A masterpiece, not misunderstood, simply not understood..Friday, January 07, 2005
the first 2 tracks are great songs, the instrumental sets the tone for the rest of the middle of the album, with a ska instrumental(we are not alone), a schoenburg jazz duo, and my Fav zappa tune, the sublime Do Wop mary Lou. I dont mean to hype zappa as awhole, but his good stuff is the best ever,
3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Richard BaseheartWednesday, December 15, 2004
This Zappa record is what "On the Corner" is to Miles Davis.
"The Radio is Broken" is probably the stupidest, funniest and weirdest song Frank Zappa ever wrote. It is "Call any Vegetable" (from Absolutely Free) with Steve Vai on guitar.
"The Radio Is Broken" contains one of the most insanely difficult electric guitar parts Frank ever convinced Steve Vai to play, which Steve plays to the death. But word: the insanely difficult guitar parts steve plays also groove.
Moggio is an incredible song, again showing Frank Zappa and Steve Vai developing a musical language together that only they could deal with. Very difficult music, ala the Black Page, that also swings like a Cab Calloway rave-up song.
The two spoken word songs, The Dangerous Kitchen and the Jazz Discharge Party Hats, were created by Steve Vai listening to live tapes of Frank doing bizarro spoken word Sinatra pieces over drums and bass and then doubling the exact phrases and pitch of Frank's vocals on acoustic guitar. This creates a sound, according to Steve, "like George Benson from Venus."
Is this an IMPORTANT Frank Zappa album? No, nor does it appear meant to be. Frank knew the stuff on this record was so weird and offensive that nobody normal would like it so he just made it even weirder to have fun. But it is probably the best showcase for Steve Vai's playing with Frank.
Because the songs are so weird and so uncommercial, even to Zappa fans, I have always liked it. During this period, Frank did not have a clue how to construct a normal LP of music, since his taste in music was going once again completely over the edge, so he just took what he had made recently and mushed it all together, Ed Wood style.
The Man From Utopia is a freak show with none of the bizarre edges sanded down. The production is incredibly good. The weird mutation of two 1950s doo-wop songs also covered by Bob Seger at about the same time ("The Man From Utopia meets Mary Lou") further heightens the goofiness.
1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Crítica from hell.Sunday, December 12, 2004
Aprovecho este espacio y este disco para decir que Zappa fue el mejor músico que caminó en este maldito planeta. Tan creativo como inteligente y su música bien lo refleja. No hay un solo disco que se pueda criticar por separado porque todos son parte de una inmensa obra. Para criticar algo de Zappa hay que saber mucho y para escucharlo también. La música de Zappa es música muy inteligente, sorprendente y creativa, no debería existir nadie que diga que sabe de música si no admira a Zappa...
Igor Stravinsky, King Crimson, Johann Sebastian Bach, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Ludwing Van Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich y muchos más son parte de mi biblioteca musical y con estos nombres detrás mío no hace falta que explique que se muy bien lo que digo cuando hablo de música. Zappa logra que uno no pare de sorprenderse por su genio y que a medida que uno adquiere más cultura musical, más lo admire.
Así que recomiendo (para cualquiera que quiera saber como es la Música) que se compre todos los discos de Zappa porque todos son sensacionales.
Mucha gente se dedica a criticar a Zappa por lo tedioso que puede llegar a ser en algunas piezas musicales pero lo que no saben es que en todos los casos Zappa es tedioso a propósito, justamente para que hablen estupideces las personas que se dedica a criticar sin saber nada de música. Zappa era demasiado inteligente para que se lo entienda completamente, tanto musical como conceptualmente.
Frank Vincent Zappa no es para cualquiera. Tu tienes los huevos bien puestos? Si sí, compra todo lo que veas de Zappa.
3 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Something new...againFriday, March 26, 2004
A lot of fun must have been had in the making of this album, which is a bit freer than Zappa's previous album "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch," but regardless a lot of work has been put into it.
In the sense of humor and lyrical topics, this is the most "stupid" album I believe Zappa has ever recorded, but that stupidity is unusually funny in combination with superb musical performances like these.
"Cocaine Decisions" is a piano and harmonica dominated rock song with an 8th-note based bass line and a lyric that speaks out against drugs, and "SEX" is a heavily laid back rock song with an obvious lyrical topic.
"Tink Walks Amok" should be of great interest to bass players; a tune played in various odd-time signatures on drums, percussion, electric bass and piccolo bass.
"The Radio is Broken" is a very FZ-ish "homage" to old "cheap" science fiction movies and their stars (Richard Basehart, John Agar, Jackie Coogan...). Various styles of music is performed in this song (odd-time fusion/jazz/rock/reggae,) the "melody" is intentionally as out-of key as possible, and for me this is a ROTFL case, as is "The Jazz Discharge Party Hats" (recorded live,) where Zappa improvises both lyrics and melody to an up-tempo accompaniment of double-bass driven jazz. The vocal melodies to the above mentioned song and "The Dangerous Kitchen" have been transcribed and over-dubbed on guitar by Steve Vai - the result is so accurate it's uncanny!
"We Are Not Alone" is an instrumental tune with a baritone sax melody, "The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou" is a medley of piano-dominated bluesy rock covers, "Stick Together" is pure reggae, "Luigi & The Wise Guys" is pure doo-wop, and "Moggio" is an amazingly well performed catchy instrumental odd-time composition - there's just so much different stuff here that there's got to be something of interest for everyone.
TMFU is the most entertaining FZ album of the 80's; it's a different album with highly amusing songs, and its overall sound is very clear.
1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Not as bad as it's reputation suggests.Friday, September 19, 2003
This is actually a average Zappa album since it has a few tracks I think of as filler;if the lesser tracks had been better this would have been one of the great ones. It is pretty varied in style with rock, meltdown, and jazz mixed in it. Now for a track by track review.
Cocaine Decision - Very funny and grooving track about the blindness of cocaine users (mostly aimed at yuppies) 8/10
Sex - Yet another Zappa track about, you guessed it, sex. The central message is that everyone does it and that ironing board-like woman are no fun - love the chorus. But the song is quite average. 7/10
Tink Walks Amok - Great instrumental work by Arthur ''Tink'' Barrow 10/10
The Radio Is Broken - First meltdown track on this album - very funny with great musicianship by all of the band it is an homage to black and white sci-fi B movies. You can hear the backup singer laughing as Zappa improvises the lyrics (the blobulent suit). 10/10
We Are Not Alone - Another great instrumental 10/10
The Dangerous Kitchen - Another meltdown track funny and disgusting. 8/10
The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou - A cover of two classic jazz song, well done and entertaining. But not very Zappa-like. 6/10
Stick Together - Reggae style song about unions - not very good I skip it every time. 4/10
The Jazz Discharge Party Hats - The last meltdown song and the one I like the least, less zany and less entertaining than the other two but still good. 6/10
Luigi And The Wise Guys - Another doo-wop parody by Zappa but not very good, those who like this track should check out Freak Out. 4/10
Moggio- Another great instrumental. 10/10
Due to the meltdown songs this album is not for everyone(it really has no commercial potential) and should be approached by true Zappaphiles. For myself I bought the album after having heard Dangerous Kitchen and I think it is worth having only for that track and for The Radio Is Broken whi is one of my favorite Zappa tracks ever.