Various Artists — Buy Or Die- Ralph Records 1972-1982
Buy Or Die is a three-CD boxset compilation looking at the output of Ralph Records- The Residents ‘s curated/ run label that existed between the early 70’s and late 80’s. The set focuses on the key/ productive ten-year period between 1972 and 1982- taking in sixty-three tracks over its three discs.
The release takes in a black/ glossy flip-side card box- with on its front cover is a cartoon of a melted demon-faced humanoid character smoking a cigarette. Each of the three discs comes in their own card slips. Also included is twenty a three-page inlay booklet- taking in a write-up about the label, cover art, etc.
It’s hard to imagine it now- but The Residents were a big cult band in the late '70s to early ’80s, being the darlings of UK music publications such as NME, Melody Marker, and Sounds. So, as a result, the band, which started off an ultra-obscure/ penniless existence, were bringing in a fair bit of money- so Ralph Records came about and grew from just releasing their own work, to signing similar-minded acts from all around the world.
The release is set out in chronological order- so on disc one, we move between 72 and 79. Disc two, 79 and 80, and disc three 80 and 82. With around twenty to twenty-two tracks on each disc- so you get a lot of bang for your buck!
So, on disc one, as you’d imagine, we get a fair few early Residents tracks- ten in all, and these feature some real corkers. There’s the proto-noise rock chaos of their cover of The Rolling Stones's “Satisfaction”. The jarring angularity meets the jaunting menace of “Constantinople”, and the steadily bounding sinisterness/disquieting oddness of “Hello Skinny”. Of the non-Resident tracks, highlights on this disc take in the slurred bounding piano, hissing beats, rudimentary guitar/ horn and wackily theatrical male vocals of Schwump’s “Aphids In The Hall”. The manic keys, strings, higher ranged/ warbling female vocals of Rats & Monkeys”, and the choppy sci-fi synth rock churn of “Meet You In The Subway” by Chrome.
Onto the second disc- and we move from four very different/ bizarre takes on the track “I Left My Heart In San Fransico” by Chrome, Mx-80 Sound, The Residents, and Tuxedo Moon. Moving on, we darting bass, jaunting keys, warped guitar chugg, and deadpan male vocals of Snakefinger’s “Picnic In The Jungle”. The Residents’ disco remixing of their icy/ strange ambient album Eskimo “Diskomo”, and the gone-wrong new wave of Gray Panter’s “Tornader To The Tater”.
On disc three, we go from wonky mashing drums, wavering ‘n’ wonky guitar tones, and distant hissing vocals/ feedback smarts of Fred Firth’s cover version of “Dancing In The Street”. Onto speeding electro pulse, clip-clopping percussion, and wacky spoken-to-shouty vocals of Yello’s “Bostich”. Though to Relando And The Loaf's “A Medical Man” with its chopped-up percussion & primal instrumental clutter meets manic vocal chatter. The disc is finished off with the crude tip-topping percussion, baying/ angular guitars, sinister synth purr, and shifting pitch vocals of The Resident’s “Would We Be Alive”.
It, of course, goes without saying, that this set will be of interest to fans of The Residents- but I can also see it appealing to those who generally enjoyed off-key/strange/ weird sonic fare from the 1970s and 1980s. All in a great set- my only sight criticism is it would have been nice to have a more in-depth/ lengthy inlay booklet- with some of those earlier mentioned press clippings from music papers regarding this period- but I also understand that wouldn’t have made commercial sense/ pushed the budget up.