Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Frank Zappa

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 16, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1985
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Zappa Records
• ASIN: B0000009TD
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,667 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Label
In 1985 Frank Zappa was called in to testify at the Parents Music Resource Center's hearings to censor rock music lyrics. Little did Al and Tipper Gore know that they'd wind up as unwitting guest vocalists (along with Senators Danforth, Hollings and Trible and the Rev. Jeff Ling) on the next Zappa album. This set is highlighted by "Porn Wars," Zappa's snarling response to the PMRC hearings, where taped testimony from the trials is manipulated through Zappa's synclavier to take on frightening overtones; in one memorable moment, a chorus of Congressional voices is transformed into pig grunts. Even without conventional lyrics, this piece gives the lie to any critics who felt Zappa was losing his satirical edge.

This was Zappa's last studio album to feature vocals, and includes such pointed pieces as "Yo Cats" (a dig at conservatory-trained jazz musicians) and "We're Turning Again" (which looks cynically at the '60s coming back into fashion). For lighter moments there's a handful of instrumentals, which mark the catchier side of Zappa's work on the Synclavier.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! One of Zappa's absolute best albums, January 2, 1999

By A Customer

Along with the Boulez and Nagano (LSO) recordings, this excellent album stands out as Zappa's best work from the first half of the eighties (a bland period). The satire-pop songs ("We're turning again" and "Yo cats")are funny and delightful and the works for synclavier are among Zappa's best compositions ever (along with "Inca Roads, "Peaches", etc.). Too bad that so many people immediately reject them because of their synthetic sound and their "coldness". "One man, One vote", "Little Beige Sambo" , "Aerobics In Bondage" are all exquisite, so are "Alien Orifice", and "What's New In Baltimore" which both include marvellous guitar-playing. Listen to this album a few times, and see that my five star-rating is deserved (By the way: Why can't people shade off their ratings? A lot of five star-ratings include bunches of disclaimers telling of mediocrity).

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Bag, December 18, 2003

By A Customer

The impetus behind this album was, of course, the PMRC hearings on labelling/censoring offensive rock lyrics. The album is a mixed bag of material -- 5 studio tracks with a band, 3 synclavier compositions, and 2 collage tracks. They're somewhat hapharzadly thrown together, making the album extremely disjointed -- but there is a lot of great material on this album, nevertheless.

The opener, "I Don't Even Care," is a waste of 5 minutes. Its essentually a groove set down in studio by Zappa's band, with "I don't even care" sung in the background while Johnny "Guitar" Watson (not credited?) ad libs some lines. No solo, though you keep waiting for one. The song goes nowhere and is extremely repetitive.

Then follows 3 synclavier compositions, "One Man One Vote," "Little Beige Sambo," and "Aerobics in Bondage." These are pretty good. "One Man One Vote" is the least interesting, but the other two are extremely worthy compositions that measure up to the best material on Jazz From Hell.

The next 4 tracks are all Zappa classics that rank among his best work. "We're Turning Again" is a hilarious swipe at hippie culture, brilliantly arranged with a great hook. There's a great re-mix of this, and "Yo Cats" on the Have I Offended Somebody? compilation. "Alien Orifice" is a jaw-dropper. Get the Make A Jazz Noise Here album to hear the '88 band perform this sucker live! Zappa at his best.

"Yo Cats" is a great Ike Willis crooner, taking a shot at professional musicians. "What's New In Baltimore" is the best track on the album -- rarely can Zappa's work be desribed as "beautiful," but the opening guitar/percussion run on this song deserves the charge. The solo is one of Zappa's greatest.

"Porn Wars" and "H.R. 2911" (a bonus track) are both sound collages, mixing sound effects, synclavier, guitar, and looping the taped hearings of the PMRC in congress. Its amusing -- especially the extra clips from the people in the piano from the Lumpy Gravy album (one of my favorites!). Also, you'll get to hear Al Gore profess to be a Mothers fan, which is PRICELESS. But it drags on far too long.

Doesn't work as an album, since it has no cohesive direction, but some of the material on this album is great.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zappa Meets Al and Tipper, May 1, 2000

By	Thomas E. West (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

Setting the music aside (read other reviews of that), Zappa's politics infuse the last two tracks of the CD. Taking a tape of Zappa's appearance before an "unofficial" Congressional hearing (prompted by a committee made up of Tipper Gore and other Senators' wives demanding censorship or ratings on recorded music), FZ's surrealistic re-edit and remix create an appropriately dada sound collage. Amid the Congressional fools and blunderers, don't miss samplings of "Lumpy Gravy" and--best of all--Al Gore declaring himself a fan of Zappa's music and an admirer of the man himself!