Title In Limbo

Title In Limbo (alternately Tidal in Lumbar, Tattle in Logo, Turtle in Lima, and Title In Limo) is a collaborative album by The Residents and Renaldo & The Loaf, recorded in March 1981 and October 1983, and released on November 19th 1983 on Ralph Records. It is The Residents' tenth studio album, and Renaldo & The Loaf's fourth.
Recorded by the two groups in March 1981 and October 1983, it also features contributions from Snakefinger on guitar and violin, and vocalist Nessie Lessons. It is the first proper collaborative release by The Residents, and would be their last until I Am A Resident! in 2018.
==History==
===The original "4-Daze" challenge===
For a couple of weeks between February and March 1981, Renaldo & The Loaf paid a visit to the Ralph Records headquarters over at San Francisco. During the last days of their stay, they were approached by The Residents about doing a collaboration between both bands in the few days they had remaining in the US. The idea was difficult, as both Brian "Renaldo Malpractice" Poole and Dave "The Loaf" Janssen had to go back to Europe in only 4 days, with no timetable as to when could they come back to America. However, they accepted, and so both bands took on the challenge of fully completing the album in such a short amount of time. 
To optimize their productivity, each day of work was divided into an specific task. Day 1 would be completely dedicated to a huge jam session between both bands, which would be recorded into an 8-track, and the best improvised ideas from it would be selected for further work. Day 2 would focus on overdubs; day 3 on lyrics, vocals and further instrumentation; and day 4, on mixing and completion of the album. 
The jamming session did happen, and the selection and quality control of its best sections was also done. This resulted in 45 minutes of music that they were happy with up to that point. But by then, the scope of the project was proving to be way too much. Day 3 of work was called off, and the album entered hiatus.
The tapes were shelved for later use, but not before The Residents did some further post-production on them. A tape with what was finished so far was sent via mail to Renaldo & The Loaf a couple of weeks later, under the working title of 4 Daze, in honor of the impossible challenge they had set themselves originally. 
===The project escapes limbo===
In June 1983, Brian and David reunited with The Residents backstage after the London date of The Mole Show. During their meet-up, The Residents brought up that the tour had put them into a financial crisis; and so, they needed to release new albums as soon as possible to keep afloat. The 4 Daze tapes seemed like a financial lifeline for them. So both parts decided to tune up what was already done, finally work on vocals, and finalize the album, now without extremely small deadlines. 
In order to work on the album, however, Renaldo & The Loaf would need to go to San Francisco for a couple of weeks. This was a problem for Dave, who was unable to get time off from work for such a long time period. He did collaborate on the final project though, as he worked in his house on some tape loops that would end up being used for the final product. He gave these loops to Brian, who traveled to San Francisco alone.
What followed were three weeks of hard work. Both Renaldo and The Residents would listen to 4 Daze, and use their previous recordings as templates they could build new pieces upon. In some instances, the original tapes can still be heard in the final tracks. In others, they rot down, and had to be replaced with new recordings. All the tracks in Title in Limbo, with the exception of "Mahogany Wood", had their origins in the 4 Daze tapes.Industry Tactics with Friendly Rich podcast, 2017
The were some difficulties during these sessions. The Residents worked without their usual instruments, which had been left in a storage unit in England following the conclusion of the Mole Show tour."Title In Limbo" at Renaldo & The Loaf: The Official Site This also was their first project recorded from their temporary studio in Clementina Street. Used to the bigger Grove Street studio, they had some initial struggles to accommodate themselves. Another issue was that The Singing Resident came down with flu. Nonetheless, he worked while being sick, even if he had to lay on the ground to have an easier time singing. The damage in his vocal cords is evident in "Woman's Weapon". 
But on a positive note, the project had upgraded from 8-track to 16-track mixing, which lend itself to much bigger possibilites than before. And the extended time available also made it possible to feature some guests. Additional vocals on "Crashing" were provided by Nessie Lessons (then-wife of Residents engineer Hardy Fox), and The Residents' long-time collaborator Snakefinger provided additional guitar on "Sitting on the Sand" and "Extra: Version", and violin on "Africa Tree". 
