Published on Aug 23, 1999
This review is eighteen months overdue. Back around February
1998, a reader (whose name I have unfortunately forgotten) asked me
to review
Läther from Frank Zappa, because he was seriously
considering buying it, and wanted to know what I thought of it.
Problem number one: I was locked into reviewing the entire
You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore series, and we had just
reviewed the first volume a week prior. Problem number two: we
don’t review an artist twice in a 60-day period, so it was going to
be some time before I got to this hot potato. Problem number three:
I didn’t own
Läther… a problem I solved the other day when I
snagged a copy at Wherehouse Music.
I’m sure our reader has long since bought
Läther for himself – and I’m sure he’s satisfied with
his purchase. This is a lot to digest in one sitting, and the
diehard Zappa fan probably owns many of these songs already, but
it’s still a welcome addition to your collection.
A bit of history:
Läther was supposed to be released in 1978 as a
four-record box set, but (depending on which story you believe)
Warner Brothers would not allow Zappa to put it out, and they
refused to release it. Instead, Zappa turned around and released a
series of albums that utilized a lot of the songs from
Läther on them. These albums,
Sleep Dirt,
Studio Tan and
Orchestral Favorites, we’ll eventually get to. You’ll also
hear elements on
Zappa In New York and
Sheik Yerbouti. Finally, in 1996 – three years after Zappa’s
death, Gail Zappa and Rykodisc answered the prayers of many Zappa
devotees and brought this set out, eighteen years after it was
supposed to be issued.
Was it worth it? Simply put: Damn straight.
Many of the songs here will sound familiar to you. Encased on
this three-CD set include early versions of “Broken Hearts Are For
Assholes” and “Honey, Don’t You Want A Man Like Me?” (including a
brief confrontation between a disgruntled concert attendee and
Zappa). These versions are a little rough, compared to the more
polished versions you can hear on other albums, but they’re of
historical significance. An additional version of “Big Leg Emma” is
a lot of fun to listen to – and I’m always interested to hear
different versions of “Titties ‘n Beer” just to hear the interplay
between Zappa and drummer Terry Bozzio.
If you own
Zappa In New York, you’ll undoubtedly be familiar with
“Punky’s Whips” and “The Legend Of The Illinois Enema Bandit,” both
tracks intro’ed by Don Pardo. (How Zappa got him to do these shows
I’ll never know; you wouldn’t expect Pardo to be saying some of the
things he says.)
Some people could claim that
Läther is just a rehash of
Studio Tan,
Sleep Dirt and
Orchestral Favorites (casually forgetting that
Läther pre-dates these releases). In fact, a lot of the
tracks from these albums can be found here, but there are a few
tracks on
Sleep Dirt and
Orchestral Favorites that aren’t on
Läther. And even if you didn’t especially like these
albums when they first came out, don’t be so quick to write
Läther off; this set actually helps these songs by
putting them into a new light. Indeed, hearing them the way they
were meant to be heard helps a lot. (Well, with one exception; I
still don’t like “The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary”.)
So, let’s say you’re one of the lucky people who taped
Läther off the radio when Zappa, in an effort to piss
off his friends at Warner Brothers, played the entire album on the
air, this set includes four previously unreleased tracks (including
a remix of “Regyptian Strut” from the year of Zappa’s death). While
I’m not sure if these actually enhance this set, they are
interesting to listen to.
The biggest negative of
Läther is that it’s over 2 1/2 hours in length, a lot
for even a diehard Zappa fan to sit through in one shot. If you
have the patience, it is an experience that is well worth it; even
breaking it up by disc is worth it, and it doesn’t lessen the power
of the music. (One other negative could be the price, though I
think it is well worth the investment, especially if you’re into
Zappa. Then again, I paid $20 for a used set, so I freely admit I’m
cheap.)
Läther is one of the Holy Grails that Zappa fans have
long been drooling for. My advice: wipe your mouth, hie yourself
down to the store and snag this puppy.