Se gli anni Sessanta per Frank Zappa erano terminati meravigliosamente (cito solo due perle, "Hot Rats" e "Burnt Weeny Sandwich"), di certo non si poteva affermare la stessa cosa circa gli anni Settanta.
Partito in quinta con capolavori come "Chung's Revenge" e, soprattutto, il folle "The Grand Wazoo", zio Frank aveva deciso (volontariamente o involontariamente?) di tirare il freno, e aveva pubblicato solo qualche album interessante ma, sostanzialmente poco convincente ("Apostrophe", "One Size Fits All"), e solo il live "Frank Zappa in New York" appariva un pochino meno deludente. In simili condizioni (c'è da dire però che l'arte di Frank Zappa, ancorchè un pò frenata, era comunque assai deliziosa), nessuno si sarebbe aspettato una rinascita tanto esplosiva quanto convincente.
È l'anno di grazia 1979, e Frank Zappa realizza quello che, almeno secondo molti critici, può essere considerato il capolavoro zappiano per eccellenza, "Sheik Yerbouti" (oltretutto, in versione originale, si tratta pure di un doppio). Zappa si trova in mezzo a tempeste legali che gli impediscono, quasi beffardamente, di poter accedere al proprio personale archivio. Nonostante ciò però, zio Frank non si dà per vinto e riesce, dopo l'uscita del doppio Lp, a posizionarsi pesino nella hit-parade in zone caldissime (non gli succedeva da un bel pò). "Sheik Yerbouti" si basa, e vive, grazie alla fantasia geniale e folle di Frank Zappa capace di contaminare, in maniera estasiante, più generi musicali insieme, dal pop al rock, dalla psichedelia ai raffinati rimandi alla musica classica. E il tutto attraverso una serie di brani scomponibili a piacere, fondati, principalmente, su note musicali celestiali e testi mai banali o ridondanti.
Anche in questo album il montaggio sonoro mette i brividi (lo stesso Zappa lo definirà "xenocrony"), mentre la band, completamente rinnovata, vede in campo alcuni assi della musica che avrebbero fatto invidia a qualsiasi cantautore: Adrian Belew, il chitarrista, Terry Bozzio, il batterista, Tommy Mars, il tastierista. Buona parte del materiale è registrato dal vivo, durante i concerti o durante alcune registrazioni di prova, e gli inserti registrati in studio spesso riescono a superare, per magia e interpretazione, i brani live.
Da citare almeno la travolgente "City of tiny lites", la splendida "Wild Love", la famosissima "Bobby Brown" (uno dei brani più significativi del periodo) e "I have been in you", divertente parodia saccheggiata a Peter Frampton. La chitarra di Zappa vola altissima, ma è la straordinaria amalgama tra band e compositore che rende questo album unico e irripetibile.
Ci vorrebbero anni per destrutturare, e infine ricomporre, un brano come "Bobby Brown", apparentemente scanzonato e orecchiabile (anche se, in realtà, orecchiabile lo è davvero), eppure, sotto sotto, difficilissimo sia nella melodia sia nella ritmica perchè intrinsecamente complesso e musicalmente maniacale. E che la chitarra di Frank Zappa voli veramente alta lo dimostrano "Rat Tomago" e la lunghissima "Yo' Mama". È un periodo d'oro per Zappa, che, finalmente dopo anni, riesce a ricavarsi anche un 45 giri, "Dancin' Fool", e salire altissimo in classifica. Ma il colpo ferale Zappa lo sferra con una delle sue proverbiali gag, "Jewish Princess": si attira gli strali della comunità ebraica e rilancia, a gran voce, la propria inossidabile scorrettezza politica.
Niente male per uno che non può nemmeno avvicinarsi a toccare il proprio archivio! Primo disco prodotto dalla casa di produzione "Zappa", (casa di produzione che avrà come proprio periodo di vita il solo 1979), è uno dei pochi album di Frank Zappa amato dalla critica quasi subito e dal pubblico senza aspettare revisionismi o rivalutazioni.
