STARS AND HANK 1986

The second and, unfortunately, the last of the American Composer series. I did get perturbed by the thought of The Residents doing nothing for the next sixteen years but other peoples music but then again.. Sun Ra, Bob Dylan, it could have been fun. Stars And Hank suffers from having one alright side and one stupendously brilliant side.

Can Residents fans spot which side is which? Yep, Hank's the man. All five tracks are superb. Kaw-liga became an unlikely Baleric dance hit with it's blend of Billy Jean and the whispering Louisiana swamp thing. Jambalaya is sparse and haunting and Hey Good Looking, very sadly, is the last Residents record to which Snakefinger ever added his inimitable touch.

The Stars side covers the marching music of John Philip Sousa. A nice touch is that it is recorded like you are actually in the crowd at a display of military marching (possibly after taking some bad acid).

Close