Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 6

Running Time: 43 minutes and 19 seconds

Genre: Rock Fusion

Personnel: Frank Zappa (guitars, octave bass, percussion), Ian Underwood (piano and wind instrumentation), Captain Beefheart (vocals), Max Bennett (bass guitar), Shuggie Otis (bass guitar), John Guerin (drums), Paul Humphrey (drums), Ron Selico (drums), Don “Sugarcane” Harris (violin), Jean-Luc Ponty (violin), Lowell George (guitar)

Producer: Frank Zappa

Recording Location: T.T.G. Studios Los Angeles, Sunset Sound Los Angeles, Whitney Studios, Glendale, all in the USA

Record Label: Reprise Records

Art Direction: Cal Schenkel

Best Tracks: Peaches En Regalia, Willie The Pimp, Son Of Mr. Green Genes

Quick Verdict: The most underrated classic album of the late 1960s

For Frank Zappa fans, this is the one to have. After the dissolution of the original lineup of The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa’s band, he decided to refocus his energies outside of that group and concentrate his efforts specifically on his solo career. The result was this album, identified as a classic album release immediately, which was also recorded on 16-track technology at the time. Instead of following his earlier efforts, which were oddball and satirical in nature, this album largely focused on instrumental tracks on a Rock Music fusion basis. There were many guest stars on the album from that era, which made it even more exciting. Let’s take a listen to this release, and hopefully it will be as good today as it was on its release, way back in 1969.

1. Peaches En Regalia begins with some fantastic drum rolls and launches into an excellent piece of freeform Rock Music at hand. Keyboards follow, and this tune really shines bright. This is the sound of 1969, but boldly looking into the future. Some amusing horns that sound like car horns are here, eventually building up into a melodic sense. The music evolves into a fairly King Crimson-esque Progressive Rock piece with both acoustic and electric guitars playing along nicely. A pseudo piano-organ section emerges, followed by horns galore. Needless to say, this is a wonderful and brilliantly structured tune. In the second half is a seriously awesome transition of sounds and instruments, with a nod in spirit to The Mothers of Invention’s earlier works with Frank Zappa. This sounds odd, but brilliantly so. A magically fine tune and something that the quirky can enjoy if oddball sounds were set to Rock Music. It fades out nicely at the end. Excellent start to the album.

2. Willie The Pimp is a nine-minute-long tune which begins with some quirky violin playing, and launches into a fantastic song at hand. Captain Beefheart sings here, and although both Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart were good friends, it seems that the addition of the Captain is mainly for satirical purposes. Even so, this is a fantastic listen with proto-Pink Floyd cash jingling and some awesome wah-wah guitar soloing that is stereo panned and moving in and out of audibility. Yes, this is very weird music, but it is still, overall, surprisingly consistent and enjoyable music to hear today. Remember, this was released in 1969 when music was about Psychedelic experimentation. Nonetheless, this tune captures the imagination. It’s neither druggy Hippie Music of the time, nor is it abrasive Proto-Punk Music. It is a good listen overall, instead, which is exactly what music should be. A fantastic Fender Stratocaster-style wah-wah guitar is present, soloing away, along with the rest of the group. This is as good as Rock Music gets in the late 1960s, and sets up the scene for the 1970s and beyond. A seriously awesome tune overall. As we approach the middle of this track, the guitar playing goes on in a very enlightening and expressive way, with some awesome drum fills and melodic keyboards. This is totally top, and this is an album release that more music fans should certainly pay attention to today. This is also not at all boring for its length, which is a great indication of how good this music really is. Frank Zappa’s best album? Possibly so, although that is a matter for strong debate. Nonetheless, this music is fantastic with some awesome guitar playing that is neither David Gilmour slow style nor Eddie Van Halen shred; it is just excellently matched between the two with a nod to the influence of Jimi Hendrix at the time. This is freeform music that, although listening to when sober is great, also would be excellent to hear high as a kite. As the second half progresses, the music gets more furious and detailed throughout. Frank Zappa may have generally made efforts based on his quirky sense of humour, but even so, this is a brilliant song to hear in a Rock Music context, which doesn’t necessarily follow that example. Eventually, the wah-wah guitar playing goes back to synchronised riffing as we gradually reach the end of it all. This slowly concludes with some neat instrumentation and playing that does the trick. An absolutely wonderful song to listen to, and it ends with repeated guitar playing and crashing drums, before returning to the main riffs at hand. Great tune, which ends nicely.

3. Son Of Mr. Green Genes launches right into it with some strange melodies on bass guitar and keyboards, alongside drums. This sounds cheesy and retro, but it is also wonderfully brilliant musically in its own way. The music progresses nicely. The saxophone throughout is splendidly enjoyable, and this tune is another solid tune that paints music as art, much like what the likes of King Crimson, Yes and Deep Purple (among others) were doing at the time. A neat electric guitar section eventually enters, and sounds gloriously fantastic. This album makes a significant leap from the earlier and not-so-serious album releases by The Mothers of Invention, such as the 1966 debut album Freak Out! The keyboard sounds are really fantastic on this song, and put to shame all the 1980s Synth Pop Music, of which the majority came nowhere near as good as this album. Saxophone and horns enter as well, illuminating this piece. There is so much ongoing here that its melodic wall-of-sound is difficult to get bored by. Some extremely nice guitar work and tempo changes are present towards the middle, and Frank Zappa obviously could take a creative concept and put 100% into it. Absolutely awesome music to chill out to and enjoy at home. There is zero doubt that all Rock Music fans should hear this, regardless of their taste in guitar work. That is how excellent this is. The second half continues with some insanely excellent progressions musically, and a proto-Progressive Rock theme to it all. Drum rolls and wah-wah guitars lead us on into glory, and this music sounds powerfully unique. Frank Zappa plays a mean guitar as well, and this music is certainly a release to be celebrated with. Some neat and intricate guitars and drums continue to steal the show, well into the second half of the song. Again, this is really brilliantly good. Some interesting keyboards and pianos emerge after some time, which are tasteful. Very, very interesting. This music is definitely fantastic, and it sounds supremely good. As we gradually reach the finish of this instrumental, one can recognise the awesome brilliance of this tune and album. Right towards the end is a piano solo, furious drumming and neat guitar playing to make your ears enjoy the trip. Not bad for a nine-minute-long tune. It gradually concludes with an awesome finish and prominent keyboards. Sweet.

