Lights Out

**"Lights Out (Prelude)"** is an instrumental by The Residents, intended to be played as pre-recorded music immediately prior to the start of their live performance The Mole Show.

As a prologue of sorts to the group's Mole Trilogy of albums, "Lights Out" introduces a number of themes that would recur throughout various albums in the series. It was released as the opening track on their EP *Intermission: Extraneous Music From The Residents' Mole Show* on Ralph Records on October 10th 1982.

A shortened mix of the song appears in The Residents' score for the 1984 film *The Census Taker*; this version of the song appears on the film's soundtrack album. Another edited version of the song was created for the retrospective compilation album *Hell!* in 1986.

## History

When The Residents began developing their first tour, The Mole Show, they conceived that venues would want to play music before the show, after the show, and during the intermission. As a result, they crafted their own music to be played during these segments.

The first part, "Lights Out (Prelude)", was intended to be played as pre-recorded music directly before the start of the show; the song's title refers both to the dark caverns preferred by the show's titular Moles, and the dimming of houselights that takes place prior to the opening of a performance.

As a prelude to The Mole Show, "Lights Out", by extension, acts as a kind of prologue to the group's Mole Trilogy of albums; unlike the other "intermission" songs, it is entirely instrumental, evoking (but not exactly replicating) musical themes heard in The Mole Trilogy.

## Release

"Lights Out" was first released as the opening track of The Residents' 12" EP *Intermission: Extraneous Music From The Residents' Mole Show* on Ralph Records on October 10th 1982, corresponding with the official start of the Mole Show tour. The EP also included the three "intermission" songs and "recessional" which had also been composed as interstitial music for The Mole Show.

The song (alongside the rest of the *Intermission* EP) has regularly been reissued on CD alongside *Mark of the Mole*, beginning with the Torso/ESD reissue in 1988. A suggested programming order in the liner notes of this release suggests that "Lights Out" should be positioned at the start of the playlist, immediately prior to the first side of *Mark of the Mole*.

## Legacy

An abridged edit of the song (excising the outro) was later included in The Residents' score for the 1984 film *The Census Taker*. On CD versions of the film's soundtrack, this version of the song is merged with the following track, "Where is She? (Reprise)"; to date the two have only been indexed separately on the original vinyl release.

The Cryptic Corporation included a second edited version of the song on the 1986 career-spanning compilation *Hell!,* where it is crossfaded with an abridged version of "The Ultimate Disaster". This edit shortens the introduction, but maintains much of the outro.

## List of releases

* *Intermission* EP (1982)
* *The Census Taker: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack* (1985)
* *Hell!* (1986)
* *Mark of the Mole* Torso/ESD CD reissue (1988)
* *In Memoriam Torso* (1994)
* *Mark of the Mole* / *Intermission* Mute CD reissue (2005)
* *Intermission* Hayabusa Landings/Birdsong CD reissue (2011)
* *Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?* / *The Census Taker* MVD CD reissue (2014)
* *Mole Box: The Complete Mole Trilogy* *pREServed* (2019)

### List of versions

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Grove Street studio recording, April - July 1982 (5:50)
2. ↑ Grove Street studio recording, April - July 1982 (1983 *Census Taker* edit, 5:24)
3. ↑ Grove Street studio recording, April - July 1982 (edited version, 5:20)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Grove Street studio recording, April - July 1982 (1983 *Census Taker* edit, with "Where Is She?", 6:29)

## Buy Or Die!

### Listen online

* "Lights Out" on Spotify
* "Lights Out" on Apple Music
* "Lights Out" (pREServed remaster) on Spotify
* "Lights Out/Where Is She? (Reprise)" (*Census Taker* version) on Spotify
* "Lights Out/Where Is She? (Reprise)" (*Census Taker* version) on Apple Music

## External links and references

* *Intermission* at The Residents Historical
* *The Census Taker* at The Residents Historical

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 *Mark of the Mole* Torso/ESD CD reissue liner notes, 1988

**Cast of Characters**
Mohelmot · Chubs (Innisfree · The Scientist) · The ObserverDarkness · The Evil DisposerCross (Zinkenites · Kula Bocca · The Big Bubble · Frankie DuVall)
**Part One: *Mark of the Mole* (1981)**
(video game · novel)
**Side A: Hole-Workers at the Mercy of Nature**
"Voices of the Air" · "The Ultimate Disaster" · "Migration"
**Side B: Hole-Workers vs. Man and Machine**
"Another Land" · "The New Machine" · "Final Confrontation"
**Part Two: *The Tunes of Two Cities* (1982)**
(*The Comix of Two Cities*)
**Side A:** "Serenade For Missy" · "A Maze Of Jigsaws" · "Mousetrap" · "God Of Darkness" · "Smack Your Lips (Clap Your Teeth)" · "Praise For The Curse"
**Side B:** "The Secret Seed" · "Smokebeams" · "Mourning The Undead" · "Song Of The Wild" · "The Evil Disposer" · "Happy Home (Excerpt From Act II of "Innisfree")"
***Intermission: Extraneous Music From The Residents' Mole Show* (1982)**
**Side A:** "**Lights Out (Prelude)**" · "Shorty's Lament (Intermission)"
**Side B:** "The Moles Are Coming (Intermission)" · "Would We Be Alive? (Intermission)" · "The New Hymn (Recessional)"
**The Mole Show (1982-1983)**(*Mole Dance 82* · *Live At The Roxy* · *La Edad de Oro* · Uncle Sam Mole Show · VHS · *Live In Holland* · DVD bag set)
**Part Three: ???**
"Now It Is Too Late" · "Going Nowhere" · "Tired Old Man" · "Marching To The We" · *Mole Suite*
**Part Four: *The Big Bubble* (1985)**(fictional band · Black Shroud Records)
**Side A:** "Sorry" · "Hop A Little" · "Go Where Ya Wanna Go" · "Gotta Gotta Get" · "Cry For The Fire"
**Side B:** "Die-Stay-Go" · "Vinegar" · "Firefly" · "The Big Bubble" · "Fear for the Future" · "Kula Bocca Says So"
**Part Five: ???**
**Part Six: ???**
**Related works**
"Open Up" · "Anvil Forest" · The 10th Anniversary Show (*Assorted Secrets*) · *PAL TV LP* · The 13th Anniversary Show · *Mole Box: The Complete Mole Trilogy pREServed* ("From MOM1" · "Untitled" · "Jingle Bell" · "Another Another Land")
**Related articles**
Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Grove St. studio · Minna St. studio · Porno Graphics · Penn Jillette · Nessie Lessons · Snakefinger · Matt Howarth · Greg Easter · T.D. Wade