DISKOMO 2000

The Residents in their strange wisdom found it necessary to take parts of the "Eskimo" album, a concept album depicting the life of an Eskimo, and make a shortened disco version of it. Now, if you have heard the "Eskimo" album, it obviously makes you curious to hear that, doesn't it. One of the most non-commercial albums ever actually was reduced to disco? Well, apparently it can be done, not just one time, but at least 3 times.

There are three versions of the Diskomo track on this E.P. They are on tracks 1, 2, and 8. The first version is actually a very well done version that will actually give The Residents credibility and could easily be played in a club and taken seriously. Seriously? The Residents? Well, they have been making music for a long, long time, they had to get it right sometime. The second version is the original Diskomo version, and though it sounds dated, it retains a lot of the original Eskimo sound, so it is easy to pick a lot of the pieces of the Eskimo album out. The third version is the 1992 version.

So what else makes up this E.P? How about the suite known as "Goosebumps". This suite comes from the original Diskomo E.P. released several years before. In this instance, it is divided up into tracks 3 - 6. These are The Residents crazy-assed versions of nursery rhymes and it is quite hilarious. They use their minimalism very well in these tracks and their twisted sense of humor is running rampart throughout this suite both in their music and their satire. Vocals are put through special effects and loops to the delight of twisted minds everywhere. I can't help but think Mike Patton was inspired by The Residents after hearing this suite. This stuff is so weird that it's awesome and it's friggin' hilarious. Nursery Rhyme psychedelia at it's best. I suppose this would be a way of introducing young children to avant garde music, but it all depends if you want them to come out of the experience with their sanity or not. Probably best to wait until they are older. The last track of the suite is "Twinkle" and the following track (#7) is an updated version (well it was updated in 2000 for this E.P. specifically) of "Twinkle". The updated version sounds nothing like the original "Twinkle" at all and is sung by a child while the instrumental accompaniment goes off on another tangent altogether.

Finally we get to the 1992 version of Diskomo, which doesn't have a disco beat at all, but is more of a constant mid-tempo beat with a constant drone in the background and pieces of Eskimo melodies playing throughout. Sort of an alternative sound that was popular during that time. Not too bad though. I do like the choral effects in this version.

Anyway, even with the 3 versions, it is varied enough to stay interesting throughout the album and if you can't get the original Diskomo E.P. then this one is worth it just for the craziness of the "Goosebumps" suite if for nothing else. Alas, I have to give this only 3 stars, because it is non- essential Residents material, but let it be known that I love this E.P.