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

[Orbert]

I like this album, but don't love it.  I know it's an important one, and in many ways this one set the mold.  Seven songs, superbly arranged and tightly played.  No rambling instrumentals or bizarro avant-garde experimentation, no extended show pieces.  Pretty much the first "normal" Zappa/Mothers album, in that it's just a collection of songs.

There are moments that I really like, but overall the songs themselves, while funny, generally don't really work for me.

[DebraKadabra]

I didn't say anything about Waka or Wazoo because I'm not familiar with them at all. DEFINITELY familiar with Overnite Sensation though. Really really REALLY solid album, and has some great rockers on it. I really can't name a track on it that lacks anything, honestly. Favorites--I'm the Slime, Dirty Love, Montana.

[bout to crash]

I've been embarrasingly absent from this thread because I'm a slacker, but love this damn album. Slime, Dinah-Moe, Montana, Camarillo... such a fun record.

[KevShmev]

I like this album, but don't love it.  I know it's an important one, and in many ways this one set the mold.  Seven songs, superbly arranged and tightly played.  No rambling instrumentals or bizarro avant-garde experimentation, no extended show pieces.  Pretty much the first "normal" Zappa/Mothers album, in that it's just a collection of songs.

There are moments that I really like, but overall the songs themselves, while funny, generally don't really work for me.

Could not agree more.  If I force myself to listen to it, it sounds like a nice album, but there is nothing on there that grabs me.  Even looking at the track listing now, the main hook in Montana is the only part of the album I can remember (and I've listened to this enough to where more should resonate).

[Nihil-Morari]

I like this album, but don't love it.  I know it's an important one, and in many ways this one set the mold.  Seven songs, superbly arranged and tightly played.  No rambling instrumentals or bizarro avant-garde experimentation, no extended show pieces.  Pretty much the first "normal" Zappa/Mothers album, in that it's just a collection of songs.

There are moments that I really like, but overall the songs themselves, while funny, generally don't really work for me.

Could not agree more.  If I force myself to listen to it, it sounds like a nice album, but there is nothing on there that grabs me.  Even looking at the track listing now, the main hook in Montana is the only part of the album I can remember (and I've listened to this enough to where more should resonate).

Oh really, that's funny. I feel like I know every part of that album. And on the contrary to what you said, I've always thought this album has a couple of the most memorable tunes Zappa has ever done.

[DebraKadabra]

I totally, completely agree N-M.

[Podaar]

Yeah, I don't get the not memorable. I could easily sing "Camarillo Brillo" in it's entirety (and when I hit the shower I think I will) it's so catchy. Not to mention "Dirty Love", "I'm the Slime", "Montana" and the ever catchy

Dinah-Moe Humm
Dinah-Moe Humm
Where's the Dinah-Moe
Coming from
I done spent three hours
And I ain't got a crumb
From the Dinah-Moe
Dinah-Moe
From the Dinah-Moe Humm

I love all the conceptual continuity crumbs on this album and I think it has some of the best comedy moments as well. The whole Alpo dog food stuff and the introduction of the "Arf" poodle. This line may be the funniest ever recorded, "I whipped off her bloomers and stiffened my thumb, and applied rotation on her sugar plumb". Not to mention "Montana", the whole song is hilarious lyrically and jaw dropping musically.

I'll stop with the fan boy post but, I think y'all should watch this video to grasp the true brilliance of this album.

Asphalt Orchestra Plays Zombie Woof

[Orbert]

I'm the Slime is a cool concept.  I like the idea, and Frank's guitar sound is amazing.  I've actually heard it on the radio here in Chicago more times than one might guess, and I'll never switch it off.  It's probably my favorite from this album.

Camarillo Brillo is catchy, and a lot of the lyrics stand out and are funny, but to this day, I have idea what the "story" is.  She said she was a magic mama.  Okay.  Dirty Love is a demented love song, or maybe "lust song" is a better description, as far as I can tell.  But the slow beat and one-note lyrics don't excite.

