Eyesore: A Stab At The Residents

***Eyesore*** is the first officially licensed Residents cover album, released by Vaccination Records in the US and later by *Bomba Records* in Japan. The album features two tracks performed by The Residents, *Smelly Tongues*, & *Benny The Bouncing Bump*, recorded in 1978 and 1991.

## History

The album began development in 1994 after the release of *Gingerbread Man.* Vaccination Records got the idea for a Residents tribute album and contacted The Cryptic Corporation for permission.

The Cryptics provided two rare Residents recordings, a 1978 recording of *Smelly Tongues* featuring Snakefinger and a live recording of *Benny The Bouncing Bump* featuring Laurie Amat from 1991. Next sought out was Primus' 1989 covers of Hello Skinny and Constantinople.

Vaccination asked three artists connected to The Residents to contribute. These artists included Big Butter, whose early records were distributed by Ralph Records, Dave Barrett, who played saxophone with Snakefinger; and Joseph Berardi, who played on Gary Panter's debut album featuring co-produced by The Residents.

Vaccination Records artists also contributed. 'Giant Ant Farm,' who were responsible for organizing the album, included their version of 'Eva's Warning.' Charming Hostess submitted their cover of '*Won't You Keep Us Working?*' and two session musicians for Vaccination, Myles Boisen and Gino Robair contributed the track *Six Things To A Cycle* *Part 1* with the group Splatter Trio.

Some artists featured on the album would later be signed by Vaccination. Frank *Pahl* from Only A Mother released his fourth album through them one year later, and Id*iot Flesh* released their final album on Vaccination that same year.

After the release of the album, Homer Flynn of The Cryptic Corporation noted that The Residents were "quite flattered" by *Eyesore*, and that they were shocked at the idea that enough people had been paying attention to them to create a tribute album.

## Track listing

1. Only A Mother - Mahogany Wood (3:11)
2. Untitled (0:09)
3. Idiot Flesh - Bach Is Dead (1:46)
4. Heavy Vegetable - Time's Up (2:46)
5. Frank Pahl - Everyone Comes To The Freak Show (0:25)
6. Borgia Popes - Constantinople (2:04)
7. UBZUB - What Could The Matter Be? (0:19)
8. Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - The Electrocutioner (3:24)
9. Mooseheart Faith - Firefly / Vinegar (2:41)
10. Splatter Trio - Six Things To A Cycle Part 1 (Chew Chew Gum) (0:38)
11. Amy Denio - Act Of Being Polite (3:52)
12. UBZUB - N-ER-GEE (Crisis Blues) (0:45)
13. Utotem - Sinister Exaggerator (3:38)
14. Greg Roe - H.E.L.L. No! (0:24)
15. Giant Ant Farm - Eva's Warning (4:12)
16. Charming Hostess - Won't You Keep Us Working? (2:35)
17. Richie West & Bomb Factory - Voices Of The Air (2:01)
18. Silica Gel - Shut Up! Shut Up! (1:09)
19. Mommyheads - Moisture (1:58)
20. Supercollider - Walrus Hunt (2:05)
21. UBZUB - Lord It's Lonely (0:33)
22. Snakefinger & The Residents - Smelly Tongues (2:23)
23. Fibulator - You Yesyesyes (2:01)
24. Dramagold - You Yesyesyes Again (1:47)
25. Shakin Ray Levis - Red Rider (1:39)
26. Poxy Boggards - Santa Dog (1:34)
27. Splatter Trio - Six Things To A Cycle Part 2 (Good Good Coffee) (0:45)
28. Big Butter - Their Early Years (1:12)
29. Cracker - Blue Rosebuds (2:54)
30. Pink Floyd The Barber - Boo Who? (2:49)
31. Non Credo - Nice Skinny Sinister Old Man (2:40)
32. Lungpigs - No One Laughs When They Leave (0:56)
33. Eskimo - Happy Home (4:29)
34. Primus - Hello Skinny / Constantinople (4:46)
35. Stan Ridgway & J.E.D. - Excuse / The Booker Tease (1:08)
36. Greg Roe - Gingerbread Man (0:07)
37. The Residents & Laurie Amat - Benny The Bouncing Bump (Live) (4:09)
38. Untitled (0:06)

