Renaldo and the Loaf

Renaldo & The Loaf attempted to replicate the sound of synthesizers using acoustic instruments. They manipulated tape loops and muffled and detuned their instruments.

David Janssen and Brian Poole met each other at school in the spring of 1970, when they bonded over a love for Tyrannosaurus Rex and began to play guitar.Newspaper interview, 1980, [https://web.archive.org/web/20091027073752/http://geocities.com/Magloaf/grathics/interview1.jpg archived here]

The two had been recording together as early as 1977, creating sound experiments that neither considered 'songs'. During this period they, along with friend Terry Nichols, worked on a four part instrumental suite titled 'Segment', which was completed in the spring of 1978.

After deciding to attempt a more song like structure in September 1978,Renaldo & The Loaf - Behind Closed Curtains + Tap Dancing In Slush + Rotcodism - Liner Notes (2014, gg193, Klanggalerie) the duo adopted the moniker Plimsollline, and discovered a newspaper ad from a record label named Raw Records asking for artists. The duo responded to this by sending a demo tape, and were quickly signed. At the suggestion of label owner 'Lee', the duo recorded an album and EP titled 'Behind Closed Curtains' and 'Tap Dance In Sushi' between September 1978 and April 1979, but shortly after the completion of the material, Lee and Raw Records disappeared, and the tapes were shelved. This brief encounter with a record label gave them the confidence they needed to approach larger labels like Virgin and Rough Trade. During their correspondence with Rough Trade, Geoff Travis suggested that the duo invest in a good multi-track tape recorder, a piece of equipment that would become essential to the sound of their debut album, Struve & Sneff.{{Cite web|date=1978-01-01|title=Tap Dancing in Slush|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/tap-dancing-in-slush/|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} By the time Struve & Sneff began recording in April 1979,Renaldo & The Loaf - Struve & Sneff Liner Notes (Rotcod Productions, .RD1, 1979) the two had already adopted the name 'Renaldo & The Loaf'.

The sessions for 'Struve & Sneff' became a routine for Poole & Janssen. They would discuss new material and ideas during the midweek, and meet in Janssen's bedroom to record the next Saturday. They were both heavily inspired by the popular synthesizer bands of the time, but were unable to afford keyboards themselves, and so recreated synth-like noises using tape effects and treated guitars. Struve & Sneff was completed in September 1979 and was sold through mail order between 1979 and 1983 in a limited quantity of 250.{{Cite web|title=Struvé & Sneff Tape|url=http://www.geocities.ws/magloaf/ratl/Snefftape.html|access-date=2021-04-03|website=www.geocities.ws}}

While on Holiday in San Francisco, Brian Poole visited 444 Grove Street, the headquarters of Ralph Records and The Residents. While there, Poole unknowingly met with a member of The Residents, and gave him copy of Struve & Sneff. The Resident listened to the first three tracks, and told him it was excellent. Shortly afterwards, the two began a mail correspondence, where The Resident expressed interest in signing the band to Ralph.{{Cite web|date=1979-01-01|title=Renaldo & the Loaf play Struvé & Sneff|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/play-struve-and-sneff/|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} During these correspondences, the duo recorded and sent Ralph Records two demo tapes, Songs For The Surgery recorded from November 1979 to Mid 1980,{{Cite web|date=1980-01-01|title=Songs from The Surgery|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/songs-from-the-surgery/|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} and Hats Off, Gentlemen! completed in Autumn of 1980.{{Cite web|date=1980-01-01|title=Hats Off, Gentlemen!|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/hats-off-gentlemen/|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} These, combined with Struve & Sneff, were enough for Ralph, and Jay Clem, representative for the label, was sent to England to sign them. After this, the two started working on their first LP, Songs For Swinging Larvae, recording and writing new songs for it throughout late 1980, as well as overdubbing material from their Ralph demos. The album was finished in November 1980,Renaldo & The Loaf - Songs For Swinging Larvae Liner Notes (Ralph Records, RL8108, 1981) and production on its follow-up, Arabic Yodeling, began almost immediately afterwards in December.Renaldo And The Loaf - Arabic Yodelling Liner Notes (Ralph Records, RL 8308, 1983)

Lyrically, the album was inspired by classical European literature, with Medical Man being a direct adaption of the first chapter of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of the Four, Spratt's Medium being inspired by Samuel Beckett's Endgame and Ow! Stew the Red Shoe! taking lyrics from four short stories by Beckett found in a collection titled 'First Love'. The album title is a play on Frank Sinatra's Songs For Swinging Lovers.{{Cite web|date=2004-05-11|title=A Sob Story|url=http://www.geocities.com/magloaf/ratl/sobstory.html#holmes|access-date=2021-04-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040511125511/http://www.geocities.com/magloaf/ratl/sobstory.html#holmes|archive-date=2004-05-11}}

