Published on Sep 8, 2005
Over-Nite Sensation marked possibly the height of Frank
Zappa’s popularity, at least in terms of sales. Coming off a year
he spent in a wheelchair (thanks to a “fan” pushing him off a
London stage in 1971), Zappa marked his return as a lead singer
(albeit an octave lower than before the attack) by taking the
lessons learned from the “Flo & Eddie” period of the Mothers Of
Invention – namely, the sophomoric sex humor – and milking it for
every drop it was worth. (And, despite what the venerable All-Music
Guide claims, this was not a Mothers album; even Zappa’s own
website credits this one solely to Zappa.)
Yet, despite the increase in sales – this became Zappa’s first
gold album –
Over-Nite Sensation can’t shake a feeling of tentativeness
about it. Even though this disc has some of Zappa’s most notable
concert favorites, such as “Camarillo Brillo” and “Dinah Moe-Humm,”
it really sounds like Zappa wasn’t quite sure that this was the way
he wanted to take his music. Unlike what he’d produce one album
later on
Apostrophe (‘),
Over-Nite Sensation is the musical equivalent of sticking
one’s toe into the water to gauge the climate.
It’s kind of a shame, really. Sonically, Zappa was applying the
lessons he had learned on
The Grand Wazoo that would help him create a truly
full-sounding band, though he now replaced some of the
instrumentation with his own lead vocals. But the vehicles with
which he tries to deliver the goods just don’t have the horsepower.
Take “Dirty Love,” a track which became legendary in concert. The
tempo on this one is far too plodding to deliver the smirking
vocals the right way, and the crispness of the instruments –
especially in the opening riff – just isn’t there. Or, for an
experience that is the musical equivalent of falling flat on your
face, check out “Fifty-Fifty,” undoubtedly the worst song on the
disc.
This isn’t to say that there is no hope to the disc. “I’m The
Slime,” Zappa’s slam against television, does have the finesse and
power to get the message across, and is one of the best efforts on
the disc. The other track that shares the honor is “Zomby Woof,”
one of Zappa’s under-rated numbers.
But, the Zappa freaks shout, surely I haven’t forgotten about
“Montana”? Well, the truth is that I’ve never particularly been
enamored with the story of the wanna-be dental floss rancher, and
the original version doesn’t add (or, for that matter, subtract)
anything to my opinion of the track. It just seemed, to me, to be
one of Zappa’s “silly-for-the-sake-of-being-silly” numbers that was
far too plodding to really have any substance. Oh, well – to each
their own.
As for the sexual wordplay, both “Dinah Moe-Humm” and “Camarillo
Brillo” have enough, both hidden and out in the open, to send
Tipper Gore into conniptions, but years of hearing these tracks
done in live recordings almost make me immune to them. Still, like
many of the tracks on
Over-Nite Sensation, they seem to lack the punch they
need.
Saying anything negative about
Over-Nite Sensation, one of Zappa’s critically praised
albums, is akin to mooning when the Popemobile drives by, I
realize. But ever since I picked up my long-destroyed first
cassette of
Apostrophe (‘),
Over-Nite Sensation has lived in its shadow. I like to think
that
Over-Nite Sensation gave Zappa the confidence he needed to
really push the musical envelope forward. But that still left this
so-so disc spinning its wheels in the mud.
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.