Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Uncle Meat
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Free Music Notes for Uncle Meat
Free Music Review: A sprawling journey through The Mothers' career...
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of the more bizarre records in popular music. The original release was four sides of vinyl, covering many genres and styles. The CD is expanded to include a long sequence from the film, the official release, and outtake sequences, which isn't really necessary, but it does help put the concept of the finished film into context. Despite the rambling nature of the complete release, if you listen to it in its entirety, you do have a sense of going on a journey through sound, compliments of contemporary music's true pioneers, the Mothers Of Invention. Even though Frank Zappa was the group's spear-head, it becomes obvious that this particular group's sound and image were unique, even in the Zappa catalogue. At the time, he needed these musicians, however much he may have since said otherwise, and I don't believe this would have the sound, mood, and appearance that it has if other players were involved. Proof of this would be one of the tracks on the later release, "Tengo Na Minchia." Not the original band, and there is a night-and-day difference between this and the rest of the soundtrack. I am one of the world's biggest fans of FZ and The Mothers, but I think he messed with an ideal-sounding and ideally-paced release by including this. Just an opinion.
There is typical Mothers-style humor here, as with them playing the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, a kazoo-accompanied "God Bless America," and the treatment they gave to "Louie Louie" at the Albert Hall, desecrating the "mighty, majestic Albert Hall pipe organ" in the process. Some serious pieces offset this, such as "Project X," and "Legend Of The Golden Arches." You get the definitive treatment of "King Kong," and no later band has played it with the fire of the original band performing this.
It's odd, this is a band that sometimes plays badly on purpose, and it sounds RIGHT. Proper technique can sometimes be a detrimint, and "Uncle Meat" proves this. It takes a little concentrated listening, but once you enter, you probably won't want to leave.
:)
Free Music Review: The most original and absurd work ever
Hit: 5 Stars
Uncle meat is a soundtrack to a film of the same name, which Zappa finished almost two decades later. It is definately the weirdest soundtrack ever. My five star rating goes to original Uncle meat vinyl that doesn't contain film excerpts. The power of Uncle meat seems sometimes to be completely beyond any analysis. First of all it works better as whole than separate pieces. The album flows perfectly from instrumentals to vocal pieces to conversations to musical jokes. Uncle meat is full of complex instrumental music that is quite enjoyable, but still very experimental and unclassifiedable. There are many jazz, classical, doowop, psychedelic rock and even opera influences. I think the vocal pieces are real meat of this album. The vocals are even more hilarious than usually in Zappa's work.
This work is full of absurd humour, which probably only the band members truly understand, but musical jokes like God bless America can still be funny or at least make you smile. The whole album sounds like that Frank Zappa had a very weird dream and he put it on the album. I think this album is more mysterious than many psychedelic albums and this album actually contains one of the best psychedelic songs of all time Mr.Green Genes. The album has a tight absurd atmosphere, if you listen it throught. It contains some of the most imaginative and brilliant popular music ever Electric aunt Jemina, Uncle meat, Mr.Green Genes, Uncle meat variations and Dog breath in the year of plague. It breaks many barriers of popular music and turns everything upside down. It is not perfect. Some of the material is absolutely crap, but it is the brilliant and the most unique work ever. I'm a poet and this work has inspired me more than any other. In Uncle meat Frank Zappa has once again created a new musical universe. Certainly not a starting point for your Frank Zappa collection, but if you already own some Frank Zappa albums, give it a try. I highly recommend this for you.
Free Music Review: maybe his 'weirdest' album-and one of the best!
Hit: 5 Stars
Thefocus here is on instrumental stuff, a lot of sped up music here eg 2nd half of 'dog breath in the year of the plague'. This particular song is one of the highlights of the album. Another highlight is the uncle meat variations, a really top tune. As well as the great keyboard playing we have high-pitched female vocals /gravelly male vocals, singing 'fuzzy dice and bongos'. Bonkers lyrics. Then the tune sort of 'disintegrates' into some awesome zappa twangy guitar playing. There are lots of fun songs like mr green genes, electric aunt jemima, cruising for burgers,sleeping in a jar, the air. Some live moments like prelude to king kong(cd1) and ian underwood whips it out. also a funny louie louie featuring the majestic royal albert pipe organ. Some downright bonkers music like zolar czakl(delightful) and projectx(weirdest track on the album) and a bit of dialogue featuring jimmy carl black, bitching on about money as is his wont. And brilliant guitar solo, 9 types of industrial pollution. CD2 has about 40 minutes of dialogue from the uncle meat film. It's got one or two amusing lines like 'using the chicken to measure it' but is not very essential stuff at all. However there is a mighty segue from the end of the dialogue into King Kong the studio version. This is a superb tune, and the studio version here sounds gorgeous. It's got some lovely keyboard playing and saxophone soloing (doubled up). No ark section here, it's a different version. There's also some great live blowing from ian underwood in the live king kong. And the end bit is hilarious sounding. All in all this album is a must have for true frank zappa fans. Thank you.Free Music Review: Finally - Good Production!
Hit: 5 Stars
The early Zappa recordings were somewhat murky in sonic quality. With Uncle Meat, as FZ explains in the original liner notes, they booked into this fabulous studio with an exceptionally clean board, so clean that they were able to do over 100 overdubs in the middle section of Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague. Though all the old Zappas have been cleaned up and sound much better than the original vinyls, Uncle Meat always sounded exceptional in vinyl form. The excellent studio cuts start with the experimental mostly instrumental cuts at the beginning, then turning into the Reuben and the Jets style doo wop tunes. These are intermixed with excerpts from field recordings and dialog in the usual Dada style. King Kong is a groovy little quick tempo waltz number that features each member of the band soloing over the riff. (See also John-Luc Ponty "King Kong: JLP plays the music of Frank Zappa" for excellent jazz instrumental versions of early Zappa material featuring Zappa sidemen and FZ himself!)Also featured are original Mothers vocalist Ray Collins singing lead on several cuts (I think this was the last album he was on before Flo and Eddy showed up) and bassist Roy Estrada singing "pachucho falsetto" (Dog Breath). I think Jimmy Carl Black contributes some vocal, but I don't recall right now. Anyway excellent clear sound and exzentrifugal performances on experimental but pleasing tunes make this album impossible to get tired of. Not as much social satire but there's plenty of that Zappa in other albums. This also is the first album where Ruth Underwood appears, playing lots of marimba and percussion.Free Music Review: King Kong is one of the best songs I've ever heard!
Hit: 5 Stars
When I first got this cd, the only previous Zappa album that I'd heard was Strictly Commercial, a far cry from Uncle Meat. I put the cd in my stereo, and found myself skipping through all the instrumentals which seemed at that time to be the aural embodiment of ugliness coming out of my speakers. I skipped around, only liking the guitar beginning of Project X at first. Then I heard Cruising for Burgers, and for some reason, it struck a vein in me, probably because of the awesome drumming and overall rhythm. So at least I liked one song a lot. Then I stuck in the second cd, skipped the dialogue, and heard the first part of king kong, and turned my stereo off. The next time I turned my stereo on, I was determined to listen to king kong entirely, and I sat through everything half listening, until King Kong part VI, and something in the song mesmerized me and put somekind of hold on me. The dissonance which always managed to become harmony made me love the song even more each time I played it, then it naturally followed that I enjoyed the rest of the album, some songs coming to me faster than others. This song not only turned me on to other FZ albums, but to jazz in general, an album which definitely marked a turning point in the way I viewed what could be called music, and which music was good or amazing or any number of those things which we are apt to call monumental masterpieces such as King Kong. In short, you should buy this album if you want to ever know any inkling of what good music is.