Anyone who has read my opinions on here will know that I love Frank Zappa. The man finishes second to none as a musician and composer. If Beethoven were alive - he would be digging Zappa - you now it's true.
Therefore for me to say this is the best Frank has produced is high praise indeed; ... Read review
Advantages: It just doesn't get any better Disadvantages: Over all too soon
Anyone who has read my opinions on here will know that I love Frank Zappa. The man finishes second to none as a musician and composer. If Beethoven were alive - he would be digging Zappa - you now it's true.
Therefore for me to say this is the best Frank has produced is high praise indeed; owning a good percentage of his prolific output and having heard almost all of it this stills sticks in the mind.
So, I say, Frank's ... ...compilations (notably "Have I Offended Someone?") and the "You can't do that on stage anymore" collection serves as an extended "best of". This is the finest studio stint ever to set forth from Barfko-Swill.
OK, so it's only seven tracks, a little short by more recent standards; but what a group of tracks!
The hardest part is finding the weak link...let's try anyway.
Anyone who has read my opinions on here will know that I love Frank Zappa. The man finishes second to none as a musician and composer. If Beethoven were alive - he would be digging Zappa - you now it's true.
Therefore for me to say this is the best Frank has produced is high praise indeed; owning a good percentage of his prolific output and having heard almost all of it this stills sticks in the mind.
So, I say, Frank's best album; but let me qualify that. He has made compilations (notably "Have I Offended Someone?") and the "You can't do that on stage anymore" collection serves as an extended "best of". This is the finest studio stint ever to set forth from Barfko-Swill.
OK, so it's only seven tracks, a little short by more recent standards; but what a group of tracks!
The hardest part is finding the weak link...let's try anyway.
Camarillo Brillo - fantastic (if somewhat askew) lyrics - but what did you expect from Zappa? The original is only surpassed by the super fast live version.
I'm the Slime - again the lyrics are what stand out. FZ gives his opinion on TV - believe me it isn't positive.
Dirty Love - C'mon Frenchy. Need I say more? Well again only FZ could get away with a song about a woman and her poodle...
Fifty Fifty - Enter good ol' Captain Beefheart. The outrageous vocal finshes a close second to some amazing musicianship in the extended middle section. Jean-Luc Ponty fiddling as only he can.
Zoomby Woof - another classic - worth it for the guitar tone and harmonies alone.
Dinah Moe Humm - Zappa only territory again. A woman who gets off on seeing her sister being *ahem* well I'll leave you to listen.
Montana - Perhaps the best of the album. Perhaps the best of all time. I don't know - i can't think of a more complete song. Fantastic lyrics, with fantastic timing and delivery, superb musicianship and its catchy as well....now pass me the Zircon encrusted tweezers....
So, there you have it, seven classic songs making one classic album. It is hard to pick out the best guitar solo, they are all great, they all have great lyrics and are performed to perfection.
Product Information for "Overnite Sensation - Frank Zappa" »
Product details
Title
Overnite Sensation
Performer
Frank Zappa
Genre
Rock & Pop
Sub Genre
Experimental Rock
Release Date
24/06/2002
Original Release Year
1973
Label / Distributor
Rykodisc Japan / F-Minor
Producer
Frank Zappa
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Format
Performer
EAN
4988112412736
Additional notes
Album Notes
Personnel: Frank Zappa (vocals, guitar); Sal Marquez (vocals, trumpet); Kin Vassy, Ricky Lancelotti (vocals); Jean-Luc Ponty (violin); Ian Underwood (flute, clarinet, alto & tenor saxophones); Bruce Fowler (trombone); George Duke (keyboards, synthesizer); Ruth Underwood (marimba, vibraphone, percussion); Tom Fowler (bass); Ralph Humphrey (drums). Engineers include: Barry Keene, Terry Dunavan, Fred Borkgren. Digitally remastered by Bob Stone and Bernie Grundman. Combining rock and intricate, experimental jazz with biting social commentary and a healthy dose of juvenile humor, Zappa's music was never less than provocative and often quite challenging. He manages to be musically ambitious, ironic, scatological and just plain weird, often within the same song. If you're looking to dive into his voluminous oeuvre, 1973'S OVER-NITE SENSATION is a good place to start. Following a string of experimental, nearly instrumental releases, the record is about as accessible as Zappa gets, and features some of his catchiest, wittiest songs. Even with musicians such as George Duke and Jean-Luc Ponty and several horn players, the album is more rock than jazz. Awash with references to tweezers, dental floss, dandruff, ponchos, poodles and dwarves, OVER-NITE SENSATION is laugh-out-loud funny. The opener, "Camarillo Brillo," which recounts a nutty sexual encounter, is full of intricate wordplay, and the more explicit "Dinah Moe Hum" surely delighted legions of brainy high school boys when it was released. The wonderfully demented "Dirty Love" belongs in the pantheon of great Zappa songs, as does "I Am the Slime," a hilariously astute, prescient take on couch-potato culture, decades before the term was coined.
Album Reviews
Q (8/95, pp.150-151) - 3 Stars - Good - "...vulgar songs of sleaze and dirty love done with pornographic gusto..." Mojo (7/95, p.102) - "...a rock album that demonstrates [Zappa's] vast production skills and ability to coax fine playing from the likes of Jean-Luc Ponty, George Duke and Ruth Underwood..."
Titles on disc 1
1.
Camarillo Brillo
2.
I'm The Slime
3.
Dirty Love
4.
50/50
5.
Zomby Woof
6.
Dinah Moe Humm
7.
Montana
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
29/05/2002
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