Elenco tracce testi e video
02 Flakes (06:42)
Flakes! Flakes!
Flakes! Flakes!
They don't do no good
They never be workin'
When they oughta should
They waste your time
They're wastin' mine
California's got the most of them
Boy, they got a host of them
Swear t'God they got the most
At every business on the coast
Swear t'God they got the most
At every business on the coast
They got the Flakes
Flakes! Flakes!
They can't fix yer brakes
You ask 'em, "Where's my motor?"
"Well, it was eaten by snakes..."
You can stab 'n' shoot 'n' spit
But they won't be fixin' it
They're lyin' an' lazy
They can be drivin' you crazy
Swear t'God they got the most
At every business on the coast
Swear t'God they got the most
At every business on the coast
Take it away, Bob...
I asked as nice as I could
If my job would
Somehow be finished by Friday
Well, them whole damn weekend
came 'n' went, Frankie
Wanna buy some mandies, Bob?
'N' they didn't do nothin'
But they charged me double for Sunday
You know, no matter what you do,
They gonna cheat 'n' rob you
Then they'll send you a bill
That'll get your senses reelin'
And if you do not pay
They got computer collectors
That'll get you so crazy
'Til your head'll go through th' ceilin'
Yes it will!
I'm a moron, 'n' this is my wife
She's frosting a cake
With a paper knife
All what we got here's
American made
It's a little bit cheesey,
But it's nicely displayed
Well we don't get excited when it
Crumbles 'n' breaks
We just get on the phone
And call up some Flakes
They rush on over
'N' wreck it some more
'N' we are so dumb
They're linin' up at our door
Well, the toilet went crazy
Yersterday afternoon
The plumber he says
Never flush a tampoon!
This great information
Cost me half a week's pay
And the toilet blew up
Later on the next day-ay-eee-ay
Blew up the next day
WOO-OOO
We are millions 'n' millions,
We're coming to get you
We're protected by unions
So don't let it upset you
Can't escape the conclusion
It's probably God's Will
That civilization
Will grind to a standstill
And we are the people
Who will make it all happen
While yer children is sleepin',
Yer puppy is crappin'
You might call us Flakes
Or something else you might coin us
But we know you're so greedy
That you'll probably join us
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you
We're coming to get you, we're coming to get you...
===========
Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals)
Adrian Belew (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Tommy Mars (keyboards, vocals)
Peter Wolf (keyboards)
Patrick O'Hearn (bass, vocals)
Terry Bozzio (drums, vocals)
Ed Mann (percussion, vocals)
Napoleon Murphy Brock (background vocals)
Andre Lewis (background vocals)
Randy Thornton (background vocals)
Davey Moire (background vocals)
05 Jones Crusher (02:50)
My baby's got
Jones crushin' love
Jones crushin' love
Jones crushin' love
Well my baby's got
Jones crushin' love
Jones crushin' love
Jones crushin' love
She don't merely fit like a glove
That little girl's got the jones
That little girl's got the jones
That little girl's got the jones
She's tryin' to
Grind up my jones
Grind up my jones
Grind up my jones
Well, she's tryin' to
Grind up my jones
Grind up my jones
Grind up my jones
She don't never wanna leave it alone
She can push; she can shove
Till it's just a nub
She can push; she can shove
Till it's just a nub
Just a nub
Just a nub
Here she comes
With her red dress on
Steam shoots out
>From the sprinklers on the lawn
The eyes be rollin'
On the concrete fawn
The wind can't blow
'Cause the sky is gone
The wind can't blow
'Cause the sky is gone
The wind can't blow
'Cause the sky is gone
Jones crusher, jones crusher
Deadly jaws, better get the gauze
She's a jones crusher, jones crusher
Deadly jaws, better get the gauze
(etc. ad lib)
========
Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals)
Adrian Belew (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Tommy Mars (keyboards, vocals)
Peter Wolf (keyboards)
Patrick O'Hearn (bass, vocals)
Terry Bozzio (drums, vocals)
Ed Mann (percussion, vocals)
Napoleon Murphy Brock (background vocals)
Andre Lewis (background vocals)
Randy Thornton (background vocals)
Davey Moire (background vocals)
07 Rat Tomago (05:16)
Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals)
Adrian Belew (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Tommy Mars (keyboards, vocals)
Peter Wolf (keyboards)
Patrick O'Hearn (bass, vocals)
Terry Bozzio (drums, vocals)
Ed Mann (percussion, vocals)
Napoleon Murphy Brock (background vocals)
Andre Lewis (background vocals)
Randy Thornton (background vocals)
Davey Moire (background vocals)
(Instrumental)
09 Bobby Brown (02:50)
Hey there, people, I'm Bobby Brown
They say I'm the cutest boy in town
My car is fast, my teeth are shiney
I tell all the girls they can kiss my heinie
Here I am at a famous school
I'm dressin' sharp 'n' I'm
actin' cool
I got a cheerleader here wants to help with my paper
Let her do all the work 'n' maybe later I'll rape her
Oh God I am the American dream
I do not think I'm too extreme
An' I'm a handsome sonofabitch
I'm gonna get a good job 'n' be real rich
(get a good
get a good
get a good
get a good job)
Women's Liberation
Came creepin' across the nation
I tell you people I was not ready
When I fucked this dyke by the name of Freddie
She made a little speech then,
Aw, she tried to make me say "when"
She had my balls in a vice, but she left the dick
I guess it's still hooked on, but now it shoots too quick
Oh God I am the American dream
But now I smell like Vaseline
An' I'm a miserable sonofabitch
Am I a boy or a lady...I don't know which
(I wonder wonder
wonder wonder)
So I went out 'n' bought me a leisure suit
I jingle my change, but I'm still kinda cute
Got a job doin' radio promo
An' none of the jocks can even tell I'm a homo
Eventually me 'n' a friend
Sorta drifted along into S&M
I can take about an hour on the tower of power
'Long as I gets a little golden shower
Oh God I am the American dream
With a spindle up my butt till it makes me scream
An' I'll do anything to get a head
I lay awake nights sayin', "Thank you, Fred!"
Oh God, oh God, I'm so fantastic!
Thanks to Freddie, I'm a sexual spastic
And my name is Bobby Brown
Watch me now, I'm goin down,
And my name is Bobby Brown
Watch me now, I'm goin down,
And my name is Bobby Brown
Watch me now, I'm goin down....
10 Rubber Shirt (02:45)
Yeah, I knew you'd be surprised!
========
Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals)
Adrian Belew (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Tommy Mars (keyboards, vocals)
Peter Wolf (keyboards)
Patrick O'Hearn (bass, vocals)
Terry Bozzio (drums, vocals)
Ed Mann (percussion, vocals)
Napoleon Murphy Brock (background vocals)
Andre Lewis (background vocals)
Randy Thornton (background vocals)
Davey Moire (background vocals)
11 The Sheik Yerbouti Tango (03:56)
Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals)
Adrian Belew (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Tommy Mars (keyboards, vocals)
Peter Wolf (keyboards)
Patrick O'Hearn (bass, vocals)
Terry Bozzio (drums, vocals)
Ed Mann (percussion, vocals)
Napoleon Murphy Brock (background vocals)
Andre Lewis (background vocals)
Randy Thornton (background vocals)
Davey Moire (background vocals)
Why dontcha take it down the seashore, Bernie?
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Altre recensioni
Di Stràfiko Piezzecore
Francesco Vincenzo [...] sforna un disco irrinunciabile.
Frank Zappa stigmatizza e distrugge il concetto stesso di fighetto, sia nella sua accezione maschile che in quella femminile.
