Customer Reviews

Frankly a Cappella: The Persuasions Sing Zappa

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Steve Plesa of the Orange County Register writes: "This is a record about which, if you were unfamiliar with the original artist, you would say, if you heard it at a party, 'What the heck is this?'And if you were familiar with the original artist and knew the tunes, you would say, 'WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?'very loudly and demand to see the CD case to prove your ears weren't lying. The Persuasions are among the best a cappella bands ever recorded, and their easy handling of the often complex and challenging Frank Zappa material here is refreshing and reverential, unique and highly amusing. Executive producer Rip Rense, who has written extensively for many publications about both The Persuasions and Zappa, has put together one of those rare combinations where the result is well worth the risk. Voices! Voices rising and falling, careening around corners and harmonizing exquisitely, combining falsetto, tenor and bass in seamless precision, covering diverse FZ tunes such as the brooding 'Any Way The Wind Blows' and the sinister 'My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama.' And when this gospel-based group sings 'The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing,' you conjure a picture of them singing it along the sidelines as the masses queue up trying to make it through the Pearly Gates. Zappa the instrumental composer is also represented here, in the album-opening 'Lumpy Gravy,' a stunning piece of work where the voices capture the notes made originally by instruments, resulting in a rather mad moment of very professional and well-executed silliness. This is much like the FZ live version of 'Stairway to Heaven' in which the horn section took Jimmy Page's guitar solo, note for note. WHAT THE HECK IS THIS? It's an equal blend of sincerity and nuttiness you should buy and play at your next party.

Ah, the ultimate irony, the epitome of unintended consequences. I've been trying subtly and very delicately for a few years now to expose my five-year-old daughter to all manner of music, rock, jazz, classical, pop, world, and she stuns me with her love of the Persuasions singing Frank Zappa.

Such is the lure of this wonderful recording. One of FZ's oldest and most successful proteges, the Persuasions got their start from FZ way back in the 60s. This is their tribute to the man who loved their music and gave them their break.

The choice of "Lumpy Gravy" as the introductory track was truly inspired, expertly voiced and arranged (and it's my daughter's favorite, because it has no words). "Love of My Life" is an absolute delight, a doo-wop lullaby. My other favorites are "Tears Began to Fall," "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing," and "Any Way The Wind Blows." These three tracks are the more wide-open tracks on the album, with broader, sweeping melodies and harmonies, rather than the tight, technical arrangements of many of the other tracks. This is to take nothing away from any of these; this entire CD is an absolute gem, with all of these covers outstanding. Whether you are a hard-core Zappahead or a novice looking for a point of entry, this recording is a superior addition to your collection.

I only wish the Persuasions could have been persuaded to record a few more tracks, like "Sofa," "Florentine Pogen," "Son of Orange County," "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance," or "Uncle Remus." "Peaches En Regalia," now that would've been an a capella challenge like no other.

Here's what Billboard Magazine wrote: "In a work of absurdist inspiration worthy of its subject, a cappella heroes the Persuasions offer up a surprisingly soulful collection of. . .that's right, Frank Zappa covers. The vocal quintet---expanded to a sextet for this outing---pays homage to Zappa, who inked them to their first album deal in 1969. The 12 featured songs are a savvy survey of Zappa's legendary catalog of avant-garde rock and jazz, spanning the years 1963-1989. As a bonus, the album features contributions from former Zappa collaborators like trombonist Bruce Fowler on 'Cheap Thrills' and guitarist Mike Keneally on 'My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama.' But The Persuasions, who previously covered Zappa's 'Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up' on 1994's 'Right Around The Corner,' have no problem translating his complex musical arrangements with just six-part harmonies. As evidenced on tracks like 'The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing' and 'Lumpy Gravy' (a Zappa instrumental composition), "Frankly A Cappella" is a novel reworking of a true original. Great Googly-Moogly, indeed."

I'm a Zappa fan from the '60s MOI stuff. Zappa was an original, and so is this album. The execution is right-on. To do a tribute to someone like Zappa is very tricky business. Classical players and jazz groups have done it, but none of their music is ever as interesting as the real deal. This time, it's different. The Persuasions, streetcorner singers from Brooklyn, somehow managed to put a fresh spin on old Frank. They bring out the wit and weirdness of these tunes in ways Frank's bands didn't. The recording equals Frank's, in terms of production. Amazing. They should do another one.

Zappa was a great writer for voices, and an underrated melodist. The Persuasions have revealed these qualities in ways that even Zappa couldn't have done. Their vocal blend is inimitable; part streetcorner, and part elegance. Give someone the blindfold test with "Any Way The Wind Blows." Play it for them, then ask who they think wrote the song. They'll never guess. Yet Zappa was astonishingly versatile, which is part of the reason he had difficulty finding a mainstream audience. He shifted from jazz to R&B to doo-wop to avant-garde and symphonic music---sometimes all in one song! The Persuasions here manage to do it all in one album. This is a tour-de-force for this group, which is saying "thanks" to FZ for having signed them in 1970. The avant-garde touches between the tracks are in the proper spirit, and the Persuasions' treatment of the instrumental, "Lumpy Gravy," ought to merit a Grammy all by itself. Some of the songs weren't my first choices for a cappella treatments, but after I heard them, I see why the band picked them. "Harder Than Your Husband," for instance, was originally an over-the-top satire. The Persuasions somehow give tongue-in-cheek sincerity. . Oh well, this is witty, weird, beautiful, and completely surprising. Bravo.

What a great piece of work. Makes me remember the time in the 60s and 70s when blacks and whites could joke with each other about race. When we thought there would be some progress on civil rights. Maybe it's still possible.

I heard some of the album on Fresh Air and immediately bought it. Wow!

Seems like about two years since I first heard allegations about this CD being in the works. Was it worth the wait? Hell, yes! If you are a sensible person, you will buy at least two copies of this CD: one for yourself and one for someone else who's sensible. This is some of the greatest music you'll ever hear with your own ears. It is a labor of love that does Frank proud.

Now for some bizarre bedfellows. On this tribute to the late avant-garde composer and social satirist Frank Zappa, leader of the Mothers of Invention and wearer of surreal facial hair, the Persuasions perform 13 Zappa titles, among them "Lumpy Gravy," "Electric Aunt Jemima" and "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama," from Mothers albums such as Freak Out, Uncle Meat and Weasels Ripped My Flesh.

Unusual fare for a group of six middle-aged gentlemen famous for their earnest a cappella vocalizing. Yet the Persuasions -- who launched their recording career in 1969, when Zappa signed them to his Straight label after listening to a tape a friend played for him over the telephone -- deftly manage the complex arrangements and intricate rhythm structures that Zappa wrote to challenge a generation of virtuoso instrumentalists. And the group does not shy away from the bitter sarcasm of tunes such as the Mark Twain-inspired "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing."

A trippy vocal inspiration.

Here's what Amplifier Magazine's Stewart Mason says (in issue # 19): "It may sound like a bizarre gimmick, having a vocal group of the classic doo-wop style record an entire album of Frank Zappa tunes, but the concept is actually perfectly logical. Not only was Zappa an enormous fan of '50s R&B---remember Cruisin' With Ruben and the Jets?---but he released The Persuasions' first album, A Cappella, on his own Straight Records in 1970. The execution is the concept's equal. Listening to this album, it's shocking to realize how thoroughly Zappa's musical style was rooted in '50s R&B. Of course, Zappa wrote pastiches of that style, like 'Electric Aunt Jemima,' 'Any Way The Wind Blows,' or 'Love of My Life,' but even songs with little obvious connection to the genre, such as 'You Are What You Is,' and the classic, 'My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama,' sound naturally, unapologetically right when performed by a vocal sextet. The opening track, where the Persuasions assay the opening theme of Zappa's first extended instrumental composition, 1968's 'Lumpy Gravy,' is a staggering exercise in vocal acrobatics, effortlessly recreating with only six voices what had originally been recorded by a full orchestra. If you're a fan of Zappa, doo wop, or both, this album will be a delight."

This is actually a six-star album, one for each Persuasion who sang on it. Perspective here, folks: these guys have been around since the Dawn of Man, slugging it out on the road, and the occasional album. For them to get it together at this late stage of the game, and sound this grand, and do something this drop-dead original, is just colossal. Oh, you don't understand Zappa? This is a great place to start. The Persuasions bring out the beauty and hilarity of these tunes in ways that Zappa never did---and he would probably agree. This is the authentic a cappella at its best, sung by the grand old men of the game. You might not like a cappella, but you'll like The Persuasions. You might not like Zappa, but you'll like this album. And it's sparkingly recorded.