Zombie Woof is another "meh" song.  Catchy, well-played, but again I have no idea what the fuck it's about.  Dinah-Moe Humm, another wacky sexy song.  I do like the surprise twist ending.  Not long after first hearing this song, I dated a girl who was similarly "orgasm impaired" but gah dam, her sister was absolutely stunning.  Okay fine, I'll say it; I wanted to do dirty wonderful things to her sister, wondered if that was what it might take to get her off, and came very close to suggesting it.  But I wimped out.

Montana is another fun concept that just doesn't seem enough to support a whole song.  Dental floss tycoon.  Ha ha, okay.  But basically a single joke for six and a half minutes?

And then it's over.  Again, there's nothing "wrong" with the album, it just doesn't really grab me.  Which is weird because the songs are definitely catchy.  But I need more than that.

[Podaar]

Say, could I interest you in a pair of zircon-encrusted tweezers?

[darkshade]

The Roxy era!

Over-nite Sensation is funky Frank. This is when Frank went "commercial". Classic Frank Zappa also appeared on this album for the first time, witty, humorous, just the right amount of cynicism and sarcasm. I didn't appreciate this album right away, I preferred the follow ups Apostrophe and One Size Fits All. Over time I've really gotten into this album and love it for what it was. An accessible album as only Frank could make, as there are plenty of crazy parts throughout, Fifty Fifty, Montana, but what made this album popular back in the early-mid 70s was the controversial (and very funky) Dirty Love, and Dinah Moe Humm. The lyrics might not seem as crude in 2016, but in 1973 they were.

This album, though, is not the best Zappa album, but I'd argue this is one of the best albums for a noob to check out, it doesn't scare off the listener within the first 2 tracks, it's catchy, features great solos and improv, and gives you a dose of that classic Zappa sound (think Montana), along with Frank's voice being very prominent, with humorous topics, and another singer, Ricki Lancelotti, who only appears on this album (and The Lost Episodes)

It should be noted, that this album is preceded by another 'era' of Frank, between the Wazoo era; the '73 band with Jean-Luc Ponty, Sal Marquez, Tom Fowler, Bruce Fowler, Ralph Humphrey, Ruth Underwood, Ian Underwood, and George Duke. Probably the most serious jazz-rock line-up besides Mahavishnu Orchestra or Miles Davis' early 70s lineups. There is a lot of great music from that era.

Albums to check out (not many):
Road Tapes Venue #2 - great sounding official posthumous release.
Piquantique the sound is poor, though. (the main show (1973/08/21 Stockholm, Sweden) is available in Soundboard (SBD) from Zappateers--it sounds way better)
One Shot Deal - Only on a couple of tracks performing Yellow Snow; also features the Wazoo lineups as well (and other eras).
1973/06/25 Sydney, Australia is another full show in SBD from Zappateers, with good sound.

[bout to crash]

Orbert, regarding your thoughts on the Montana lyrics: I can't remember where I read this (maybe The Real FZ Book?) but at one point Frank said that often, when a song was silly lyrically, his focus was meant to be more on the music (and vice versa- songs with deeper meaning were often simper musically). Montana I think is a good example because it is very cool musically (Those horns and vibe! That guitar solo! And the Ikettes!). The lyrics personally crack me up (this was also the song I played while entering MT for the first time in Yellowstone) but those aside it's still excellent IMO.

Camarillo Brillo always felt like sort of a more bizarre (and less violent) version of Norwegian Wood to me

(Autocorrect wanted that to say Norwegian Woof, weirdly enough)

[Orbert]

Yeah, I'm probably not being fair to Montana (the song, that is).  Sometimes the lyrics really are just there to be there and make it a song and not an instrumental.  If it's an instrumental, it doesn't have to be "about" anything, it's just a musical expression.  But if you have even a single verse, the first thing people do when trying to determine the meaning of the song is examine the lyrics.  With Frank, it's probably unfair to take that approach.

Many of us are familiar with Frank's disdain for Carlos Santana, but like it or not, they do share one rather important characteristic.  Carlos once said that he writes songs so he can take guitar solos.  Every Santana song has a guitar solo, because it's his band and he plays guitar.  It seems to me that a lot of Frank's stuff is like that.  Maybe it's more the music in general, but the idea of the lyrics being "just words, so you can call it a song" and being mostly subservient to the music isn't that far off.  It just so happens that Frank was insanely creative and since he was gonna have lyrics, he made them funny or weird so they'd at least not be boring.

Hmmm... I kinda forgot what my point was.

[Podaar]

I've never really thought about there being a "point" to any of Frank's pseudo-cartoon-montage lyrics. I've always just taken them as just an interesting idea or absurd painting (like some of the album covers) that represent the music. From this album, Camarillo Brillo (although there is a small story in this one), Zomby Woof, and Montana all fit in with this aesthetic IMO. Practically everything from (') fits as well. I've just always enjoyed them for what they are, I suppose.

[bout to crash]

Yeah, I agree. Some of them are pretty silly but that never bothered me. I didn't know he had a disdain for Carlos, but I never much got into Santana so...

[Orbert]

In an interview one time, Frank was asked about his chord progressions, why they're so different, and Frank said something about how it's not that his are different, it's that everyone else's are all the same.  I don't remember the exact wording, and I know I'm getting it a bit confuzzled with a common cliche, but that was the idea.  Frank hated the I-IV-V progression, and especially hated the V-I resolution, but they're mainstays of Western music.  Separately, around that same time, a good friend of mine went to a Santana concert, and thought it was pretty good, but apparently Carlos' idea of jamming out a song -- because back then, the live version of a song was at least twice as long, with all the guitar soloing -- was to go into a I-IV-V blues and repeat it for ten minutes.  He said it was all great jamming, great soloing, but because it all dissolved into the same thing, 12-bar blues, it all sounded the same.  Then Frank had a track on one of his live albums called "Variations on the Carlos Santana Secret Chord Progression."  That cracked me up.  I guess I put the various pieces together in my head, and arrived at the conclusion that Frank was mocking Carlos for his overuse of the basic blues progression.

It took me years to figure it out, but a huge amount of Frank's music is blues based.  Back then, it was just rock, but of course rock and roll is rooted in rhythm and blues.  Then I read about how much Frank hated the I-IV-V, and I thought that that didn't make any sense, since so much of his music, especially the guitar solos, comes directly from blues.  Somehow, Frank played blues, but never used standard progressions.  Blues based on Varese, blues based on Stravinski fer cryin' out loud, but never blues in a standard 12-bar pattern.

[Nihil-Morari]

What I love about Zappa's improvisations, as will become obvious on Guitar, Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar and others, is that most of his soloing is over a vamp of 1 chords. I understand the fact that he thought blues was boring, and 12 bar blues especially, but it's not that most of his soloing was over a difficult chord structure. I like it though, so it's not a bad thing.

About the lyrics: I remember reading somewhere that he was never into lyrics (The Real FZ Book was my first thought too) but that to sell anything he would have to write lyrics. He even said that he would've liked more to just make jazz and classical music, but he needed rock music to do the other stuff. I never really know how to judge that. I'm sure he put a lot of work in the rock stuff too, I mean it's complicated, well rehearsed, and to be honest most of his output was rock music. So it's not like it's a commercial side-track or anything.

[Ultimetalhead]

I love Over-Nite Sensation. It's probably my least favorite of the so-called Roxy era, but it's phenomenal anyway. Zomby Woof's intro has the most "fuck you" rhythm in the history of music. Really, the whole thing is brilliant musically, but it's a little lacking in the lyrics department. Particularly Dinah.

[bout to crash]

Buns up!

[darkshade]

I love Over-Nite Sensation. It's probably my least favorite of the so-called Roxy era, but it's phenomenal anyway. Zomby Woof's intro has the most "fuck you" rhythm in the history of music. Really, the whole thing is brilliant musically, but it's a little lacking in the lyrics department. Particularly Dinah.

To me, Roxy & Elsewhere and One Size Fits All took the humor, funk,and catchy melodies, and combined it with some seriously serious compositions and beautiful prog arrangements, and increased the jazz influence.

[sneakyblueberry]

montana is brilliant.  love the ikettes section, such an awesome vocal part. 

