Concept
According to the album's original liner notes, entitled "Why do the Residents hate the Beatles?" (in reference to the cover art of their previous album Meet the Residents ), the Third Reich 'n' Roll is a commentary on how "rock and roll has brainwashed the youth of the world." [1]
None of the songs are named anywhere on the album; some are obvious, while others are either unrecognizable or played simultaneously. Notable selections include "Land of a Thousand Dances", "Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)", "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (sung in German), "Wipe Out", "96 Tears", "Yummy Yummy Yummy", and "Hey Jude" (paired with "Sympathy for the Devil").
The Residents would later record a cover of another Rolling Stones song, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", and release it as a single to promote the album. Originally a limited edition, it would be re-released in 1978 to capitalize on the group's unexpected success on the British new wave charts. [2]
Release history
In 1980, a Third Reich 'n' Roll Collector's Box was produced in a limited edition of 30 copies, of which 25 were released. These came with a hand-pressed red-marbled vinyl edition of the record with silk-screened sleeve and labels, in a velvet-lined black wooden box with a sliding panel featuring hand-screened version of the cover art. Also enclosed were two lithographs by Irene Dogmatic, signed and numbered. The entire box was enclosed in a drawstring bag made from a piece of Christo's Running Fence. [3]
The 1993 CD reissue by Euro Ralph included brand new cover art, featuring Adolf Hitler holding a carrot and Madonna holding a Resident eyeball head. All swastikas were eliminated from this version of the cover.
A special-edition hardcover containing all the original artwork and promotional photos was released on Mute Records in September 2005.
The album was reissued in 2018 as part of the Residents' pREServed remaster campaign, featuring contemporary singles, live performances, and a number of previously unheard outtakes. This reissue also featured a newly updated cover design, derived from the censored German version.
The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, Meet the Residents (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs over the course of over half a century. They have undertaken seven major world tours and scored multiple films. Pioneers in exploring the potential of CD-ROM and similar technologies, the Residents have won several awards for their multimedia projects. They founded Ralph Records, a record label focusing on avant-garde music, in 1972.
With the Beatles is the second studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, eight months after the release of the band's debut album, Please Please Me. Produced by George Martin, the album features eight original compositions and six covers. The sessions also yielded the non-album single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" backed by "This Boy". The cover photograph was taken by the fashion photographer Robert Freeman and has since been mimicked by several music groups. A different cover was used for the Australian release of the album, which the Beatles were displeased with.
Meet the Residents is the debut studio album by the American art rock group the Residents, released on April 1, 1974, through Ralph Records. Most of the album was recorded throughout 1973 during breaks from production on Vileness Fats, the group's film project and main focus at the time. The album is said to adhere to N. Senada's "Theory of Phonetic Organization," in which music composition should be based on individual sounds rather than traditional musical notes.
Fingerprince is the third studio album by American art rock group the Residents, released in 1977. It was allegedly intended to be a three-sided record titled Tourniquet of Roses, but due to financial difficulties in fulfilling such a project, the record was instead cut down to a regular two-sided album.
Straight Up is the fourth studio album by the Welsh rock band Badfinger, released in December 1971 in the United States and February 1972 in Britain. Issued on the Beatles' Apple record label, it includes the hit singles "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue", and the similarly popular "Name of the Game", all of which were written by singer and guitarist Pete Ham. The album marked a departure from the more rock-oriented sound of Badfinger's previous releases, partly as a result of intervention by Apple Records regarding the band's musical direction.
All Things Must Pass is the third studio album by the English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes the hit singles "My Sweet Lord" and "What Is Life", as well as songs such as "Isn't It a Pity" and the title track that had been overlooked for inclusion on releases by the Beatles. The album reflects the influence of Harrison's musical activities with artists such as Bob Dylan, the Band, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends and Billy Preston during 1968–70, and his growth as an artist beyond his supporting role to former bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney. All Things Must Pass introduced Harrison's signature slide guitar sound and the spiritual themes present throughout his subsequent solo work. The original vinyl release consisted of two LPs of songs and a third disc of informal jams titled Apple Jam. Several commentators interpret Barry Feinstein's album cover photo, showing Harrison surrounded by four garden gnomes, as a statement on his independence from the Beatles.