## Track credits

**Mahogany Wood**

* **Banjo & Vocals**: Frank Pahl
* **Bass Clarinet & Vocals**: Marko Novachcoff
* **Bass & Vocals**: Bobbi Benson
* **Drums & Vocals**: Doug Gourley
* **Melodica & Vocals**: Mary Richards

**Bach Is Dead**

* **Didgeridoo, Big Tube, Plumber, Mouth Sounds, Choir Practice & Latex Glove Drum**: Win
* **Midget And Frog Guitar, Choir Practice & Yelling:** Pin
* **Percussion, Bass, Choir Practice & Engineer**: Din
* **Violin, Screech-Mouth & Choir Practice**: Jin

**Time's Up**

* **Vocals**: Eléa
* **Guitar & Vocals**: Rob

**Constantinople**

* **Vocals & Guitar:** Tony Darc
* **Vocals & Drums:** Rachel Darc
* **Bass:** Chuck Mire

**The Electrocutioner**

* **Viola, Accordion, Banjo, Guitar, Trombone, Percussion & Casio Keyboards**: Thinking Fellers

**Firefly / Vinegar**

* **Synth, Vocals, Guitar & Tambourine**: Larry B. Robinson & Todd Homer

**Six Things To A Cycle Part 1 (Chew Chew Gum)**

* **Voice**: Gino Robair
* **Lap Steel Guitar**: Myles Boisen
* **Tenor Saxophone**: Dave Barrett

**Act Of Being Polite**

* **Guitar, Voice, Accordion, Drum Programming & Production**: Amy Denio

**Sinister Exaggerator**

* **Voice & Flute**: Emily Hay
* **Guitar**: James Grigsby
* **Keyboards**: Sanjay Kumar
* **Drums**: David Kerman
* **Tamai Bassoon**: Eric Johnson
* **Producer**: Curt Wilson

**Eva's Warning**

* **Banjo, Vocals & Skeeky Kid Toys**: Dren McDonald
* **Accordion**: Diane Barkauskas
* **Acoustic Guitar**: Michael Flanagan
* **Electric Upright Bass**: Hannes Giger
* **Trombone**: Jerry Wheeler
* **Drums**: Sherri Solinger
* **Recorded By**: Marty Beal

**Won't You Keep Us Working?**

* **Vocals**: Carla Kihlstedt, Jewlia Eisenberg & Nina Rolle
* **Saxophone**: Nils Frykdahl
* **Bass**: Dan Rathbun
* **Drums**: Wes Anderson

**Voices Of The Air**

* **Vocals**: Richie West
* **Music:** Jakey Hicks & Karl Daegling
* **Engineers:** K. Daegling & M. Haumesser

**Shut Up! Shut Up!**

* **Performers:** Chris Tector & Michael Pilmer

**Moisture**

* **Vocals & Bass**: Jeff Palmer
* **Guitar & Engineering**: Adam Cohen
* **Shaker**:  Bart Davenport
* **Moog Synthesizer & Rhodes Electric Piano**: Michael Holt
* **Tuba**: Chris Xefos
* **Drums**: Dan Fisherman

**Walrus Hunt**

* **Drums & Sampler**: Phillip Haut
* **Guitar**: Michael Horton

**Smelly Tongues**

* **Vocals & Guitar**: Snakefinger
* **Percussion**: The Residents

**You Yesyesyes**

* **Vocals & Guitar**: Geoff Soule
* **Vocals & Soprano Saxophone**: Heco
* **Vocals & Ufdda**: Jerry Brownrigg
* **Vocals & Bass**: Ken Holt
* **Vocals & Drums**: Sarah Arvey
* **Mixed By**: Dan Rathburn & Fibulator

