Record Reviews

FRANK ZAPPA ~ THE LUMPY MONEY ZAPPA 20008 (Barcode: 824302000823) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 1967 Released: 2009 This is the 85th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2009, This 3CD album is also the 2nd release in the Project/Object Audio Documentary series, which reexamines / expands original Zappa albums with previously unreleased material, in this case the “Lumpy GravyFind albums with this title” and “We`re Only In It For The MoneyFind albums with this title” albums originally released in 1967 and 1968. The Project/Object series also includes the following albums: “MOFOFind albums with this title” (2006), “Greasy Love SongsFind albums with this title” (2010), “The Crux Of The BiscuitFind albums with this title” (2016) and “Meat LightFind albums with this title” (2016). The “Lumpy Gravy” album was recorded in February 1967 by a large orchestra with over fifty participants, which also includes the members of The Mothers Of Invention. The orchestra was conducted by Zappa, who did not play on the album but of course composed all the music. It was the first of Zappa’s albums involving orchestral music. The lineup of The Mothers Of Invention that recorded the “We`re Only In It For The Money” album between March and October of 1967 includes Zappa on guitar and vocals, drummers Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist and Billy MundiFind albums by this artist, bassist Roy EstradaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don PrestonFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalists Bunk GardnerFind albums by this artist and Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Jim SherwoodFind albums by this artist and some other musicians playing on selected tracks. The music is a brilliant assemblage of anything between Pop and Avant-Garde Rock, with contemporary Classical and Jazz influences, light-years ahead of its time. The complexity of the music is staggering, especially in retrospect, where Zappa’s contemporaries were mostly creating quite simplistic music. As usual in his case it presents a pastiche, but sometimes also a loving tribute, to other songwriters and music genres. Zappa also proves his amazing abilities as a recording studio wizard, creating orchestral effects by enormously time consuming overdubbing of dozens of tracks. Overall, although fifty-five years passed since this music was recorded, this album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever.

Updated: 07/06/2022Posted: 05/06/2022

CD 3 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend