1983 was a very turbulent year for The Residents. After the success of The Mole Show performances the previous year, the group took the show on tour across Europe for their first ever performances outside of the United States. Sadly, while the tour was a critical success, it was also a financial and logistical disaster, leaving The Residents on the brink of bankruptcy.
Notable releases include the release of Title in Limbo, a collaborative studio album with Renaldo & The Loaf, and Residue of The Residents, a compilation of miscellaneous Residents tunes. The year was also marked by the start of the "New Ralph" era of Ralph Records, a direct result of the internal changes The Cryptic Corporation underwent in late 1982.
Timeline[]
February[]
- 26th: Ralph Records issues a press release announcing their next batch of releases, the European Mole Show tour and a new location for its headquarters. This marks the start of the "New Ralph" era for the label.
March[]
- The Residents likely record overdubs for their 1974 track "Saint Nix" during this month.
April[]
- 12th: Ralph Records releases The Residents' Residue, a compilation of various studio outtakes and rarities, to fund the upcoming European Mole Show.
- The Cryptic Corporation tracks down a "bootleg" recording of the October 30th, 1982 performances of The Mole Show. Impressed by the quality of the recording, they adquire the masters and sell the "unoficial" LP on their mail catalog.
May[]
- 5th: The Residents rehearse for The Mole Show in preparation for the European tour. A few tracks from this rehearsal are later released on Assorted Secrets.
- 23rd: The Residents debut the European Mole Show at The Rotation Theatre, in Hannover, Germany.
- 25th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Secession Theatre, in Vienna, Austria.
- 26th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Secession Theatre, in Vienna, Austria.
- The Residents start to keep a diary around this time. It's available to read on their Website.
- 27th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Alabamahalle Theater, in Munich, Germany.
- 28th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Volksbildungsheim Theatre, in Frankfurt, Germany.
- The Residents' van gets wrecked before this show, a backdrop stand falls over, a Resident gets sick, and Penn is attacked on stage.
- 29th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Schumannsaal Theatre, in Dusseldorf, Germany.
- 30th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Metropol Theatre, in Berlin, Germany.
June[]
- 1st: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Falkoner Theatre, in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 2nd: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Markthalle Theatre, in Hamburg, Germany.
- Due to an airline strike, The Residents were late to the show.
- 3rd: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Zeche Theatre, in Bochum, Germany.
- 4th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Muziekcentrum Theatre, in Utrecht, Netherlands.
- The show was recorded in its entirety for radio broadcast. This recording is used as the soundtrack to the Mole Show VHS, with excerpts included in PAL TV LP. The full show would later be released as The Mole Show Live in Holland.
- 5th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at Plan K, in Brussels, Belgium.
- 7th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Olympia Theatre, in Paris, France.
- 8th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at Palais D'Hiver, in Lyon, France.
- 9th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Volkhaus Theatre, in Zurich, Switzerland.
- 12th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The TeatroTenda Theatre, in Bologna, Italy.
- 13th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Rolling Stone, in Milan, Italy.
- 14th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at Teatro Apollo, in Firenze, Italy.
- 17th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at Salon Cibeles, in Barcelona, Spain.
- 18th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at Sala Extases, in Valencia, Spain.
- 19th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Rock-Ola Theatre, in Madrid, Spain.
- 20th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Rock-Ola Theatre, in Madrid, Spain.
- 21st: The Residents perform The Mole Show at Studio 1 of Radiotelevisión Española, in Madrid, Spain.
- The show was filmed in its entirety for television broadcast, making this the first TV performance by The Residents. Extracts of this show are used for the Mole Show VHS.
- 23rd: The Residents perform The Mole Show at Cinema le Femina, in Bordeaux, France.
- This show was delayed by 15 minutes, it started at 9:30. Someone asked a Resident for an autograph.
- 24th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Theatre Municipal, in Poitiers, France.
- France loves The Residents more than any show beforehand, resulting in the first Encore of the tour. The Residents stop updating the diary.
- 27th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at Town Hall, in Birmingham, England.
- 28th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Hammersmith Odeon, in London, England.
- After the show, The Residents meet up with Renaldo and the Loaf. Both groups decide to meet up on a later date to complete the work already started in the 4 Daze tapes.
- 29th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Royal Court, in Liverpool, England.
- 30th: The Residents perform The Mole Show at The Queens Hall, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
July[]
- 1st: The final European performance of the Mole Show takes place at The Leicester Polytechnic, in Leicestershire, England.
September[]
- 1st - 21st: The Residents & Renaldo Malpractice overdub and complete Title in Limbo.
- In order to regain some of the money lost by The Mole Show, Ralph Records re-releases Subterranean Modern.
- The Residents record "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" and begin work on the "Safety is a Cootie Wootie" suite.[1]
October[]
- 7th: The Uncle Sam Mole Show takes place at The New Music America Theatre, in Washington DC. This was the final ever performance of The Mole Show.
- The show was recorded in its entirety, and was included as part of the Mole Box. Video excerpts of the show were used for the Mole Show VHS.
- Picture-disc editions of Eskimo and Mole Show are released by Ralph.
- Ralph also releases Against the Grain, a compilation of various songs by Snakefinger, several co-produced with The Residents.
- The Residents finish the "Safety is a Cootie Wootie" suite and begin work on George & James,[1] the first album in their "American Composers Series," as well as material for the eventually-scrapped "Man's Album."
November[]
- 19th: Ralph releases Title in Limbo, a collaboration record by The Residents and Renaldo & The Loaf.
December[]
- The Residents likely record The Census Taker soundtrack during this month.
Releases[]
- Title in Limbo (LP, Ralph Records, RR8315)
- Collaborative album with Renaldo & The Loaf
- Mole Show (LP, "Unofficial", 001, 1,800 copies pressed)
- "Bootleg" recording of both October 30th, 1982 performances of The Mole Show.
- Residue of The Residents (LP, Ralph Records, RZ8302, 1,800 copies pressed, compilation)
Re-releases[]
- Eskimo (LP, Ralph Records, RZ7906, 2,500 copies pressed)
- Limited edition picture disc version
- Mole Show (LP, Ralph Records, C-002, 1,500 copies pressed)
- Limited edition picture disc version
- The Residents Radio Special
- First time this release was sold to the general public
- Intermission (EP, London Records, RALPH 1)
- Import for the british and dutch market
Audio contributions[]
- Pray for Smurph (LP, Overheat Records, OH-0001)
- Studio album by Gary Panter. The Residents performed and helped produce two tracks.
- Against the Grain (LP, Ralph Records, SN8353)
- Compilation of Snakefinger songs. Most tracks co-written and co-produced by The Residents.
Filmography[]
Home video releases[]
- Ralph Video (VHS, NTSC, Ralph Records)
- Includes the following music videos:
- The Third Reich n' Roll (Dir. The Residents)
- Hello Skinny (Dir. Graeme Whifler)
- One Minute Movies (Dir. The Residents w/ Graeme Whifler)
- Includes the following music videos:
Television appearances[]
- Live performance for Radiotelevisión Española
- Full performance of The Mole Show, as well as an interview with The Residents and Mara Mikialian, was broadcasted during an episode of La Edad De Oro