Frank Zappa - Lather
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Free Music Notes for Lather
Free Music Review: Zappa's most consistantly inconsistant album
Hit: 5 Stars
Zappa had originally intended this album to be released as a four LP set back in 1977 but Warner Brothers decided not to release it for various reasons I won't get into here. Instead, they got Zappa to divide the original Lather album into four separate albums, often with different arrangements and mixes: Zappa in New York, Studio Tan, Orchestral Favorites and Sleep Dirt, and a few songs found their way onto Sheik Yerbouti too. Warner Bros. also decided not to pay Frank for his work. So Zappa played the entire Lather album over the radio airwaves from which countless bootlegs have been made. Ha ha Warner, you greedheads. So finally, years later we get an official release of Lather, Zappa's magnum opus and arguably his best album and it was worth the wait.
Every style Zappa ever did is on this record... from the stupid: T*tties 'n Beer, to the sordid: Honey, Don't You Want A Man Like Me?, to the sublime: RDNZL, from the idiotic, to the intelligent, to the indescribable. There are ridiculous comedy songs, social satire, bizarre and rocking instrumentals. Some of the comedy/satire like Trying To Grow A Chin or T*tties 'n Beer are puerile, and their power to amuse wanes with each play. Though I still get a big kick out of Punky's Whips, a story of drummer Terry Bozio's infatuation with a picture of Angel lead guitarist Punky Meadows mostly because I remember the poster from Creem magazine. Yeah it was a pretty girly picture, poor Terry;) But the best songs and especially the instrumentals, of which there are a great deal, are among the best things Zappa has ever done and reward repeated listenings. They range from 20th century classical serious, to silly, to jazz, to obscene rock guitar workouts a la Filthy Habits. Lather is all over the map and is utterly amazing. Could anyone not familiar with Zappa realize that one guy wrote all this widely varying material? I don't think they would guess. Anybody who says Zappa is not a genius, or composer worthy of note, or a great guitarist should be forced to sit through this album, it just might change their opinion. So Spike Jones, Edgar Varesse and Jimi Hendrix walk into a bar...
Free Music Review: Magnum Opus Interruptus
Hit: 5 Stars
The story behind the creation of this collection is almost as legendary as the man who created it. Suffice to say, it was originally intended as a 4-disc vinyl release, ran into some complications, and was delayed by a mere 20 years. These complications resulted in Frank Zappa's suing a VERY LARGE RECORD COMPANY for about 3 million, the material being released across about 5 albums (three of them against his wishes), and, in an act of revolt, Frank's broadcasting of the album in its entirety on LA's KROQ, during which he actually encouraged listeners to record it.Until RYCODISC's CD version came out around '96, the only way a person could hear the album as Frank had intended was if one could get ahold of the recording of this famous broadcast. Had it been released when it was supposed to, Läther would have qualified as the ultimate work of this sorely-missed musical innovator. Zappa's wildly diverse compositional capabilities are represented more comprehensively here than on any release; from live rock performances to symphonic and chamber works, from dialogue snippets to tape-manipulated musique concrete, this is the full spectrum of pre-digital FZ at the peak of his powers. Nobody could touch this man in the 70s.
As many of the songs were a bit new and rough at the time of these recordings, Frank produced more polished and extended versions in the later albums "Zappa in New York" and "Sheik Yerbouti", so his reticence to release this collection during his lifetime is certainly understandable. However, if you have not yet heard "Studio Tan", "Sleep Dirt" and/or "Orchestral Favorites", you can get them all in one tidy remastered package (without the annoying vocals that were added on "Sleep Dirt") and enjoy them in one seriously eclectic listening.
I'm a firm believer in cheating with Desert Island Picks, by choosing box sets. If I had the choice of one Zappa release to sustain me in isolation, I would not have to think for very long, because Läther has it all. The ultimate FZ representation, hands down.
Free Music Review: A MUST Have and the PERFECT Place To Start!
