Babyfingers is a 7" EP by The Residents, reportedly comprising material recorded by the group in late 1976 and early 1977, alongside their fourth album Fingerprince.[1][2]
Originally planned for release as part of the (ultimately cancelled) Fingerprince Collectors' Box, the EP was ultimately released in September 1979 by Ralph Records in an edition of between 35 and 40 copies with hand-decorated white labels.
The EP was reissued in September 1981 in an edition of 15,000 copies, as a gift to members of the W.E.I.R.D. fan club, and again in 1985 in an edition of 250 copies on pink vinyl. A single-sided 12" picture disc edition was pressed in 2020 by noted collector Jannis Tsakalis.
Since 1987, the EP has often been included with Fingerprince on CD reissues, most recently on the 2018 pREServed CD edition of the album. The single was again pressed in limited numbers as a white label 7" in 2023, accompanying some copies of the pREServed vinyl edition of Fingerprince.
History[]
The Residents' headquarters, 1976
The two years following the April 1974 release of their debut album Meet The Residents were a productively fertile time for The Residents who, in that period alone, had recorded two albums and a single, as well as a number of other tracks which were not conceptually suitable for any of their major projects,[1] many of which had developed as "an outgrowth" of the recording sessions for their (then unreleased) second album, Not Available.[3]
Recognizing a new sound emerging among these "orphaned" tracks (which ranged from short, minute-long compositions to a ballet),[1] by November 1976,[4] The Residents had compiled enough of this material to comprise more than enough material for a single LP, but not quite enough material for a double album.
Believing that their newly founded management company, The Cryptic Corporation, would not want to fund an "expensive" LP/EP double release, The Residents conceived a gimmick - Tourniquet of Roses, "the world's first three-sided album" - with only vague ideas as to how this idea would be implemented; whether it would be a single LP with two separate grooves on one side, a (never before attempted) double album with one side left blank, or another, yet-to-be-imagined configuration.[5][1]
Cryptic responded to this idea with a "flat NO!" (later citing "economic infeasibility"),[1][5][6] and, apparently attempting to appease The Residents, instead played directly into their hands by suggesting that the third side be removed from the album, to instead be issued shortly thereafter as an EP shortly thereafter. The Residents "reluctantly" agreed to this idea, restructuring Tourniquet of Roses into a single album, Fingerprince, and a related EP, Babyfingers.[1]
Fingerprince and Babyfingers were structured in such a way that they mirrored one another (in an early example of The Residents' fascination with doubles/duplicates/twins). Both open with a series of short, self-contained pieces, and close with a longer conceptual piece: "Walter Westinghouse" is a mini-opera of sorts, corresponding with the ballet "Six Things To A Cycle" which comprises the second side of Fingerprince.[1]
The discography included in The Official W.E.I.R.D. Book of The Residents states that Fingerprince was completed in November 1976, and that Babyfingers was recorded from November 1976 to January 1977,[2] suggesting that at least some of the material included on Babyfingers was recorded after the track listing and artwork for Fingerprince had been finalized (as evidenced by the "December 1976" date printed on the original pressing of the album).[7] The book also states that Babyfingers is made up of "new and leftover material from Fingerprince sessions", and also uses quotation marks when referring to it as the "missing" third side of that album.[2]
Release[]
The existence of the Babyfingers EP was first alluded to by managing director of Ralph Records, Jay Clem, in the promotional cassette The Residents Radio Special, released in September 1977.[4] During the special, Clem premiered three tracks from the EP and announced that it would be released as part of the planned Fingerprince Collectors' Box edition,[6] which Ralph had announced earlier that year.[8] The release of the box set was ultimately delayed, however, due in part to "considerable artistic distractions" (most notably the Eskimo album).[5]
Babyfingers in a defaced "Santa Dog '78" sleeve
Around thirty to forty test pressings were created for inclusion in the Fingerprince Collectors' Box,[2] but when The Cryptic Corporation cancelled that project around September 1979, the pressed EPs were instead sent as a gift to fans who had pre-ordered The Third Reich 'n Roll Collectors' Box, with one third of the copies arriving in vandalized "Santa Dog '78" sleeves.[9]
Reissues[]
In September 1981, Babyfingers was reissued by fan club W.E.I.R.D as a parting gift to its members. This edition featured artwork by Porno/Graphics and was limited to 15,000 copies.[4] Following this release, "Walter Westinghouse" appeared on the 1982 Recommended Records Sampler and the 1983 outtakes compilation Residue of The Residents.
