Record Reviews

FRANK ZAPPA ~ LUMPY GRAVY ZAPPA 3836 (Barcode: 824302383629) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Classical Recorded: 1967 Released: 2012 This is a reissue / remaster of the 3rd album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, originally released in 1968. The album presents just two continuous long tracks comprising of short fragments edited together, all composed by Zappa, with all of the material recorded in the studio in 1967 or earlier. This album was the second installment of the “No Commercial Potential” project, which also included the albums “We`re Only In It For The MoneyFind albums with this title”, “Cruising With Ruben & The JetsFind albums with this title” and “Uncle MeatFind albums with this title”. The album was the first Zappa’s solo project and he does not play on it, but rather conducts a large orchestra comprising of almost sixty musicians, which he called Abnuceals Amuukha Electric Symphony OrchestraFind albums by this artist, and which does not include any members of The Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist. The album was commissioned and initially released in 1967 by CapitolFind albums on this label Records, despite the fact that Zappa was under contract with VerveFind albums on this label Records, which of course resulted in immediate legal dispute, which led to the Capitol album being withdrawn and re-released by Verve almost a year later in 1968, after Zappa reedited and expanded the orchestral album, adding inserts of spoken word / dialogue and music recorded earlier. The orchestral music was a two-part oratorio, somewhat resembling symphonic musique concrête, which Zappa was interested in, and therefore is the first album on which Zappa demonstrates his interest and passion for Classical Music and large orchestral compositions, which of course would reoccur throughout his career. Zappa shows on this album that he is able to write music, which amalgamates anything between Avant-Garde Pop and Rock and contemporary orchestral Classical Music. He appears as the first “total musician” on the Pop / Rock scene, a status he was able to hold till the day he died. From day one his extravagant personality and brilliant intelligence marked him as an outsider, a fate shared by most geniuses. Ironically, despite the album’s Avant-Garde nature, it was exceptionally well received at the time of its release and even charted on the album list. This could have only happened in the late 1960s, when the last evidence of Human intelligence was still present on earth. Overall, although fifty-five years passed since this music was recorded, this album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever. Side Note Frank Zappa created a vast recorded legacy during his lifetime, which is continuously being expanded using music recorded and stored in his extensive vault. The albums officially released and approved by Zappa are numbered sequentially in the "Official Release" series, from #001 to the last release so far #126. The albums between #001 to #062 were released during Zappa's lifetime and all the others were released posthumously. There are countless unofficial / bootleg releases on the market as well. Zappa's catalogue was remastered for CD release twice: in 1995 for the RykodiscFind albums on this label releases and again in 2012 for the ZappaFind albums on this label Records / UniversalFind albums on this label releases. The Zappa / Universal program includes 60 releases, which cover the entire catalog released during his lifetime (62 releases, except #013 "200 Motels" and the three Box Sets #043, #046 and #049 called "The Old Masters vol.I / II / III"), and 6 posthumous releases (#064, #065, #067, #068, #093 and #094), which were also included.

Updated: 10/07/2022Posted: 10/07/2022

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend