The Man From Utopia is the next in the series of early 80s post-Joe's Garage rock/pop/jazz-prog albums. It's is an interesting one. This is when many see Zappa's rock albums began to decline in quality, as Zappa was putting more effort into other projects (that we'll be getting to soon...) and the humor wasn't as funny as before, which may also be because this small era of Frank's rock albums were seemingly made to appeal to the fan base, so the album sales would help finance Zappa's more serious 80s works.
I didn't check this one out for years, and I didn't care for it at first either. A few years later when the 2012 reissue of the Zappa catalog was happening, I went back and loved it. There is a lot of good stuff, but there's a lot of questionable things too. It's definitely one of Frank's most polarizing albums. It's a fast paced album, and the instrumental tracks are essential Zappa.
There are two versions of the album, the CD version, and the Vinyl which has a different mix and track listing. [from Wikipedia]The album was originally released on vinyl in 1983. An unauthorized CD of this edition (with the exception of a remixed "Moggio") was issued by EMI in the UK in 1986. The album was issued (in remixed and re-sequenced form with one additional track) on CD in 1993 by Barking Pumpkin. The later 1995 Rykodisc edition and the 2012 Universal Music Group release are identical.[]
The album opens with Cocaine Decisions, which is a solid 80s Zappa tune. Lots of cool keyboard runs. Nice harmonica playing. Zappa's done funnier lyrics, but this one is pedestrian. Next is SEX, which is exactly what it's about. The bigger the cushion, the better the pushin' is probably not going to please fans of RDNZL or Inca Roads. Before you know it, the next track, the instrumental Tink Walks Amok, has started. This tune is awesome. Great bass work from Arthur Barrow, crazy time signature changes. the avant-garde, punkish The Radio is Broken uses the technique Zappa did a lot in the 80s, use what's called Sprechgesang speech. Songs like this, or The Blue Light, or some stuff from Shiek Yer Bouti for example. Original Mothers Roy Estrada returns again to provide vocals along side Zappa. Steve Vai is all over this track too. However, songs like this is what turns off even some hardcore fans, the vocals are beyond silly. I think this track is what many people think of when they think of The Man From Utopia, forgetting all the other great stuff spread throughout the disc.
Next up is another instrumental, We Are Not Alone, and it's a big reason I prefer the CD version over the vinyl, for the track listing, the flow is better imo. The instrumentals break up the madness surrounding them better. This tune has some great catchy sax themes. The Dangerous Kitchen is another Sprechgesang tune, and while it's better than The Radio Is Broken, and jazzier, it's still something I don't put on unless I'm listening to the whole album. The subject matter is kind of gross. The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou is an R&B Zappa tune. Stick Together is a reggae tune about unions. This song was played live a lot in the 80s. Both of these tunes are pretty pedestrian tunes for Zappa, nothing too offensive, except a couple of cusses here and there. Nothing really dissonant.
The Jazz Discharge Party Hats is one of the strangest Zappa tunes. Yes, it's completely jazz, post-bop, but with incredibly dirty lyrics in Sprechgesang speech. This is the best of the 3 on this album, as musically, if you pay close attention, is quite impressive, and very complex. This track is obviously recorded live, with overdubs, but it's still amazing what the live band could pull off. Zappa himself even admits this is kind of a weird song, but says "come on, it's the 20th Century!" Next is Luigi and The Wise Guys is a doo-wop song, and is technically a bonus track, as it wasn't in the original release of the album, so it's not available on the CD vinyl mix. The album ends on a good note, with the final instrumental Moggio, and probably the best tune on the album. Crazy guitar and keyboard parts all over this one, this became a staple of Zappa's 80s live bands. Conceptual Continuity had to appear sooner or later, and we get to hear the Uncle Meat pig snorts at the beginning, and we then enter prog-jazz-fusion land for another 3 minutes, barely. This is one of those tunes I can't help do 'air-keyboard'. Last bit of pig snorts and the album is over. It took me longer to type this up than it took to listen to this short, and hit or miss, album. This album is worth it once you've gotten into dozens and dozens of other Zappa albums and you can't get enough Frank in your life.