Frank Zappa - Lather
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Free Music Notes for Lather
Free Music Review: Quite possibly the best intro to Zappa's work
Hit: 5 Stars
Greetings. As the subject mentions, I feel this is the perfect introduction to the world of Frank Zappa. A little bit of his orchestral compositions, some amazing guitar work (heck, some amazing instrumental work all around), a healthy dose of sarcasm and irreverence, and that little "something" that made Frank's work so wonderful. Some of my favorites include: the entire first disc, the gloriously overcooked rendition of "Punky's Whips," "The Purple Lagoon," the twenty-minute eccentricity of "Greggery Peckary," and...well, the entire thing! Don't let the price turn you off. This album's the real deal.Regarding the claim that Ryko screwed up the second disc track listing, this is most likely untrue. There's been some debate, but I believe that Spencer Chrislu (or somebody else in the Zappa camp) claimed when he opened the box for the third record's master tapes, he found what went onto the CD. Apparently, Frank either mislabeled the box or had another version of the album in mind at one point. In any event, this is what Frank played on a radio station many years ago when Warner Bros. stopped its release, so I think it's safe to assume this is the "ultimate" version of the album. Dig in!
Free Music Review: ZAPPA BLOWS IT ALL OUT IN LATHER!
Hit: 5 Stars
Finally a legitimate release on one of uncle Frank's most adventurous projects. Lather (pronounced Leather) was thefamous 4 LP set that Frank's former label at the time Warner Bros. refused to release in '77. Well as we all know the rest is history.
Frank brought LP's to a Pasadena radio station and told the audience to get their tape recorders ready and tape the records!
Well, lawsuits went back and forth and eventually snippets of the original 4 LP set turned up on later FZ records Zappa In
New York, Sleep Dirt, Studio Tan & Orchestral Favorites from '78 & '79. now we have the entire 4 LP set on a snazzy
little 3 CD set including 4 recently unearthed tracks from over the years related to the original LP project. These 4 oddities
"Regyptian Strut ('93)," Leather Goods," Revenge Of The Knick Knack People" & Time Is Money" are the bonus cuts that
close out the set bringing the total playing experience to 3 hours! Exceptional separate liner notes by both Gail Zappa and
Simon Prentis document the history of this missing masterpiece with articulate insight. Digitally overhauled for another excellent
sonic blowout!
Free Music Review: It's pronounced 'leather,' by the way..
Hit: 5 Stars
If there exists any single 'definitive' Zappa album, Läther is it. Like FZ for the biting social commentary and humor? There's "Broken Hearts," "Honey Don't You Want a Man Like Me," and "Young Sophisticate," among others. Wacked-out lunacy? Try "Punky's Whips" and "Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit." Classical tunes? We have "Filthy Habits," "RDNZL," or "Revised Music for Guitar & Low Budget Orchestra," which contain some of the most inhumanly insane performances I've ever heard from an orchestra. And to top it all off there's "Greggery Peccary," which combines all of the above and then some. In addition to (almost) all of the album in its (almost) original form, there's a remix of "Re-gyptian Strut" and three other tracks that were dug up out of the vault for this release.If you're not familiar with Zappa, go for Strictly Commercial or Cheap Thrills first. Joe's Garage and Have I Offended Someone? are good buys as well.. and then if you're curious for more, Läther should be next.
Free Music Review: Läther: the way it was meant to be...
Hit: 5 Stars
This posthumous 3-CD release by the Zappa Family Trust - essentially, and I use that term advisedly, an amalgamation of Zappa_In_ New_York, Studio_Tan, Sleep_Dirt, and Orchestral_Favorites (...and yes, all 4 albums are worth purchasing even if one already owns Läther. Or vice versa, as the case may be) - is how Frank Zappa originally intended the aforementioned records to be heard. Unfortunately, due to a dispute with Warner Bros., his grandiose scheme of releasing an "8-sided album" was quashed. Therefore, in December 1977, Zappa went on a local radio station, told the audience to get their recording equipment ready, whereupon he broadcast the album, in its entirety to an unexpecting public. Some sound bites of the (inebriated?) "bogus temporary DJ" are interspersed within this remastered album. The liner notes, a 38-page booklet, includes synopses of the songs contained therein. An unequivocal masterpiece by a true visionary genius!Free Music Review: The Ultimate Zappa Album
Hit: 5 Stars
This album has it all! Rock satires, amazing guitar solos, funny and very obscene pop pieces, modern classical works. While some of the '70s humor seems dated (with the exception of "Honey, Don't you want a man like me?" which is still hilarious), the instrumental pieces pass the test of time. "Filthy Habits" is probably the best feedback guitar piece ever recorded, and "Leather Goods" is a just plain awesome virtuoso guitar. My favorite piece on the album is probably "The Adventures of Greggary Peccary," the bizarre 20 minute sequel to "Billy the Mountain." "Greggary" is a farrago of rock parodies, jazz and modern classical styles. It's like Charles Ives on acid. Intermixed with the odd music is a charmingly absurd narrative about a white-collar pig and his surreal adventures among the world of trendy goods and flaky philosophers. Not to be missed.