Fingerprince

* Original release
* 1979 reissue
* 2020 box set
* Classic Series vinyl edition

***Fingerprince*** is the third (or fourth) album by The Residents, recorded between 1974 and 1976 and released on February 15th 1977 on Ralph Records. Its first half consists of a number of short and relatively accessible songs, with a six-part suite entitled "Six Things To A Cycle" on the album's second side.

*Fingerprince* was initially intended as a "three-sided" album titled ***Tourniquet of Roses***. This idea was abandoned by the group, and it was released as a regular two-sided LP, with the additional songs released separately in 1979 as the limited edition EP *Babyfingers*.

The *Babyfingers* tracks have since been restored to the album on its CD reissues, and the EP was included alongside the album in an extremely limited edition *Tourniquet of Roses* collectors' box in 2020.

## History

### Background

In 1974, The Residents were working on three major projects; their unfinished feature film *Vileness Fats*, a mash-up pastiche of bubblegum pop, *The Third Reich 'n Roll*, and *Not Available*. Occasionally, the group took breaks from these projects, where they wrote and recorded music with no larger concept in mind.

Following the completion of Not Available, the release of The Third Reich 'N Roll, and the abandonment of Vileness Fats, The Residents began working on their next major project in April of 1976. Seemingly knowing that the release would take several years to complete, the group spent the next few months creating a new album, using those standalone tracks as a starting point.

### *Tourniquet of Roses*

The Residents intended that the album, with the working title *Tourniquet of Roses*, was intended to be the world's first "three-sided" LP; featuring two separate grooves pressed into the second side of the EP, with each groove containing a separate programme of music. Which of the two grooves was heard by the listener was determined by where the stylus landed on the vinyl.

The Residents abandoned this idea in December 1976 partly due to its impracticality and expense, and partly due to their discovery that the British comedy group Monty Python had already pioneered this technique in 1973 with their album *Matching Tie and Handkerchief*. Instead they removed the intended "third side" from the album's running order and renamed the resulting work *Fingerprince*.

### Contents

The first side of *Fingerprince* contains a sequence of short and relatively accessible songs, some of which originated from a demo reel The Residents recorded in 1974, *X Is For Xtra (A Conclusion)*. It is thought that many of the pieces of music on that reel (which is known to have included versions of "Bossy", "Tourniquet of Roses" and "March de la Winni") were originally intended for the soundtrack to the group's abandoned feature film *Vileness Fats*.

Other pieces of music featured on the first side of *Fingerprince* (including "Boo Who?" and "You Yesyesyes Again") originate from a 14 minute suite entitled "Leapmus" which had been recorded by the group's primary composer and arranger Hardy Fox in February 1976 as a gift for his then-wife Nessie Lessons.

The Residents had wanted their friend, British guitarist Philip "Snakefinger" Lithman to appear on their previous album, *The Third Reich 'n Roll*, but he could not contribute as he was living in Britain and touring with his band Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers. By 1975 Chilli Willi had disbanded, and Snakefinger returned to America in 1976, appearing on The Residents' single "Satisfaction" and at the group's Oh Mummy! live performance, dressed as a giant artichoke.

Snakefinger appears on *Fingerprince*, making his first contributions to a Residents studio album proper; guitar on "You Yesyesyes" and "Tourniquet of Roses", and vocals on "Home Age Conversation".

The album's second side consists entirely of "Six Things To A Cycle", a shortened version of a much longer, mostly instrumental six-part suite which had originally been conceived by the group as a ballet performance piece, but which was ultimately not produced. Portions of the piece were debuted at the Oh Mummy! show in June 1976.

The ballet tells the story of "a primitive humanoid" who is "consumed by his self-created environment only to be replaced by a new creature, still primitive, still faulty, but destined to rule the world just as poorly". It features vocals from the group's friend and then-frequent collaborator Pamela Zeibak, as well as contributions from Adrian Deckbar on violin and Don Jackovich and Tony Logan on percussion.

## Release

### Cancelled collectors' box edition

After the release of *Fingerprince*, The Residents' in-house graphic designer Homer Flynn of Porno Graphics conceived of a series of collectors' box sets of Residents albums, which was to include a *Tourniquet of Roses* box, including the *Fingerprince* album and a separate 7" EP of the album's intended "third side", now titled *Babyfingers*, thus approximating the original concept.

