"The Spot" is the debut solo single by British multi-instrumentalist Snakefinger, released on Ralph Records in 1978.
The single was produced by The Residents, who also appear on percussion on the B-side, which is a cover version of their own "Smelly Tongues" from their 1974 album Meet The Residents.
History[]
After some time spent recording and touring with Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers in the early 1970s in England, and appearing on The Residents' Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen in 1978 following his return to America, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Snakefinger had long been considering the ways music should develop and change.[1]
Wanting to create something "completely new and completely different", and with his friends The Residents attempting to persuade him to work on something with them,[2][1] Snakefinger signed to Ralph Records, becoming only the third artist (after The Residents and Portland musician Schwump) to join the label's roster, and recorded his debut single as a solo artist between June and July 1978.[3]
The single's A-side, "The Spot", was co-written by Snakefinger with The Residents, and features D. Jackovich on drums. The B-side of the single is a cover of The Residents' "Smelly Tongues", which had appeared on their 1974 debut album Meet The Residents; The Residents themselves perform percussion on this version of the song.
Release[]
The single was released in August 1978, and became a minor hit in England, leading Snakefinger to continue working in this style; further efforts (also produced alongside The Residents) would lead to his debut solo album Chewing Hides The Sound, released on Ralph the following year.
In 1984, the single was reissued as part of the box set 17x7 The Ralph Singles, and both tracks were featured on the posthumous compilation A Collection of Songs Written and Produced With The Residents.
Both sides of the single also featured as bonus tracks on the Klanggalerie CD reissue of Chewing Hides The Sound in 2016, and on the Secret Records compilation Who Do You Love in 2020.
Legacy[]
At his live performance with Už Jsme Doma in October 2010, The Residents' singer Randy Rose performed both the A and B sides of this single, albeit in reverse order.
Track listing[]
Side A[]
- The Spot (Snakefinger/Residents) (3:00)
Side B[]
- Smelly Tongues (Residents) (2:24)
Personnel[]
- Produced By: The Residents
- 'The Spot' Written By: Snakefinger & The Residents
- All Instruments & Vocals by: Snakefinger Lithman
- Except:
- D. Jackovich: Percussion on 'The Spot'
- The Residents: Percussion on 'Smelly Tongues'
- Cover Art By: Pore/No Graphics
- 'Smelly Tongues' Written By: The Residents
Release history[]
| Year | Format | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 7" | US | Blue Vinyl |
| 1984 | Part of '17x7 The Ralph Singles' box set | ||
| 1988 | CD | On 'A Collection Of Songs Written And Produced With The Residents' Compilation. | |
| NL | |||
| 2016 | AT | 'Chewing Hides The Sound' Bonus Tracks | |
| 2020 | LP | US | Included in 'Who Do You Love'' compilation. |
See also[]
External links and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "[The Spot] was the first time The Residents persuaded me to do something with them. I'd been thinking about the way music should be changing for a long time. They eventually convinced me that the piece really ought to be changing and wishing to do something other than what The Residents are doing because they have that ground well covered. I decided to put my interpretations onto how music should be going for the future." Snakefinger, KPFA interview, Berkeley, California, 1980
- ↑ "This was my first attempt at going out there and trying something completely new and completely different. It was a minor hit in England last year, and it was the thing that inspired me to keep on trying and to keep taking it further out." Snakefinger, KTIM interview, San Rafael, California, 1979
- ↑ "The W.E.I.R.D. Complete Discography & Recording History", The Official W.E.I.R.D. Book of The Residents, 1979