Frank Zappa's TINSEL TOWN REBELLION

I was talking to a good friend recently about Frank Zappa's 1981 double album TINSEL TOWN REBELLION. Ostensibly a record review, this is a modified transcript of my comments about the album. ~rh

Right out of the gate, FINE GIRL seems like little more than just a simple pop tune to kick off the record. But with Zappa you always have to bear in mind that even on a song like this you can choose to focus on any one instrument like, say Vinnie Colaiuta on the drums and it's freakin' amazing.

The second song on side one EASY MEAT encapsulates almost everything Frank was doing at this stage of his career. Totally offensive and sexist lyrics, a quirky piece of music featuring an extended orchestrated part with virtuoso Rock musicians playing a Classical motif. The tune builds until it collapses on itself, leaving Frank to take one of his classic extended guitar solos in the middle section before the whole ensemble returns to play out the chorus one more time at the end. If you can get past the lyrics, as is so often the case with Frank, you'll find layers upon layers of cool stuff going on here.

Not only is Frank's EASY MEAT guitar solo a jaw dropper, listen to what drummer David Logeman and bass player Arthur Barrow are doing together while Frank solos. There's nothing quite like it.

Listening to this album for the first time in a long time and it is really taking me back…! Frank and the Zappa Family Trust have released over 80 albums since 1966 but this was one of the first half dozen or so that I picked up when I was still a kid. At the time, because of the adult themes and casual profanity in his lyrics, I can remember thinking, "Dear God, don't let my parents find out I have these records!"

Another thing to keep in mind is that this stuff, like so many Zappa records, was recorded entirely live onstage in concert performances with very few overdubs after the fact and only a few edits here and there. Frank always hired the best of the best musicians and rehearsed the shit out of them. Then he recorded as many shows on tour as he could so he had multiple takes to choose from when assembling his next release.

FOR THE YOUNG SOPHISTICATE is another relatively simple Pop tune on the surface, with layers of Doo Wop harmonies and Frank's humorous asides as he speaks to band members in between sung lyrics and a general sense of frivolity prevails. This is always been one of my favorites on the Tinseltown Rebellion LP.

LOVE OF MY LIFE and AIN'T GOT NO HEART date back to Frank's early days in the '60s. He very often would bust out old tunes of his with a whole new band and updated arrangements.

PANTY RAP is pretty self-explanatory! But seriously folks, this is a live track showcasing Frank's love of audience participation at its finest. No spoilers. You just gotta hear it.

TELL ME YOU LOVE ME Is another oldie from Frank's early days but this is the definitive version performed by a far superior band compared to the original. For one thing the 1981 band took the song at a much faster clip. Adding a few whistles and bells and throwing them in effortlessly in spite of the speedy tempo.

NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T is another tasty guitar solo. Frank was really into soloing over Reggae grooves like this one. Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta is always amazing on tracks like these. This piece is ostensibly a guitar solo but Frank and Vinnie are doing an awful lot of interplay together along with bass player Arthur Barrow. Again, layers of different stuff all happening at once!

DANCE CONTEST is a lot like PANTY RAP in that audience participation and Frank's stage banter were always a hilarious feature of his concerts.

THE BLUE LIGHT is a curiosity for sure because I've been listening to FZ since 1979 and I've heard this track dozens of times but I have no idea what it's about! A great example of Frank's ability to stack layers of disparate and unpredictable sounds, words, melodies, harmony, rhythm, humor and more, somehow creating music from all these different puzzle pieces that makes its own kind of sense by sheer force of Frank's willpower. I mean, it's crazy but at the same time it's a serious accomplishment because I don't think anybody has ever really done that before or since. It boggles the mind!

The title track TINSEL TOWN REBELLION is hilarious and a remarkably accurate depiction of what a certain aspect of the music business was like at that time. Sensitive New Wavers beware. Frank's got you in his sights here.

Over the years Frank and his bands performed and sang a lot of songs about life on the road including some pretty graphic stories about groupies. PICK ME I'M CLEAN is a sort of character sketch of a certain kind of girl they would meet on the road. PICK ME, I'M CLEAN is unusual too, like EASY MEAT, because there is an incredibly gratifying guitar break hidden in the middle of a tune with some questionable lyrics.

Okay moving on to side 4 now!

BAMBOOZLED BY LOVE is kind of a Blues song. A really strange time signature sets it pretty far apart from the typical structure of such things. Just now I started to write something about Frank's lyrics here being a little brutal but the truth is there are countless old blues songs with words about murder, revenge, burying a cheating woman, etc.!

This is the perfect opportunity to point out a great vocalist/guitarist who was in Zappa's band for many years, Mr. Ike Willis. Such a great singer, also brought a lot of humor and spontaneity to his performances. Hired primarily as a vocalist, he also was capable of some great guitar work. Ike sings BAMBOOZLED BY LOVE. Over time you will find that Frank very often does not take the lead vocal in many of his songs.

BROWN SHOES DON'T MAKE IT is an old song that dates all the way back to the second album Frank made with the Mothers Of Invention in 1967 called Absolutely Free. Truthfully I prefer the original version, but this is an interesting performance for a lot of reasons. First of all the original was built of many tiny little splices and edits and was basically a sound sculpture created in the recording studio. This version is the 1981 touring band performing the piece live. Though I may personally prefer the original version, this is still an incredible accomplishment as a live performance. I'm sure fans in attendance in 1981 never dreamed that they would see Frank and his then current band even attempt something like this.

Frank was in his early twenties when his career began and he was already in high gear as far as social commentary and making fun of American society. Absolutely no one was safe from his acerbic tongue and razor wit. It would have been considered career suicide by any Rock and Roll recording artist to make fun of hippies in the late sixties but Frank went after them and cut 'em down for all of their ridiculousness and hypocrisy. That said, BROWN SHOES DON'T MAKE IT is really more about taking on the square, straight world of American business and careerism.

PEACHES III is the third released version of a Zappa song originally released in 1970 called PEACHES EN REGALIA. A catchy little instrumental, a big fan favorite since it's initial release, it was the opening track on one of Frank's all-time most popular albums called Hot Rats.

After a very successful run in the 1970s, Frank went screaming like a rocket into the '80s with a flurry of releases in 1981. In addition to this double LP, he released another 2-record set called You Are What You Is - AND a triple vinyl of guitar solo instrumentals called Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar. Making a total of SEVEN LPs of music released in one calendar year.

Frank's obsession with recording every show was hitting a hot streak as advances in technology and cheaper equipment made it possible for him to basically travel with a portable recording studio. Hence the bountiful harvest of 1981!

It's also worthy of noting that Tinsel Town Rebellion was the first Zappa album to feature guitarist Steve Vai.