The Frank Zappa Discography Thread - #39 - 'The Perfect Stranger'

[Orbert]

a 31 minute collage of weird conversations recorded inside a piano (with a sandbag on the sustain pedal)

Pedal-depressed panchromatic resonance and other highly ambient domains.  "Evelyn, A Modified Dog" was one of the first Zappa/Mothers tunes I ever heard, and it was only earlier this year that this connection was made clear to me.  Zappa's Conceptual Continuity strikes early and often.

[Nihil-Morari]

a 31 minute collage of weird conversations recorded inside a piano (with a sandbag on the sustain pedal)

Pedal-depressed panchromatic resonance and other highly ambient domains.  "Evelyn, A Modified Dog" was one of the first Zappa/Mothers tunes I ever heard, and it was only earlier this year that this connection was made clear to me.  Zappa's Conceptual Continuity strikes early and often.

Oh totally, I'm trying not to pay too much attention to Conceptual Continuity, because it would be incomprehensible for any new listeners to Zappa. But yeah, this record is full of it. Round Things Are Boring. The Civilization dialogues. Anything.

[bout to crash]

Can't remember the last time I listened to this one. Maybe tomorrow...

[Podaar]

I really like the musical moments of Lumpy Gravy but the spoken word bits bore me.

a 31 minute collage of weird conversations recorded inside a piano (with a sandbag on the sustain pedal)

Pedal-depressed panchromatic resonance and other highly ambient domains.  "Evelyn, A Modified Dog" was one of the first Zappa/Mothers tunes I ever heard, and it was only earlier this year that this connection was made clear to me.  Zappa's Conceptual Continuity strikes early and often.

I never made the connection...does that mean the big snore sound that is used so frequently on these early albums is actually, "a curious breeze of garlic-breath"?

[jammindude]

I have done quite a bit of research on this one, but only given it a passive listen on YT.    Are the two versions terribly different?   If so, do Zappa fans have a preference?

[Nihil-Morari]

I have done quite a bit of research on this one, but only given it a passive listen on YT.    Are the two versions terribly different?   If so, do Zappa fans have a preference?

Well since a 100 albums is already enough, I never really checked all alternative versions. I do have to say though, that since I've known the original version, I do prefer that as a piece of music. In terms of Zappa 'conceptual continuity' (his way of tying all his albums together) I prefer the later version. The dialogues make it a lot more interesting.

[jammindude]

I have done quite a bit of research on this one, but only given it a passive listen on YT.    Are the two versions terribly different?   If so, do Zappa fans have a preference?

Well since a 100 albums is already enough, I never really checked all alternative versions. I do have to say though, that since I've known the original version, I do prefer that as a piece of music. In terms of Zappa 'conceptual continuity' (his way of tying all his albums together) I prefer the later version. The dialogues make it a lot more interesting.

How many are there?  I thought there were just the two?  The Capitol version and the Verve version.   Also, has the Zappa family released both versions or is the Capitol version lost to any that don't have the rare vinyl release?

[Nihil-Morari]

I have done quite a bit of research on this one, but only given it a passive listen on YT.    Are the two versions terribly different?   If so, do Zappa fans have a preference?

Well since a 100 albums is already enough, I never really checked all alternative versions. I do have to say though, that since I've known the original version, I do prefer that as a piece of music. In terms of Zappa 'conceptual continuity' (his way of tying all his albums together) I prefer the later version. The dialogues make it a lot more interesting.

How many are there?  I thought there were just the two?  The Capitol version and the Verve version.   Also, has the Zappa family released both versions or is the Capitol version lost to any that don't have the rare vinyl release?

There is a third UMRK 1984 version, with Chad Wackerman and Scott Thunes, or in other words not fitting drums and bass. Both the original and the 1984 version are on the Lumpy Money box set. Which is official release number 85. So we should get to that in a couple of years 

But I meant all alternative versions of all albums. Cause there are a lot of Zappa albums with a mono mix, or a different mix. Which is cool if you are a Beatles fan, but 12 albums and a couple of alternate versions is something different than a 100 albums with different versions.

