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Mole Box

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Mole Box: The Complete Mole Trilogy pREServed is a six-disc box set by The Residents, released April 5th 2019 on Cherry Red/MVD.

The first box set instalment in the group's comprehensive pREServed reissue series, Mole Box contains all three complete studio albums in the group's ambitious and ultimately unfinished Mole Trilogy, as well as almost three hours of previously unheard material, including a set of tracks which "may or may not" originate from the never completed Part Three of The Mole Trilogy.

History[]

First announced in January 2019 in the direct lead-up to the reissue of The Residents' 1979 and 1980 (respectively) albums Eskimo and Commercial Album as part of their ongoing pREServed series of remastered and expanded reissues of their catalogue, Mole Box is a six-disc set representing much of the known material corresponding to the group's ambitious (but never completed) six-part Mole Trilogy, which began with 1981's Mark of the Mole, and officially concluded with 1985's The Big Bubble.

Among the three completed albums of the trilogy (which also includes 1982's The Tunes of Two Cities) the set includes a complete live-in-the-studio performance of Mark of the Mole, a newly remastered mix of the 1983 live album Mole Show Live at the Roxy and the previously unreleased Uncle Sam Mole Show performance, and, for the first time, a sequence of studio tracks which may or may not represent part of the unfinished Part Three of The Mole Trilogy (including the previously released "Marching To The We"). The set features almost three hours of previously unreleased material. There also exists a Japan Import from Solid Records, distributed by Ultra-Vybe.

The live-in-the-studio rendition of Mark of the Mole featured as bonus material on disc one received a stand-alone release as a limited edition double vinyl album titled Mole Dance 82 on Psychofon Records in 2021.

Track listing[]

(*) indicates tracks which are previously unreleased.

Disc 1[]

Mark of the Mole

  1. Voices of the Air (2:55)
  2. The Ultimate Disaster (8:54)
  3. Migration (7:15)
  4. Another Land (4:43)
  5. The New Machine (7:16)
  6. Final Confrontation (9:57)

Res Dance '82 (Live In The Studio)

  1. Voices of the Air (Live in the Studio) (3:13) (*)
  2. The Ultimate Disaster (Live in the Studio) (4:50) (*)
  3. Migration (Live in the Studio) (7:43) (*)
  4. Another Land / The New Machine (Live in the Studio) (11:24) (*)
  5. Final Confrontation (Live in the Studio) (8:19) (*)

Disc 2[]

The Tunes of Two Cities

  1. Serenade for Missy (3:17)
  2. A Maze of Jigsaws (2:52)
  3. Mousetrap (3:33)
  4. God of Darkness (3:18)
  5. Smack Your Lips (Clap Your Teeth) (4:00)
  6. Praise for the Curse (2:53)
  7. The Secret Seed (2:47)
  8. Smokebeams (2:43)
  9. Mourning the Undead (3:06)
  10. Song of the Wild (3:24)
  11. The Evil Disposer (3:16)
  12. Happy Home (4:52)

Bonus Tunes

  1. Open Up (2:18)
  2. Anvil Forest (2:22)
  3. Scent of Mint (2:28)
  4. Smack Your Lips (1982 Rehearsal) (4:04)
  5. Song of the Wild (1982 Rehearsal) (3:32)
  6. Happy Home (1982 Rehearsal) (2:14)
  7. God of Darkness (Live in the Studio) (3:07) (*)
  8. Smack Your Lips (Live in the Studio) (4:52) (*)
  9. The Secret Seed (Live in the Studio) (2:51) (*)
  10. Happy Home (Live in the Studio) (3:36) (*)

Disc 3[]

The Big Bubble

  1. Sorry (3:37)
  2. Hop A Little (2:47)
  3. Go Where Ya Wanna Go (2:39)
  4. Gotta Gotta Get (4:24)
  5. Cry for the Fire (5:54)
  6. Die-Stay-Go (3:00)
  7. Vinegar (2:23)
  8. Firefly (2:17)
  9. The Big Bubble (2:15)
  10. Fear for the Future (3:54)
  11. Kula Bocca Says So (5:12)

Bonus Bubbles

  1. Jingle Bell (2:42)
  2. Untitled (4:09) (*)
  3. Kula Bocca (2-Track Demo) (2:11) (*)
  4. Die-Stay-Go (2-Track Demo) (1:46) (*)
  5. Cry for the Fire Sketch (1:05) (*)
  6. The Big Bubble (Live, 1986) (2:23)
  7. Hop A Little (Live, 1986) (3:14)
  8. Cry for the Fire (Live On Norge Tv Nrk) (7:09) (*)
  9. Die-Stay-Go (Live in San Francisco, 2011) (4:46)

Disc 4[]

