Published on Sep 12, 2005
Coming off what turned out to be the final dissolution of the
Mothers Of Invention and a short tour with his old friend Captain
Beefheart, Frank Zappa did something that many people may not have
expected – he released a dark-sounding, more serious album in 1976
with
Zoot Allures.
The first thing that strikes the listener about this disc is the
overall sound. Zappa was known for crisp, clear production work,
and turned out to be a producer who was in demand. Yet
Zoot Allures has its emphasis on bass – not thumping bass
like you hear from the asshole in the SUV next to you on the
freeway, but an almost ominous feeling that is draped over the
music. I don’t know if this was intentional on Zappa’s part, but it
sets a mood.
For the most part, Zappa remains serious over the course of this
album, though he and his band never abandon humor completely.
Tracks like “Ms. Pinky” and the growing-in-popularity disco scene
put-down on “Disco Boy” are evidence enough of this. But, for once,
Zappa chooses not to use humor as his trump card, and the move
works surprisingly well.
Listen to the sheer musicianship on instrumentals like “Zoot
Allures” and “Black Napkins” as a subtle – subtle? Yeah, like a
flying sledgehammer – reminder of just how good of a musician Zappa
was, and how demanding he was of the same level of perfection from
his backing band. Likewise, tracks like “The Torture Never Stops”
never dips into the level of the absurd, but rather sounds like
Zappa means business. My only criticism? The “screams of pain” from
the women on this one sound like they’re approaching orgasm – which
made this one
real hard to listen to at work.
Even the lesser-known tracks such as “Find Her Finer,” “Friendly
Little Finger” and “Wonderful Wino” turn out to be well worth the
listener’s time, and the darker edge to the music gives them the
added kick that they might otherwise have not received. I’m willing
to bet that, had a track like “Find Her Finer” been on a different
disc with a more bright level of production, it wouldn’t have been
as noteworthy.
Yet
Zoot Allures seems to have fallen to the wayside when it
comes to people naming their favorite Zappa albums. Maybe it was
the darker atmosphere of the disc that causes people to remember
the brighter, funny discs like
Sheik Yerbouti – and while I love that disc as well, it’s a
shame that
Zoot Allures isn’t remembered with the same kind of passion.
It may have been a more serious album in terms of content and
sound, but it’s well worth checking out.
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.