The Electrocutioner
"The Electrocutioner" is a song by The Residents, featured as the closing track of the album Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen, released November 30th 1978 by Ralph Records.
The song features a guest vocal appearance from Monica Ganas, aka "Ruby" of the comedy troupe Rick and Ruby, and guitar from the group's long-time friend and collaborator Snakefinger.
In 2012, the song was re-recorded by The Residents; this version was released on the digital album D*ck S*ab - 35th Anniversary. In 2021, a new arrangement of the song was featured in their "streaming TV special" Duck Stab! Alive; in September of that year, the song was performed on the Dog Stab! mini-tour of California.[1]
History
Recorded in 1978 for the (ultimately unissued) EP Buster & Glen, "The Electrocutioner" features guest vocals from "Ruby", aka Monica Ganas of the San Francisco satirical comedy troupe Rick and Ruby. The troupe's keyboardist at the time was The Residents' friend Joshua Raoul Brody, which led to Ruby's appearance on the song. It also features a guitar solo from the group's friend and frequent collaborator Snakefinger.
The following year, "The Electrocutioner" was featured on the promotional release Please Do Not Steal It! (aka Nibbles), where it appeared as the closing track.
Legacy
The Residents re-imagined "The Electrocutioner" in 2012 for the 35th anniversary of Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen; this version was released on the resulting digital release D*ck S*ab.
The song was performed live in the studio for the Night Flight Plus "streaming TV special" Duck Stab! Alive!, in 2021, where it was combined with "Constantinople", without the female vocal section which closed the original version of the song. The song was performed live in public for the first time on the group's Dog Stab! mini-tour of California in September 2021.[1]
In 2020, The Cryptic Corporation asked The Residents to curate a selection of their favorite songs from their own back catalog for a Spotify playlist titled "Residents' Personal Favorites"; "The Electrocutioner" was one of forty songs chosen.
In 1995, a cover by The Simulacra was featured on the unofficial tribute album The Residents Unmasked!. In 1996, a version by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 was featured on the official tribute album Eyesore: A Stab At The Residents, and was later featured on their 2023 compilation album These Things Remain Unassigned. In 2017, a version by Skating Dicks was submitted for inclusion in the official tribute/collaborative album I Am A Resident!; this version was selected for inclusion on the CD version of the album.
Lyrics
"Time for all the followers of doom Is drawing near, Deceiving no one knowing nothing But the bite of fear;
Smiling as I throw the switch That takes away their breath, I see life as an interruption To the tune of death."
She is the Electrocutioner She is the Electrocutioner She is the Electrocutioner She is the Electrocutioner
She is the Electrocutioner She is the Electrocutioner She is the Electrocutioner She is the Electrocutioner
She is the Electrocutioner She is the Electrocutioner She is the...
"Playing with my birds I wonder how the world could be A perfect place to sing about For anyone but me;
I see the shimmer of the dewdrops As I drink my tea, And when the foolishness is over I am much more me;
I wish that all the suffering And all the misery Could be consumed inside my room Where switches set you free.
Where switches set you free, my friend, Where switches set you free."[2]
List of releases
- Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen (1978) [Version 1]
- Please Do Not Steal It! (1979) [Version 1]
- D*ck S*ab - 35th Anniversary (2012) [Version 2]
- I Am A Resident! CD edition (2018) [Version 3]
- Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen pREServed CD edition (2018) [Version 1] [Version 2]
- Duck Stab! Alive! (2021) [Version 4]
List of versions
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Grove Street studio recording, March - August 1978 (3:20)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 D*ck S*ab studio recording, 2012 (2:38)
- ↑ Skating Dicks studio recording, ca. 2017
- ↑ 25th Street Recording live studio recording, Oakland, California, May 2021 (1:38)
External links and references
- Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen at The Residents Historical
- Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen at The Residents Historical
- Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen at RZWeb (archived via archive.org)
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Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen (1978) Side A: Duck Stab! |