The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play The Beatles is a limited edition single by The Residents, released by Ralph Records on August 16th 1977.[1][2]
Mischievously presented as a collaboration between The Residents and The Beatles,[3] the single contains a Residents tape collage titled "Beyond The Valley Of A Day In The Life", consisting of treated loops of samples from the group's collection of Beatles records,[4][5] backed by The Residents' version of The Beatles' instrumental "Flying" - the only song the group could find which credited writing to all four Beatles.[5]
Originally pressed in a hand-numbered edition of five hundred copies, The Beatles Play The Residents remained out of print for decades in its original format, although both tracks have since been included on expanded reissues of The Third Reich 'n Roll, as well as compilations such as Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses and Documentation - Tunes in Danger of Becoming Lost.
In February 2023, the single (now with the censored title The B*****s Play The R*******s and The R*******s Play The B*****s) was reissued as a limited edition white label 7" single included with some copies of the pREServed double LP edition of The Third Reich 'n Roll.
History[]
A (censored) outtake from the Beatles Play The Residents photo shoot, 1977
Recorded between March and May of 1977[6] as an outgrowth of The Residents' third studio album The Third Reich 'n Roll, The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play The Beatles continues the group's long-running pastiche of The Beatles and the culture that embraced them.
Side A contains "Beyond The Valley Of A Day In The Life"; a tape collage created by a sole Resident from twenty-seven treated tape loops, derived from The Residents' collection of Beatles records - in effect representing The Beatles "playing" a Residents composition,[3][4] with the track credited accordingly on the label. Aside from sampling a number of mainline Beatles albums and singles, "Beyond" also samples a fan club release, The Beatles' Third Christmas Record,[Note 1] and a John Lennon solo track, "God" (in which Lennon seemingly denounces the fab four).
The B-side of the single features The Residents' cover version of The Beatles' instrumental "Flying", from their 1967 EP Magical Mystery Tour.[3] Of all the songs recorded by The Beatles, "Flying" was the only one The Residents could find which credited composition to the entire band,[5] thus completing the single's concept by representing The Residents playing a composition by all four Beatles.[Note 2]
Release[]
A collectors' registration card, included in a copy of The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play The Beatles
The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play The Beatles was released by Ralph Records on August 16th 1977, in a limited, stamped and hand-numbered edition of five-hundred copies.
The single's silkscreened three-color sleeve features an image of four nude Residents, with their faces hidden under masks of the faces of The Beatles (taken from a 1964 John Launois photograph of the band).[7] Also included in the package was a "registration card" for collectors to complete and return to The Cryptic Corporation, with an annual report of "current collector values" of Ralph releases offered in return.
The single was promoted (and is heard in its entirety) in The Residents' promotional Radio Special, issued to radio stations around the time of the single's release.
Reissues[]
The single remained out-of-print in its original format for decades; both songs were included as bonus tracks with The Third Reich 'n Roll on the 1987 Classic Series and 2018 pREServed editions of the album, as well as being featured on compilations such as Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses in 1997, Eat Exuding Oinks! Ralph Records' 1977 Radio Special in 2002, and Documentation - Tunes In Danger of Becoming Lost in 2009.
On February 16th 2023, the single (with the newly censored title The B*****s Play The R*******s and The R*******s Play The B*****s) was reissued in limited numbers as a white label 7", initially included with early copies of the pREServed vinyl edition of The Third Reich 'n Roll, with some copies later being sold separately through The Residents' official online store.
Track listing[]
Side A[]
Side B[]
- The Residents - Flying (Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Starr) (3:22)
Liner notes[]
The Third Reich 'n Roll Classic Series CD reissue (1987)[]
This 1977 single release was generally known as "The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play The Beatles". "Beyond" is a tape collage of treated excerpts of various Beatle recordings compiled into a new "composition". The flip side was "Flying", from "Magical Mystery Tour". The Residents claimed they chose "Flying" because it was the only song they could find that was actually credited to all four Beatles as composers.
Credits[]
- The Beatles: Play The Residents
- The Residents: Play The Beatles
- M. Holmes: Harpist on 'Flying'
- Cover Art: Pore Know Graphics
- Beyond The Valley Of A Day In The Life: Written by The Residents
- Flying: Written by The Beatles
Release history[]
| Year | Label | Format | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Ralph Records | 7" | USA | Limited, numbered edition of five hundred copies with hand silkscreened three-color cover art, two variants |
| Cryptic Corporation | Cassette | As part of The Residents Radio Special | ||
| Reel-to-reel | ||||
| 1983 | Ralph Records | Cassette | As part of The Residents Radio Special, six variants | |
| 1987 | East Side Digital | CD | As part of The Third Reich 'n Roll Classic Series edition, three variants | |
| Torso | DE | As part of The Third Reich 'n Roll Classic Series edition | ||
| 1994 | Euro Ralph | EU | As part of In Memoriam Torso | |
| 1997 | As part of Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses, two variants | |||
| Euro Ralph / Bomba Records | EU / JP | |||
| 2002 | Ralph America | USA | As part of Eat Exuding Oinks! Ralph Records' 1977 Radio Special | |
| 2009 | Birdsong / Hayabusa Landings | JP | As part of The Third Reich 'n Roll | |
| RSD | MP3 | USA | As part of Documentation - Tunes In Danger of Becoming Lost | |
| 2018 | New Ralph Too / Cherry Red / MVD Audio | CD | US / EU | As part of The Third Reich 'n Roll pREServed edition |
| 2023 | New Ralph Too / Cherry Red / MVD Audio | 7" | US / EU | White label single included with early copies of The Third Reich 'n Roll pREServed vinyl edition sold through Cherry Red Records; some copies sold separately via The Residents' official online store |
Buy Or Die![]
- The Third Reich 'n Roll pREServed CD edition at MVDShop (US)
- The Third Reich 'n Roll pREServed CD edition at Cherry Red Records (UK/EU)
See also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The Beatles' Third Christmas Record was a 1965 fan club release; it was one of two fan club items which was initially unavailable in America, until it was included on the promotional Christmas Album in 1970.
- ↑ "Flying" is in fact one of two Beatles songs with composition credited to all four members of the band; the other is "Dig It", a studio jam which appeared as an interlude on the 1970 album Let It Be.
External links and references[]
- The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play The Beatles at The Residents Historical
- The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play The Beatles at RZWeb (archived via archive.org)
- The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play The Beatles at Discogs
- ↑ Grandpa Gio, "George! John! Help Me, Please! (The Beatles Play The Residents and The Residents Play the Beatles)", Grandpa Gio and The Residents, December 25th 2016
- ↑ Buy Or Die! #3, February 1978
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jay Clem, "Part 1", The Residents Radio Special, 1977
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Charles Bobuck, THIS Is For READERS, 2016, pg. 9
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Third Reich 'n Roll Classic Series CD reissue liner notes, 1987
- ↑ Dave Warden, The Cryptic Guide to The Residents, 1986
- ↑ The Saturday Evening Post, August 8th-15th 1964 issue at Harrington & Co
|
The Third Reich 'n Roll (1976) Side A: "Swastikas on Parade" |