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, ‘The Residents present BUY OR DIE! Ralph Records 1972-1982’ 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.

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

CD 1 of this very first in-depth retrospective of the seminal label opens on the jaunty storytelling of Ivory And The Brain Eaters’ Fire, two from The Residents: the statically energized Smelly Tongues and a taste of just where the Norwegian Black Metal scene came from, taking musical madness to the extreme with Satisfaction, and they are randomly followed by other stand outs such as the fantastically trippy Schwump’ Aphids In The Hall, the low key, alt-punk-rocker Snakefinger’ The Spot, then the best way to clear a party within minutes would have been to drop the needle on the uber brilliant, high pitched, helium-induced Rats & Monkeys from Art Bears, the thoughtfully trippy hand clapper Snakefinger classic What Wilbur?, the disc rounding out on the atmospherically moody 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*

Featuring classic singles, album cut, rarities and five previously-unreleased tracks, CD 2 opens on five versions of I Left My Heart In San Francisco, the best of the bunch being Chrome’s scratchy instrumental version and Tuxedomoon’s statically vocal spoken word rendition, and other killers cuts that follow are the chrushingly charged MX-80 Sound’s Someday You’ll Be King, Tuxedomoon’s strangely melancholia that pulses through 7 Years, an always melodiously brilliant to hear Shut Up, Shut Up RDX by The Residents, the second disc rounding out on both the low slung, veritably acoustic Gary Panter’s Italian Sunglasses Movie and the alt-punk authenticity of MX-80 Sound’s 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

Including cuts by The Residents, Yello, Snakefinger, MX-80 Sound, Renaldo and The Loaf, Art Bears and so many more, CD 3 opens on the strangely rhythmic Dancing In The Street by Fred Frith, Yello’s funkily warped Bimbo and their thematic Rock Stop (which itself features one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, IMHO), and moving on through we also get the atmospherically-charged, spatially-aware Renaldo And The Loaf cut Honest Joe’s Indian Gets The Goat On The Way To The Cowboys’ Conga, Yello’s extraordinary Pinball Cha Cha, the disc, and the collection, closing on my favorite track from their 1982 album Intermission: Extraneous Music from the Residents’ Mole Show, the shimmering Would We Be Alive?

Overseen by The Residents, with contributions from the artists themselves, the booklet also includes a 7,500 word essay by The Residents’ mysterious archivist, with artwork by Gary Panter and Porno Grafix.

The Residents presents BUY OR DIE! Ralph Records [1972-1982] 3CD [Official Trailer]

Official Purchase Link