Cruising with Ruben & the Jets [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Frank Zappa

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 16, 1995)
• Original Release Date: October 1968
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Zappa Records
• ASIN: B0000009S0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,316 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #79 in	Music > Indie Music > Rock > Progressive
  #91 in	Music > Pop > Oldies > Doo Wop
  #99 in	Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > Comedy Rock

Editorial Reviews

From the Label
"Is this the Mothers of Invention recording under a different name in a last-ditch attempt to get their cruddy music on the radio?" It didn't work, but who cares: This now stands as a much-loved, oddball item in the Mothers catalogue. Zappa's love for the '50s doo-wop style of early rock'n'roll was never much of a secret, and this collection of (just barely) original tunes was both a tribute and an affectionate sendup. As Zappa explained at the time, "We made it because we really like this kind of music."

After placing doo-wop homages like 'Wowie Zowie" on earlier Mothers albums, Zappa went all the way with silly gems like "Cheap Thrills" and "Jelly Roll Gum Drop," with the original Mothers in all their greasy splendor; while "How Could I Be Such a Fool" and "Stuff Up the Cracks" lampooned the melodrama of early rock ballads. This is the 1984 remix.

Product Description
Japanese limited edition reissue of 1968 album, packaged in a miniature gatefold LP sleeve. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A ruined version of a great album, February 8, 2004

By	Mark Pollock "educator" (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ah yes, Ruben and the Jets. Pull out your Verve vinyl, and listen to the vintage sounds of Zappa and the Mothers reconstructing their heritage of classic doo-wop and r&b.

What? Your vinyl was lost or destroyed? Your record player was donated to charity?

Well, go buy a record player and a copy of the old vinyl version of this, because the current cd is garbage!

In the mid 80's, Zappa decided that the drum and bass sounds on two of his album, WOIIFTM and Ruben, were simply not up to snuff. He made the thoroughly bizarre decision to re-record those parts with current band members.

The result is something like a modern remix of a sixties-era track - it just doesn't work. The bass and drums do things that nobody did in 1969. They simply sound wrong.

So, if you want to hear this album properly, get the old vinyl. The cd is good for a laugh, but not for much more.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Doo-Wop Mothers Album (Revised), January 18, 2004

By A Customer

"I conceived that album along the same lines as the compositions in Stravinsky's Neoclassical period. If he could take the forms and cliches of classical era and pervert them, why not do the same with rules and regulations applied to Doo-Wop in the 50s?" - FZ

This album is often written-off unfairly, even by fans of the original Mothers lineup, as just a Doo-Wop spoof album. However, Cruisin' isn't just a joke side-project that FZ dreamed up one night, and it deserves its rightful place as an MOI album proper. FZ loved Doo-Wop, and here's his tongue-in-cheek homage to it. Of course, like all of Zappa's musical apings, his version of Doo-Wop is much more musically involved. On this album, FZ uses chord progressions that are considerably more advanced than traditional Doo-Wop songs, but is careful not to lose the charming simplicity of the music.

When listening to Ruben today, on CD, one also has to be aware of something else: this album, more than any other, was completely overhauled in digital remix. When FZ got the master tapes, (he claims) they were in disastrous condition, and, never being satisfied with the musicianship to begin with, he decided to re-record the bass and drum tracks in addition to new edits. A reluctant Arthur Barrow provides a new (funk!) bass, and I believe its either Wackerman or Logeman on drums. The result? The album sounds fuller, richer, and much more polished for sure. But its lost the charm of the original Mothers sound completely. There are merits in both versions, should you ever be able to track down an original vinyl to hear it. Regardless, it looks like this version is the one posterity will have to get to know.

The most noticable (and best) change on the album is the opener, CHEAP THRILLS, which now has the energy to really kickstart this album. A reocurring Zappa classic, LOVE OF MY LIFE, follows, along with a Freak Out! remake (one of four on the album) of HOW COULD I BE SUCH A FOOL? For the most part, I like the versions of these songs on this album more than the original Freak Out! ones. One of the real reasons to get this album is for the Ray Collins's hilarious monologues, like DESERI. Never is Zappa's relentless assault on love lyrics more subtly delicious as it is here. My personal favorite, and perhaps my favorite track on the album, is on LATER THAT NIGHT. Another great tongue-in-cheek shot is FOUNTAIN OF LOVE, which manages to make me laugh every time I hear it. And, yes, there is a little guitar playing on this album. The rapidly maturing Zappa provides a little gem of a solo on the morbid STUFF UP THE CRACKS (a song about an abandoned lover who vows to "stuff up the cracks and turn on the gas" to take his life).

In general, I'm not a huge fan of FZ's humor. But this album is so scathing and subtle in its satire, that for once the humor aids the music. The music, by the way, is nothing to be scoffed at. Besides containing some of the early Mothers's best material, the vocal arrangements on this album are absolutely incredible.

I tend to give this album more credit than a lot of Zappa fans, and its on regular rotation in my CD player, at least. Great early Zappa, with a few reservations.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Cruise Control Would Have Improved Ruben's Ride, May 26, 2006

By	El Lagarto (Ambler, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

"The moving finger writes and having writ moves on." In this case, it would have been better if the finger had not returned to the scene of the crime. Few artists burned with creative energy like Zappa; frequently brilliant, he was also no stranger to crimes of self-indulgence and crackpot dementia. One can state unequivocally that he never took advice, freeing him to visit whatever extreme he desired. This made for art that always "dared to be different." Unfortunately, it also freed him to make catastrophic mistakes. The demise of Ruben & The Jets is a classic example.

This was always one of my favorite Mothers LPs. The balance between ironic, dark lyrics and straight-ahead - almost touching - musicality was perfect. The sax break on Anything was heaven itself. The reprise of I'm Not Satisfied, which appeared first on Freak Out, had real emotional appeal and was beautifully executed. Throughout, the simplicity of the arrangements made for a wonderful tribute album, Zappa paying homage to the doo-wop sound that is never far away throughout his music, (check 200 Motels).

I do not know what possessed him to go under the hood and remix this jewel, but it was an idiotic decision. Others have pointed out that he stripped away the original bass and drum tracks and replaced them with out-of-context modern equivalents. But the damage is far more extensive than that. This music lives or dies in the vocals and he tinkered with them considerably, to ill effect. Back-up instruments like horns have also been chopped up. In short, Zappa took "Crows On A Wheatfield" and painted some dogs playing poker on it. Hopefully his estate will find a suitable receptacle for this yellow snow and reissue the original, which is a treasure. Poor Ruben.