Customer Reviews

Cucamonga

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you're looking for the greatest Frank Zappa album this obviously isn't it, but it has some real wicked late 50s/early 60s sounding R&B, doo-wop and surf songs. So from that standpoint, it is definetlely a fun album. A lot of the same old songs are often played on oldies stations from that era in music, so it's fun listening to Frank play songs you won't likely know.

Got this 7 or 8 years ago and wondered what happened. Thought it was terrible. This after getting hung up on 'Sheik Yerbouti' and 'The Grand Wazoo' so my expectations of FZ were quite different...

Then I revisited it a few months ago when I got back on a FZ kick (this is next in my changer after 'You Are What You Is') and really love it now. If you're expecting twinkie-esque FZ you'll be disappointed, but if you already love FZ & are looking for some different directions, these are really great songs (with a real raw feel) and the musicianship this recording is pretty great (which is sort of a stupid thing to say about FZ.. I mean, OF COURSE it's great)..

Frank Zappa - Cucamonga(Del-Fi)

For every FZ fan out there curious about uncle Frank's earliest recordings prior to the forming of The Mothers Of Invention in
the mid '60s, this new FZ CD Cucamonga /Del-Fi pretty much sets the story straight. This album features 14 very 'cheesy,
spiffy & loony songs that our man FZ was involved in as writer, producer or performer or all the previous mentioned. These
tunes all saw the light of day on labels during the years '63-'64 and now Del-Fi have compiled this lil' prize we now have for our
FZ collection. A number of tunes standout as 'highlights' but I'm not mentioning any (buy it). If you are planning on having a real
wild kooky pizza party...I suggest you put this CD on and FREAK OUT the guests/neighborhood!

This disc contains some of Zappa's early productions, mostly issued as local singles by a variety of companies. Del-Fi has gotten rights to quite a few songs, and, more amazingly, has gotten tapes as well.

The tracks are interesting, ranging from the bizarre late-night-horror-movie-host "Jeepers" songs to the Penguins doo-wop "Memories of El Monte". There are some wild touches here, such as the crazy sliding bass in "Jessie Lee" to the bizarre lyrics of "Hows Your Bird", which is perhaps the birth of the conceptual continuity that Zappa urged his listeners to believe in.

The quality of this disc is pretty good - the tapes have obviously deteriorated over the years, and some have not been stored properly, bu they still sound quite good. Listeners with very high quality systems and practiced ears will hear some treble deterioration, and some tiny drop-outs, but overall, the sound is quite good. It does appear that none of these tracks come from vinyl.

This album, when listened to alongside "The Lost Episodes" and "Mystery Disc", helps give a fairly complete picture of Zappa's pre-1966 activities.

Not for the weak hearted ZAPPA fans .. hard cores only ... very good ..old stuff..LOVED IT ! there has never been a bad ZAPPA album ..

I think Zappa truly sounds his free-est on this mix of tunes (which are better described in other reviews). This is wickedly good rhythm and blues with genius production. He sounds like he is having a ball on these tunes. ...Famous Jonny Mambo DJ@WCOM, Carrboro, NC.

Early recordings showing the foundations of his work. I liked it but I am somewhat fanatical about zappa, especially the early works. Not as inventive as the mothers of invention, but interesting none the less.

Musically, "Cucamonga" has little to offer other than a few interesting tidbits (the swerving vamp through "Jessie Lee", for example). The liner notes provide good historical documentation, and the picture of young Frank w/ Steve Allen inside the back cover is a classic! While the music is nothing groundbreaking, and only very occasionally Zappesque, this will be of interest to anyone interested in Frank's earliest work. I spin this occasionally just for fun and to remind myself that even the greatest minds must start somewhere . . .

This collection of material, often only tenuously Zappoid, is so early as to be too early, if you get my drift; it you know what you am, and not what you is.

Thisis an effort by Del-Fi to cash in on some old demo tapes they found,Frank wouldn't subject his fans to this [stuff]!