RECORD REVIEWS

Frank Zappa’s first real solo album (he conducted but did not play on Lumpy Gravy) is probably his greatest recording and perhaps his most uncharacteristic in that his singing voice is nowhere to be heard. The one vocal, “Willie the Pimp,” is sung by Captain Beefheart, whose Zappa-produced pinnacle Trout Mask Replica was released the same year (1969). All of the social satire and low comedy for which Zappa was notorious is absent here. What we have instead is groundbreaking music—a heady mix of rock, jazz, electronic, and classical elements that achieves the musical synthesis Zappa had been striving for with the Mothers of Invention and that takes full advantage of the then-new 16-track recording technology.

The 16-track masters from these recording sessions are an invaluable resource that Zappa archivist Joe Travers mined for this 6-CD celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary, beautifully mixed for this release by Craig Parker Adams.

There’s more to dig into here than on any of the previous Zappa reissues: In addition to alternate takes and studio banter, we hear multiple tracks of individual parts and band sections developing the songs. You can hear how foundation pieces like “Peaches en Regalia” and “Willie the Pimp” were layered, piece by piece, as Zappa tweaked them in the studio, instructing band members to try different ideas.

The first thing we hear is a gorgeous, openhearted piano solo from Ian Underwood: Beginning at this point in his career, Zappa would surround himself with the best musicians available, and Underwood, the star multi-instrumentalist from the Mothers, points the way forward. The track is from the first Hot Rats session, 7-18-69. It’s labeled “Piano Music (Section 1)” and would eventually become “Piano Intro to Little House I Used To Live In” from the Mothers’ Burnt Weeny Sandwich.

Another Underwood solo, “Piano Music (Section 3),” marks the first appearance of the “Peaches en Regalia” fanfare and later shows up as “Aybe Sea” on… Sandwich.

The “Peaches