b o b

This album was released around the time that the original Mothers of Invention broke up, and is made up of the "leftovers" that hadn't found a home on any of the band's previous albums. It's a mix of studio work and live performances. Given the mix-and-match nature of the material, it gels together into a surprisingly strong album. Not that I realized that right away. I bought this album early in my Zappa fanhood... probably too early. But I really liked One Size Fits All and Hot Rats, and was fairly fond of We're Only In It For the Money and Lumpy Gravy, so when I saw this disc at a used CD store for $9, I snatched it up. It almost went back to the store the same day. What is this weird stuff? Hell, on "Prelude to the Afternoon...", the band actually laughs at the audience, as if making fun of them for being dumb enough to listen to something this strange. The album kept finding its way into my CD player though, and it wasn't long until I was really enjoying it. I credit this as being one of the albums that really helped open my ears to what music can be, beyond the usual top 40 fare. The disc starts with the complex and bizarre "Didja Get Any Onya?", then shifts 180 degrees into a bluesy cover of Little Richard's "Directly From My Heart To You", which features heartfelt vocals and some searing violin from Sugar Cane Harris. The aforementioned "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask" is mostly made up of a wailing vocal, and that mocking laughter. "Toads of the Short Forest" starts out sounding like a pretty little instrumental in the vein of "Peaches En Regalia", but after about a minute it suddenly turns much harsher. At one point, Zappa explains to the audience that "we have drummer A playing in 7/8, drummer B playing in 3/4, the bass playing in 3/4, the organ playing in 5/8, the tambourine playing in 3/4 and the alto sax blowing his nose". "Get a Little" is a short, bluesy guitar workout (the title comes from an opening dialog snippet, which is just as dirty as you'd imagine). "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue" is a tribute to the avant jazz musician. It alternates composed sections with improvs and weirdness. It took me quite a while to develop an appreciation for this track, and I still can never recognize it when it shows up on live albums. "Dwarf Nebula" starts out as a regular band composition, but then launches into a minute and a half of musique concrète. Interesting, but somewhat similar to the experimental tracks on We're Only In It For the Money. "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama" is probably the most conventional rock song on the disc - it has even been covered by other bands. "Oh No" is another catchy little number, with lyrics that are a not-so-subtle attack on the Beatles ("You say love is all we need... I think you're probably out to lunch"). That song shifts seamlessly into the beautiful instrumental "Orange County Lumber Truck". So seamlessly in fact, that it took me years to notice that they were two separate songs. The melody of "Oh No" was one of the major themes on Lumpy Gravy, and combined with "Orange County" it would appear frequently in Zappa's live sets, even making an appearance nearly two decades later on the live album Make a Jazz Noise Here. The title track ends the disc, and it's perfectly named - two minutes of sheer, crushing feedback and noise. The recording is from a live performance, and when they finish the audience yells for more. I'd say that this is a must-have album for fans of experimental music in general, and people who like the outer edges of Zappa's catalog specifically. But if you just like the comedic or more accessible Zappa albums, then you should probably skip this one. review by Bob Eichler — 3-2-05 —

m a t t

Like Burnt Weeny Sandwich, this is a fantastic collection of mostly-instrumental unreleased material (live plus studio) from the original Mothers band, spanning the years 1967-1969. If Burnt was the work of a rock band experimenting, Weasels is often pure experimentation. It may sound jarring and random after the first couple of listens, as it covers such disparate ground as R&B, classical, free jazz, avant-rock and straight-ahead rock and roll. A coherence and logic does emerge after repeated spins, and if you are open to some of the inaccessible styles presented on a few of the tracks, this album may well become a Zappa favorite for you; if not, then you may find this album very frustrating. It will tease you with an intense, grimy rendition of Little Richard's "Straight From My Heart to You," — featuring the downright lascivious electric violin of Don "Sugarcane" Harris — as well as with the churning rock of the classic track "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama," but then throw you for some atonal loops with "Dwarf Nebula" and further blast you with dissonance on "Didja Get Any Onya" and "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask." And then there's also catchy little ditties like the opening minute of "Toads of the Short Forest" (until it descends into cacophony of saxophone shrieks with everybody playing in a different time signature) and a proto-Hot Rats fusion workout ("The Orange County Lumber Truck"). But time and effort with this album will likely be rewarded. What emerges is the portrait of a confident band that basically was capable of anything. Present here are the roots of alternative rock, avant-rock, krautrock and a whole branch progressive rock. Yet, the music itself is not formative - this is the mature product of a devastatingly accomplished musical ensemble with a very sharp vision. Interested in where Faust or The Residents learned a few of their tricks? You need to check this out immediately. review by Matt P. — 2-3-05 —