In 2003,
the Residents were revisiting their archives and back catalog, and, for reasons only they understand, they asked German producer
Paralyser to remix their 1989
King & Eye album. The
King & Eye had them radically reworking the hits of
Elvis Presley, which was something of an obsession with them and led to the
Cube E presentation in 1990. With the original
King & Eye,
the Residents succeeded in adding an element of menace totally lacking in
Presley's versions, emphasizing the dark underbelly of the song texts. With this remix album,
Paralyser manages to remove much of that menace with his dance beats. The vocals haven't changed appreciably, but the whole musical context has. Unfortunately, the results just aren't that exciting.
Paralyser's beats are pretty pedestrian; one wonders what
the Residents themselves would have done with this same material. It could be argued as to how much of a
Residents' project this really is, but the fact is, this is pretty inessential for all but
Residents completists, and those who need more twisted
Elvis covers.