Ralph was officially launched by The Residents in 1972 with the release of the "Santa Dog" double 7-inch. At that time, the newly formed The Cryptic Corpration took over the label with visions of running it as a legit record company and not just a vehicle for Residents recordings. During the following years Ralph Records became the home of Snakefinger, Tuxedomoon, Fred Frith, Renaldo & the Loaf, MX-80 Sound, Yello, Art Bears, Rhythm & Noise, Hajime Tachibana, Nash the Slash, Clubfoot Orchestra and, of course, The Residents.
In 1986, The Cryptic Corporation, having undergone management shakeup, felt the label business was no longer working as a business model and that it was important to find better distribution for their star act, The Residents. So all artists were released from their contracts and the label was shut down. The Residents were moved onto the higher profile RYKO label for the USA, Torso for Europe, and Wave for Japan.
So the Ralph Records office was permanently closed. This list below is of the albums and artists that Ralph Records released while in operation.
Historical footnote:The term "Ralph Records" was briefly licensed to former Ralph employee, Tom Timony, after The Cryptic Corporation had discontinued using it. Tom released several titles independently under the name, Ralph Records, and re-released some vinyl titles that the original Ralph Records had carried. Those projects are not associated with The Residents and are, therefore, not listed here.After the Tom Timony license expired in the mid-1990's, The Cryptic Corporation again started working under the "Ralph" trademark and reactivated the basic concepts behind the label to form Ralph America and Euro Ralph. Ralph America and Euro Ralph projects are listed elsewhere as they came after the close of the original company.
The Ralph Records Releases
The Residents Albums
• Meet The Residents
• Not Available
• The Third Reich 'N' Roll
• Fingerprince
• Duck Stab
• Eskimo
• The Commercial Album
• Mark of the Mole
• The Tunes of Two Cities
• Intermission
• Residue
• George & James
• Whatever Happened to Vileness Fats?
• The Big Bubble
• The 13th Anniversary Show
Snakefinger Albums
• Chewing Hides the Sound
• Greener Postures
• Manual of Errors
• Against the Grain (compilation)
Clubfoot Orchestra Albums
• Wild Beasts
Art Bears Albums
• Winter Songs
MX-80 Sound Albums
• Out Of The Tunnel
• Crowd Control
Tuxedomoon Albums
• Half-Mute
• Desire
• A Thousand Lives By Picture (compilation)
Fred Frith Albums
• Gravity
• Speechless LP
• Cheap At Half The Price
Yello Albums
• Solid Pleasure
• Claro Que Si
Renaldo & the Loaf Albums
• Songs For Swinging Larvae
• Arabic Yodelling
• Play Struve & Sneff
• The Elbow is Taboo
Rhythm & Noise Albums
• Chasms Accord
• Contents Under Notice
Nash The Slash Albums
• The Million Year Picnic
Hajime Tachibana Albums
• Hm