[Cyclopssss]

Fantastic album, but as some have said, for me also the least of the 'Roxy' band era. The start of another classic era Mothers formation and it starts with a bang.
Finally Zappa seems to have found a commercial way to bundle his humor and combine it with an extremely talented band, culminating in a set of songs that would become Classic concert favourites to Zappa fans all over the world. My personal favourites are '50-50', Dirty Love, I'm the slime, Camarillo Brillo, Montana, Dinamoe Humm and Montana.  Oh, damn, that's all of them! 

The best was best to come with Apostrophe ' and One Size Fits All, though. Not too fond of the artwork, this time around though.

[DragonAttack]

It had been 10+ years since I had listened to 'Just Another Band From LA', until I saw this thread.  Listening to each LP as they are mentioned.  Sensation has more than its share of moments.  Not the greatest overall, but that doesn't matter.  There's enough meat in it for a second or third helping.

[Nihil-Morari]

It had been 10+ years since I had listened to 'Just Another Band From LA', until I saw this thread.  Listening to each LP as they are mentioned.  Sensation has more than its share of moments.  Not the greatest overall, but that doesn't matter.  There's enough meat in it for a second or third helping.

Hey man! Welcome, join the fun!

Moving on to Apostrophe, trying to write it up today.

[jammindude]

Spinning Overnite on the way to work just because of this thread.   

[DragonAttack]

One of the best commercials ever.  By a Zappa fan perhaps?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmgice3ieZ4

[Orbert]

Great Googly Moogly!

[Nihil-Morari]

Spinning Overnite on the way to work just because of this thread.   

Posts like this make me happy! 

[Nihil-Morari]

It had been 10+ years since I had listened to 'Just Another Band From LA', until I saw this thread.  Listening to each LP as they are mentioned.  Sensation has more than its share of moments.  Not the greatest overall, but that doesn't matter.  There's enough meat in it for a second or third helping.

Hey man! Welcome, join the fun!

Moving on to Apostrophe, trying to write it up today.

Well, that didn't work  Today or tomorrow!

[Nihil-Morari]

Official Release #18 'Apostrophe (')'
(Released 03/1974)




Background Information:
Part two of Over-Nite Sensation, or something like that. Written mostly during the same sessions, stylistically similar and commercially successful.
Although parts of this album date back to the Hot Rats sessions (Excentrifugal Forz) and the Grand Wazoo sessions (Uncle Remus and Apostrophe), most of the album was written and recorded simultaneously with Over-Nite Sensation.


The Album Itself:
Side one opens with a suite, where all the succeeding tracks loosely follow a concept, but there's no overall theme. The Yellow Snow Suite was performed during a couple of tours, but it changed a lot in those few years. Side one concludes with Cosmik Debris, a great track that would be performed on numerous tours, often with an awesome guitar solo halfway. It's one of Zappa's more bluesy tracks, one could even think that it's a parody.
Side two is a different beast. Excentrifugal Forz is a short track, mainly a long verse over a single chord, only broken up by a face tearing short solo by Frank.
Apostrophe is a long jam track, harking back to the fusion days of Hot Rats and Waka/Jawaka. The fuzz bass in the title track is very much up front. About the recording of that track, Zappa later said: "I found it very difficult to play with him [Jack Bruce]; he's too busy." 
Uncle Remus actually has a beautiful chord progression, and could be considered one of Zappa's most poppy songs.
The album closes with Stink-Foot, another bluesy song, with funny lyrics,  another one that would be played a lot during later tours.


Essential Tracks:
Don't Eat The Yellow Snow Suite (tracks 1-4)
Cosmik Debris
Stink-Foot

[Nihil-Morari]

I can start off by stating an unpopular opinion. I don't actually really like this album. Yellow Snow is cool but was way better live (with added funniness) and apart from Stink Foot and Cosmik Debris, there's not much good stuff on this album. I know most Zappa fans would name this one of his best, but I don't really think it is.

Apart from that, funny story: I'm a high school music teacher, mainly teaching kids aged 11-14. A colleague of mine teaches kids aged 16-18, and he was teaching them about experimental rock. He asked me to take an hour of their time, and tell them everything I know about Frank Zappa. Naturally I couldn't fit everything in an hour, but it was great fun to do. They were genuinely surprised by his massive output and his diversity. Next week he's starting with symphonic and prog rock, so I opted to be a guest speaker again. 