Prior to the album's release, Poole and Janssen travelled to San Francisco in late FebruaryThe Residents & Renaldo & The Loaf - Title In Limbo + 4 Daze Liner Notes (Klanggalerie, gg200-2, 2017) to film their Songs For Swinging Larvae music video in March.{{Cite web|title=Title In Limbo - Historical - The Residents|url=https://residents.com/historical/?page=titleinlimbo|access-date=2021-04-04|website=residents.com}} The idea was originally to film a video for 'Is Guava A Donut?', but Ralph suggested making the video a narrative about a recent abduction story.Icky Flix DVD booklet The video, directed by Graeme Whifer,{{Cite web|title=Songs for Swinging Larvae|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3MbVoLYns|access-date=2020-06-15|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}} would combine three songs recorded during the album's sessions, Spratt's Medium, Lime Jelly Grass, and an outtake, Melvyn's Repose. They knew the video would be controversial, but thought it would get them noticed.{{Cite web|date=1981-01-01|title=Songs for Swinging Larvae|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/songs-for-swinging-larvae/|access-date=2021-04-04|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}}

After the video was completed The Residents invited the duo to their studio, where they jammed. After the session, The Residents suggested that they record an album together in the remaining three days of their visit, by taking the jam and adding overdubs. On the second day, they were split into two groups. Brian Poole and his half of The Residents were set to devise lyrics and singing, while Dave Janssen and his half were set to consider overdubs. On the third day overdubs would be recorded, and on day four it would be mixed. This demo tape was titled '4 Daze' and was left incomplete when the two returned to England.{{Cite web|date=1983-01-01|title=Title in Limbo (w/The Residents)|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/title-in-limbo-w-the-residents/|access-date=2021-04-04|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} A few weeks after they had returned, they received a cassette tape of the demo with additional overdubs made by The Residents.

Songs For Swinging Larvae, along with the music video, were released in the US through Ralph Records on April 10, 1981,Ralph Records Spring 1981 Catalog, [https://web.archive.org/web/20091027073759/http://geocities.com/Magloaf/ratl/djrgal.html Scan here] and in the UK two months later in June.Record Business June 1981

Following the release of Songs For Swinging Larvae, the two began working on their third demo tape, titled 'The Serious Collection', which was sent to Ralph after its completion in July 1982.{{Cite web|date=1982-01-01|title=The Serious Collection|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/the-serious-collection/|access-date=2021-04-04|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} The material on this tape developed into much of their third album, Arabic Yodelling. The album was inspired by Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry and the works of Charles Baudelaire.{{Cite web|date=1983-01-01|title=Arabic Yodelling|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/arabic-yodelling/|access-date=2021-04-04|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} It was completed in January 1983, and was the first album by Renaldo & The Loaf to feature a guest musician, violinist Dave Baker, who was a friend of Brian Poole's. Baker and Janssen never met. It was also their first album to feature traditional keyboards, as the group had purchased a Casiotone 202 for use as Renaldo & The Loaf. Unlike Songs For Swinging Larvae and Struve & Sneff, the album would not have a U.K release, and would have had to have been imported from Ralph in the US by British fans.

When The Residents visited London on their Mole Show tour on June 28, 1983,{{Cite web|title=Mole Trilogy - Historical - The Residents|url=https://residents.com/historical/?page=moletrilogy#moleshow|access-date=2021-04-05|website=residents.com}} David and Brian met with The Residents backstage to discuss their '4 Daze' collaboration that they had worked together on 2 years prior. The Residents had time in their schedule to finish it in September, and so three weeks of the month were chosen for them to complete the album. Unfortunately, Janssen was unable to get time off to visit San Francisco and so Brian went by himself, taking with him tape loops created by Dave, a Bouzouki, a Rababa, and a reed instrument known as a Mesmer. Sessions for the album continued over three weeks, with The Residents' usual equipment being in transit{{Cite web|date=1983-01-01|title=Title in Limbo (w/The Residents)|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/title-in-limbo-w-the-residents/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} from their Leicestershire Mole Show performance in July. They used a Yamaha Keyboard, a 'Resitar' electric guitar, a drum machine and a violin, used by Snakefinger on the track 'Africa Tree'The Residents & Renaldo And The Loaf - Title In Limbo Credits (Ralph Records, RR 8351, 1983) The album, titled Title in Limbo, was released in November 1983.{{Cite web|title=Title In Limbo - Historical - The Residents|url=https://residents.com/historical/?page=titleinlimbo|access-date=2021-04-05|website=residents.com}}

