The Party of '72 (also known as Chris' Party) was a live performance in by Residents Uninc, taking place on February 12th 1972 at a friend's party in Redwood, California.[1]
For many years only three minutes of audio from the show had been released publicly (on the compilations Liver Music and ERA B474), until 2019, when a complete recording of the show was featured on the pREServed compilation A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big.
History[]
The performance (the last of three known "guerilla"-style live shows by Residents, Uninc. between October 1971 and February 1972) was held at a party at a private residence in Redwood, California on February 12th 1972 (according to the tape log).[1]
For this performance the group featured "Miles Snakefinger Lithman" as a "golfing trumpeter",[2] as well as a bass guitarist, a backing tape and toy instruments (as heard on the set-closer "Kamakazi Lady"). The host of the party (the titular "Chris") was a friend of the group, however it has been noted that any attempts to ask The Residents about him or the party would only result in "at best, a polite but silent smile".[1]
The appearance is the last known live performance by the group known as Residents, Uninc.; the re-configured group next appeared live as The Residents at the "Oh Mummy!" show in Berkeley in June 1976.
Availability[]
No footage or video of this event are known to exist, and no audio was released for almost twenty years after the event. A version of "Eloise" featured on the UWEB Liver Music compilation album under the title "Excerpt - Party of '72", but this same snippet was rater reissued in 2012 on the ERA B474 compilation titled "Party of '71", causing some confusion.
The performance of "Eloise" was definitively proven to originate from the 1972 performance when the complete recording featured on the pREServed compilation album A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big in November 2019. It was then released on vinyl as part of the Record Store Day double vinyl compilation Warning: Uninc. - Live and Experimental Recordings 1971-1972 in April 2022.
The archive tape also contains rehearsal recordings made by the group prior to the party; the rehearsals appear to remain unreleased ("as far as The Residents can remember") but elements were included in an "early draft of an intended debut album".[1]
Set list[]
The following set list was found inside the box containing the recording of the Party of '72 show:[3]
- Bass Duet / Sax Enters
- James Dean's Death
- Announcement
- Somethin' Devilish
- Instrumental / Miles 'Snakefinger' Lithman / Instru. Cont.
- Eloise
- Instru. Cont. / Bass Solo
- Sandman
- Eat Me / Sun Sets
- Kamakaze Lady
See also[]
External links and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Warning: Uninc. - Live and Experimental Recordings 1971-1972 liner notes, 2022
- ↑ "I was the golfing trumpeter in a Residents show once. But I was only that because of the fact that I really couldn't play the trumpet. So they forced me to be the golfing trumpeter." Snakefinger, Radio Interview, Houston, TX, October 31st 1981
- ↑ "The Bonus Stuff", A Nickle If Your Dick's This Big liner notes, 2019