The Mole Show Live At The Roxy

  1. Voices of the Air (3:07)
  2. The Secret Seed (1:58)
  3. "Welcome..." (0:51)
  4. The Ultimate Disaster (4:46)
  5. "Rather Flashy..." (0:14)
  6. God of Darkness (2:35)
  7. "Mole Style..." (0:18)
  8. Migration (8:17)
  9. Another Land (3:20)
  10. "That's All We Need..." (0:22)
  11. The New Machine (6:26)
  12. "A Real Complicated Ending..." (0:32)
  13. Song of the Wild (3:03)
  14. Final Confrontation (6:47)
  15. "We Had To Borrow Money From Our Parents..." (1:41)
  16. Satisfaction (2:10)
  17. Happy Home (3:19)

Disc 5[]

The Uncle Sam Mole Show - Live in Washington, DC (entire recording previously unreleased)

  1. Voices of the Air (4:26)
  2. The Secret Seed (2:50)
  3. "Good Evening..." (0:43)
  4. The Ultimate Disaster (4:37)
  5. "Those Were Four Songs..." (0:48)
  6. God of Darkness (3:08)
  7. "More Religion..." (0:46)
  8. Migration (8:07)
  9. Shorty's Lament (Intermission) (1:38)
  10. Smack Your Lips (3:19)
  11. "We're In Chub Land..." (0:38)
  12. Another Land (4:49)
  13. "Things Are Going Fairly Well..." (1:00)
  14. The New Machine (6:43)
  15. "A Giorgio Moroder Scene..." (0:28)
  16. Song of the Wild (3:23)
  17. Final Confrontation (7:31)
  18. The Singing Resident Needs Something (1:58)
  19. Satisfaction (3:06)
  20. Happy Home (4:12)
  21. The Star Spangled Banner (1:19)

Disc 6[]

Miscellaneous Mole Materials (Including Intermission)

  1. MOTM Mix One Concentrate (25:41) (*)
  2. Lights Out (Prelude) (5:55)
  3. Shorty's Lament (6:43)
  4. The Moles Are Coming (2:56)
  5. Would We Be Alive? (5:09)
  6. The New Hymn (4:21)
  7. Another Another Land (3:35) (*)
  8. Now It Is Too Late (1:59) (*)
  9. Going Nowhere (2:05) (*)
  10. From MOM1 (1:05) (*)
  11. Satisfaction (Live in the Studio) (3:17) (*)
  12. Marching To The We (5:17)
  13. Would We Be Alive (Live 2005) (4:12)
  14. Marching To The Sea/Intermission (Live 2013) (5:18)

Credits[]

  • Written & Performed By The Residents
  • Mark Of The Mole Performed With Guests: Penn Jillette & Nessie Lessons
  • The Tunes Of Two Cities Performed With Guests: Snakefinger (Guitar), Norman Salant (Saxophone) & Nessie Lessons (Vocals)
  • Location Recordings By P. Del Scrappio
  • The Big Bubble Performed With Guests: Ray Hanna, Brian Seff, and Raoul N. Di Seimbote (Backing Vocals)
  • Intermission Performed With Guests: Annie Stocking, Jeanette Sartain, Joan Cashel & J. Raoul Brody
  • Published By: Pale Pachyderm Publishing
  • Satisfaction Written By Jagger / Richards
  • Satisfaction Published By ABKCO Music Inc/ Onward Music Ltd/ Westminster Music Ltd
  • Star-Spangled Banner By John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key
  • Curated, Edited & Compiled By The Residents, enabled by RA

Cover Art Gallery[]

Reviews[]

Reviews Culled From First Year Of release

Crucial New Residents Box Set Collects The Scattered Pieces Of The Never-Finished Mole Trilogy - Dangerous Minds (5 Apr 2019)

The Complete Mole Trilogy Preserved -The Residents’ Flawed, Conceptual Epic - Reprobate Press (6 Apr 2019)

Album Review: The Residents- The Mole Box: The Mole Trilogy pREServed Edition - Pop Culture Beast(8 Apr 2019)

The Residents – Mole Box - Freq (12 Jun 2019)

See also[]

External links and references[]

The Mole Trilogy
(1981-1985)

Cast of Characters
Mohelmot · Chubs (Innisfree · The Scientist) · The Observer
Darkness · The Evil Disposer
Cross (Zinkenites · Kula Bocca · The Big Bubble · Frankie DuVall)

Part One: Mark of the Mole (1981)
(video game · novel)
Side A: Hole-Workers at the Mercy of Nature
"Voices of the Air" · "The Ultimate Disaster" · "Migration"
Side B: Hole-Workers vs. Man and Machine
"Another Land" · "The New Machine" · "Final Confrontation"