**You Yesyesyes Again**

* **Guitar**: Rolf Gentner
* **Keyboards**: Mike Lindaur
* **Trumpet & Marching Trombone**: Michael Och
* **Bass**: Peter Vuk
* **Drums**: Tom Vuk

**Red Rider**

* **Vocals**: Dennis Palmer
* **Alto Horn**: Frank Pahl
* **Violin**: Mary Richards
* **Bass**: Bobbi Benson
* **Drums**: Bob Stagner
* **Talking Drum**:  Doug Gourley
* **Baritone Oboe**: Marko Novachoff

**Santa Dog**

* **Vocals**: Bill Roper, Stork Wilson & Tim Cadell
* **Vocals & Bodhrán**: Nick Krall
* **Vocals & Bouzouki**: Stu Venable
* **Vocals & Violin**: Jerry Wheeler
* **Recorded By**: Marty Beal

**Their Early Years**

* **All Recording, Production & Instruments**: Mike & Tim Biskup

**Blue Rosebuds**

* **Vocals, Guitar & Synthesizer**: David Lowery
* **Bass & Guitar**: Bob Rupe
* **Synth Drum**: Penn Rollins
* **Engineer**: Rich Hasal
* **Producer**: John Morand

**Boo Who?**

* **Guitar**: Marcus Watkins & Paul Lacques
* **Bass**: Rick Moors
* **Drums**: Mike Tempo
* **Producer**: Jai Vatak & PFtB
* **Recorded By**: Jai Vatak

**Nice Skinny Sinister Old Man**

* **Vocals, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet & Electric Bass**: Kira Vollman
* **Marimba, Keyboards & Viola**: Joseph Berardi

**No One Laughs When They Leave**

* **Violin & Guitar**: Rebecca Lynn
* **Guitar**: Steve Cross
* **Bass**: Ted Jr.
* **Drums**: Rob Fadtke

**Happy Home**

* **Bass Guitar, Minimoog Synthesizer, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Acoustic Guitar, Sampler & Vocals**: Steve Lew
* **Guitar & Vocals**: John Shiurba
* **Marimba, Xylophone & Vocals**: David Cooper
* **Electric Percussion, Sampler & Vocals**: Eric Bonerz
* **Trombone**: Tom Yoder
* **Digital Editing**: Dan Rathbun
* **Recorded, Sequenced & Mixed By** – Eskimo

**Hello Skinny / Constantinople**

* **Bass & Vocals**: Les Claypool
* **Drums**: Tim "Herb" Alexander
* **Guitar**: Larry "Ler" LaLonde

* **Producer**: Primus

**Excuse / The Booker Tease**

* **E Bow Guitar & Vocals**: James (Whizmo) Ellis
* **Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar & Drum Machine**: Richard Derrick
* **Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone & Valve Trombone:** Lynn Johnston
* **Engineer**:  James Ellis
* **Mixed By**: J. Ellis & R. Derrick
* **Producer**: J.E.D.

**Benny The Bouncing Bump (Live)**

* **Vocals**: Laurie Amat

## Album credits

* **Concocted, Organized And Fueled By**: Dren McDonald
* **Composed & Written-By** The Residents
* **Cover & Die Cut Design**: Jonathan Grenier
* **Edited, Mastered & Sequenced By**: Dan Rathbun & Dren McDonald
* **Cover Illustration**: Chuck Squier
* **Insert Illustration & Design**: Lorrieann Murray
* **Liner Notes**: Penn Jillette
* **Final Mastering/CD Prep**: Herb Jung

## See also

* Eskimo (Band)
* Primus
* Penn Jillette
* I Am A Resident!
* A Compendium Preview Guide To Eyesore: A Stab At The Residents

## External links and references

1. ↑ Steven Cerio, "Interview with The Residents - Seconds #43 (1997)", StevenCerio.com, May 30th 2010