Published on Sep 22, 2000
One of the Holy Grails for any Frank Zappa fan is to acquire a
copy of his three-hour movie
Baby Snakes. It’s a bizarre mixture of clay animation,
studio recording and live performance that defies simple
categorization, and is a film you’ll either love or hate. (Me? I
have my very own copy of this film… though I freely admit it’s
been some time since I watched it.)
The 1982 album
Baby Snakes is somewhat a soundtrack to this film, yet it’s
also an album that easily stands alone as a unique Zappa creation.
However you choose to look at it, it captures Zappa at his best and
at his most extreme, and leaves the listener with a rather mixed
bag.
From the opening speech featuring future Zappa band member
Warren Cucurillo to the return of the title track (originally on
the excellent disc
Sheik Yerbouti), things get off to a strong start as Zappa
and crew kick into a typical Halloween show for the band. The
interplay between Zappa and drummer Terry Bozzio on “Titties ‘N’
Beer” makes me almost wish that they had lengthened this segment in
concert. (Also noteworthy is one of Zappa’s many shots against
Warner Brothers, his former label… as well as Peter Frampton. To
understand that reference, hie yourself down to Best Buy and pick
up
You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore Volume 6 and listen to
the track “Is That Guy Kidding?”.)
I don’t believe the version of “Jones Crusher” on
Baby Snakes is the same one on
Sheik Yerbouti; I hear some subtle differences in this
version that I don’t quite remember before. I am, however, willing
to admit I’m wrong on this – besides, it’s a great track, so who
really cares? A short version of “The Black Page # 2” and a killer
rendition of “Disco Boy” round out the first half of the
release.
Unfortunately, the second half of
Baby Snakes is a tad weaker. Admittedly, I never was a fan
of the track “Dinah Moe Humm,” and the dual rendition – once
planned, once with an audience member dancing around the stage –
doesn’t improve its standing with me. Likewise, “Punky’s Whips” is
just a track which has never caught fire with me. Bozzio’s planned
off-key vocals often tend to be a distraction, and the track
borders on annoying. (Besides, how many people really remember who
Punky Meadows was anyway?)
Still, the strengths of
Baby Snakes are more than enough to make up for the
shortcomings, and in the end, this turns out to be a decent enough
Zappa release which should serve as a nice, short introduction to
newcomers, and as an appetizer for long-time fans.