Title in Limbo had made more money than any of their previous projects and gave the duo the budget they needed improve their recording set up. Brian Poole created a home studio which, unlike Janssen's bedroom, featured full mixing equipment. Poole felt this somewhat stifled his creative input, now that he was no longer able to record whenever he felt like. The duo also now had a sampler, a Roland TR-606 drum machine and a Korg SDD-1000 digital delay unit.

They began recording their follow-up to Arabic Yodeling in early 1984, with sessions continuing throughout the entirety of 1985 and finishing in late 1986. During this period the duo released two archival works, a re-edited LP version of Struve & Sneff, which included five outtakes from the original sessions was released, and, in 1985, a compilation titled 'Olleh Olleh Rotcod.' This compilation contained rare tracks by the band, as well as two excerpts from the Elbow is Taboo sessions, "Critical/Dance" and the title track.{{Cite web|date=1985-01-01|title=Olleh Olleh Rotcod|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/olleh-olleh-rotcod/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}}

By the time The Elbow Is Taboo was complete, Ralph were no longer acting as the duo's primary record label, as they had moved on to the UK based Some Bizzare records, Ralph would still release the album in the US, but were significantly less involved in the product's creation. With their previous albums, Poole and Jansseen would begin work on the follow-up as soon as the master tapes had been sent to Ralph, but in this case, the duo were not pleased with the proposed artwork created by Bizarre and had to take new photographs to be used instead. This caused significant delays in the album's release and exhausted the band. They discussed ideas for a follow-up at the time, but found it difficult to start anything.{{Cite web|date=1987-01-01|title=The Elbow is Taboo|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/the-elbow-is-taboo/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} The album was inspired partly by French band Ptôse, whose song 'Boule' was covered by the duo.

In 1987 they recorded a cover version of "Haul on the Bowline" for the Ralph Records anthology album Potatoes, shortly after, the duo retired.

Two years after the retirement of Renaldo & The Loaf, Brian Poole began working with Kwesi Marles (Who had assisted Renaldo & The Loaf on the Hambu Hodo EP), and formed a group named 'Shouting Hat'. They recorded an unreleased cover of 'Ravel's Bolero!' in 1989, and then a track titled 'Jump Jump' on the 1993 TEC Tones compilation 'Goobers' under the name Fiction Friends.{{Cite web|date=1993-01-01|title=Goobers (as "Fiction Friends")|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/goobers-fiction-friends/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} Around this same time, TEC Tones began releasing Renaldo & The Loaf's Ralph albums on CD.

In 1996 Poole worked with Frank Pahl on two songs, 'Value of Slacks', for his album 'In Cahoots',{{Cite web|date=1997-01-01|title=Frank Pahl, In Cahoots|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/frank-pahl-in-cahoots/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} and 'Portsmouth' for his album 'Remove The Cork'{{Cite web|date=1998-01-01|title=Frank Pahl, Remove the Cork|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/frank-pahl-remove-the-cork/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} In 1998, Title In Limbo was released on CD through Ralph America, followed by a CD issue of the original version of Sturve & Sneff from The Esoteric Music Group. Between 2002 and 2003 Poole also worked with The Moles on two tracks, 'Mole in a Hole' and 'We Are The Moles'.{{Cite web|date=2003-01-01|title=The Moles, Worm Pizza|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/the-moles-worm-pizza/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} In 2005, he was asked by director and multi-instrumentalist Alex Wroten to collaborate on the end credits music for his film The Human Elbow.{{Cite web|date=2005-01-01|title=The Human Elbow|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/the-human-elbow/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}}

19 years following his last release, Dave Janssen released a solo album titled 'The Entomology of Sound' under the pseudonym 'The Darkening Scale'.{{Cite web|date=2006-01-01|title=The Entomology of Sound|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/darkening-scale-entomology-of-sound/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} The same year he also released his second album, 'Sonic Archaeology', also as The Darkening Scale.{{Cite web|date=2006-07-01|title=Sonic Archaeology|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/darkening-scale-sonic-archaeology/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} The Darkening Scale was last active in 2020. From 2007 to 2008 Janssen briefly adopted the pseudonym 'Lightness Ascending'.

