\nStudio Tan<\/i> is best known as the first of three studio
\nreleases that characterized Warner Brothers’s fantastic fuck-up by
\nnot releasing
\nLather<\/i> (the legendary 4-LP set) as Frank Zappa intended it
\nto be heard. Instead,
\nStudio Tan<\/i> – along with two of Zappa’s next three officially
\nordered releases – was chopped up and served in a manner that the
\nrecord company preferred, but broke up Zappa’s original artistic
\nvision.<\/p>\n
It’s been many years since I listened to
\nLather<\/i>, and even longer since I listened to
\nStudio Tan<\/i> (prior to writing this review), so forgive me if
\nI don’t directly compare the two. But taken on its own merits,
\nStudio Tan<\/i> is a very difficult album to listen to, and even
\nharder to get involved in. Coming off such great releases as
\nZoot Allures<\/i> and
\nZappa In New York<\/i>, this one turns out to be a severe
\nletdown.<\/p>\n
Maybe it wouldn’t have been such a shock if it hadn’t been for
\nthe 20-minute opening track, “The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary,”
\na track which many critics have compared to “Billy The Mountain”
\n(who, ironically, makes an appearance in this song). I’d agree in
\none regard: you either love it, or you hate it. Three guesses which
\nside of the fence your humble reviewer falls on…<\/p>\n
“Greggery Peccary” is a mind-numbing collage of confused,
\ndisoriented ramblings that try to tell a story with no discernable
\nplot and no resolution. A combination of spoken-word and vocalized
\nmaterial, Zappa is at his most eclectic on this one – and, for
\nonce, this is not a good thing. Zappa had proven time and time
\nagain that he could master the art of the eclectic in a compact
\npackage, as well as tell a story. Maybe, had he tightened this one
\nup, “Greggery Peccary” could have been something. As it sits, this
\none is the musical equivalent of a train wreck.<\/p>\n
Maybe it’s the inanity of “Greggery Peccary” that makes a song
\nlike “Lemme Take You To The Beach” listenable in comparison. A
\ndefinite throw-away track, you almost feel embarrassed by the fact
\nthat you get hooked into this one, to the point of even humming the
\nchorus long after the CD stops spinning. I don’t
\nwant<\/i> to like this one… but I still do.<\/p>\n
The remaining two numbers on
\nStudio Tan<\/i>, “Revised Music For Guitar And Low-Budget
\nOrchestra” and “RDNZL,” are definite steps in the right direction.
\nDespite a little musical weirdness interspersed within, “Revised
\nMusic” does begin to reel the listener in more and more, until it
\nculminates with the genius that is “RDNZL,” a track which proves
\nonce again the genius that Zappa was. “RDNZL” is a remarkable
\ninstrumental piece that challenges both the musicians and the
\nlistener, albeit in good ways, making the song’s eight minutes fly
\nby. “RDNZL” could well be one of Zappa’s greatest instrumental
\npieces in his career.<\/p>\n
Despite the positive way this disc ends, it’s hard to recommend
\nStudio Tan<\/i> for anyone except the most loyal Zappa fans out
\nthere. Maybe, if one enjoys the kind of music that Zappa and crew
\nwere putting out with tracks like “Billy The Mountain,” then the
\nkind of absurdity that is “The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary” will
\nbe right up your alley. Otherwise, this one is for the diehards
\nonly.<\/p>\n
2005 Christopher Thelen and “The Daily Vault.” All rights
\nreserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without
\nwritten permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of the
\nZappa Family Trust \/ record label, and is used for informational
\npurposes only.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5625],"rating":[5619],"class_list":["post-38526","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-frank-zappa","rating-rating-c"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=38526"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=38526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}