Cruising With Ruben & The Jets

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For all of Frank Zappa's acclaimed weirdness and avant-classical pedigree, he was also a huge '50s doo-wop fan. The fourth Mothers of Invention album turned away from the tape-edit madness and musique concrète of the first three groundbreaking Mothers albums for a sound that's so traditional and so fine... at first listen. Repeated plays reveal a cynicism in deliberately banal lyrics and a few stylistic flourishes that break through the music's fourth wall. "How Could I Be Such a Fool," "Any Way the Wind Blows," and "You Didn't Try to Call Me"—songs that appeared on <i>Freak Out</i>—are transformed into relatively straightforward tunes. Singer Ray Collins takes the reins for vintage vocal performances, while the driving piano and wall-of-sound approximations for "No. No. No.," "Love of My Life," and the rockin' "Jelly Roll Gum Drop" are among the most primal music Zappa ever recorded. Please note: this is the 1985 issue of the album, where Zappa had bassist Arthur Barrow and drummer Chad Wackerman re-record the rhythm tracks, except for "Stuff Up the Cracks," which is the original recording.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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