Rock 'n' Roll is the sixth solo studio album by English musician John Lennon. Released in February 1975, it is an album of late 1950s and early 1960s songs as covered by Lennon. Recording the album was problematic and spanned an entire year: Phil Spector produced sessions in October 1973 at A&M Studios, and Lennon produced sessions in October 1974 at the Record Plant (East). Lennon was being sued by Morris Levy over copyright infringement of one line in his Beatles song "Come Together". As part of an agreement, Lennon had to include three Levy-owned songs on Rock 'n' Roll. Spector disappeared with the session recordings and was subsequently involved in a motor accident, leaving the album's tracks unrecoverable until the beginning of the Walls and Bridges sessions. With Walls and Bridges coming out first, featuring one Levy-owned song, Levy sued Lennon expecting to see Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album.
Ralph Records was an independent record label active between 1972 and 1989, best known for being initially run by avant-garde art collective, The Residents. The name arose from the slang phrase for vomiting, "calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone".
Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen, later renamed Duck Stab, is the fifth studio album by American art rock group the Residents, released in November 1978.
It's Only Rock 'n Roll is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 18 October 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. It was the last album to feature guitarist Mick Taylor; the songwriting and recording of the album's title track had a connection to Taylor's eventual replacement, Ronnie Wood. It's Only Rock 'n Roll combines the core blues and rock 'n' roll–oriented sound with elements of funk and reggae. It's Only Rock 'n Roll reached number one in the United States and number two in the UK.
Some Girls is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held from October 1977 to February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris and produced by the band's chief songwriters – lead vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards – with Chris Kimsey engineering the recording.
Long Tall Sally is the fifth UK EP release by British rock band the Beatles and the band's first UK EP to include songs not previously released on an album or single in the United Kingdom. It was released by Parlophone in mono, with the catalogue number GEP 8913, and released in the United Kingdom on 19 June 1964. It was also released in Spain and France.
"New Rose" is the first single by British punk rock band The Damned. It was released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France.
The Best of George Harrison is a 1976 compilation album by the English musician George Harrison, released following the expiration of his EMI-affiliated Apple Records contract. Uniquely among all of the four Beatles' solo releases, apart from posthumous compilations, it mixes a selection of the artist's songs recorded with the Beatles on one side, and later hits recorded under his own name on the other.
Jesus of Cool is the solo debut album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe, it was released in March 1978 by Radar Records in the UK.
Rock Bottom is the second solo album by former Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt. It was released on 26 July 1974 by Virgin Records. The album was produced by Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason, and was recorded following a 1973 accident which left Wyatt a paraplegic. He enlisted musicians including Ivor Cutler, Hugh Hopper, Richard Sinclair, Laurie Allan, Mike Oldfield and Fred Frith in the recording.
"Little Girl" is a song recorded by the California garage rock group the Syndicate of Sound, and written by Don Baskin and Bob Gonzalez of the band. It reached the US national pop charts in June 1966, peaking at #5 on Cash Box and #8 on Billboard.
"Yummy Yummy Yummy" is a song by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, first recorded by Ohio Express in 1968. Their version reached No. 4 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart in June and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It has since been covered by many artists. Ohio Express was a studio concoction and none of the "official" members appear on the record. Joey Levine sang lead vocals.
I Love Rock 'n Roll is the second studio album by Joan Jett and the first with her backing band the Blackhearts. The album was recorded during the summer of 1981 and was released in November. Soon after the first recording sessions at Soundworks Studios, original Blackheart guitarist Eric Ambel was replaced by Ricky Byrd. It is Jett's most commercially successful album to date with over a million copies sold, largely due to the success of the title track, which was released as a single soon after the album was released.
"That's the Way God Planned It" is a song by American musician Billy Preston and the title track to his 1969 album of the same name. Issued as a single, the song was Preston's first release on the Beatles' Apple record label, following his guest role on the band's "Get Back" single. The lyrics to "That's the Way God Planned It" partly reflect the long musical apprenticeship Preston had served since childhood, mentored by artists such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, while musically the track combines the gospel tradition with rock. Produced by George Harrison in London, the recording also features contributions from Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Ginger Baker and Doris Troy. Having been edited down to three minutes for its single release, the full version appeared on the album, as "That's the Way God Planned It ".