The collectors' box series was abandoned in the early 1980s after Flynn went to the emergency room after suffering light-headedness brought on by a tight rubber band he was wearing around his forehead while spraying *The Third Reich 'n Roll* collectors' boxes with black car enamel.

The *Tourniquet of Roses* collectors' box was briefly revisited again in 2013, but abandoned as the group could not find a vinyl pressing plant who were interested in producing such a set in a low number of copies.

### *Babyfingers*

In 1979, the 7" copies of the *Babyfingers* EP which had been intended for the cancelled *Tourniquet of Roses* collectors' box were sent as gifts to purchasers of the delayed *Third Reich 'n Roll* collectors' box. The *Babyfingers* EP was then reissued in 1981 in an edition of 1500 copies, which were sold exclusively to members of the group's W.E.I.R.D. fan club. A third reissue of the EP in 1985 was pressed on pink vinyl in an edition of 250 copies.

*Babyfingers* is structured similarly to *Fingerprince*, in that both include one side of short, self-contained pieces, with a longer suite on the second. "Walter Westinghouse" on the EP is a mini-opera with characters and dialogue, complementing the mostly instrumental ballet "Six Things To A Cycle" which closes the album.

### Reissues

The album's first reprint in 1979 featured an updated, colored variant of the album's cover art, which was later also used on many of the album's CD reissues.

For the album's first CD release in 1987 on East Side Digital and Torso, the original *Tourniquet of Roses* track listing was restored, including all of the songs from *Babyfingers* in their originally-intended running order (minus the short instrumental piece "Monstrous Intro").

The 1995 Euro Ralph CD reissue of *Fingerprince* maintained the album's original track order, with *Babyfingers* included on a separate 3" mini-CD.

#### *Fingerprince* pREServed

##### CD edition (2018)

*Fingerprince* was the third album to be released in The Residents' pREServed series of newly remastered and expanded album reissues. It was released in a two CD edition on March 23rd 2018 through Cherry Red Records, MVD Audio and New Ralph Too, alongside the pREServed *Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen*.

The two CD edition of *Fingerprince* features the original sepia-toned cover art, and includes *Fingerprince* in its original track sequence (with the longer version of "Six Things To A Cycle"), followed by the *Babyfingers* EP. This replicates one possible running order of *Tourniquet of Roses*, the originally intended three-sided version of the album, though it differs from the sequence presented on most previous CD reissues of the album.

The second disc features bonus ephemera such as the previously unheard 14 minute suite "Leapmus", featuring a number of musical themes which would ultimately be included on *Fingerprince*, as well as instrumental outtakes from the sessions, 1982 live rehearsals of "Godsong" and "Walter Westinghouse", and live versions of album tracks dating from 1986 to 2014.

##### Vinyl edition (2023)

In December 2022, *Fingerprince* was announced as the third instalment in Cherry Red/MVD's vinyl pREServed reissue series; the two LP edition of *Fingerprince* contains the original album on the first disc (minus *Babyfingers*), with a second disc containing the previously heard "Tourniquet of Roses RDX" suite (featuring a selection of alternative "redux" mixes created by The Residents from the original multi-track masters), and the 15 minute suite "Leapmus", previously released on the CD edition.

The expanded *Fingerprince* vinyl edition was released March 17th 2023. Early copies pre-ordered from Cherry Red's official website also included a bonus white label 7" EP containing *Babyfingers* (which was confusingly mislabeled "Monstrous" in early press releases); the 7" EP was also available separately in limited numbers via The Residents' official online store.

#### *Tourniquet of Roses* collectors' box (2020)

    On December 17th 2020, a newly-created collectors' box of *Tourniquet of Roses* was announced by noted fan and collector Jannis Tsakalis. The collectors' box was pressed in an issue of 15 copies only, and sold out within a day of being announced. Fourteen copies were available for sale, with one copy being sent to The Cryptic Corporation's archives. The box contains *Fingerprince* on transparent yellow vinyl, with the *Babyfingers* EP on an additional single sided 12" picture disc, and comes with two hand-puppets, a silk-screened t-shirt, and a Cryptic Corporation certificate of authenticity.

A second run of fifteen numbered copies of the *Tourniquet* collectors' box was announced on February 20th 2021, to be released in March. Alongside the boxes, Tsakalis also announced the separate release of the *Fingerprince* colored vinyl and *Babyfingers* picture disc, as well as *Tourniquet of Roses* hand-puppets, shirts and mugs.

