For those unaware, The Residents are an American art collective best known for their over 60 studio albums that were recorded over a period of over forty years. They also created some outstanding multimedia works, mainly three CD ROM projects and ten DVDs. Working as an anonymous collective, their identities were kept secret until in 2017 Hardy Fox revealed himself as their primary composer.

Hardy sadly died in October 2018, but the group continue to record and perform. The Way We Were was a short retrospective tour by The Residents, consisting of five performances in three cities at the What Is Music? Festival in Australia. This short touring performance began March 4th and ended March 12th, 2005.

The group’s first Australian tour since The 13th Anniversary Show in 1986, The Way We Were featured a somewhat chronological look back at the group’s career and was structured as a spiritual sequel to their 1986 tour (this time featuring newer material and observing the group’s 33rd Anniversary).

It was announced on The Residents’ website November 24th, 2004. Shortly after the tour ended, The Residents released a CD and DVD set, Klanggalerie are now proud to present you an expanded version of the album with an 80 minute bonus disc of rehearsals for the show. These versions often differ from the ones performed and also includes Guylum Bardot which didn’t make it into the final show.

As we all know by now, they had to put this show together in two weeks or so and so what we get is a quite brilliant show that harkens back to the fun, good ol’ days of the band, in my humble opinion. I mean, the transition alone from Coming Of The Crow / Eva’s Warning to Would We Be Alive? is f**king awesome and those two songs kick ass. Ok, so does the Sleeper rendition, and many more, but those are the stand outs for me, personally.

And it is not like the show loses steam at junctures, but they do change things up here and so songs like the amusing Jelly Jack turn out to be their infamous Brumalia version (which in and unto itself I appreciate them performing), a slightly skewed version of They Are The Meat / Mr. Misery, and their rendition of Burn Baby Burn is just golden.

On a slightly negative note, as not everything can be perfect (to me), I kind of get the feeling that Molly Harvey sounds particularly annoyed in this show. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love her but on some of these numbers I just cannot stand her! Like, again, for me, Teddy Bear kinda sucks here, sorry!).

Overall though, The Way We Were (Expanded) is an expansive show of pure musical wonderment, as only you could have hoped and thusly expected, and even though it does have pockets of What the f**k was that? sprinkled around, I think you really had to be there to get the full experience (but listening now to it was just a quite brilliant way to pass my afternoon regardless).

Disc 1: 1. The Way We Were 2. Lizard Lady 3. Hello Skinny 4. Picnic In The Jungle 5. Commercial Album Suite 6. ATKH52551706 7. Would We Be Alive 8. Perfect Goat / Golden Goat 9. The Sleeper 10. Their Early Years 11. Jelly Jack 12. Deadwood 13. They Are The Meat / Mr. Misery 14. Burn Baby Burn 15. Mr. Wonderful 16. Betty’s Body 17. Ober 18. Teddy Bear 19. Ship Of Fools 20. The Way We Were Goodnight

Disc 2: 1. The Way We Were 2. Guylum Bardot 3. Lizard Lady 4. Hello Skinny 5. Picnic In The Jungle 6. Commercial Album Suite 7. Coming Of The Crow / Eva’s Warning 8. Would We Be Alive 9. Perfect Goat / Golden Goat 10. The Sleeper 11. Their Early Years 12. Jelly Jack 13. Deadwood 14. They Are The Meat / Mr. Misery 15. Burn Baby Burn 16. Mr. Wonderful 17. Betty’s Body 18. Ober 19. Teddy Bear 20. Ship Of Fools

Official Purchase Link

www.residents.com