Would We Be Alive?
Would We Be Alive? is an EP by Vancouver punk rock band Nomeansno. Its title track is a cover of a song by the avant-garde group The Residents, from their "" record. The EP also features a new version of the song "Big Dick" from the Nomeansno album "Wrong", as well as two new tracks. Background and recording. Nomeansno became a four-piece band in 1993, when founding members Rob and John Wright were joined by guitarist Tom Holliston and second drummer Ken Kempster. Their first recording with this lineup was the 1995 album "The Worldhood  of the World (As Such)", and the "Would We Be Alive?" EP their second. Nomeansno had frequently cited The Residents as one of their favorite bands, and recorded a cover version of a song from the Residents' arcane "" five-song EP from 1982. They also recorded two new songs and a reworked version of the song "Big Dick" from their 1989 album "Wrong". The sessions were recorded at Sea of Shit Studios in Victoria and were mixed in Greehouse Studios by Nomeansno and Brian Else. Release. "Would We Be Alive?" was initially released in 1996 as a two-song 12  single on Alternative Tentacles for the band's European tour. Its title track was on side A and the new song Rise" on side B. The record's cover featured drummer John Wright holding his newborn son. These tracks were also issued later that year as "Chaotic Soup", a Japanese split release with the Alternative Tentacles band Ultra Bidé. In November 1997, the EP was issued in four-track form on CD and 12" vinyl by Alternative Tentacles. It is out of print and has not been reissued by the band's own label Wrong Records, unlike much of their  back catalogue. Reception. The EP received only lukewarm reviews. AllMusic critic Steve Huey awarded the EP two out of five stars and described it as relevant to established fans only. A critic writing for "The A.V. Club" praised the title track as a "tooth-rattling march into self-destruction," but assessed the other tracks as "fine filler" which "would not stand on their own." Track listing. All tracks by Nomeansno, except track 1 by The Residents. Note Personnel. Nomeansno Production and design