#### "Classic Series" collectors' vinyl edition (2023)

*Fingerprince* was released as the third instalment in Psychofon Records' "Classic Series" of collectors' vinyl reissues at the end of March 2023, in an edition of 200 hand-numbered copies on a special three-color (neon pink, violet and "ultra clear") 180g vinyl pressing, with "glossy foldout cover plus gimmick".

Aside from the album, the package also contains a black envelope containing three postcards, a black CD-sized envelope containing a photo, and reproductions of the labels from the original pressing of the album, all housed inside a pink "Classic Series" branded tote bag.

## Track listing

    *All tracks composed by The Residents.*

### *Fingerprince* (original release, 1977)

**Side A (19:23)**

1. You Yesyesyes (3:00)
2. Home Age Conversation (2:03)
3. Godsong (3:41)
4. March de la Winni (0:58)
5. Bossy (1:00)
6. Boo Who? (2:48)
7. Tourniquet of Roses (3:15)
8. You Yesyesyes Again (2:38)

**Side B (17:44)**

1. Six Things To A Cycle (17:44)

### *Tourniquet of Roses* (CD reissues 1987, 1997, 2012)

1. You Yesyesyes (3:02)
2. Home Age Conversation (2:05)
3. Godsong (3:45)
4. March de la Winni (0:59)
5. Bossy (1:04)
6. Boo Who? (2:49)
7. Tourniquet of Roses (3:21)
8. Death in Barstow (2:04)
9. Melon Collie Lassie (2:54)
10. Flight of the Bumble Roach (2:15)
11. Walter Westinghouse (8:03)
12. Six Things To A Cycle: Part 1 (2:47)
13. Six Things To A Cycle: Part 2 (1:38)
14. Six Things To A Cycle: Part 3 (2:26)
15. Six Things To A Cycle: Part 4 (3:49)
16. Six Things To A Cycle: Part 5 (4:50)
17. Six Things To A Cycle: Part 6 (2:17)
18. You Yesyesyes Again (2:37)

### *Tourniquet of Roses* (Euro Ralph CD and collectors' box, 1995, 2020)

#### Disc 1 (*Fingerprince*)

1. You Yesyesyes (2:59)
2. Home Age Conversation (2:05)
3. Godsong (3:42)
4. March de la Winni (0:59)
5. Bossy (1:02)
6. Boo Who? (2:51)
7. Tourniquet of Roses (3:16)
8. You Yesyesyes Again (2:46)
9. Six Things To A Cycle (17:44)

#### Disc 2 (*Babyfingers*)

1. Monstrous Intro (0:41)
2. Death In Barstow (2:04)
3. Melon Collie Lassie (2:54)
4. Flight of the Bumble Roach (2:15)
5. Walter Westinghouse (8:03)

### pREServed CD edition (2018)

*(\*) indicates tracks which are previously unreleased.*

*All tracks composed by The Residents.*

#### Disc 1

***Fingerprince* (remastered from the original tapes) *+* Side Three (aka *Babyfingers*)**

1. You Yesyesyes (2:59)
2. Home Age Conversation (2:05)
3. Godsong (3:42)
4. March de la Winni (0:59)
5. Bossy (1:02)
6. Boo Who? (2:51)
7. Tourniquet of Roses (3:16)
8. You Yesyesyes Again (2:46)
9. Six Things To A Cycle (17:44)
10. Monstrous Intro (0:41)
11. Death In Barstow (2:03)
12. Melon Collie Lassie (2:52)
13. Flight of the Bumble Roach (2:14)
14. Walter Westinghouse (8:05)

#### Disc 2

***Finger* Ephemera**

1. Leapmus (February, 1976) (\*) (14:36)
2. Entrance to Crypt (\*) (1:10)
3. Clumsy Climb (\*) (1:55)
4. Piano Dittie (\*) (1:21)
5. You Yesyesyes ('Oh Mummy' Mix) (\*) (1:53)
6. Whoopy Snorp (3:44)
7. God Song (1982 Rehearsal) (\*) (1:33)
8. Walter Westinghouse (1982 Rehearsal) (\*) (6:45)
9. God Song (Studio Rehearsal) (\*) (1:32)
10. Tourniquet of Roses (Tromso, Inconvenienced, 1986) (\*) (2:44)
11. Walter Westinghouse (Live 1997) (6:24)
12. Once I Went To Barstow (Live 2011) (4:47)
13. Melon Collie Lassie (Live 2014) (3:33)
14. Fingerprince Concentrate (7:52)