In 1985, Ralph Records re-released the EP in a limited edition of 250 copies on pink vinyl,[4] shortly before the premiere of the 13th Anniversary Show, during which "Walter Westinghouse" was performed.
In 1987, East Side Digital included an abridged version of the EP (excluding "Monstrous Intro") on their CD re-issue of Fingerprince, which claims to sequence the album "as it was conceived".[10] Euro Ralph's 1995 reissue of Fingerprince featured Babyfingers (with "Monstrous Intro" restored) on a separate mini-CD; the 1979 sequencing maintained.
In 2014, The Cryptic Corporation and Superior Viaduct included three songs from Babyfingers on their reissue of Residue, and in 2018, the newly remastered EP was included in the pREServed two disc edition of Fingerprince.[11]
In 2020, noted fan and collector Jannis Tsakalis re-pressed Babyfingers on a single-sided 12" picture disc (featuring a variation of the 1981 artwork) EP as part of his version of the previously abandoned Tourniquet of Roses collectors' box, which was sold in an extremely limited edition of 15 copies. A second run of twenty-five copies was released in March 2021. Tsakalis later sold the Fingerprince colored vinyl and Babyfingers picture disc separately, as well as Tourniquet of Roses hand-puppets, shirts, and mugs.[12]
In 2023, Babyfingers was reissued as a limited edition white label 7" single, included with some copies of the vinyl pREServed edition of Fingerprince sold through the Cherry Red Records website, with some copies later being sold separately via The Residents' official online store.
Reception[]
Retrospective[]
Babyfingers has an average user rating of 4.7/5 on Discogs,[13] and 4.21/5 on Rate Your Music.[14]
In a March 2010 review,[15] freelance music reviewer Mark Prindle called the Babyfingers tracks featured in The Residents Radio Special "a must-hear for fans of Fingerprince -- particularly the classic 'Walter Westinghouse'".[16]
Reviewing the 2018 pREServed edition of Fingerprince, Ian Canty of Louder Than War found that the combined Fingerprince and Babyfingers "feels a complete work and thoroughly engaging listen", noting "Death In Barstow" as a "piano-driven jig" which "sticks in the mind".[11]
Track listing[]
All tracks composed by The Residents.
Original release (1979)[]
Side A[]
- Monstrous Intro (0:41)
- Death In Barstow (2:03)
- Melon Collie Lassie (2:52)
- Roaches That Fly (2:14)
Side B[]
- Walter Westinghouse (8:05)
1981 and 1985 reissues[]
Side A[]
- Monstrous Intro (0:41)
- Death In Barstow (2:03)
- Melon Collie Lassie (2:52)
- Flight of the Bumble Roach (2:14)
Side B (8:05)[]
- Walter Westinghouse (8:05)
Liner notes[]
W.E.I.R.D. reissue (1981)[]
The material in this EP is from the "FINGERPRINCE" sessions and was originally to be the third side of the "FINGERPRINCE" album.
This record was made available through W.E.I.R.D. in a limited edition of fifteen hundred copies.Euro Ralph CD reissue (1995)[]
When Fingerprince was being recorded it was not called Fingerprince.
In 1976 it was called Tourniquet of Roses and was so long that it would have consumed three LP sides. The record company, Ralph Records, insisted that the record be cut back to the standard length of two sides, which was renamed Fingerprince. The remaining side was eventually released 1979 in limited numbers as Babyfingers in EP format.
