Published on Sep 22, 2005
After all of the time that Frank Zappa spent honing his skills
as a serious composer, it seems kind of ironic that his return to
form,
Broadway The Hard Way, was an album of pop tunes with more
than a smidgen of disgust toward modern society, politics and
religion.
The first disc to capture the brief tenure of Zappa’s 1988
touring band (which imploded following internal strife), Zappa –
for the first time in a long while – sounds like he’s having fun
with the material and performing, and his new-found energy rubs off
on his backing band. This is the kind of performance that fans had
been waiting for a long time. Pity the group only lasted four
months.
No one is safe from Zappa’s barbs, from Jesse Jackson (the
excellent “Rhymin’ Man”) to then-president Ronald Reagan (“Dickie’s
Such An Asshole”) to the Republican Party (“When The Lie’s So
Big”), even to Pat Robertson (“Jesus Thinks You’re A Jerk”), Zappa
and crew fire point-blank at the targets of their barbs, and they
almost constantly hit the bullseye.
Try, as hard as you can, to not get sucked into the chorus of
“Planet Of The Baritone Women”, with its gutteral laugh punctuating
the refrain. Try not to smirk at the slams against Jackson on
“Rhymin’ Man,” delivered in an almost Western style. Try not to
cheer the declarations of guest vocalist Sting (!) as he sits in
with the band on the old Police track “Murder By Numbers”. The fact
is, you can’t. The listener knows that Zappa and crew are fired up
and out for blood, and it’s impossible not to get caught up in the
excitement and societal indignation – especially when Zappa
implores the audience members at intermission to get up and
register to vote.
This isn’t to say there are no rough spots on
Broadway The Hard Way – but compared to some of Zappa’s
releases, these are mere speed bumps on the road. Tracks like “Why
Don’t You Like Me?”, “What Kind Of Girl” and “Jezebel Boy” don’t
quite have the same snap to their punches, and end up being a bit
of a lull in the show, but these are not insurmountable obstacles.
Truth is, Zappa hadn’t put out an album as consistent as this one
in a while, not counting any of the compilations he was working on
at the time.
Sadly,
Broadway The Hard Way has become almost a forgotten disc in
the Zappa discography, despite its strengths. There are many Zappa
CDs that I’ve found needing a major case of rediscovery by both
fans and newcomers alike.
Broadway The Hard Way should be one of those near the top of
the list.
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.