The Residents - Not Available (1978)

Hey, you wanna hear an album that was never supposed to be released?

Apparently that's the story behind this record- recorded in 1974 but held for release until '78 (they released it when they all "forgot" about it, story goes) it's halfway between unlistenable and annoying; but mostly it's hilarious. It's a concept album, it's a prog nightmare, it has elements of musique concrete, it's got some weird electronic shit- basically it's way ahead of its time. I love this album so damn much I hunted down a copy on vinyl and paid whatever was asked. That's what you do when you've been brainwashed.

I wish I could tell you more about The Residents, but that's really all anyone has ever known about them. You'll just have to listen...

The Residents - Not Available (1978; Ralph Records)