Historical
George & James(1984)
OverviewTracksLiner Notes


George & James consists of covers of works by George Gershwin (1898-1937) and James Brown (1933-2006). The album notes include a brief introduction to the American Composers Series concept followed by brief biographies of the two artists and of The Residents, describing them as "a group of pseudo-artists who freely indulge themselves in the Great American Culture". It was also the first Residents album to use computer-created art on the cover and in the promotional video, It's a Man's Man's Man's World.
The James Brown side is based on Brown's Live at the Apollo, one of the first live albums and the most successful R&B album ever. The Resident's version simulates the live sound of the Apollo concert with crowd noises taken from the Mole Show performance in Utrech, Holland (the same show used for the The Mole Show: Live in Holland recording). James Brown's part is taken by The Residents' lead singer, who transforms the Godfather of Soul into a growling voice reminiscent of the Angakok from Eskimo.






It's a Man's Man's Man's World(1984)
OverviewTracks


Man's World was considered by The Residents as the single from the album, GEORGE & JAMES although it does not appear on that album.

Note: 4000 copies of this release were pressed on white vinyl with a blue "iris" label and clear sleeve with red veins printed on it to achieve an eyeball effect. 300 of these had the labels for the A and B sides switched. 5000 copies were also pressed on black vinyl and referred to as "The Black Single" with no accompanying artwork. The Korova release is on black vinyl with simple white computer type on a black background on the sleeve.