[Ultimetalhead]

Damn. I missed Absolutely Free. I really love that record, despite really not liking it at first. It was a major grower, for sure. All the Stravinsky references are lovely, and it all has a very contemporary musical feel to it. I'm a big fan of the more straightforward songs on the album (so, side 2) especially.

I've honestly never listened to Lumpy Gravy and I have no real desire to. From what I've gathered it's a full album of stuff like Monster Magnet/Chrome Plated Megaphone and it just doesn't jive with me.

[Mosh]

I really like Zappa's musique concrete stuff. This is full of it, which is really cool. I think it's utilized a bit better on Money, but still really cool here. I like how there will be seemingly endless chunks of noise and it'll evolve into a really cool orchestral musical part. The dialog is a lot of fun too.

It's kinda hard to talk about this album really. There's not much to say. It's a 30 minute sound collage, you either like it or you don't. I definitely think this is the first great experimental Zappa piece. And I love how it connects to WOIIFTM.

[KevShmev]

Lumpy Gravy sounds like what inspired John Lennon to write Revolution 9.

[Cyclopssss]

Yeah, Lumpy Gravy, not my thing. I could barely stand some of the fragments of stuff like this on other albums, let alone a whole record full of that stuff sorry. The next one, though.....

[Nihil-Morari]

Damn. I missed Absolutely Free. I really love that record, despite really not liking it at first. It was a major grower, for sure. All the Stravinsky references are lovely, and it all has a very contemporary musical feel to it. I'm a big fan of the more straightforward songs on the album (so, side 2) especially.

I've honestly never listened to Lumpy Gravy and I have no real desire to. From what I've gathered it's a full album of stuff like Monster Magnet/Chrome Plated Megaphone and it just doesn't jive with me.

Well, it's definitely different from Monster Magnet and Chrome Plated... The orchestral/original version is a cool one to listen to. Try looking that up on youtube, it's Zappa first real 'classical' output. I'm sure you'll get through that. Not saying that you'd like it, though, can't really promise that

[bout to crash]

Finally listened to LG today. Just as weird as I remember 
The music is fun and the talking stuff is cool at times, boring at other times. It's not something I would listen to very often, but I don't dislike it.

[Nihil-Morari]

Finally listened to LG today. Just as weird as I remember 
The music is fun and the talking stuff is cool at times, boring at other times. It's not something I would listen to very often, but I don't dislike it.

I got really excited by the fact that it's Frank's favorite. But no matter how much I try, it doesn't grab me.
I'll be writing up We're Only In It For The Money in the next couple days. So, you got a couple of days to catch Lumpy Gravy.

[darkshade]

"I was making... uh.... $2.71 an hour."

This album is Conceptual Continuity at its finest, this album is full of CC, and every Zappa album before and after 1968 can be drawn back to this album.

I just got a chance to pop in Lumpy Gravy, and if you dismiss it without hearing it, you might miss out. There are some beautiful moments, especially towards the end of Part 1. However, this is not to say the album is quite, well, avant-garde. Humor in music indeed.

I didn't like Lumpy Gravy at first, but I appreciated the ridiculousness of it. Over time, it has grown on me, and I now consider it one of my favorites. There are so many musical themes that would be fleshed out more on later albums, and the absurd dialogue kinda juxtapositions the musical sections nicely. I still don't understand why it's "part 2 of WOIIFTM" which is "part 1 of Lumpy Gravy" or whatever parts they're supposed to be (and CPIII is the third part). The only thing connecting the 3 albums are the dialogue (esp. LG and CPIII).

I guess LG and WOIIFTM have the line, "my hair is getting good in the back." so there's that.

I definitely recommend Lumpy Money which has the original Verve release for Lumpy Gravy, which is all the orchestral music together as one piece, and some music that was cut out for the version of Lumpy Gravy that we all know and love.

"Pick up sticks? You ever play that game? aaaahHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA"- that's some Cheech and Chong stuff before they were a thing.

[Mosh]

I still don't understand why it's "part 2 of WOIIFTM" which is "part 1 of Lumpy Gravy" or whatever parts they're supposed to be (and CPIII is the third part). The only thing connecting the 3 albums are the dialogue (esp. LG and CPIII).

There's quite a bit of sampling from LG in Money. One of the orchestral parts appears in Mother People and I'm pretty sure one of the verses from the same song is sped up in one of the noisy sections of LG. Also a lot of the same sound effects and musique concrete stuff appears on both albums.