Babyfingers was Fingerprince’s miniature twin, since both records consisted of several short songs on side one and a side-long composition on side two: Six Things to a Cycle on Fingerprince and Walter Westinghouse on Babyfingers.Credits[]
1981 release[]
- Produced By: The Residents
- Cover By: Porno/Graphics
1995 reissue[]
- Performed by The Residents
- With assistance from T. Logan (Flight of the Bumble Roach)
- Composed, arranged and engineered by The Residents
Release history[]
| Year | Label | Format | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Ralph Records | 7" | 35-40 copies with no cover art; around 10 shipped in defaced "Santa Dog '78" sleeves |
| 1981 | W.E.I.R.D. | 1500 copies sold exclusively to W.E.I.R.D. fan club members, debut of cover art | |
| 1985 | Ralph Records | 250 copies on pink vinyl | |
| 1995 | Euro Ralph | CD | Fingerprince with Babyfingers on a bonus 3" mini-CD |
| 2018 | Cherry Red, MVD, New Ralph Too | Fingerprince pREServed CD edition | |
| 2020 | The Jannis Tsakalis Collection | 12" | Tourniquet of Roses collectors' box, 12" single-sided picture disc, 15 copies made |
| 2021 | Tourniquet of Roses collectors' box, 12" single-sided picture disc, 25 copies made | ||
| 2021 | 12" single-sided picture disc, made to order | ||
| 2023 | Cherry Red, MVD, New Ralph Too | 7" | White label 7" EP included with early copies of the Fingerprince pREServed vinyl edition sold through Cherry Red Records; some copies sold separately via The Residents' official online store |
See also[]
External links and references[]
- Babyfingers at Discogs
- Fingerprince / Babyfingers at MVDShop
- Fingerprince pREServed edition at Cherry Red Records
- The Residents: Fingerprince – Album Review at LouderThanWar
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Jim Knipfel, "Of Overcoats and Quaker Oats and Harry Partch", Fingerprince pREServed edition liner notes, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 W.E.I.R.D., "The W.E.I.R.D. Complete Discography & Recording History", The Official W.E.I.R.D. Book of The Residents, 1979
- ↑ Fingerprince liner notes, 1977
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Dave Warden, The Cryptic Guide to The Residents, 1986
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Uncle Willie, Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide to The Residents, 1993
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Babyfingers was originally the third side of Fingerprince, The Residents' latest album. The Residents had recorded a three-sided LP to be released as such. Ralph Records disapproved this action due to the economic infeasibility, and a compromise was reached in which the extra material was pressed into an EP and is included with the Fingerprince collectors edition." Jay Clem, The Residents Radio Special, 1977
- ↑ Fingerprince original pressing credits, 1977
- ↑ Ralph Records Catalogue No. 1, February 1977
- ↑ "When the Fingerprince Collectors Box was officially cancelled early 1979, the long vaulted Babyfingers EPs, which were to have been included, were sent out with a refund to those who had reserved copies of the box." W.E.I.R.D., The Official W.E.I.R.D. Book of The Residents (2nd edition), 1981
- ↑ Fingerprince Torso/ESD CD reissue liner notes, 1987
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Ian Canty, "The Residents: Fingerprince - Album Review", Louder Than War, March 22nd 2018
- ↑ Post by Jannis Tsakalis, The Residents unofficial Facebook group, February 20th 2021
- ↑ Babyfingers at Discogs
- ↑ Babyfingers at Rate Your Music
- ↑ Mark Prindle, "The 'What's New?' Page", Mark's Record Reviews, March 13th 2010 (archived via archive.org)
- ↑ Mark Prindle, "The Residents Radio Special", Mark's Record Reviews, March 13th 2010
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Tourniquet of Roses Fingerprince / Babyfingers (1976-1979) Side A |