Editing The Residents (section)

====''Eskimo'', ''Fingerprince'', ''Duck Stab'', & rise in popularity (1976–1979)====
Following "Satisfaction", the group began recording [[Eskimo (album)|''Eskimo'']] in April 1976; a concept album based upon the Theory of Phonetic Organisation that suggests that music should not be confined to chords and structures, but instead should simply be a collection of fascinating noises. The album featured acoustic soundscapes inspired by Inuit culture,<ref>Eskimo Liner Notes (Ralph Records, ESK7906) [1979]
</ref> whilst parodying American ignorance of other cultures. The ''Eskimo'' sessions lasted many years, and featured many divergences, the first of which, in November 1976, resulted in ''[[Fingerprince]]'', a collection of unused recordings from ''the Third Reich 'n Roll'', ''Not Available'', and ''Eskimo'' sessions.<ref>The Residents - Fingerprince Liner Notes, (Ralph Records RR1276) [1977]</ref>

''Fingerprince'' received considerable coverage in the British press, and was the first LP by the group to receive any critical attention when [[Jon Savage]] reviewed the album and its two predecessors favorably for the December 31st issue of [[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] magazine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/residents-imeet-the-residents--third-reich-n-roll--finger-prince-i|title=Residents: Meet the Residents *****; Third Reich 'N' Roll *****; Finger Prince *****. By Jon Savage : Articles, reviews and interviews from Rock's Backpages.|website=Rocksbackpages.com|access-date=2020-01-06}}</ref> This review gained the group considerable attention, with many of their previously unsold mail-order items being sold seemingly overnight.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Duck Stab / Buster & Glenn pREServed Liner Notes|last=Shirley|first=Ian|publisher=Pale Pachyderm Publishing|year=2018|pages=1}}</ref> The sudden success of ''Fingerprince'' and its predecessors caused the group to briefly halt production on ''Eskimo'' to create something more appealing to their newfound audience.

The Residents followed up ''Fingerprince'' with their ''[[Duck Stab!]]'' EP – their most accessible release up to that point. This EP got the band some attention from the press (namely ''[[NME]]'', ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' and ''[[Melody Maker]]''), and was followed in 1978 by the ''[[Duck Stab/Buster & Glen]]'' album, which paired the EP with a similar, concurrently recorded EP which had not been released separately. The group then continued work on ''[[Eskimo (album)|Eskimo]]'', which proved a very difficult project, marked by many conflicts between the band and their management which led to a number of delays in the release date.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Kevin L. |date=June 30, 2014 |title=Tap Into Your Inner Resident: Notes on our Planet's Strangest Band {{!}} KQED |url=https://www.kqed.org/arts/10137103/tap-into-your-inner-resident-notes-on-our-planets-strangest-band |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723160043/https://www.kqed.org/arts/10137103/tap-into-your-inner-resident-notes-on-our-planets-strangest-band |archive-date=July 23, 2021 |access-date=May 21, 2024 |website=www.kqed.org |language=en}}</ref>

The sudden attention afforded to them by the success of the ''Duck Stab!'' EP and "Satisfaction" single required an album release as soon as possible to help fund the band's spiraling recording costs, and to meet the demand for new Residents material. This forced the release of the band's long-shelved "second album" ''[[Not Available]]'' in 1978. The Residents were not bothered by this deviation from the original plan not to release the album, as the 1978 release ultimately did not affect the philosophical conditions under which it was originally recorded.

''[[Eskimo (album)|Eskimo]]'' was finally released in 1979 to much acclaim, even making it to the final list for nominations for a Grammy award in 1980, although the album wasn't nominated. Rather than being songs in the orthodox sense, the compositions on ''Eskimo'' sounded like "live-action stories" without dialogue. The cover art of ''Eskimo'' also presents the first instance of the group wearing eyeball masks and tuxedos, which was later considered by many to be the group's signature costume. The Residents had only intended to wear these costumes for the cover of ''Eskimo'', but adopted the costumes in the longer term as it provided them with a unique and recognisable image.

The group followed ''Eskimo'' with ''[[Commercial Album]]'' in 1980. The LP featured 40 songs, each exactly one minute in length.<ref name="rf">{{cite book
| last1                  = Buckley
| first1                 = Peter
| last2                 = Fontenoy
| first2                = Richard
| title                 = The Rough Guide to Rock
| url                   = https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&q=The+Rough+Guide+to+Rock
| access-date            = January 8, 2013
| date                  = November 20, 2003
| publisher             = [[Rough Guides]]
| isbn                  = 978-1843531050
| pages                 = 868–870
| edition = 3rd
}}</ref> Around this time, two short films were made in collaboration with [[Graeme Whifler]]: ''One Minute Movies'', consisting of four music videos for tracks from the ''Commercial Album''; and a video for "Hello Skinny" from the ''Duck Stab'' LP. Created at a time when MTV (and what later became known as "music video" in general) was in its infancy, the group's videos were in heavy rotation since they were among the few music videos available to broadcasters.