Edit: Also Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance at the end of part 2!

[darkshade]

I still don't understand why it's "part 2 of WOIIFTM" which is "part 1 of Lumpy Gravy" or whatever parts they're supposed to be (and CPIII is the third part). The only thing connecting the 3 albums are the dialogue (esp. LG and CPIII).

There's quite a bit of sampling from LG in Money. One of the orchestral parts appears in Mother People and I'm pretty sure one of the verses from the same song is sped up in one of the noisy sections of LG. Also a lot of the same sound effects and musique concrete stuff appears on both albums.

Edit: Also Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance at the end of part 2!

You're right. I should have waited until I listened to WOIIFTM before asking that question, as I haven't listened to it in a while now.

[Nihil-Morari]

Time for the next album, later today! Number 4 already, we're blasting through it!

[Nihil-Morari]

Official Release #4 'We're Only In It For The Money'
(Released 03/1968)


(This is the original cover, after The Beatles had released Sgt Pepper, Zappa wanted to make fun of their cover, suggesting they we're only in it for the money, but The Beales' management wouldn't have it.)

Background Information:
You could say that Zappa was looking for his 'sound' in the early years.
That he was trying different things out. We're Only In It For The Money is an album where lyrics are becoming more important, orchestral work is dialed down, and pop songs are linked to more abstract pieces of modern classical music. (However real Zappa fans will point to the continuity in all his music, saying that it's all connected etc)


The album itself:
This is a very advanced album, both in terms of studio technique, and in terms of composition.
Possibly because the band got more time than during the recording of Absolutely Free it all sounds more completed.
In terms of composition this is a complete different thing from the first three albums. Everything is even more interlinked that it was on the first records. Musique Concrète and studio effects mostly flash by during pop songs, instead of having their own spot. Another thing that stands out is the use of melodies. Zappa music mostly isn't about goosebumps, but this album really has its pretty melodies (the intro of Absolutely Free, Mom & Dad and the orchestral break in Mother People are prime examples).
Instead of the sidelong suites on Absolutely Free, this record focusses more on short songs. A bunch of these songs are difficult to perform live, but most 'real' songs would become live favorites. Later in Zappa's career this would be different, most of his records are live recordings, with added overdubs. The fact that we're getting studio-only tracks is pretty unique for this part of his career.

Even more than the production and the composition the greatest leap was made in terms of lyrics. Where the first two albums (let's not count Lumpy Gravy when we're discussing lyrics) had doo-wop songs, with doo-wop-songs subjects, and a couple of satirical songs, this record is one big satire fest. It has really funny moments, a couple of hard hitting satire songs, but overall it targets both right-wing and left-wing politics together with the Hippy Culture.


Essential Tracks:
Who Needs The Peace Corps?
Mom & Dad
Absolutely Free
Flower Punk
The Idiot Bastard Son
Mother People

[darkshade]

This is probably Frank's most demented album. Also his most controversial. Also the most 'dated' in sound, in a good way; I mean, it sounds like I just jumped right into the middle of 1967, with The Monkees playing in the background, but this is much more interesting music than your average 60s band. The album makes fun of the hippie generation, ironically, as the main audience of The Mothers in the 60s was those same people Frank was mocking.

If Frank were around now, I feel like he would make a similarly themed album, lyrically, and instead of hippies, it would be hipsters, millennials, etc... but who knows... However, Frank calls out hippies, parents, San Francisco (how relevant today), cops; remember, there was a lot of turmoil during the Summer of Love in 1967. Sounds a lot like social issues we face today.

WOIIFTM is the first album in Frank's career that really came off like a big middle finger towards establishment, culture, society, or whatever the anger, contempt, and frustration was directed towards. This is one of the funnier FZ albums, but the album has some really powerful music in Mom and Dad, a rare serious topic for Zappa. This is essential Zappa listening, and for newbies, may take some time to appreciate. But when this came out, like Freak Out!, it was probably mind-blowing for the LSD kids. This is an album to listen to on headphones, too. Lot of sound manipulation, and panning, going on. For me, though, this one JUST misses the masterpiece status for me. Not too sure why, maybe because the next album, Uncle Meat, goes further than this album, and is more adventurous. But this album i crazy!