### pREServed vinyl edition (2023)

*(\*) indicates tracks which are previously unreleased.*

*All tracks composed by The Residents.*

#### Disc 1 - *Fingerprince*

##### Side A

1. You Yesyesyes (2:59)
2. Home Age Conversation (2:05)
3. Godsong (3:42)
4. March de la Winni (0:59)
5. Bossy (1:02)
6. Boo Who? (2:51)
7. Tourniquet of Roses (3:16)
8. You Yesyesyes Again (2:46)

#### Disc 2

##### Side A

1. Tourniquet of Roses RDX (22:35) (\*)
	1. Walter Wesitinghouse (1:07)
	2. Home Aged Conversations (2:33)
	3. Boo Who (2:49)
	4. March de la Winni (2:00)
	5. GodSong (3:14)
	6. You YesYesYes (1:59)
	7. Six Things To A Cycle (6:18)
	8. Tourniquet of Roses (2:31)

## Credits

* The Residents: Vocals, guitars, horns, synthesizers, keyboards and percussion
* Snakefinger: Vocals on "Home Age Conversation" and guitars on "You Yesyesyes" and "Tourniquet Of Roses"
* D. Jackovich: Percussion on "Six Things To A Cycle"
* A. Dekbar: Violin on "Six Things To A Cycle"
* T. Logan: Percussion on "Six Things To A Cycle"
* Zeibak: Vocals on "Six Things To A Cycle"
* Composed, arranged and engineered by: The Residents
* Cover design and layout by: The Residents & Pore No Graphics
* Liner photography: Richard McCaffree
* Liner Notes: The Cryptic Corporation

***Additional Credits*** (From 1987 CD pressing)

* Producer: The Cryptic Corporation

## Liner notes

### Original release (1977)

> While The Residents were working on their concept album, The Third Reich 'N Roll, a large amount of original material was written as an outgrowth of the unreleased second album. At last some of these songs are recorded, showing the strength of The Residents as composers for the first time in four years.
>
>
> Side One gives us eight samples of The Residents working in shorter, complete song structures, as opposed to their better known 'train of consciousness' format, which is retained on the second side.
>
>
> Side Two is interesting in the fact that it is written as a ballet. The plot concerns how man, represented as a primitive humanoid, is consumed by his self-created environment only to be replaced by a newer creature, still primitive, but destined to rule the world just as poorly.
>
>
> The basic unit of the musical construction was written in 1972 and used as a rhythmic element in the performance of *Number One*, an early conceptual piece for improvisational orchestra. The Residents decided to expand the idea into a ballet when the opportunity arose to do a performance at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art. Although the performance was never given, The Residents completed this shorter version of that score, which they described as 'progressive bunny hop'.
>
>
> Fingerprince gives us the most complete and persona insight into The Residents that has yet been offered to the public; an insight into the music and ideas of the present for a world living in the past.
>
>
>
> - The Cryptic Corporation.
>
>

### Classic Series CD reissue (1987)

Recorded in 1976, *Fingerprince* is The Residents' fourth album. However, when it was being recorded it was not called *Fingerprince*. In 1976 it was called *Tourniquet of Roses* and was so long that it would have consumed three LP sides. The record company, Ralph Records, insisted that the record be cut back to the standard length of two sides, which was renamed *Fingerprince*. The remaining side was eventually released in limited numbers as *Babyfingers*.

The two pieces to note here are "Walter Westinghouse" and "Six Things to a Cycle", which is a ballet. The plot outline as provided by The Residents reads: "Man, represented as a primitive humanoid, is consumed by his self-created environment only to be replaced by a new creature, still primitive, still faulty, but destined to rule the world just as poorly". "Walter Westinghouse", on the other hand, is noteworthy as a kind of mini-opera with characters and dialogue interaction, a trend which points towards much of The Residents' later work.

Thanks to the convenient length of Compact Discs, we are happy to finally present the original *Tourniquet of Roses* as it was conceived. True, the title *Fingerprince* is still on the cover in attempt to prevent confusion, but this is the real thing, folks. Dig it.

