In the notes to this album the band describes themselves as being interested in making music about music because of their respect for music as content as well as form. Here, they cover works by Hank Williams, Sr. (1923-1953), and John Philip Sousa (1854-1932).
Sousaside, the Sousa side of the album, is a simulated marching-band parade. One band approaches, fading in, then fades out as the next fades in. The music is surrounded by crowd noises, airplanes flying over, and the like. The album ends with an anticlimactic fade-out as the last band marches off, just like a real parade. Sousaside combines the trademark Residents covering style with the soundscaping ideas the band first developed for Eskimo.

The Hank Williams songs are handled in a very different manner than James Brown's had been on George & James. The Residents' Brown had been completely unintelligible, sounding much like the shaman character on Eskimo. Hank Williams, on the other hand, comes through very clearly on this album and the songs are much more accessible, more like what most people expect in a cover rather than the extreme deconstruction The Residents usually do. The version of Jambalaya is downright understated. Stars & Hank Forever did much better than George & James had due to a large part to accessibility of the Hank Williams side. Stars & Hank did so well, in fact, that Torso Records in Europe remixed the Kaw-liga track into a couple of singles. The Sousa music, while well done, was not so well received by the critics, probably due to the extreme contrast in style with the Hank Williams side.

Hank Williams (1923 - 1953)
Hank Williams, at the age of twelve, met and became influenced by Rufe "Tee-tot" Payne, a black musician who taught him the rudiments of public performance. Mr. Williams formed his first working honkytonk band at the age of fourteen. At 26 he had his first number one C&W smash, "Lovesick Blues." The reception at his Grand Ole Opry debut required six encores to appease the audience.

Unfortunately, Hank did not handle stardom too well. Over the following three years, with the help of booze and pills, he managed to undo just about everything he had done.

Hank Williams died of unknown causes in the back seat of his powder-blue Cadillac convertible on New Year's Eve at the age of 29.


John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)
Mr. Sousa was born in Washington DC shortly after the end of the Civil War. No doubt as a child he was thrilled by the sight of marching soldiers and military bands. At the age of fourteen he joined the United States Marines Band and became its conductor at the age of 26. He also wrote a few novels, operettas, and a world anthology of national songs, but it was his marches, over a hundred of them, that made Sousa one of the most famous men of his day and earned him the still undisputed title of "The March King.".

The "King" died of old age at 78, rich, internationally famous, and still writing marches.

Kaw-Liga is a cover of the song by Hank Williams, Sr. which originally appeared on Stars & Hank Forever. It was first released as a single, then in various editions of remixes, with most being collected on CD in 1994.

Kaw-Liga (1986)

This was a 2000 picture disk series pressed on transparent red vinyl (though the first 28 were pressed on regular black by mistake). 3000 copies were then pressed on plain black with the picture disk artwork on the sleeve. It contains Kaw-Liga and Stars and Stripes Forever from the Sousaside side of Stars & Hank Forever.


Kaw-Liga Dance Mix (1986)

Contains Prariemix, the original version, and Horrormix. There is also a 3" CD release of this single.


Kaw-Liga Housey Mix (1989)

Contains The Housey Mix, The Stripped Mix, and Nightmare Mix II.


Poor Kaw-Liga's Pain (1994)

This CD release is a collection of the original Kaw-liga, all of the above mixes, a new mix, and a live version.


Kaw-Liga (2013)
A Record Store Day release, this 3-track 12" vinyl is pressed on marbled black and purple vinyl. Tracks are all previously released: Prairie Mix, Original Mix, Stripped Mix