Besides Frank and The Mothers, Frank's wife, the late Gail, as well as Jimi Hendrix are on the cover. The 2012 reissues of this album reinstated the original artwork.

Oh yea, "Mother People" at the end. Total reprise of a section from Lumpy Gravy. Makes so much more sense.

[Cyclopssss]

Now we´ve moved into masterpiece material with this little album. From the beginning on it is clear that we´re in for a hoot. Offcourse, this is a brilliant satyricial dig on the hippie/music culture of the time, but also on the state of afairs in general.

Frank manages to poke fun and be deadly scathingly serious at the same time. There are some bizarre sound collages and role playing to be found, like the phone conversation snippet. Zappa asked Pamela Zarubica to come to New York to look after Gail during the latter stages of her pregnancy as he was about to leave for a European tour.
While recording Zarubica, as Suzy Creamcheese, Vicki called to tell her that her father was looking for her and had involved the FBI who were threatening to arrest Vicki for withholding information. Zarubica called her back to discuss matters and Zappa recorded the conversation including a 45 second snippet on the album.  The amount of tape editting and splicing on this album is staggering. Also, Frank commented about the strange censorship being applied when he submitted it to the record label.
For instance the sentence from ´Let´s make turn the water turn black´  about a waitress with her apron and her pad was censored out, but the prominently in the mix clearly audible ´FLOWER POWER SUCKS!´in Flower Punk  (repeated, panning Sucks, sucks sucks sucks' wasn´t. Not to mention a song about two boys peeing in a pot and smearing boogers on the windows to watch them turn green/black.

Highlights for me were (really too much to mention) Take your clothes off when you dance, who needs the peace corps, concentration moon, what´s the ugliest part of your body and the poigniently beautiful ´Mom and Dad´. (mom, dad, someone killed some cops today, down in the park where they quietly lay. Down beside the freaks you knew. They killed them too.´ (there´s a great live version of this and concentration moon on Playground Psychotics with Flo and Eddie), in Harry, you´re a beast Franks seems to be at his most sardonic about sexual morale, a constantly re-accuring theme in his music. The lines ´Don´t come in me, in me´ were censured, but are clearly audible, once you know what they are.  Special mention goes out to Lonely little girl for being such a great doowop song.

After hearing this great contemorary masterpiece, I regained a whole new respect for Frank and his early Mothers.

[Mosh]

Worth mentioning that FZ considers this album as part of a single project called No Commercial Potential. The other albums in this series are Lumpy Gravy, Uncle Meat, and Crusin' With Ruben and the Jets.

It's all one album. All the material in the albums is organically related and if I had all the master tapes and I could take a razor blade and cut them apart and put it together again in a different order it still would make one piece of music you can listen to. Then I could take that razor blade and cut it apart and reassemble it a different way, and it still would make sense. I could do this twenty ways. The material is definitely related.

There are a few things that stick out about this album to me:


* No Ray Collins. It's very strange to hear a Mothers album without him. But it's cool hearing Frank sing lead on most songs and the vocal effects are cool. They give the album a unique identity.

* Ian Underwood's first album! There wasn't really a piano player on the first two albums, so the increased amount of piano on this album adds a new dimension to FZ's sound.

* I love the noises in this. I love the way they're mixed with the actual music. It's a bit more balanced than Lumpy Gravy and works better in this context I think. It's too bad Frank didn't do more musique concrete stuff.

* This is probably one of Zappa's darkest albums. There are some slightly more serious topics (Mom & Dad) and the various noises and sound effects give the album a more ominous tone for me.

Best Mothers album.

[jammindude]

This album is just so brilliant.  Who Needs the Peace Corps is probably my all time favorite FZ song.   It's just amazing to me that this came out *right on top* of the summer of love.     I was raised to believe that the Summer of '67 was the greatest moment of the hippy movement, and Frank just blew a big wet fart all over that idea.   It's like it was already a joke before it even got started.    The more I looked into it, it seems that the original "love-ins" going back to '65 were the real hippies.   Once the word got out, everyone else was nothing but what Frank describes in that opening track. 

