Don't Be Cruel
|
Won't you keep us working? Working down below? This page needs work to reach an encyclopedic standard. If you see something missing, you can help The Mysterious Spanish Ladies by joining the wiki and expanding the article. |
"Don't Be Cruel" is a single released by The Residents through Torso in 1990. The 7" vinyl single features two outtakes from The King & Eye, and the CD maxi-single edition includes two recent, untitled compositions by the group.
History
In one day in August of 1989, The Residents recorded The King & Eye, an album comprising of 16 Elvis Presley covers, and 5 parts of their Baby King suite. During these sessions two more Elvis covers were recorded, "Don't" and "Surrender". And so when it came time for Torso to release the single from The King & Eye, these two were chosen as the single's B-side.
When the CD maxi-single edition was compiled and the group received test pressings with artwork included, The Residents all agreed that at 7 minutes, it was much, much too short. As a result, they sent Torso two recently finished untitled instrumental pieces to flesh out the release. Seeing as the artwork for the CD was already finished, the two tracks had to be included as secret bonus tracks.
When asked about the titles of these pieces, Uncle Willie checked the master tapes, and discovered they had only ever been listed as "Song 1 with no name" and "Song 2 with no name".[1] They were later given the names "The Toy Factory" and "Ghost Music" on the 2010 digital album Chicken Scratching With The Residents.
The single was re-released as part of the limited edition In Memoriam Torso box set in 1994, and then again in 2020 as part of the Cube-E Box, although featuring an edited version of the title track.
Track listing
7" Version
- Don't Be Cruel (Blackwell) (2:57)
- Don't (Leiber/Stoller) (1:53)
- Surrender (Pomus/Shuman) (1:55)
CD Version
- Don't Be Cruel (Blackwell) (3:00)
- Don't (Leiber/Stoller) (1:57)
- Surrender (Pomus/Shuman) (2:01)
- Untitled (Residents) (1:44)
- Untitled (Residents) (1:45)
Credits
- Performance By: The Residents
- Produced By: The Cryptic Corporation
- Cover Design By: Rex Ray
- Photography By: Henrik Kam
- Published By: Unichappell/Elvis Presley Music
- Released Under Licence To: Torso Records
Release history
| Year | Label | Format | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Torso | 7" | Netherlands | |
| CD | With secret bonus tracks | |||
| 1994 | Euro Ralph | 7" | Europe | As part of In Memoriam Torso box set |
| 2020 | New Ralph Too, Cherry Red, MVD | CD | US/Europe | As part of the Cube-E Box Set. |
- Cube-E Box at MVDshop (US)
- Cube-E Box at Cherry Red Records (UK/EU)
See also
Resources
External links and references
- ↑ Uncle Willie, "News News News News", UWEB Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 2½, June 1990