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Lonely Teenager is a studio album by The Residents. It is based in part on their 2010-11 touring show, Talking Light, featuring studio recordings of arrangements created for that show, songs written for it ("The Unseen Sister" and "Talking Light") as well as arrangements rejected from the show ("Lizard Lady," and "Boxes of Armageddon.")
As with Meet The Residents and The Big Bubble, Lonely Teenager features The Residents individually credited under pseudonyms; in this case, Randy, Chuck and Bob, names and characters created for the Talking Light show representing the then three Residents. The album is also notably the first Residents studio album released through Ralph Records since Stars & Hank Forever, twenty-five years prior.
Background[]
Randy Rose on stage, 2010
After their Bunny Boy multi-media project was concluded in 2009, The Residents began developing a live show themed around ghosts. The show would feature several Residents classics, as well as a selection of songs written exclusively for the tour; these became known as 'ghost stories.' every show would feature at least three ghost stories performed, one of which was chosen at random out of eight alternative ghost stories, with "Talking Light" and "The Unseen Sister" being performed at every show. The show also featured monologues from Randy Rose, a fictionalised version of The Singing Resident, who stood between Chuck and Bob. In May of 2009, The Residents teased this project, with a digital download entitled Things to Come, which featured a single track, titled "Talking Light." In November of 2009, they released the rarities album Ten Little Piggies, which featured four recently recorded tracks, re-recordings of Duck Stab songs, "Semolina," "Laughing Song" as well as early versions of "The Unseen Sister" and "Talking Light."
The tour began on January 23rd, 2010, and was notably not in support of any album; it didn't even feature any material from their most recent output, The Bunny Boy. And so, 'after 40 or so performances,' The Residents began to contemplate what the Talking Light album might have sounded like. They selected six songs from the setlist, as well as two songs they had considered but rejected for the tour. They recorded them in the studio as Lonely Teenager. Concurrently, The Residents were also working on a re-recording of their 1978 album, Duck Stab! / Buster & Glen and decided to include the finished "Lizard Lady" recording from those sessions on the album.
Release[]
The album was announced on January 26th, 2011, with a March release date.[1] They released their digital exclusive studio album, Chuck's Ghost Music, that same week. The album was ultimately released on February 23rd, 2011, available to purchase as a CD-R through the Ralph Records CreateSpace store; this was the first new Residents album on Ralph since 1989's Buckaroo Blues & Black Barry, and their first studio album on Ralph since 1986's Stars and Hank Forever; notably, both feature covers of Hank William's "Six More Miles." It was the first Residents studio album given a wide release since 2008's The Bunny Boy.
On March 15th, The Residents began the fourth and final leg of the Talking Light tour, playing across Northern America. On the tour, a unique version of the CD-R was sold, featuring a single bonus track: an October 2009 rehearsal recording of "The Unseen Sister." On June 7th, MVD Audio released the album on CD. Despite not including the bonus track, the liner notes still refer to it. Said tour was somewhat influenced by the album, as "Lizard Lady," was introduced to the setlist.
Legacy[]
The re-recording of "Lizard Lady" found on this album appeared on the 2012 compilation album D*ck S*ab, and "Sleepwalker" appeared on the 2013 compilation Ten Two Times. A re-recording of "Talking Light," as well as the single version, was included on the album Night Train To Nowhere!.
Reception[]
Initial reactions to the album were mixed to positive, with a RateYourMusic review saying that 'the music fine, but the production is off-putting to my ears,' comparing it to a rehearsal recording, and suggesting the listener listen to the Talking Light (Live) series instead.[2] Another positive review on, from ProgArchives, described the album as one of The Residents' best, though not an essential one. The reviewer praised its 'spooky ambiance,' arrangements, sound, and 'respectful' use of tension chords; they iterated that it wasn't representative of The Residents' work, and was best appreciated with an existing knowledge of it, and also critiqued the pacing.[3]
Retrospective[]
The album continued to receive a lukewarm reception as it aged. 'Historian9' reviewing the album for ProgArchives in February of 2012, was far from overjoyed with it, stating that, having not seen the live show the album was based on, the atmosphere was had to grasp, and stated that the re-arrangement of "My Window" 'made it lose some of its magic.' The reviewer praised "Six More Miles" as 'beautiful' and described "The Sleepwalker" as a highlight. Another ProgArchives review from that same time, with the same star rating, describing it as ' one of the most disconcerting Residents albums, unabashedly oddball from beginning to end and experimental to the extreme. The creepy atmospheres may be too much for some but it is certainly compelling and generates some weird imagery in the subconscious. Definitely one of the more scary albums from The Residents, though not as good as their earlier material.'[4] Sean Westergaard, writing for AllMusic.com said that the album was 'a bit dark and creepy at times, but on the whole Lonely Teenager is one of The Residents' more gentle recordings,' and praised the re-arranged tracks as 'great.'[5]
One Amazon reviewer described the album as "further evidence of their greatness" despite the fact that "they have produced slightly "better" / more crucial examples," otherwise, their review is overwhelmingly positive, praising the originality of the arrangements and production.
