Published on Jan 28, 2001
I think it says something that this compilation,
Cheap Thrills, begins with the self-parodying track “I Could
Be a Star Now” – an excerpt from the movie
200 Motels, in which a departing Mother of Invention is told
“What do you do? You join the Mothers! And you end up working for
Zappa, and he MAKES you be a creep!”
Cheap Thrills was the name of a scheme a few years ago to
put special prices on certain Zappa titles.
Cheap Thrills and
Son Of Cheap Thrills were two extra-low cost CDs that retail
for about five or six dollars (don’t pay more than six!) that were
sampler packs, pulling tracks from various titles in the
Cheap Thrills line.
This first one features mostly the more humorous and less
technically demanding pieces, especially when compared to
Son Of Cheap Thrills. The first musical track is the 1988
version of “Catholic Girls,” which is certainly a very energized
version of the original song. While the 1988 band didn’t exactly
have the best chemistry, this track certainly shows that they did
know how to play very well, as well as retain the original sense of
humor off
Joe’s Garage.
“Bobby Brown Goes Down” is my least favorite song on the album.
The less said about it, the better. I remember one Zappa fan
reviewing it and saying “The best part is that FZ is laughing so
hard that you can’t hear what he’s saying.” It shows that he and
Ike had a great time on stage, which is certainly very important,
but I don’t consider this a great song, technically or
lyrically.
“You Are What You Is” is taken from
Thing-Fish, not from the album of the same name.
Thing-Fish is a good album, but it stands up much better
when considered in and of itself – it contains mostly re-recordings
of older songs, or identical versions with minor shifts. This track
is one of the better re-productions, and it segues very nicely into
what may be my favorite FZ track of all time.
“We Are Not Alone” features raunchy saxophone with incredible
marimba work residing just underneath the top. It’s a song that
makes me want to cruise through residential neighborhoods at 15 MPH
with the windows down – baritone sax, Steve Vai zipping around on a
strat, all interplayed wonderfully.
The song “Cheap Thrills” is nice to listen to, but not something
to write home to mom about – it is taken from
Cruisin’ With Reuben And The Jets, a doo-wop homage from the
late 60’s. It features interesting musical progression underneath
an insidious set of lyrics that aren’t as innocent as they appear.
Immediately following is another piece of history from “The True
Story of 200 Motels,” “The Mudshark Interview”. It’s about 2:40 of
pure conceptual continuity – an explanation of the obsession with
Mudsharks, through an interview conducted with an apprehensive
hotel clerk.
“Hot Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel” is a great song. It’s
unabashedly political, with a dynamite introduction and pure energy
streaming off the stage. Problem is, this particular release
features the only guitar solo FZ ever released that bored me half
to death. As blasphemous as that sounds, especially while using a
guitar tone that brought him unending praise, I do not enjoy the
solo in this song at all. Thankfully it is followed by “Zomby
Woof,” a fast, difficult piece that belongs on any “Driving Music”
tape.
“The Torture Never Stops” is the longest track on the sampler,
weighing in around 9:15, and possibly the least enjoyable to listen
to. It’s overlong and bluesy, two things that while in moderation
are good, spell disaster in this case.
“Joe’s Garage,” as featured on this CD, is very fast, energized,
and far more
fun to listen to than the comparatively stately and
orchestrated version found on the album of the same name. While
they both have their merits, if I saw FZ in concert and had to
choose, this style would be what I would hear. “My Guitar Wants To
Kill Your Mama” is a highlight of this CD, succeeding in all
respects.
This CD serves as an introduction to the music of Zappa, and it
was actually the first Zappa CD I bought, but frankly it could have
been done better. It’s not intended to be a ‘greatest hits,’ but as
an intro even just to the
Cheap Thrills line of music it is certainly lacking – and,
by itself, it’s a very, very weak intro to his music.
Son Of Cheap Thrills was released later, and together they
form a more cohesive unit, but
Cheap Thrills on its own is priced about right – and while
it wouldn’t be a BAD introduction to Zappa’s music, it’s certainly
not the best.