4. Little Umbrellas begins with a double bass and launches into a very Jazz-inspired tune. It sounds sweet, tasty and interesting. The saxophone is really cool on this tune as well. A really fantastic track that has purpose, finesse and a great amount of energy about it all. This is a shorter piece, at just over three minutes long, complete with Deep Purple-style organ and piano to match it all. Surely all the major Rock bands of the time were listening to this exact release? It does sound like it. In any case, the music and performances are top stuff. Frank Zappa was getting very serious about making music at this stage, and this release clearly reveals this fact. Some wind instrumentation is here, before this tune gradually wraps up with a solidly interesting conclusion. A great Classic Rock song, and album too. It ends quickly.

5. The Gumbo Variations is a nearly 13-minute-long piece with some incredibly interesting guitars and saxophone. Nonetheless, this does sound really great as well. The musicianship and creativity on this album no doubt would have inspired Miles Davis to do his classic Bitches Brew (1970) album, which was inspired heavily by Jimi Hendrix. The saxophone and guitars present in this tune, in particular, sound really amazing throughout. This is also a nod, once again, to the spirit of King Crimson and to a lesser extent, Pink Floyd. A seriously dynamic and awesome tune at hand. The perfect fusion of Rock, Jazz and Progressive Music is present on this tune, so if you love intellectualism with guitars and saxophone, look no further. There is an amazing saxophone solo section with some repeated bass guitar riffs after some time, which sound squealing, melodic and fantastic. If shred guitar became a thing, it is likely to imitate the saxophone squeals on this particular track. The future of both the 1970s and Rock Music in general is present on this album, and this particular instrumental is great proof of that. The sections sound great and alternate musically very, very well. Some awesome and strange guitar soloing that is melodic eventually emerges, which is both professional and fantastic to listen to. The music powers along, without a dull moment or off-sounding section present. Frank Zappa and, with a little help from his friends, knew exactly how to make some great tunes musically, and this music is intellectually intelligent, but also enough to make you groove along simultaneously. Towards the middle, the orchestrated jam section gets better and more individualistic within this recording. This is a fantastic core piece of this already excellent album. Unlike Yes’s Tales From Topographic Oceans (1973) album, this is neither tedious nor dull. The crazy performances and instrumental soloing all make an incredible impact on the listener. This is also much, much better than most white noise styled Punk Music, and punches a hole in that genre in retrospect. The second half continues the furiously melodic and pretty soloing, which sounds audibly delicious. Sure, this is heavily leaning towards Progressive Rock, but it does not matter here; the performance is superb. An absolute solid gold winner, just as Prog was beginning to gather interest in terms of musical trends. A guitar solo section emerges, which sounds really great. Frank Zappa could play a mean guitar, and the spirit of his energy and musical genius shines through on this album in particular. The mix of rhythm, melody and musically creative genius is here. Soon enough, a mean drum solo section emerges, followed by a bass guitar section that The Chemical Brothers would have loved. As we gradually approach the end of the song, this tune takes turns in soloing with all the main instruments. This is an awesome listen that is well worth the 12-minute-plus running time. The gradual reach towards the outro at hand sounds increasingly chaotic and dramatic, with each of Frank Zappa’s bandmates putting in their all. The ending has some neat keyboards all of a sudden, along with a rather discordant conclusion. Excellent to hear, all the same. Absolutely brilliant music. Thoroughly awesome tune.

6. It Must Be A Camel is extremely Jazzy to listen to. It has a very Kind Of Blue (1959) sounding sort of appeal, except the drumming is way more intricate than any song from that album. Nonetheless, this is a sweet and gorgeously melodic tune. It stops briefly, before saxophones and drumming lead the next main section of music at hand. An absolute joy to listen to, and something that is superbly created and different musically. Of course, some Rock fans may not enjoy the Jazz Music nature of this tune, but many others will. Some intricate structures indicate the changing sections on this instrumental. Indeed, especially upon hearing this for the first time, this is seriously good. The sections change dramatically at a drop of a hat, and this is an amazing and surprising listen in terms of differentiation and structure. The guitar soloing is also akin to Jazz Music in terms of overall musicality and structure. The second half has a clarinet, saxophones, and other dramatic and obviously Jazz Music-inspired sounds, music scales and overall structure. This continues to sound awesome and dramatic throughout. Towards the end is a neat drum solo, followed quickly by more horns galore. As we approach the end, this fine tune sounds less wild and confirms that this album is most definitely a keeper. A great finish to an album that needs to be heard more often. Brilliant.

This is, without a doubt, a very fantastic album which is rarely spoken of historically, but is an outstanding classic album and likely Frank Zappa’s best album overall. Of course, Frank Zappa himself covered much ground throughout his music career, but if you need a good dose of a hybrid of Rock, Jazz and Progressive Music, look no further. An amazing album indeed. Should you listen to this album? Yes, especially if you dig intellectualism within music, but if you like Punk, it will be a no.

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