Richard Anderson, reviewing the album for KittySneezes.com mentioned that it was "worth the price of admission" for the "six interesting reinterpretations of Residents classics" Rev. Syung Myung Me also said that it was 'A pretty good souvenir of the Talking Light tour,' but Aila was much more scathing, stating that "not only does Lonely Teenager not offer anything of importance, the Residents themselves seem to have finally reached the point of an almost complete creative bankruptcy."[6] Kevin Gold Finger, reviewing the album for Sputnik Music described it more favourably, calling it "great" and "possibly the most unsettling album you'll ever hear."
A more recent review, from 2020, simply called it "Another great album by The Residents," and oddly, the Faceless Forever Residents encyclopaedia was also critical of the album.
Track Listing[]
All Songs Written by The Residents Except Where Noted.
- Six More Miles (Williams) (8:38)
- My Window (4:19)
- The Unseen Sister (7:56)
- The Lizard Lady (3:05)
- The Sleepwalker (3:34)
- The Old Woman (6:45)
- Boxes of Armageddon (3:34)
- Talking Light (9:50)
Tour Exclusive version
- Six More Miles (Williams) (8:38)
- My Window (4:19)
- The Unseen Sister (7:56)
- The Lizard Lady (3:05)
- The Sleepwalker (3:34)
- The Old Woman (6:45)
- Boxes of Armageddon (3:34)
- Talking Light (9:50)
- The Unseen Sister (2009 rehearsal) (3:54)
Liner Notes[]
"The normal business cycle calls for a band to record an album, then to tour in support of it. But if nothing else, The Residents love to experiment, often perversely defying convention. Consequently, during a time when little interest is being paid to CDs, the idea of developing a touring show without the restriction of promoting an album made perfect sense. This time the group could just play whatever they wanted instead of a predetermined show. It would be fun - and it was.
But after forty or so performances, The Residents started wondering: what would the album that "might have been" sound like? ...and they begin to imagine the fictitious album they would be supporting - had they actually recorded one. As usual with Randy, Chuck & Bob, imagination quickly leads to action, and, in a short time, this action produced the curious, Lonely Teenager.
Featuring pieces that were performed in the show as well as others that were considered but ultimately rejected, Lonely Teenager is "the studio album that might have been." Benefiting hugely from the Talking Light tour, the CD also includes additional tunes featuring new arrangements of Lizard Lady (from Duck Stab Re-Imagined sessions) and The Bunny Boy's Boxes of Armageddon." - Ralph Records
Credits[]
- As Performed By Randy, Chuck & Bob
- Written & Performed By The Residents,
- Except "Six More Miles" Williams
- With Guests: N. Cook & G. Lawlor
- Location Recording: S. Thomas, El Lokal
- Pale Pachyderm Publishing (BMI)
- Produced By: The Cryptic Corporation
Releases[]
| Year | Label | Format | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Ralph Records | CD-R | USA | RZ1101 |
| RZ1101-A, with bonus track | ||||
| MVD Audio | CD | MVD5180A | ||
| 2013 | Ralph Records | RZ1101 |
See also[]
External links and references[]
- ↑ The Residents - The Residents' Talking Light presents "Lonely Teenager". | Facebook
- ↑ Lonely Teenager by The Residents (Album, Experimental Rock) | RateYourMusic
- ↑ THE RESIDENTS Lonely Teenager music review by The_Jester | Prog Archives
- ↑ THE RESIDENTS Lonely Teengaer Reviews | ProgArchives
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120629080121/https://www.allmusic.com/album/lonely-teenager-mw0002130808
- ↑ https://kittysneezes.com/review-lonely-teenager/