200 Motels

The double album “200 Motels” and the movie of the same name present a challenge to anyone who listens to or views either, particularly for Zappa fans. Is “200 Motels” genius or is it crap? Offer that question to any group after listening to the soundtrack (because that is what it is, a soundtrack) or viewing the movie, and then get the heck out of the way. The opinions will surely start flying like venomous darts spewed by some Stone Age jungle tribe from the Pacific. And as you can see, I am probably spending more time on this recording than on any other in Zappa’s catalogue, the significance of which should become as plain as the “Dance of the Just Plain Folks.”

Mark Prindle starts his review of the double album thus: “Because he was a dirty old man masturbating at the thought of his bandmates having sex with girls, Frank Zappa decided it would be a just hilarious idea to make a movie about the trials and good times of a touring rock and roll band.” Reviewer Richie Unterberger, writing for the All Music Guide, gave the recording four out of five stars, compared to Prindle’s six out of 10. But despite Prindle’s disgust with the prurient portions of the recording, he agrees there are some gems tucked into all the other oddness.

Others, like me, may merely shrug because we are not necessarily as “knowledgeable” about music theory and composition to judge the recording like an “expert,” nor are we overly put off by the crude humor in the story line and lyrics. I can agree with both Prindle and Unterberger; I can hear both sides. But I am more inclined to side with comments like this one by “marco J” expressed on the album’s review page at Kill Ugly Radio:

“Zappologist Ben Watson has devoted TONS of print analyzing “200 Motels” and praising it as a perfect example of Frank forcing us to embrace trash and “low” art that really is just as complex, challenging and valid as “high” or lofty pieces. That may be true, but does it all “work”, considering that Frank was under an unbelievably tight budget, and openly admits that equal amounts of script story as well as pieces of important music never got recorded or filmed. Is “200 Motels” just the best of a “work in progress” that Frank could SALVAGE at the time, or is it EXACTLY produced the way he conceived it?”


Jerry McCulley’s review at Amazon.com is also very telling. “As always, the Zappa of 200 Motels sometimes confuses the profound with the obscene, but with every passing year, he seems more likely to take his place alongside the great American modernist Charles Ives, another composer whose work was every bit as commercially troubled and artistically misunderstood.”

Composing and producing “200 Motels” was certainly a major life event for Zappa as well; some may argue it was a milestone in his career for negative reasons. Relaying the experience takes up a significant chunk of his autobiography. His experience dealing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in large degree contributed to his cynical and skeptical opinion of musicians in general, orchestra musicians in particular. His testimony reprinted in the autobiography, the transcript taken from his obscenity trial over the work’s content, is particularly revealing. Many scenes were omitted, and personnel fled the production while in progress.



I would have to say that the recording holds up better than the movie. I only saw the movie once, almost while in college at Western Michigan University in either 1976 or 1977, the real time within the last few years when I rented the DVD. My experience with the movie while at Western was just as disjointed as the composition. Zappa had been scheduled to play a concert at Miller Auditorium at WMU in Kalamazoo, Mich. I bought tickets to the show, knowing the acoustics at Miller would make the experience outstanding. However, for some reason (and there were plenty of rumors to explain) the show was moved to the field house. Word got out that Zappa was pissed and canceled the show. He apparently re-booked for Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo and played a show there, but I missed it. On campus, flyers went up noticing that the movie “200 Motels” would be shown on the night the concert would have taken place on campus. Some friends of mine, as did close to a hundred others, showed up in the classroom designated for the show, but there was no movie. It was just another sick joke.

When I did see the movie a few years back, I was glad I rented it rather than bought it. I’m not sure if the low quality production was intentional or necessary because of budget restraints. The film was reportedly shot in five days (seven days according to Wiki) with a budget of $679,000. But the “film” made Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space” look like a major Hollywood production.

The music is something entirely different. The Overture begins with a theme closely resembling “Holiday in Berlin” from “Burnt Weeny Sandwich.” This complex opener is followed by a basic rock-n-roll number, “Mystery Roach,” with a solid bass line that leaves you wanting more. As it fades away, the more complex orchestral themes come back as an interlude into the set pieces that comprise “This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich.” The movie is, after all, about touring and how it can drive you crazy. The soundtrack is filled with these types of transitions, which both from a narrative and musical perspective, can be difficult to follow on the first listen. In fact, they can strike the listener as a bit schizoid. Not being able to get beyond that, I think, is why the album turns some off. Once the listener gets beyond these apparent incongruities and has the “whole” in mind, it really all fits.

There are some really great and interesting pieces on this opus. “Dance of the Just Plain Folks” is one, although the actual dance was apparently edited from the movie. Probably the most “popular” track, and one of my favorites, is “Lonesome Cowboy Burt,” which has a bit of interesting irony in that Jimmy Carl Black, who sings and portrays Burt in the movie, is an Indian playing a redneck cowboy. And “Centerville” in its brief existence showcases the duplicitous nature of the alleged “values” of small town America.

Granted, this is not a recording I pull out very often for a listen. But it is one that will get played more frequently than either “Fillmore East” or “Just Another Band From L.A.” More info.

I rate this recording four out of five stars. Add your own rating below.

New content was added to this entry on Jan. 4, 2009.

Album/Movie release date: November 10, 1971, United Artists.

LP release:

Side One
Semi-Fraudulent/Direct-From-Hollywood Overture (1:59)
Mystery Roach (2:33)
Dance Of The Rock & Roll Interviewers (0:48)
This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (prologue) (0:56)
Tuna Fish Promenade (2:30)
Dance Of The Just Plain Folks (4:39)
This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (reprise) (0:59)
The Sealed Tuna Bolero (1:40)
Lonesome Cowboy Burt (3:51)

Side Two
Touring Can Make You Crazy (2:53)
Would You Like A Snack? (1:23)
Redneck Eats (3:03)
Centerville (2:31)
She Painted Up Her Face (1:42)
Janet's Big Dance Number (1:18)
Half A Dozen Provocative Squats (1:57)
Mysterioso (0:48)
Shove It Right In (2:32)
Lucy's Seduction Of A Bored Violinist & Postlude (4:00)

Side Three
I'm Stealing The Towels (2:14)
Dental Hygiene Dilemma (5:12)
Does This Kind Of Life Look Interesting To You? (3:00)
Daddy, Daddy, Daddy (3:11)
Penis Dimension (4:35)
What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning (3:27)

Side Four
A Nun Suit Painted On Some Old Boxes (1:09)
Magic Fingers (3:55)
Motorhead's Midnight Ranch (1:30)
Dew On The Newts We Got (1:10)
The Lad Searches The Night For His Newts (0:41)
The Girl Wants To Fix Him Some Broth (1:10)
The Girl's Dream (0:55)
Little Green Scratchy Sweaters & Courduroy Ponce (1:01)
Strictly Genteel (The Finale) (11:09) - related to Strictly Genteel

CD release:

Disc One
Semi-Fraudulent/Direct-From-Hollywood Overture (1:59)
Mystery Roach (2:32)
Dance Of The Rock & Roll Interviewers (0:48)
This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (prologue) (0:56)
Tuna Fish Promenade (2:30)
Dance Of The Just Plain Folks (4:40)
This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (reprise) (0:59)
The Sealed Tuna Bolero (1:41)
Lonesome Cowboy Burt (3:57)
Touring Can Make You Crazy (2:52)
Would You Like A Snack? (1:23)
Redneck Eats (3:02)
Centerville (2:31)
She Painted Up Her Face (1:42)
Janet's Big Dance Number (1:18)
Half A Dozen Provocative Squats (1:58)
Mysterioso (0:48)
Shove It Right In (2:33)
Lucy's Seduction Of A Bored Violinist & Postlude (4:02)

Disc Two
I'm Stealing The Towels (2:14)
Dental Hygiene Dilemma (5:11)
Does This Kind Of Life Look Interesting To You? (2:59)
Daddy, Daddy, Daddy (3:12)
Penis Dimension (4:37)
What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning (3:32)
A Nun Suit Painted On Some Old Boxes (1:09)
Magic Fingers (3:53)
Motorhead's Midnight Ranch (1:29)
Dew On The Newts We Got (1:09)
The Lad Searches The Night For His Newts (0:41)
The Girl Wants To Fix Him Some Broth (1:10)
The Girl's Dream (0:54)
Little Green Scratchy Sweaters & Courduroy Ponce (1:00)
Strictly Genteel (The Finale) (11:11) - related to Strictly Genteel
Bonus Tracks

200 MOTELS PROMOTIONAL RADIO SPOTS:
CUT 1 "Coming Soon!..." (0:55)
CUT 2 "The Wide Screen Erupts..." (0:58)
CUT 3 "Coming Soon!..." (0:31)
CUT 4 "Frank Zappa's 200 Motels..." (0:13)
Magic Fingers (Single Edit) (2:56)
ENHANCED TRACK: Original Theatrical Trailer (31.3MB MPG file )

Personnel:
Frank Zappa (bass, guitar, producer, orchestration)
Mark Volman (vocals)
Howard Kaylan (vocals)
Jimmy Carl Black (vocals)
Jim Pons (vocals)
George Duke (trombone, keyboards)
Ian Underwood (keyboards, woodwind)
Ruth Underwood (percussion)
Aynsley Dunbar (drums)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra