Customer Reviews

Them or Us

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know it's a silly thing to say, but I always feel a little bit smarter after listening to a Frank Zappa album- he seems to give off something of a professorial atmosphere sometimes... This album follows in his tradition of challanging his listeners to explore the endless possibilities of music.

I was originally attracted to Zappa's work by his clever, acerbic lyrics and catchy melodies. As I've begun to explore his work, I've realized that the full spectrum of his gifts are most appreciated by those who love the instrumental work of, say, King Crimson or even Yes at times.

This album, like most of Zappa's work, is chock-full of guitar brilliance (not to mention the other instruments!). Some of the songs with lyrics, however, aren't particularly to my taste, even if creativly composed. I don't mind Zappa's blue humor at all though, it's hilarious (think Robert Crumb set to music)- and you may react more enthusiastically.

This album is par for the course Zappa brilliance. It may not have as wide of a commericial appeal as some of his other albums- but we all know that commercial appeal was never the point for Zappa- unless he had a point to make about commercial appeal...

No brass, woodwinds, or acoustic strings. All electric instrumentation with lots of synthesizers. Even Chad Wackerman's acoustic drums come off sounding a bit like they're electronic. So, the sound is rather cold. That's my main beef with this album. Since Ed Mann is present using his myriad of percussive insturments (vibes, glockenspiel, bell-tree, etc.), the sound IS better, IMO, than that of the 1984 touring band as heard on Does Humor Belong in Music.

The guitars (FZ, Vai, and Dweezil) are fast and furious, but the style is very 80's...not as interesting to me as 70's FZ guitar, (e.g., I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth, from ZINY). But still good, nonetheless - see my comments on the solos.

There are no "top-ten" FZ songs here, but some of them are decent, including Sinister Footwear, Baby Take Your Teeth Out (that jazzy groove in the middle is too cool), and even Ya Honza (well, that depends on my mood).

Two good points are:

1. Decent vocal arrangements. FZ did a good job with vocals in the 1984 time period...Thing-Fish is another good example of Zappa composing well with the human voice.

2. Good FZ guitar solos. Actually, the solos on this album required a lot more patient listening before I began to appreciate them. Case in point, Truck Driver Divorce. The very effect-laden guitar solo (a la Drowning Witch) seems to wander aimlessly if your attention is not all there. Now I greatly enjoy the landscape that solo creates.

There are many other Zappa CDs to get before you get Them or Us. Although I have many Zappa CDs, I do reach for this one when I yearn for that heavy metal side of FZ.

I listened to Them or Us for the first time in about 5 years and rediscovered what a work of genius this album is. Listening to Them or Us gives the impression that there are a million brilliant musical ideas out there waiting to be discovered, and Zappa has claimed a disturbing number of them for his own. The diversity of moods and landscapes in this album, as well as Zappa's incomparable humor, will merit relistenings for many years.

Some of the best durn guitar ever played. Some people don't like being hurled from one genre to another; that's unfortunate, because Zappa' eclecticism is on full display. But pay attention to the guitar, beyond the doo wop, 80s parodies, and gutter humor lies true genius and guitar mastery. No one runs a fretboard like Zappa. When Steve Vai plays second guitar in your band, you kinda know who's in charge.

This release came out in 1984, when not many people were putting out really good material. Here, you have FZ with a full compliment of talent, covering the whole spectrum of what he was doing at the time. A nice touch is the variety of voices used for lead vocals, and they all get showcased in ways that show off their individual styles.
Contrary to what others have said, I think the "weak point" is "Sharleena," listen to the "Lost Episodes" version to see what I mean. In all it's a tight, powerful treat for any Zappa fan, casual or rabid.

"You Are What You Is", "Thing Fish", and "Them or Us" are the only three Zappa albums from the eighties with at least 90% of studio material on them. This one features most variaty of the three. More or less every song is in a genre of its own. There's doo-wop, blues, rock, fusion, pop, reggae, country-spoofs, Broadway-spoofs, and jazz smothered in "Zappa". The sound quality and stereophony is as remarkable as the band. The rhythm section consists of Chad Wackerman (drums throughout,) Arthur Barrow and Scott Thunes (equally on bass,) Ed Mann (percussion,) Steve Vai (guitar,) Tommy Mars (keyboards,) Bobby Martin (keyboards/vocals,) and Ray White (guitar/vocals.) Other vocalists include FZ, Ike Willis, Napoleon Murphey Brock, Bob Harris, and Thana Harris. Some guests are Dweezil & Moon Zappa, Patrick O'Hearn, George Duke, Roy Estrada, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, and others...
Songs like "Truck Driver Divorce", "Marque-Son's Chicken", and the title track feature long FZ guitar solos (with a variety of cool sounds,) and give the rhythm section a lot of freedom for their steady back-up; the rest of the material is well arranged and pretty strict, though highly entertaining. I guess this could be a good introduction to Zappa's music - it shows how capable the composer (and band) was of writing, arranging, and performing alternating material without losing the main thread, plus the album features a suitable amount of Zappa's humor. While listening to this album, you will be proven that humor does belong in music. "Them or Us" is one of my FZ favorites, and definitely worth its amazon price, don't worry.

Be careful: not all is great here. But in the early 80's Zappa had a great band but not too much good new material,. This album is an exception to that statement. Great songs (Stevie's spanking), funny songs( Teeth), doo wop, reggae, blues, guitartronics, the lot. This also means there may be some songs you intensely dislike.

If your only exposure to Frank Zappa was Apostrophe / Overnight Sensation, then you MUST listen to this album. Frank released an incredible amount of music in between these albums, but I feel that Them or US brings him full circle. The range of music on this album is incredible, and really is a must-have.

I swear there are times where you feel like your ear is right next to the studio mic on this disc. When Frank sings "The Closer You Are", you feel like droplets of his spittle are hanging on your earlobe. Frank worked hard to get excellent live and studio sound all through his long career and Them Or Us was a generational step up, due in part to equipment upgrades.

Don't get me wrong - this isn't an audiophile disc full of nothing songs. This is great stuff with little filler. The themes are typical Zappa - sex, lost love (or was it lust?), stupid people, more sex and more stupid people. Usually, when a musician remakes their own tune, I wish they hadn't, but the remake of Sharleena is outstanding. This was an incredible live band - I saw two shows on this tour and both times they nailed Sharleena, The Closer You Are, Be In My Video and all the rest.

This disc has great flow and excellent musicianship. To be honest, Frogs With Dirty Little Lips is the one tune I don't care for and although I do like Whippin' Post, they could have left it off without causing me to complain. But it was a great part of the live show.

This is one of Zappa's very best. The lyrics are caustic and entirely Zappa. But the real highlights are the demented guitar solos -- some of the best Zappa ever recorded -- especially in "Ya Hozna," "Sinister Footwear II," and the title track, "Them or Us." If, like me, you find many of the solos on "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar" tedious, you'll love this album.