==Release==
Title In Limbo was released by Ralph Records on vinyl on November 19th, 1983. While Title in Limbo is its official name, the back cover, spine, and the record labels show some alternative names: Turtle in Lima, Tittle in Limo, Tidal in Lumbar, and Tattle in Logo. This was in reference to how, even after being finished, its title kept being left undecided and, therefore, "in limbo".
The album performed well, helping stabilize the economic situation of The Residents. Renaldo & The Loaf got the biggest royalties in the music carreer, and were able to buy an 8-track tape recording and a mixing desk with the money they earned.23rd Century Giants, 2021
===Reissues ===
Selections of Title in Limbo have been included in a few Residents compilations since its release. Most notably, in 1988, a selection of 6 tracks from it were included as extras in the Classic Series CD reissue of Not Available. Though this inclussion was a bit confusing to some, as unlike other extras in the series, these tracks have little to no relation to the album it's complementing. 
While most of Renaldo & The Loaf's back-catalog would receive re-releases on the T.E.C. Tones label, Title in Limbo would be skipped. It wouldn't be until 1998 that Ralph America reissued it on CD. This was the second and last entry in their series of "historic recordings" to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ralph Records. It had a mixed reception among fans, however, as it included some fade-ins applied to certain tracks.
 
In December of 2014, Klanggalerie re-released the album on CD as part of their campaign of expanded Renaldo & The Loaf remasters. All the album tracks were finally restored to their original states, as this edition removed the added fade-ins from the 1998 reissue. These new remasters usually came with unused or unfinished material related to each album, so the inclusion of 4 Daze was considered for this re-release. Sadly, permission was not granted by The Cryptic Corporation at the time.Renaldo & The Loaf Official Facebook Group 
It would not be until 2017 when the first public release of 4-Daze was finally greenlit. This led to a new and expanded reissue officially titled Title In Limbo + 4 Daze, finally including all of the original unfinished 1981 recordings on a bonus disc; as well as a booklet with several behind the scene pictures and lyrics to all the songs. It was released physically and digitally in August 31st, 2017.
==Reception ==
===Contemporary===
Fans and critics were positive towards Title in Limbo, although some have mentioned that it resulted in an album that is very distinct of anything both bands have released before. The Cryptic Guide to The Residents mentions that "The final product, oddly enough, does not sound like either of its parents." 
===Retrospective===
In January 2002,Mark Prindle, "What's new at the Prindle site", Mark's Record Reviews, January 16th 2002 (archived via archive.org) freelance music reviewer Mark Prindle described Title In Limbo as "constantly and insistently good (until the end when it is bad)", praising the songs' "memorable cold synth lines", while noting that some of the album's synth sounds are "a little too amelodic to appeal to the ear".Mark Prindle, "Title In Limbo", Mark's Record Reviews, January 16th 2002 In April 2016, Musique Machine magazine's Roger Batty described it as "highly creative, varied, & wonderfully twisted", and praised the collaboration as "one of the more effectively quirky & odd I can think of".[sic]Roger Batty, "Title In Limbo", Musique Machine, April 20th 2016
==Track listing==
All tracks composed by The Residents and Renaldo & The Loaf.
===Original release (1983)===
====Side A (16:23)==== 
#Intro: Version (1:22)
#The Shoe Salesman (4:09)
#Crashing (1:40)
#Monkey & Bunny (4:59)
#Mahogany Wood (4:13)
====Side B (18:16)====
#Sitting on the Sand (1:28)
#Africa Tree (2:59)
#Woman's Weapon (3:22)
#Horizontal Logic (1:57)
#The Sailor Song (6:05)
#Extra: Version (2:25)
===Title In Limbo + 4 Daze (2017 CD reissue)===
====Disc One - Title In Limbo==== 
#Intro: Version (1:23)
#The Shoe Salesman (4:10)
# Crashing (1:41)
#Monkey and Bunny (5:00)
#Mahogany Wood (4:14)
#Sitting on the Sand (1:29)
#Africa Tree (3:00)
#Woman's Weapon (3:23)
#Horizontal Logic (1:57)
#The Sailor Song (6:05)
#Extra: Version (2:26)
====Disc Two - 4 Daze==== 
#Opening (3:47)
# Long Song (4:27)
#Kiddie (1:02)
# Disco Scurry (1:19)
#Quiet (1:48)
#Self Playing (4:09)
#Possible (2:05)
#Mel 1 (1:11)
#Mel 2 (4:20)
#Dog Song (0:59)
#Piano Banger (1:13)
#Cont 1-12 (1:42)
#Funny Song (0:45)
#Bagpipe (1:36)
#Guitar Loop (1:27)
# Hiss End (2:11)
==Liner notes==
===1987 Not Available Classic Series reissue===
The Residents had long wished to collaborate with one of their favorite bands and label mates, Renaldo & The Loaf. Unfortunately, The Residents are based in San Francisco, and Renaldo & The Loaf are in Portsmouth, England. The opportunity came at last in 1983, when the two bands were able to spend a few days together in San Francisco. Time was short but well utilized and many of these tunes became favorites of the creators. Since the LP has long gone out of print, the groups have here selected their favorite tracks from the original album in hopes that Title in Limbo will not become simply "in limbo".
