God in Three Persons

God in Three Persons is a rock opera/concept album by The Residents, released in 1988. It was about a man 'Mr. X' and two conjoined twins. The songs are all sung in a rhythmic spoken word fashion, similar to talking blues. A companion soundtrack album, featuring most of the instrumental backing tracks, was also released. A central motif of the album is the organ riff from Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love) by 1960s frat rock band The Swingin' Medallions.

With a 5/5 rating, God in Three Persons is the highest rated Residents album in Allmusic.^[2]

Storyline

The album is the story of a Colonel Parker-type character called Mr. X, who finds a pair of Siamese twins who have miraculous healing powers. He convinces them to let him manage their careers, touring them as holy healers and conducting services during which they cure the masses. Mr. X begins to lust after the "female" twin, then realizes that the twins' sexes are fluid rather than fixed. When he discovers that the twins are far more worldly than he had believed, and therefore less under his control, he plots a vicious rape in which he severs the connection between the two, splitting them forever. In the end he realizes that his feelings for the twins were not being imposed on him by the twins, but came from within himself.

The story is narrated in the first person by Mr. X. He is accompanied throughout by instrumental music and sung commentary by Laurie Amat, who acts as a "Greek Chorus" (and sings the opening credits on the first track).

Track listing

1. "Main Title from 'God in 3 Persons'" - 3:52
2. "Hard & Tenderly" - 4:36
3. "Devotion?" - 3:36
4. "The Thing About Them" - 4:05
5. "Their Early Years" - 4:39
6. "Loss of a Loved One" - 4:50
7. "The Touch" - 3:30
8. "The Service" - 5:02
9. "Confused (By What I Felt Inside)" - 4:37
10. "Fine Fat Flies" - 4:26
11. "Time" - 1:18
12. "Silver, Sharp and Could Not Care" - 3:03
13. "Kiss of Flesh" - 9:39
14. "Pain and Pleasure" - 4:35

• Soundtrack Tracks:

1. "Main Titles (God in Three Persons)" - 3:38
2. "Hard and Tenderly" - 3:44
3. "The Thing About Them" - 3:25
4. "Their Early Years" - 2:43
5. "Loss of a Loved One" - 3:10
6. "The Touch" - 2:08
7. "The Service (Part 1)" - 2:51
8. "The Service (Part 2)" - 1:28
9. "Confused by What I Felt Inside" - 5:37
10. "Kiss of Flesh" - 9:25
11. "Pain and Pleasure" - 2:00

References