"The Moles Are Coming (Intermission)" is the second (of three) songs composed by The Residents for use as pre-recorded intermission music heard between acts of their debut live performance The Mole Show, which toured from 1982 to 1983.
It was released as the third track on the group's 12" EP Intermission: Extraneous Music From The Residents' Mole Show on Ralph Records on October 10th 1982 (the official start date of the tour).
History[]
When The Residents adapted their 1981 concept album Mark of the Mole (Part One of The Mole Trilogy) for the stage as The Mole Show in 1982, they thought it necessary to account for the original project's nature as two side-length suites.
So as not to leave the audience with their thoughts for too long (and to prevent venue owners from playing pop radio) between the two acts of the show, The Residents began composing music to be played over the loudspeakers during the break, following the first half of Mark of the Mole, "Hole-Workers at the Mercy of Nature".
The result was a three-part suite, containing "Shorty's Lament", "The Moles Are Coming" and "Would We Be Alive". Two other songs ("Lights Out" and "The New Hymn") were also created for the show's intro and outro.
The intermission suite fills a narrative gap between the sides of the album, covering the Moles' journey from the Pit to Chubville; "The Moles Are Coming" is sung from the perspective of the Chubs, as rumors of the Moles' impending arrival spread.
The song was included as the third track on The Residents' 12" EP Intermission: Extraneous Music From The Residents' Mole Show, released October 10th 1982 (the same day as the first official show of the Mole Show tour) on Ralph Records.[Note 1]
It features backing vocals from guests Annie Stocking, Jeanette Sartain and Joan Cashel, arranged by the group's frequent collaborator Joshua Raoul Brody (credited on Intermission under the pseudonym "Raoul N.D. Seimbôte").
Legacy[]
While promoting The Mole Show in England in 1983, The Residents and Penn Jillette appeared on the short-lived music television program Altered Images, presenting a short film set to "The Moles Are Coming" which "revealed" their identities.[1]
"The Moles Are Coming" was included on the promotional compilation Louisiana's Lick in 1995, where it is incorrectly listed as "Shorty's Lament" (the previous track on the Intermission EP). It was also included on the Japan-only compilation album Twenty-Five Years of Eyeball Excellence in 1998.
Later versions[]
At Residents singer Randy Rose's one-off live appearance in Olomouc in the Czech Republic in 2018, backing band Už Jsme Doma performed an instrumental cover of the song to build up to Rose's appearance. Similarly to the song's appearance on Louisiana's Lick, this version of the song is mislabelled "Shorty's Lament" on the 2020 Klanggalerie CD release of the show.
Lyrics[]
The Chubs: Moles are coming... Moles are coming... Moles are coming... Moles are coming...
Moles are coming... Moles are coming... Moles are coming... Moles are coming...
Credits[]
- Written & Performed by: The Residents
- Vocals by: Annie Stocking, Jeanette Sartain, Joan Cashel
- Vocals Arranged by: Raoul N.D. Seimbôte
List of releases[]
- Intermission: Extraneous Music From The Residents' Mole Show EP (1982) [Version 1]
- Heaven? (1986) [Version 1]
- Mark of the Mole Torso/ESD CD reissue (1988) [Version 1]
- In Memoriam Torso (1994) [Version 1]
- Louisiana's Lick (1995) [Version 1]
- mislabelled "Shorty's Lament"
- Twenty-Five Years of Eyeball Excellence (1998) [Version 1]
- Mole Box: The Complete Mole Trilogy pREServed (2019) [Version 1]
- Moravian Meeting (2020) [Version 2]
- mislabelled "Shorty's Lament"
List of versions[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Grove Street studio recording, April - July 1982 (2:58)
- ↑ Randy Rose and Už Jsme Doma live recording, Olomouc, Czech Republic, October 20th 2010 (3:52)
See also[]
- "Who They Are And What They Look Like"
- Intermission
- Moravian Meeting
Buy Or Die![]
Listen online[]
& "The Moles Are Coming" on Apple Music
- "The Moles Are Coming" (pREServed remaster) on Spotify
- "The Moles Are Coming" (Randy Rose and Už Jsme Doma live version) on Spotify
- "The Moles Are Coming" (Randy Rose and Už Jsme Doma live version) on Apple Music
External links and references[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The earlier April 10th date was a one off show and not part of any tour.
