The Residents — God In 3 Persons Live
When it was first released in 1988 God In Three Persons, was a decidedly different kind of album from The Residents. It was the most serious, sonically classy, and at times troubling album the project had released to date- with the largely spoken word vocals over a grand & dramatic mix of synth horn pomp, stabbing piano to darting electro jazz elements and organ work- with a blend of tuneful, atmospheric, to darkly cinematic backings. It always seemed like an album that was crying out for a stage show/ theatrical presentation. And in April 2019, this finally become a reality for a one-off show in France- which in 2020 was followed by two shows at the Museum of Modern Art in New York-followed by a selection of shows in the US. And this Blu-ray takes in one of these shows.
Before we get into the show, and this release itself I think I need to give a little outline of the album’s story/ themes. It tells of Mr X( a Colonel Tom Parker-like character), who meets & befriends a pair of Siamese twins who have both healing powers & the ability to shift from male to female. Mr X convinces the pair to let him manage them, and the album tells the story of their strange & at times troubling relationship.
The recording is from May 2022 when the project played for two nights at Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Centre, San Francisco, California. The show runs at the one hour and five-minute mark. Sonically The Residents are joined by Sivan Lioncub- Volin & Chorus, and Greg Stephens- Trombone- with musical backing taking in a band total of seven. The singing Resident is suited & booted- with a bald-headed old man mask on which is finished off with shades.
The show starts off as somewhat of a visual pre-sequel to the story- as we see flashbacks to Mr X’s life before he met the twins. Then we move into the songs of the piece/ album- within a very southern American spoken word manner the singing Residents detailing the tracks lyrics/ story- with the Greek female chorus appearing ever so often. Behind him is a screen which is alive with darkly twisted visuals- taking in the two twins white-faced, and in white gowns. As well as a selection of swirling & claustrophobic imagery. The singing Resident is shadowed by a similarly dressed dancer- who also brings on circular canvases- where more images are projected.
As we’d expect from The Residents they really do put their all into creating an engaging and darkly trippy show/ performance. With the singing Resident really throwing himself into the role of Mr X, and the sonic backing is moody, at points powerfully weird. The addition of guitar, violin & trombone adds different sonic shades to the material from the album version of the tracks.
Moving onto this region free blu ray. As this is a modern film-the picture looks good, with of course great audio too. We have six short extras- taking in different takes of live tracks, video versions, and on-stage demos- these last between just over a minute to nearly five minutes a piece, as well as a short trailer for the film.
For those Resident fans like myself who didn’t get to see this show live this Blu-Ray is a real treat. I’d say if you are new to the material pick up the album first- to see if it’s your thing. As it is quite a different type of album from the project, and I think you'll really need some grounding in the story to fully enjoy this release.