[Orbert]

You're right; that's an unpopular opinion.  But if it doesn't grab you, it doesn't grab you.

I like it because I think it's pretty solid all the way through, but it's also pretty short, just under 32 minutes, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.  Its brevity might also be considered a detriment, because there's really not much here.  So again it comes down to whether or not you like what you get.

The opening Nanook suite is many people's introduction to Frank, and although it wasn't mine, I do remember hearing it on the radio a lot in the 70's.  Yes, that's right; Zappa's Nanook suite, or sometimes just the opening track, on the radio.

I love Cosmik Debris.  So bluesy that it might even be parody?  I've never even considered that.  Just Frank getting down and dirty.  Excentrifugal Forz has never really thrilled me, but it's short and kinda fun, then dives right into the title jam, of which I love every second.  Uncle Remus is awesome, of course, with that great chord progression, and then Stinkfoot with more bluesy fun.  So except for Excentrifugal Forz, I consider this one solid all the way through.

[Cyclopssss]

I´ll respond more in length later on, but I´ll just say now that it´s absolutely one of my fave Zappa records. There´s an increddible 20  minute live version of ´Nanook rubs it´ (except for the middle ´poetry recital part, that is) where the harmonies in the end (na-na-na-na-na-nabuko....) are amazingly terrific, with a band that was about 50% down with flu as well.... 

[Nihil-Morari]

I´ll respond more in length later on, but I´ll just say now that it´s absolutely one of my fave Zappa records. There´s an increddible 20  minute live version of ´Nanook rubs it´ (except for the middle ´poetry recital part, that is) where the harmonies in the end (na-na-na-na-na-nabuko....) are amazingly terrific, with a band that was about 50% down with flu as well.... 

Yeah that's a great one (On YCDTOSA 1) I love Australian Yellow Snow too, that's on One Shot Deal.

[Nihil-Morari]

You're right; that's an unpopular opinion.  But if it doesn't grab you, it doesn't grab you.

I like it because I think it's pretty solid all the way through, but it's also pretty short, just under 32 minutes, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.  Its brevity might also be considered a detriment, because there's really not much here.  So again it comes down to whether or not you like what you get.

The opening Nanook suite is many people's introduction to Frank, and although it wasn't mine, I do remember hearing it on the radio a lot in the 70's.  Yes, that's right; Zappa's Nanook suite, or sometimes just the opening track, on the radio.

I love Cosmik Debris.  So bluesy that it might even be parody?  I've never even considered that.  Just Frank getting down and dirty.  Excentrifugal Forz has never really thrilled me, but it's short and kinda fun, then dives right into the title jam, of which I love every second.  Uncle Remus is awesome, of course, with that great chord progression, and then Stinkfoot with more bluesy fun.  So except for Excentrifugal Forz, I consider this one solid all the way through.

Yeah, the brevity is a thing. I really like a lot of stuff on this album, but there's a couple of tracks that don't do it for me, and then you've already only have 22 minutes of music left.

[Cyclopssss]

Apostrophe rates as an excellent Zappa record for me, despite of its bizarre subject matter. Favourites will always be the entire side one, with the increddible drum and percussion parts on St. Alphonzo's Pancake Breakfast and the great Cozmik Debris, (also an instant live favourite with loads of lyrical deviation later on). Side two is quite a different beast, however, I for one love Exentrical Force, and ADORE Uncle Remus. The piano work by Duke is magnificent and the backing vocals exquisite. Album closer 'Stinkfoot' is a classic Zappa-send-up, and do we hear the first official appearance of 'Evelyn, a modified dog' here? (see One Size Fits All). There are brilliant live versions to be found spread out all over Zappa's discography, from the YCDTOSA series, to The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, to Make A Jazz Noise Here to Broadway the hardway, each of them interesting in its own right. The playing, especially on the first four songs on side one, is extremely tight and the 'Roxy' band cemented its reputation with this release.