Hit: 5 Stars
If you were from the planet Mars and wanted to know who Zappa was, and what he was about, I would tell you to start right here! Back "in the day" I would always have difficulity in introducing someone to Frank's work mainly due to how much is actually out there. Short of making them a mix-tape (and even that would depend on what I knew of their taste in music) I would usually recommend 5 or 6 albums to start with. But, even then, I would inevitability leave something out!
With the release of this long awaited collection, the Zappa family has almost done my work for me! Originally released as 4 albums; "Live in NY", "Sleep Dirt", "Studio Tan" "Orchestral Favorites", (and a few tracks off "Sheik Yerbouti") this triple CD box has a little bit of everything. Biting satire (Titties and Beer, Greggery Peccary), Blues rock (Illinois Enema Bandit, which contains one of Frank's better guitar solos), Orchestra (Naval Aviation in Art), hard rock (Tryin to Grow a Chin, Broken Hearts) and blistering jazz/rock that would stand against the best of Beck, McLaughlin, Di Meola, et. al. (Filthy Habits, RDNZL and the brilliant Ocean is the Ultimate Solution, though the latter, at 8 minutes, is almost cut in half compared to the original 13 minute version on Sleep Dirt!?!). It also contains many of the between song spoken interludes that later ended up on Sheik Yerbouti and Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar.
Barring a few omissions (I'd still buy "Sheik Yerbouti" on it's own for Flakes, Jones Crusher and `Yo Mama), this is the perfect example of the wide variety inherent in Frank's music, the brilliance of his talent and backing bands, should please any fan of Rock and/or Jazz music, is the perfect place to start and is a TRUE 5-star release!!
Free Music Review: you need this
Hit: 5 Stars
You can read the previous reviews to get the story on this album, so I won't repeat it. I will cut to the chase to explain why you should get this.
There are some different versions of some songs, and some different mixes of others (most notably the "Sleep Dirt" stuff without the added vocals), but basically they're songs available on 4 previously released albums. Those 4 were packaged by Warner Brothers thematically - live songs on one album, orchestral on another, instrumental on another, etc. From the very first one, Zappa's albums were more than a collection of songs. If you listen to 200 Motels or Uncle Meat, you get a wonderful mix of all kinds of different styles, live and studio recordings, and other juxtapositions, sometimes in the same song. He often did deliberately harsh and abrupt edits. Zappa hated it when people tried to pigeon-hole his music (good luck, anyway!). That is precisely the beauty of "Lather". As a whole, it is a masterpiece.
If you don't own this music in any form, buy this first, because you will get a clearer sense of what the artist intended to do. Eventually you will want the other albums because there is some music not found on Lather. If you already own the other 4 albums, you are probably a big enough Zappa freak that you'll want to get it anyway, for the reasons I mentioned.
Free Music Review: you need this :genius
Hit: 5 Stars
one of the top contenders for best zappa album without doubt. it's got every kind of music frank did, except synclavier. disc1 has the great instrumentals regyptian strut,redunzl,revised music for guitar low budget orchestra, these are terrific,great soloing on rednzl. naval aviation a nugget orchestral composition. young sophisticate is better than ttr version and has scorching guitar intro. One of the highlights is the illinois enema bandit,great narrator intro, ray white singing,zappa solo.totally daft tune. like all the zappa in new york bits, it's great. lemme take ya to the beach is catchy and inane with funny high-pitched vocals. Also green rosetta/duck duck goose/ down in the dew are terrific.Onto disc2, a treasure.pedro's dowry is truly awesome, hear it. awesome punky's whip , great singing/hoen section/guitar. nice instrumentals spider of destiny and lather and flambe, jazzyish uniquely frank zappa. duke of prunes is a winner too and big leg emma/honey don't you want a man like me great concert renditions. black page is one of the best zappa tunes of all time. i could listen to it all day!
cd3 has great guitar with filthy habits and ocean; t&b is hilarious; greggary peccary is a masterpiece with 2gazillion musical ideas. time is money is a great tune thank you