Part Two: The Tunes of Two Cities (1982)
(The Comix of Two Cities)
Side A: "Serenade For Missy" · "A Maze Of Jigsaws" · "Mousetrap" · "God Of Darkness" · "Smack Your Lips (Clap Your Teeth)" · "Praise For The Curse"
Side B: "The Secret Seed" · "Smokebeams" · "Mourning The Undead" · "Song Of The Wild" · "The Evil Disposer" · "Happy Home (Excerpt From Act II of "Innisfree")"

Intermission: Extraneous Music From The Residents' Mole Show (1982)
Side A: "Lights Out (Prelude)" · "Shorty's Lament (Intermission)"
Side B: "The Moles Are Coming (Intermission)" · "Would We Be Alive? (Intermission)" · "The New Hymn (Recessional)"

The Mole Show (1982-1983)
(Mole Dance 82 · Live At The Roxy · La Edad de Oro · Uncle Sam Mole Show · VHS · Live In Holland · DVD bag set)

Part Three: ???
"Now It Is Too Late" · "Going Nowhere" · "Tired Old Man" · "Marching To The We" · Mole Suite

Part Four: The Big Bubble (1985)
(fictional band · Black Shroud Records)
Side A: "Sorry" · "Hop A Little" · "Go Where Ya Wanna Go" · "Gotta Gotta Get" · "Cry For The Fire"
Side B: "Die-Stay-Go" · "Vinegar" · "Firefly" · "The Big Bubble" · "Fear for the Future" · "Kula Bocca Says So"

Part Five: ???
Part Six: ???

Related works
"Open Up" · "Anvil Forest" · The 10th Anniversary Show (Assorted Secrets) · PAL TV LP · The 13th Anniversary Show · Mole Box: The Complete Mole Trilogy pREServed ("From MOM1" · "Untitled" · "Jingle Bell" · "Another Another Land")

Related articles
Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Grove St. studio · Minna St. studio · Porno Graphics · Penn Jillette · Nessie Lessons · Snakefinger · Matt Howarth · Greg Easter · T.D. Wade

The Mole Show
(1982-1983)

Set list
"Voices of the Air" · "The Secret Seed" · "The Ultimate Disaster" · "God of Darkness" · "Migration"
"Smack Your Lips (Clap Your Teeth)" · "Another Land" · "The New Machine" · "Song of the Wild" · "Final Confrontation" · "Satisfaction" · "Happy Home"

Dates
America (October - April 1982)
Santa Monica, April 10th 1982 · San Francisco, October 26th 1982 · San Francisco, October 27th 1982 · Los Angeles, October 29th 1982 · Los Angeles, October 30th 1982 · Pasadena, October 31st 1982
Europe (May - July 1983)
Hannover, May 23rd 1983 · Vienna, May 25th 1983 · Vienna, May 26th 1983 · Munich, May 27th 1983 · Frankfurt, May 28th 1983 · Dusseldorf, May 29th 1983 · Berlin, May 30th 1983 · Copenhagen, June 1st 1983 · Hamburg, June 2nd 1983 · Bochum, June 3rd 1983 · Utrecht, June 4th 1983 · Brussels, June 5th 1983 · Utrecht, June 6th 1983 · Paris, June 7th 1983 · Lyon, June 8th 1983 · Bologna, June 12th 1983 · Milan, June 13th 1983 · Firenze, June 14th 1983 · Barcelona, June 17th 1983 · Valencia, June 18th 1983 · Madrid, June 19th 1983 · Madrid, June 20th 1983 · Madrid, June 21st 1983 · Bordeaux, June 23rd 1983 · Poitiers, June 24th 1983 · Birmingham, June 27th 1983 · London, June 28th 1983 · Liverpool, June 29th 1983 · Edinburgh, June 30th 1983 · Leicester, May 28th 1983
The Uncle Sam Mole Show
Washington, D.C., October 7th 1983

Personnel
The Residents · Penn Jillette · Kathleen French · Carol LeMaitre · Sarah McLennan · Chris Van Ralte · Nessie Lessons · Scott Fraser · Philip Perkins · Dan Gillham · Laurence Campling · Raoul N.D Seimbote · Eric Knorr · Leigh Barbier · Sheenah Spece · Paul Young · Mara Mikialian · Bill Gerber · Evan Medow · Tom Timony · Diane Flynn · Sally Lewis

Related releases
Mark of the Mole · The Tunes of Two Cities · Intermission EP · Mole Show (Live at the Roxy) · Mole Show VHS · Assorted Secrets · PAL TV LP · Set Designs from The Mole Show portfolio · Mole Show: Live In Holland · Mole Show DVD bag set · Mole Box: The Complete Mole Trilogy pREServed · Mole Dance 82

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