The 12 Days of Brumalia was an "internet event" hosted on The Residents' official website between December 24th, 2003, and January 5th, 2004. The event included the release of thirteen tracks through the group's news blog at residents.com.
All thirteen tracks would be compiled into an official CD release on Ralph America later in 2004. Later on, MVD Audio released a 10th-anniversary edition, featuring bonus tracks from their 1993 'Prelude To "The Teds"' EP.
History[]
Recording[]
During breaks from The Residents' Demons Dance Alone tour, the group began casual work on a new set of tracks with their touring band, which then consisted of Molly Harvey, Carla Fabrizio, Nolan Cook, Toby Dammit, and guest musician Eric Drew Feldman.
The tracks were recorded for fun, and were never intended to represent the group's follow-up to Demons Dance Alone. The Residents decided that the recordings would be perfect for an experiment in free internet downloads. They agreed that for 13 days, the tracks would be released through their website as a project titled The 12 Days of Brumalia - a holiday derived from the ancient Roman Brumalia, which lasted from November 24th to December 24th every year, and which was celebrated until the 11th century.
While most of the compositions are unique to The 12 Days of Brumalia, three of the tracks were remixed versions of older songs ("Day 8" is "Jello Jack The Boneless Boy", "Day 10" is "Betty's Body" and "Day 11" is "The Sleepwalker"), and "Day 12" reappeared as a motif on the album Tweedles! in 2006.
Release[]
The first track was released on December 24th 2003. The rest followed daily until January 5th, to celebrate 'Brumalia,' a fictionalized thirteen-day holiday beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on January 5th, was conceived by The Residents and marked with the release of a song on each day of the holiday, available for a short time only through the blog. On the final day, The Residents presented the piece "The Feast of Epiphany," concluding the event.
Each track was accompanied on the blog with an illustration and a quote, further elaborating on the holiday's history and that day's significance.
In April 2004, a further track, titled "Bride of the 12 Days of Brumalia", was released on The Residents' website; this was later re-released as part of the EYEFUL series, with the amended title "Oddo's Mood", and was included (under the latter title) on the Eyeful compilation album in 2020.
Physical release[]
Initially, The Residents seemed against the idea of re-releasing the tracks, with the album's co-producer Homer Flynn stating that "the Brumalia songs were a present for those who visited the site every day. It is not for those who didn't. It is not a gift for the world. Think about it; the Brumalia songs would still be on residents.com if we wished to have them shared. They should not be archived and shared." Despite this, The Cryptic Corporation would ultimately compile all thirteen Brumalia pieces into a CD release in June 2004, with a bonus fourteenth track, "The True Meaning of Brumalia".
The first pressing of the CD release featured a factory error, in which the manufacturers presented the inside art on the front cover, and the front cover art on the inlay; fans with affected copies were sent replacement covers and were advised to dispose of the faulty covers.[1] The error was not present in the second printing of the album.
The 12 Days of Brumalia was reissued in 2014 by MVD Audio alongside the 1993 EP Prelude To "The Teds," with a bonus track, a 2014 remix of "Boneless Boy".
Track listing[]
Original online release (Brumalia 2003-2004)[]
- Day 1 (December 24th 2003) (4:27)
- Day 2 (December 25th 2003) (2:54)
- Day 3 (December 26th 2003) (2:13)
- Day 4 (December 27th 2003) (3:01)
- Day 5 (December 28th 2003) (2:21)
- Day 6 (December 29th 2003) (1:55)
- Day 7 (December 30th 2003) (2:12)
- Day 8 (December 31st 2003) (3:39)
- Day 9 (January 1st 2004) (2:04)
- Day 10 (January 2nd 2004) (2:56)
- Day 11 (January 3rd 2004) (2:54)
- Day 12 (January 4th 2004) (2:35)
- The Feast of Epiphany (January 5th 2004) (5:46)
Ralph America CD release (2004)[]
- Partridge Pairing (1st Day of Brumalia) (3:24)
- Turtle Dove (2nd Day of Brumalia) (2:52)
- Chicken of the Oui (3rd Day of Brumalia) (2:10)
- Calling Bird (4th Day of Brumalia) (2:58)
- Golden Rings (5th Day of Brumalia) (2:19)
- Lying Goose (6th Day of Brumalia) (1:52)
- Swami Swan (7th Day of Brumalia) (2:10)
- Maid Being Milked (8th Day of Brumalia) (3:36)
- Wiggling Wahines (9th Day of Brumalia) (2:02)
- Leaping and Lords (10th Day of Brumalia) (2:53)
- Pieta's Piper (11th Day of Brumalia) (2:52)
- Big Hand (12th Day of Brumalia) (2:29)
- The Feast of the Epiphany (5:38)
- The True Meaning of Brumalia (1:55)
The 12 Days of Brumalia + Prelude To "The Teds" (2014)[]
- Day 1 (4:27)
- Day 2 (2:54)
- Day 3 (2:13)
- Day 4 (3:01)
- Day 5 (2:21)
- Day 6 (1:55)
- Day 7 (2:12)
- Day 8 (3:39)
- Day 9 (2:04)
- Day 10 (2:56)
- Day 11 (2:54)
- Day 12 (2:35)
- The Feast Of Epiphany (5:46)
- Teddy (4:00)
- I Tried To Cry (2:06)
- The Cry Of A Crow (3:24)
- Struggle (3:02)
- Boneless Boy (Charles Bobuck Remix 2014) (3:35)
Credits[]
Guests
Produced by: The Cryptic Corporation
Additonal Credits (From 2014 CD)
Secret Guests
- M. Salvator
- Pavers
Release history[]
| Year | Label | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ralph America | CD | Two variations with alternate artwork. 475 of one, 525 of the other |
| 2014 | MVD Audio | Not including 'The True Meaning of Brumalia'. Five additional bonus tracks |
Cover Art Gallery[]
Ralph America, misprint[]
See also[]
- Brumalia
- "Bride of the 12 Days of Brumalia"
- Santa Dog
- "Seasoned Greetings"
- residents.com
- Prelude to "The Teds"
External links and references[]
- The 12 Days of Brumaliaon The Residents Historical
- The 12 Days of Brumalia/Prelude to "The Teds" on MVD Audio
- The 12 Days of Brumalia on Discogs
- The 12 Days of Brumalia/Prelude to "The Teds" on Discogs
- ↑ Comment on a post in The Residents unofficial Facebook group, 23rd April 2022
