Renaldo & the Loaf was a musical duo from Portsmouth, England, active in the late seventies and most of the eighties, consisting of a pathologist (David Janssen or "Ted The Loaf") and an architect (Brian Poole or "Renaldo Malpractice", most often simply "Renaldo M").

Of all the groups that The Residents signed to their Ralph Records, English duo Renaldo & the Loaf were the closest to their label heads in sound. Twisted, high-pitched vocals, child-like melodies, an atmosphere of menace and unease with a stripped-down approach to instrumentation characterised their output.

By their own assertion, they achieved their unique sound in part by striving to get unnatural synthesizer-like sounds using only what instruments they had available (acoustic ones.) To that end they routinely used muffled and de-tuned instruments, and often to striking effect, tape loops/manipulation. The two released four full-length albums, one collection, various songs on compilation albums, and several self-produced demos. They were "discovered" by The Residents when Brian dropped off a tape at Ralph Records headquarters in San Francisco, during a visit to the US. After being signed to Ralph, they collaborated with The Residents on Title in Limbo.

By 1989, the collaboration had lost its steam, and the duo disbanded after recording a sea shanty, "Haul On The Bowline," which appeared only on a Ralph various artists release. Brian Poole ("Renaldo") contributed to sporadic recordings in the 1990s. In 2006 upon the launch of the new Renaldo & the Loaf web site, the duo were reunited for the first time in the better part of two decades.

Eternal Links:

Website

Renaldo & the Loaf Myspace

The Loaf's Myspace

Renaldo's Myspace

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