God in Three Persons is a rock opera

Rock opera

A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...

/concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

 by The Residents

The Residents

The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....

, released in 1988. It was about a man 'Mr. X' and two conjoined twins

Conjoined twins

Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...

. The songs are all sung in a rhythm

Rhythm

Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...

ic spoken word

Spoken word

Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....

 fashion, similar to talking blues

Talking blues

Talking blues is a form of country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict....

. A companion soundtrack album, featuring most of the instrumental backing tracks, was also released. A central motif

Motif (music)

In music, a motif or motive is a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition....

 of the album is the organ riff from Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)

Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)

Double Shot is a popular song written by Don Smith and Cyril Vetter and originally recorded by Dick Holler & the Holidays. It was later recorded by The Swingin' Medallions who released it as their second single in 1966. The song became a Top 20 hit for the group, peaking at #17 on the U.S....

by 1960s frat rock band The Swingin' Medallions

The Swingin' Medallions

The Swingin' Medallions are an American beach music group from Greenwood, South Carolina.-History:The band was formed as The Medallions in 1962 adding the "Swingin'" in 1965; possibly as a tribute to the Swingin' Travelers, an R&B group popular in South Carolina in the late 1950s and early 1960s...

.

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

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