The duo were reunited in 2006, to create the Renaldoloaf.co.uk website.{{Cite web|date=2019-10-03|title=About Renaldo & the Loaf|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/about/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} The year afterwards, they were commissioned to record three songs for the soundtrack to Kirk Mannican’s Liberty Mug.{{Cite web|date=2007-01-01|title=Kirk Mannican's Liberty Mix|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/kirk-mannicans-liberty-mix/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} Six years after they were asked by record label Klanggalerie to create a song for a compilation album Section 25: Eigengrau. For this the duo created 'Girls Don't Count (The Critical Mix)'{{Cite web|date=2013-01-01|title=Section 25: Eigengrau|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/section-25-eigengrau/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}}

In October 2016 the duo released their first studio album in 30 years, Gurdy Hurding.{{Cite web|date=2016-01-01|title=Gurdy Hurding|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/gurdy-hurding/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} In June 2018 they performed at the Klanggalerie 25th Anniversary celebration, for which they performed their second ever live show since their formation.{{Cite web|date=2018-01-01|title=Long Time Coming|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/long-time-coming-live-2018/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} The following year they released the EP Song of the Lungfish,{{Cite web|date=2019-11-01|title=Song of the Lungfish|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/song-of-the-lungfish/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}} and in 2020, released two singles relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|date=2020-05-02|title=Hambu Lodo|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/hambu-lodo/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}}{{Cite web|date=2020-05-27|title=Hair Apparent|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/hair-apparent/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}}

Notable artists influenced by Renaldo & The Loaf include The Residents, Frank Pahl, and Andrew Liles. The Residents, along with having worked with the duo, covered the three songs featured in Renaldo & The Loaf's Songs For Swinging Larvae music video for their Icky Flix project in 2001. Andrew Liles collaborated with the duo on his album 'Black Pool' in 2007 and performed songs written by them on the album.Andrew Liles - Black Pool Track Credits (Beta-lactam Ring Records – mt135, 2007) Frank Pahl worked with Brian Poole in the 1990s and the two co-wrote the song 'The Value Of Slacks' together.Frank Pahl - In Cahoots Track Credits (Vaccination Records, VAC014, 1997) In 2021, Klanggalerie released Hardly Gurning While The World Is Turning, a reworked version of Gurdy Hurding, featuring remixes from various artists such as Cult With No Name, Eric Drew Feldman, Andrew Liles, Section 25, Transglobal Underground, and The Residents.{{Cite web|date=2021-05-04|title=Hardly Gurning While The World Is Turning|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/portfolio/hardly-gurning-while-the-world-is-turning/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}}

Albums

{{Columns-list|*Renaldo & The Loaf Play Struvé & Sneff (1979)

• Songs For Swinging Larvae (1981)
• Title In Limbo with The Residents (1983)
• Arabic Yodelling (1983)
• The Elbow is Taboo (1987)
• Gurdy Hurding (2016)
• Long Time Coming (2018)
• Hardly Gurning While The World Is Turning (2021)}}

Compilations

EPs

Singles

On March 8, 2022, Well Dang Productions released Renaldo & The Loaf – 23rd Century Giants. The film was directed by David Janssen and Alex Wroten.{{Cite web|title=Renaldo & The Loaf - 23rd Century Giants|url=https://www.amazon.com/Renaldo-Loaf-23rd-Century-Giants/dp/B09LYZV3SV|access-date=2022-09-13|website=Amazon}} It details the history of Renaldo & The Loaf, including never-before-seen material and long-forgotten novelty items.{{Cite web|date=2022-02-26|title="23rd Century Giants" out on March 8, 2022|url=https://www.renaldoloaf.com/2022/02/23rd-century-giants-out-on-march-8-2022/|access-date=2022-09-13|website=Renaldo & The Loaf}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.renaldoloaf.com/ Renaldo and the Loaf: The Official Site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040611042742/http://www.geocities.com/magloaf/ Renaldo and the Loaf: The Hums Do Not Intrude (archived)]
• [http://www.myspace.com/ollehollehrotcod Renaldo and the Loaf's official MySpace page]
• [http://www.myspace.com/thedarkeningscale Ted the Loaf's MySpace page]
• [http://www.myspace.com/renaldomalpractice Renaldo M's MySpace page]
• [http://www.laideafija.com.ar/larevista/especiales/RATL_indice.html Especial Renaldo and the Loaf (in Spanish, a comprehensive story of the band and the commented discography)]

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Category:English experimental musical groups

Category:Avant-garde music groups

Category:English musical duos

Category:Surrealist groups

Category:Some Bizzare Records artists