Third Reich & Roll

From Free net encyclopedia

Third Reich & Roll is a 1976 album by the U.S. avant-garde pop group The Residents. Their second (officially) released album, it is a parody of pop music and commercials from the 1960s. The work consists of two side-long pastiches of various songs from the period. The liner notes state that approximately 30 songs have been utilised, some are obvious, while others are almost unrecognizable. It has been suggested that the following is the album's "true" track listing (none of these songs are listed on the album cover):

Swastikas on Parade: 1. Let's Twist Again (German Version) 2. Land Of 1000 Dances 3. Hanky Panky 4. A Horse With No Name 5. Double Shot Of My Baby's Love 6. The Letter 7. Psychotic Reaction 8. Hey, Little Girl 9. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag 10. Talk Talk 11. I Want Candy 12. To Sir, With Love 13. Telstar 14. Wipe Out 15. Heroes And Villains

Hitler Was A Vegetarian: 16. Judy In Disguise (With Glasses) 17. 96 Tears 18. It's My Party 19. Light My Fire 20. Ballad Of The Green Berets 21. Yummy Yummy Yummy 22. Rock Around The Clock 23. Pushing Too Hard 24. Good Lovin' 25. Gloria 26. In A Gadda Da Vida 27. Sunshine Of Your Love 28. Hey Jude 29. Sympathy For The Devil

Some of these songs are played simultaneously. America's A Horse With No Name is slightly newer than the rest of the hits on the album, but matches The Swinging Medallions' Double Shot of my Baby's Love exactly. The Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil is performed as the guitar solo to The Beatles' Hey Jude.

Better realized and executed than their first album, it also generated controversy due to its cover art which featured television entertainer Dick Clark in a Nazi uniform holding a carrot while surrounded by swastikas and pictures of a dancing Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. A version was marketed in the 1980s for German consumption which heavily censored much of the cover art.

Rumor has it Dick Clark found the cover amusing, and has a framed copy in his office.

The album was originally released on Ralph Records.

An ultimate special edition hardbook containing all the original artwork and the full photo-session was released on MUTE RECORDS in September 2005.

[edit]