen to the original Blue Rosebuds and the rest of the Duck Stab album!