The Third Reich 'n Roll

The Third Reich 'n Roll

The Third Reich 'n Roll is a 1976 album by the U.S. avant-garde rock group The Residents. Their second (officially) released album, it is a parody and satire of pop music and commercials from the 1960s. The work consists of two side-long pastiches of various songs from the period. The liner notes state that approximately 30 songs have been utilised. Some are obvious, while others are almost unrecognizable. Although none of the songs are named on the album, The Residents' first website listed the tracks as the following:

Swastikas on Parade (recorded 1974):

  1. "Let's Twist Again" (German version—sampled)
  2. "Land of a Thousand Dances"
  3. "Hanky Panky"
  4. "A Horse with No Name"
  5. "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)"
  6. "The Letter"
  7. "Psychotic Reaction"
  8. "Little Girl"
  9. "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (sung in German)
  10. "Talk Talk" (The Music Machine)
  11. "I Want Candy"
  12. "To Sir, with Love"
  13. "Telstar"
  14. "Wipe Out"
  15. "Heroes and Villains"

Hitler Was a Vegetarian (recorded 1975):

  1. "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)"
  2. "96 Tears"
  3. "It's My Party"
  4. "Light My Fire"
  5. "Ballad of the Green Berets"
  6. "Yummy Yummy Yummy"
  7. "Rock Around the Clock"
  8. "Pushin' Too Hard"
  9. "Good Lovin'"
  10. "Gloria"
  11. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
  12. "Sunshine of Your Love"
  13. "Hey Jude"
  14. "Sympathy for the Devil"

Some of these songs are played simultaneously. America's "A Horse With No Name" is slightly newer than the rest of the hits on the album, but matches The Swinging Medallions' "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)" exactly. Vocals from The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" are performed during a guitar solo to the tune of The Beatles' "Hey Jude", and "Telstar" is played simultaneously with "Wipe Out".

The album generated controversy due to its cover art which featured television entertainer Dick Clark in a Nazi uniform holding a carrot while surrounded by swastikas and pictures of a dancing Adolf Hitler in both male and female dress. A version was marketed in the 1980s for German consumption which heavily censored much of the cover art by stamping the word "censored" over every Nazi reference.

The album was originally released on Ralph Records.

In 1980 a Third Reich 'N' Roll Collectors Box was produced in a limited edition of 30 copies of which 25 were released. These came with a hand pressed red marbled vinyl edition of the record with silk screened sleeve and labels, in a velvet-lined black wooden box with a sliding panel featuring hand-screened version of the cover art. Also enclosed are two signed and numbered lithographs by Irene Dogmatic. The entire box was enclosed in a drawstring bag made from a piece of Christo's work Running Fence.

An ultimate special edition hardbook containing all the original artwork and the full photo-session was released on Mute Records in September 2005.

Read more about The Third Reich 'n Roll:  Track Listing