Published on Sep 13, 2005
The final single-album release that included the tracks from the
now-legendary 4-LP set
Lather,
Orchestral Favorites is a release that not many Zappa fans
probably get on the first listen. Or the second. Or the tenth, for
that matter. Yet, if one really thinks about it, it’s a disc that
was the natural next step for Zappa the musician and composer, and
a step he would revisit several more times in the next decade of
his work.
Originally recorded in 1975, Zappa took a 37-piece orchestra and
combined older selections from his catalog with some newer
material, showing that Zappa was more than a rock musician, he was
a composer, and one who wanted to be taken seriously. For the most
part,
Orchestral Favorites succeeds, though it’s often with the
more established material.
The opening track, “Strictly Genteel,” is one of two selections
culled from Zappa’s
200 Motels soundtrack, and one that is almost perfectly
designed for the full-blown orchestra treatment. In fact, it seems
like such a natural fit that it dares to blow away every version of
“Strictly Genteel” I’ve heard before this period, and every one
that followed. Zappa definitely set the bar high – I’d say for this
project, but this was never designed to be a solo disc.
What makes this disc unique (and successful) is the way that
Zappa was able to work other portions of
200 Motels into one mammoth selection, “Bogus Pomp,” yet
another slice of evidence that adds fuel to the belief that Zappa
was primarily a composer, not a rock musician. Individually, these
works in their original format tended to be a little challenging
(if not repetitive and benign); as one composition, they all flow
into a cohesive unit that even Zappa himself probably couldn’t have
imagined would work so well. Almost lost in the shuffle is “Duke Of
Prunes,” an orchestral version of the
Absolutely Free disc that isn’t quite as powerful, but one
that has its own redeeming qualities that makes it enjoyable.
Of the two remaming tracks of newer material, “Naval Aviation In
Art?” is far too brief to make a lasting impression – too bad,
’cause I’d like to have seen how this one developed a little more.
The other track, “Pedro’s Dowry,” is far more challenging to get
into, taking on Zappa’s own eclectic manner of placing sounds that
might not normally work together into the mix. It’s not as
intoxicating, and I admit this one hasn’t grown on me in the same
ways the other numbers did. Maybe “Pedro’s Dowry” is one of those
tracks that requires some serious study – but as it is, it’s not a
bad track, just not an outstanding one.
That Zappa would embrace orchestral work is not surprising – he
did so in a smaller scale on his solo debut
Lumpy Gravy, and the work on
Uncle Meat and
200 Motels almost dared to be placed in the same setting
(the latter finally meeting the dare on
Orchestral Favorites). Zappa’s fascination with the symphony
was merely beginning – both
London Symphony Orchestra and
The Perfect Stranger would revisit this musical arena.
Orchestral Favorites may not be as toe-tapping as, say,
Sleep Dirt, but it still is worth checking out, though maybe
the newcomers to Zappa’s musical world would do better to leave
this one as a later stop on the journey.
2005 Christopher Thelen and “The Daily Vault.” All rights
reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without
written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of the
Zappa Family Trust / record label, and is used for informational
purposes only.