===1998 reissue===
This is Ralph America's second limited edition, hand numbered archival release, in celebration of 25 years of Residents' brilliance, and 25 years of independent music production, we are proud to be the official sponsors of "Title In Limbo", the CD!
===Title In Limbo + 4 Daze ===
In late February to early March 1981, Renaldo & The Loaf visited the Ralph HQ at 444 Grove Street. During their stay they met The Residents, who suggested the two bands go into the studio to see what might happen. So they all jammed together and a lot of improvised material was recorded. From the results, one of The Residents suggested recording an album in 4 days using selected parts of the jam and adding overdubs. Needless to say this proved an impossible task as due to commitments time ran out. A few weeks after returning to the UK, a cassette arrived containing the selections with a little post production work by The Residents. That is the material in this release. The project called 4 Daze was then shelved. 
After The Mole Show in London, The Residents suggested completing the project. In September 1983, Brian Poole (Renaldo) returned to San Francisco to work on the recordings. David Janssen (The Loaf) couldn't make the trip so he sent a box of loop tapes, one of which created the album's only non-1981 derived track, Mahogany Wood. 
The original jam recordings were effectively used as templates to develop the songs. In some instances, significant parts of the 1981 improvisation still feature, whereas in other parts it does not, though its influence is still present.
== Credits==
 
*All Song Writing & Playing by: The Residents & Renaldo & The Loaf
*Featuring
**Nessie Lessons: Singing 'Crashing'
**Snakefinger: Playing guitar on 'Sitting on The Sand' & 'Extra Version'. Violin on 'Africa Tree'
*Cover by: Pore Know Graphics & Renaldo M
===Additional credits (from later pressings)===
*Produced by: The Cryptic Corporation2017 Klanggalerie CD
*Photography by: Brian Poole
*Audio Restoriation of Title in Limbo by: Shawn Franklin at S.T.O.H. Labs
*Thanks to Rotcod Productions
*Recorded in America...mostly
== Release history ==
Year	Label 	Format	Region
1983	Ralph Records	LP 	US
1998	Ralph America	CD 	US
2014	Klanggalerie 	CD 	AT
2017	Klanggalerie 	CD 	AT
== Cover Art Gallery ==
===== Ralph America, 1998 =====
File:Title In Limbo Outer Cover.jpg|Outer cover
File:Title In Limbo Inner Cover.jpg|Inner cover
File:Title In Limbo Back.jpg|Back cover
File:Title In Limbo CD.jpg|Disc art
==See also==
*Renaldo & The Loaf
*Brian Poole
*David Janssen
==Buy Or Die!==
* Title In Limbo + 4 Daze at Klanggalerie (CD)
*Title In Limbo + 4 Daze at Bandcamp (Digital)
*Title In Limbo (2014 Remaster) at Klanggalerie (CD)
===Listen online=== 
*Title In Limbo on Spotify 
*Title In Limbo + 4 Daze on Bandcamp
==External links and references== 
*Title In Limboat The Residents Historical
*Renaldo & The Loaf/Title In Limbo at RZWeb
*Title In Limboat Discogs 
*Title In Limbo + 4 Daze at Klanggalerie
Category:Albums
Category:Collaborations
Category:Renaldo & The Loaf
Category:1983