Let's Make the Water Turn Black is really awesome too.   There's honestly not a single moment of this album I don't love.  Well, Nasal Retentive Calliope Music is a bit grating. 

[Nihil-Morari]

Love all of your contributions, the fact that there's a lot of Zappa fans makes me a tad nervous when writing. But it's great running a thread like this one!
Where are the new guys though? As much as I love talking Zappa with fans of his music, I'd love to introduce new people to him.

[jammindude]

My collection is fairly spotty from here on out, so I'm going to feel like the new guy through most of it.

[Cyclopssss]

Just keep on writing man. There´s plenty of albums that I don´t own. (yet).

[Mosh]

Yea, eventually we'll get to some I haven't heard yet. Last time I counted I owned 25 albums, which is literally just a quarter of his discography. I'm really excited about this thread and plan on hearing some of these for the first time once we get to them here.

Loving it so far! 

[bout to crash]

I've heard most of this album, but never actually listened to the whole thing til the other day (I don't own it). I have to listen a few more times, I think, to have commentary.

[Nihil-Morari]

I've heard most of this album, but never actually listened to the whole thing til the other day (I don't own it). I have to listen a few more times, I think, to have commentary.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

[Ultimetalhead]

Money is so, so good. It flows beautifully as a singular piece, but the parts on their own are all phenomenal too. I could see how some could be bothered by the relentless interludes but I think they add to the package perfectly. I especially love the section of Nasal Retentive Calliope Music where it settles into this nice surf groove with a catchy guitar melody for about 2 seconds before quickly diving back into noise collage. Funny shit.

Again, I don't really care for Chrome Plated Megaphone, but it's easy enough to just end the album with Mother People and go on with my life. Phenomenal disc.

[Cyclopssss]

I'm gonna tell you the way it is
And it's not going to be nice and easy
Your whole attitude stinks, I say
And the life you lead is completely empty.
You paint your head
Your mind is dead
You don't even know what I just said
That's you....American womenhood!

Bam! drops mic!

[Nihil-Morari]

I love the enthusiasm for this album! Definitely one of Zappa's masterpieces, easily of his best 60's albums for me!

[Nihil-Morari]

Official Release #5 'Cruising With Ruben & The Jets'
(Released 11/1968)




Background Information:
Frank's first and final all-out attempt to get 'The Mothers' cruddy music on the radio.'
This album is an album full of doo-wop, which is odd, considering that Zappa usually shows his influences alongside each other on an album, or even within a song, instead of an album full of one thing.
There are stories of Zappa trying to fool the radio DJ's by crediting this album to Ruben & The Jets, to actually get his music to be played. Although he still wasn't a big international star back then, his name had spread, and mostly that meant that official stations weren't at all interested in him or his music.
In The Real Frank Zappa Book (read it people, it's definitely worth it!) he claims he detests love lyrics, and wrote these lyrics to be as dumb as possible, just because it fits the genre.
I have to point out that there are two versions of this album. In 1984 Zappa started to rerecord his old albums, by cutting away bass guitar and drums, and replacing them with a newer bass sound, and horrifyingly: an electronic kit. The 1968 version does have a strange drum sound (the snare drum just sounds like someone hitting a bucket), but it does feel a lot more original, I suggest you check that one out. You can find that one quite easily on YouTube.



The album itself:
This is a remarkable album to listen to, it's really enjoyable, something that can't be said of every Zappa album. Most of the times it's about the effort that you put in, and you have to look for beauty in weird, atonal passages. Not on this album, every song makes you wanna tap your foot along.
There are a couple of tracks on here that debuted on Freak Out!, just two years earlier. The songs have been reworked, and, well, Zappa did his best to make them sound more like they were actually recorded in the 50's.


Essential Tracks:
Cheap Thrills
Deseri
Anything
Fountain of Love
Anyway the wind Blows


(PS. I'll be out of the country for a couple of days beginning next tuesday, next update in about 9 days)

[Orbert]

I was tempted to pick this one up many times of the years, but never have, as I'm really not a big Doo-Wop fan.  I admit that it would be interesting to hear at the very least, but there's so much Zappa/Mothers, and by time I got around to filling in the blanks, I guess it just wasn't a priority.

Maybe I'll check some out on YouTube, though.  I never think of that.