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The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss is a compilation album by The Delta Nudes, released by The Cryptic Corporation in 2013.

An expansion of the 2012 Robot Selling Device compilation ERA B474, Greatest Hiss was itself expanded and reissued on Klanggalerie in 2016 under the alternative title The Residents Present The Delta Nudes.

History[]

The Delta Nudes' Greatest Hiss expands on the 2012 Robot Selling Device compilation album ERA B474. Where that release credited the group as The Pre-Residents, this attributes the recordings to The Delta Nudes; a seemingly fictional alias used by the group for the track "Explosion" on their 1972 debut EP Santa Dog, and a corruption of the name of the "anti-fraternity" - Delta Nu - which spawned the group while at college at Louisiana Tech in the mid-1960s.

The earliest tracks featured on the album are "I Hear Ya Got Religion" and the previously unreleased "Moonman", both recorded by The Delta Nudes in their San Mateo apartment in 1969. The following year, they recorded an album-length demo tape titled The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger, with collaborator Roland Sheehan; a three minute excerpt of the title track is presented here.

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The W***** B*** Album, 1971

In spring 1971, The Delta Nudes (now joined by James Whittaker and Bob Tangney) recorded a demo tape for submission to Warner Bros. Records titled The Warner Bros. Album. This album includes a number of mostly previously unreleased selections from the demo, "Baby Skeletons and Dogs", "The Mad Sawmill" (previously included on ERA B474), "Goodbye Lover" and "Maggie's Farm".

Later that year, the group (now using the name Residents, Uninc.) were joined by Phillip "Snakefinger" Lithman and Peggy Honeydew to record a second demo tape titled Baby Sex. Material from this tape had appeared on compilations for decades before this release; "King Kong" and "Hallowed Be Thy Ween" originate from this tape, and "Party of '71" features a version of the song "Eloise" from a live performance around the same time of the recording of the tape.

By the winter of 1972, Residents, Uninc. (now joined by Zeibak, Palmer Eiland and George Ewart, but minus Lithman, who had returned to his native England) had moved to San Francisco, where they recorded "Aircraft Damage", which featured as the closing track of their 1972 debut EP, Santa Dog.

The latest material on this album dates to January 1973, immediately prior to the recording of Meet The Residents. By this point John Kennedy and D. Paulsen became involved in recording. Previously unheard tracks from this era featured on Greatest Hiss include a cover of a traditional Japanese folk song titled "Sokurha" (which also contains the uncredited outtake "Quick Brain Tuesday"), "Number 1" and "Overday".

The tracks were remastered and slightly remixed by The Cryptic Corporation for release on ERA B474 and this compilation; a small amount of digital echo was added to compensate for the tape hiss present in the original recordings.

The Residents Present The Delta Nudes[]

An extended version of Greatest Hiss was released on Klanggalerie in 2016, re-titled The Residents Present The Delta Nudes, with alternative cover art by Lisa Robotka, based on the original Cryptic design. This version of the compilation was later also released to digital streaming platforms.

The Klanggalerie edition features three additional tracks; "Deep Sea Diver Song" from Baby Sex and "Every Day I Masturbate On A Merican Fag" from The Warner Bros. Album (both previously unreleased), as well as a live version of "D Is For Doorknob" originating from the group's first known performance at The Boarding House in San Francisco in October 1971.

Track listing[]

All tracks composed by N. Senada and The Delta Nudes/Residents, Uninc. unless otherwise noted.

Original release (2013)[]

  1. Sokurha (trad.) / Quick Brain Tuesday (Unlisted) (2:06)
  2. Moonman (1:55)
  3. Aircraft Damage (3:52)
  4. Baby Skeletons and Dogs (2:44)
  5. The Mad Sawmill (1:31)
  6. I Hear Ya Got Religion (6:26)
  7. Number 1 (2:40)
  8. Blow Blusy Balloon (3:36)
  9. The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger (2:54)
  10. Goodbye Lover (2:39)
  11. Overday (2:16)
  12. King Kong (Zappa) (4:09)
  13. Maggie's Farm (Dylan) (1:25)
  14. Party of '71 (2:59)
  15. Hallowed Be Thy Ween (14:04)

The Residents Present The Delta Nudes (2016)[]

  1. Sokurha (trad.) / Quick Brain Tuesday (Unlisted) (2:06)
  2. Deep Sea Diver Song (4:04)
  3. Moonman (1:55)
  4. Every Day I Masturbate On A Merican Fag (1:17)
  5. Aircraft Damage (3:50)
  6. Baby Skeletons and Dogs (2:44)
  7. The Mad Sawmill of Copenhagen, Germany (1:31)
  8. I Hear Ya Got Religion (6:26)
  9. Number 1 (2:39)
  10. Blow Bluesy Balloon (3:36)
  11. The Ballad of Stuffed Trigger (2:54)
  12. Goodbye Lover (2:39)
  13. Overday (2:16)
  14. King Kong (Zappa) (4:09)
  15. Maggie's Farm (Dylan) (1:25)
  16. Party of '71 (2:59)
  17. D Is For Doorknob (3:51)
  18. Hallowed Be Thy Ween (14:04)

Liner notes[]

I can try to tell you that this is not The Residents.
You won't believe me because you already know there are no Residents.
Fine, I say.
There are a lot of different people on these recordings.
No one seems to remember how many or who they were.
The recordings were made in the late 60s and early 70s.
Some of these people bonded into The Residents.
Some of them did not.
It doesn't matter.
Is this a collection of good music?
I don't know. I don't care.
The fact is that it is old hissy music, and that it seems to matter to some people.
If it matters to you, then your hands hold something very special. And hissy.
- Big Brother
"Hiss is also a sound, what's the big deal?"
- The Delta Nudes
The Delta Nudes were short lived, but managed to rack up an impressive, (if uncredited) collection of recordings.
They are best known for:
Here we have selected their best hissy recordings from these representative releases as well as a few rarely heard scratchy noises. Enjoy.
These recordings are very old and may contain a great deal of extraneous noise.

Credits[]

Recording Dates[]

See also[]

Buy Or Die![]

Listen online[]

External links and references[]

Wbrmx-sml-transparent The Delta Nudes / Residents, Uninc.
(1967 - 1974)
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