Eskimo (album)
Encyclopedia
Eskimo is an album by The Residents
that was originally supposed to follow 1977's Fingerprince
. However, due to many delays and arguments with management, it was not released until 1979. Upon release it was hailed as the group's best record to date.
The pieces on Eskimo are generally made up of sound effects, occasional playing on home-made instruments and gibberish standing in for actual Inuit
. The stories were all created by the group and, despite their claims otherwise, is not meant to be a true historical document of life in the Arctic.
A companion piece, "Diskomo
", was released in 1980 as a 12-inch single, featuring a remix of the songs backed by a disco beat. A follow-up EP Diskomo 2000, featuring the original remix, its b-side ("Goosebump", a collection of children's songs played on toy musical instruments) and several other versions was released in 2000.
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
that was originally supposed to follow 1977's Fingerprince
Fingerprince
Fingerprince is an album by The Residents. The album was recorded between 1974–76 and released in 1977. It was intended to be a three-sided record named Tourniquet Of Roses. Due to expense, the project was abandoned and cut down to a regular two-sided album. The third side was originally released...
. However, due to many delays and arguments with management, it was not released until 1979. Upon release it was hailed as the group's best record to date.
The pieces on Eskimo are generally made up of sound effects, occasional playing on home-made instruments and gibberish standing in for actual Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
. The stories were all created by the group and, despite their claims otherwise, is not meant to be a true historical document of life in the Arctic.
A companion piece, "Diskomo
Diskomo
"Diskomo" was a 12-inch single of elements from the 1979 album Eskimo by the Residents put to a disco beat, released on March 26, 1980. The b-side was a special suite of nursery rhymes put together as "Goosebump"....
", was released in 1980 as a 12-inch single, featuring a remix of the songs backed by a disco beat. A follow-up EP Diskomo 2000, featuring the original remix, its b-side ("Goosebump", a collection of children's songs played on toy musical instruments) and several other versions was released in 2000.
Track listing
- "The Walrus Hunt" – 4:01
- "Birth" – 4:33
- "Arctic Hysteria" – 5:57
- "The Angry Angakok" – 5:20
- "A Spirit Steals a Child" – 8:44
- "The Festival of Death" – 10:26
- Bonus Tracks (1987 CD release only)
- I Left My Heart in San Francisco
- Dumbo the Clown (Who Loved Christmas)
- Is He Really Bringing Roses? (The Replacement)
- Time's Up
Musicians
- The ResidentsThe ResidentsThe Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
- vocals, instruments, effects - SnakefingerSnakefingerPhilip Charles Lithman , who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collaborations with The Residents.-History:Lithman was born in Tooting, South London, and came...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Chris CutlerChris CutlerChris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Don PrestonDon PrestonDonald Ward Preston also known as Dom DeWilde or Biff Debrie born September 21, 1932 in Flint, Michigan. Preston is an American jazz and rock and roll musician.-Biography:Preston was born into a family of musicians and began studying music at an early age...
- synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
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