- The Cryptic Corporation

## See also

* *Babyfingers*
* Oh Mummy! Oh Daddy! (live performance)
* "X Is For Xtra"
* "Leapmus"

## Buy Or Die!

* *Fingerprince* (*Tourniquet of Roses* version) at MVDShop (US)
* *Fingerprince* pREServed CD edition at MVDShop (US)
* *Fingerprince* pREServed CD edition at Cherry Red Records (UK)
* *Fingerprince* pREServed vinyl edition at Cherry Red Records (UK)

#### Listen online

* *Fingerprince* (*Tourniquet of Roses* version) on Spotify
* *Fingerprince* pREServed edition on Spotify

## External links and references

* *Fingerprince*at The Residents Historical
* *Fingerprince*at RZWeb
* *Fingerprince*at Discogs
* *Fingerprince*at Hayabusa Landings

1. ↑ The track times for the earliest vinyl pressings of the album incorrectly list "Six Things To A Cycle" as being 15:09 in length; the full 17+ minute version is featured.

**Side A**
"You Yesyesyes" · "Home Age Conversation" · "Godsong" · "March de la Winni" · "Bossy" · "Boo Who?" · "Tourniquet of Roses" · "You Yesyesyes Again"
**Side B**
"Six Things To A Cycle"
**Side C** **· Babyfingers**
A: "Monstrous Intro" · "Death In Barstow" · "Melon Collie Lassie" · "Flight of the Bumble Roach"
B: "Walter Westinghouse"
**Personnel**
The Residents · Snakefinger · Don Jackovich · Adrian Deckbar · Tony Logan · Pamela Zeibak
**Related works**
*Vileness Fats* · *X Is For Xtra* · "Leapmus" · "Entrance to Crypt" · "Clumsy Climb" · "Piano Dittie" · Oh Mummy! Oh Daddy! performance · *The Third Reich 'n Roll* video · "Whoopy Snorp" · *The Residents Radio Special* · "Six Amber Things"
**Related articles**
Sycamore St. studio · Grove St. studio · Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Pore No Graphics · Collectors' Box series

**Ralph Records (1972 - 1987)**
*Meet The Residents* (1974) · *The Third Reich 'n Roll* (1976) · ***Fingerprince*** (1977) · *Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen* (1978)*Not Available* (1978) · *Eskimo* (1979) · *Commercial Album* (1980) · *Mark of the Mole* (1981) *The Tunes of Two Cities* (1982) · *George & James* (1984) · *The Big Bubble* (1985) · *Stars & Hank Forever!* (1986)
**Ryko and Enigma (1988 - 1989)**
*God In Three Persons* (1988) · *The King & Eye* (1989)
**East Side Digital (1990 - 2002)**
*Freak Show* (1990) · *Our Finest Flowers* (1992) · *Gingerbread Man* (1994) · *Have A Bad Day* (1996) *Wormwood* (1998) · *Demons Dance Alone* (2002)
**Mute Records (2004 - 2007)** *Animal Lover* (2005) · *Tweedles!* (2006) · *The Voice of Midnight* (2007)
**MVD Audio (2008 - 2015)**
*The Bunny Boy* (2008) · *Lonely Teenager* (2011) · *Mush-Room* (2013)
**MVD Audio and Cherry Red (2016 - present)** *The Ghost of Hope* (2017) · *Intruders* (2018) · *Metal, Meat & Bone* (2020)

**Fan club / off-label albums**
*Buckaroo Blues* (1989) · *The 12 Days of Brumalia* (2004) · *Night of the Hunters* (2007)*Hades* (2009) · *Dollar General* (2010) · *Night Train To Nowhere!* (2012)
**Soundtrack albums**
*Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?* (1984) · *The Census Taker* (1985) · *Hunters* (1995) · *Icky Flix* (2001) *I Murdered Mommy!* (2004) · *Postcards From Patmos* (2008) ·  *Strange Culture/Haeckel's Tale* (2010)*Chuck's Ghost Music* (2011) · *Theory of Obscurity Soundtrack* (2014) · *Sculpt* (2016) · *Music to Eat Bricks By* (2019) · *Triple Trouble* (2022)
**Collaborative albums**
*Title In Limbo* with Renaldo & The Loaf (1983) · *I Am A Resident!* with You? (2018)
**Live in the studio**
*Assorted Secrets* (1984) · *Roadworms: The Berlin Sessions* (2000) · *Talking Light Live In Rehearsal, Santa Cruz, California* (2010)*Mole Dance 82* (2021) · *Duck Stab! Alive!* (2021)
**Related articles**
The Residents discography (W.E.I.R.D., 1979) · Ralph Records discography