Renaldo and the Loaf - " Play Struvé & Sneff " (Rotcod Productions Rc1) 1979 and Ralph Records Anthology 1979-1987

Here's another band in the tradition of Volcano the Bear and Yximalloo,namely, Renaldo and the Loaf. Residents worship abound, in this slightly irritating ,over-clever ,everything but the kitchen sink tape collage-ish home recording, with silly voices atop. This is the tape that got them signed to Ralph, and the opportunity to make a Record with their heroes:
"Title in LImbo", (1983)
....which in fact is the best record that either the Residents or Renaldo and the Loaf ever made.
Don't get me wrong, the Residents didn't put a foot wrong up until about 1983, when technology took over from the genuinely strange music.They didn't seem to be trying to be 'weird'; can't say the same for Renaldo and the loaf,but they do have their moments, try the compilation,also on Rotcod productions, "Olleh ,Olleh, Rotcod." That's got 'Critical Dance', and 'Medical Man' on it; two very good tunes.(Clickthe link below the pic or the link above to download)
Download Olleh Olleh Rotcod HERE!

There's a certain university humour monty python anorak quality about 'the Loaf' that both irritates and depresses me.Maybe that was their intention, if so then I approve. But at least they were doing it,being different ,and on their own time and label too. So that fact makes them worth ten thousand Coldplay's in this author's scale of goodness.
So while you're at it, try "Songs For Swinging Larvae" , "Arabic Yodelling" and "The Elbow is Taboo" too.You know you want to after the write up I've just given them. (Just click on the titles to download)










"Songs For Swinging Larvae"
(1981)
"Arabic Yodelling" (1983)

"The Elbow is Taboo" (1987)

Brian Poole (aka Renaldo Malpractise)writes:
In all, about 250 copies of Struve and Sneff were made from 1979 to ( I guess) 1982 or 3. Each one was run off in realtime from the original master which was a 7" reel to reel 4 track tape made on an Akai 4000DS. The songs were mastered onto 2 tracks in one direction and we found an old improvisation going in the opposite direction on the other side. This sounded neat when it spun into and between the songs, so we kept it in.

The original copies were (invariably) recorded onto TDK AD tapes, the back 'spine' foldover should note this. But the labels stuck on the cassette will probably cover up the TDK logo leaving only the graphic stripes to identify it. I don't think any tapes were chrome .

The covers were photocopied onto different colour papers, after each batch of 10 tapes the colour would change. There was no record of the colour sequence except that the first 10 made were on golden yellow paper and the accent over the E of STRUVE on the spine foldover was accidentally left off. The next batch of 10 were on grey paper and the accent was put on. The cover was a folded sheet of (almost) A4, folded first lengthways then inwards into 4 panels. (Hope this is helpful, it's almost sounding archaeological !)

Track Listing:

A1		Meanings Of W.E.I.R.D.
A2		16 Going On 17
A3		Absence
A4		120 Before Zero
A5		Brittle People
A6		Dying Inside
A7		Kimbolton Gnome Song
A8		Bathroom Song
B1		Untitled
B2		Letters From Lee

DOWNLOAD Struve and Sneff HERE!