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Although this album contains performances by the same musicians as Zappa's previous album (Overnite Sensation), plus a host of others, it is credited just to Frank Zappa, not to the Mothers. Maybe because, judging by the huge number of musicians who played at one point or another on this disc, the album was probably constructed from tracks that came out of a bunch of different projects that Zappa was working on. Apostrophe(') continues the "musically impressive pop" trend from the last album, with lyrics that are just as absurd, but less sex-obsessed. The first four tracks make up the "Yellow Snow Suite," which follows the adventures of Nanook the Eskimo as he battles against an evil fur trapper, who ends up being blinded when Nanook rubs a "dog doo snowcone" into his eyes. The trapper seeks a cure at St. Alfonzo's parish, which is overseen by Father O'Blivion, master pancake chef. Yeah, the lyrics are completely ridiculous, but they're basically just an excuse to tie together some funky and fantastic musical ideas. The high-speed "Father O'Blivion" is incredible, and Ruth Underwood's percussion is amazing throughout. "Cosmik Debris" is another of Frank's social criticism songs, this time mocking phony psychics and seers (especially those who use the "dust of the Grand Wazoo"). "Excentrifugal Forz" is a short rocker, mainly a warm-up for the thick instrumental jam of the title track, on which guest musician Jack Bruce tries to outdo Zappa's guitar with his bass. "Uncle Remus" is another song of social consciousness, with lyrics about the evils of racism, which features some beautiful piano work from George Duke. The final track, "Stink Foot" (a concert favorite) is an oddball rocker with lyrics about a man who couldn't get his boots off for months on end and became afflicted with stink foot. He tries to get his dog to fetch his slippers, but the dog runs off yelping. It's revealed at the end of the song that the dog is the poodle from "Dirty Love." Overall I think I like Apostrophe(') better than Overnite Sensation, but I rarely listen to either album. They were originally released together as a two-fer disc that was one of the first Zappa CDs in my collection, and I played them to death back then. So my current lack of enthusiasm for both albums is probably due more to burnout than to their inherent musical qualities. Either album would make a good entry point for those looking to get into the sillier side of Zappa, if you don't mind the short running times. review by Bob Eichler — 10-17-05 —

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A companion piece of sorts to Over-nite Sensation, the incredibly short (31:47) Apostrophe(') is a bit more jazzy, a bit more instrumentally-oriented and has less sexual content (though there is that part about leprechauns masturbating into a pancake batter). Several of the tracks were recorded during the sessions for previous albums and then overdubbed for Apostrophe('), hence the laundry-list of personnel. Overall I like the album somewhat more than Over-nite Sensation, but not enough to put it on the level of Zappa's best Mothers-less albums. The Conceptual Continuity is out in full on Apostrophe('), as the album has numerous musical and lyrical references to previous songs. Zappa sent up concept albums in general (certainly a relevant target for 1974) with the "Yellow Snow" suite, which comprises the album's first four songs. Based on what I've read about the album, it was supposed to be a conceptual suite about nothing. But since Zappa's lyrics are viewed by his fans as always having to be about something, the meaning of the story (which concerns an Eskimo boy getting revenge upon a seal-clubbing fur trapper by blinding the trapper with a handful of crystallized dog urine) has been an ongoing topic of discussion for Zappa-philes. One notable example of over-interpretation is author Ben Watson's argument (in his book The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play) that Apostrophe(') is actually an allegory to Shakespeare's King Lear. Ironically, Apostrophe(')s joke seems to be on Zappa's own fans as much as on bands like Yes or Genesis. The music supporting Frank's narration-style vocals is fairly sophisticated, though, and it flowered when performed onstage. Somehow "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" became a minor hit and Apostrophe(') went gold, providing Zappa with the biggest selling record of his career, if my information is correct. As for the rest of the album, I've never been much of a fan of "Cosmik Debris" — it seems like a re-write of "I'm the Slime" from Over-nite Sensation — and "Excentrifugal Forz" is over before it has a chance to get going. But, I think that "Apostrophe'," "Uncle Remus" and "Stink Foot," finish up the album very well. The instrumental title track is a classic wank-fest that involves a guest appearance by bassist Jack Bruce (Cream). "Uncle Remus" is a slow bluesy tune that comments on the state of racial inequality in America and sounds like it could have been one of the change-of-pace vocal songs on Waka/Jawaka or The Grand Wazoo (the basic tracks were recorded during those sessions, actually). "Stink Foot," despite silly lyrics purportedly inspired by an athlete's foot commercial, has a lot of great guitar playing by Zappa. And the mystery of the album's title? "Stink Foot" tells us that the answer should be "easy to see," since "the crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe." Zappa himself never elaborated, though I have heard a theory that on a variety of Gaine's dog biscuits, the apostrophe in the brand logo is located directly at the center. Obviously, this is all very deep stuff. review by Matt P. — 9-15-05 —