Whenever I think of the double-album recording “Uncle Meat,” two things immediately come to mind: the extraordinary composition “King Kong,” and the thought, “What is this monster movie garbage?”
I am perplexed by some of the praise that is heaped upon this album, but I suspect that is the result of my limited background in some of the technically arcane aspects of music composition. For example, Nick Paluzzi writing for Ground and Sky calls “Uncle Meat” a “Rosetta Stone in experimental progressive rock.” Bob Eichler, also writing for Ground and Sky, calls the recording “a cornerstone of the Zappa catalog,” an interesting metaphor because it implies that without “Uncle Meat,” Zappa’s catalog would collapse without having the benefit of the musical techniques and thematic concepts that were developed during the album’s recording. The moniker “Rosetta Stone” is also interesting because it, too, heaps a ton of responsibility on “Uncle Meat,” suggesting that one cannot properly decipher, understand or interpret any other experimental progressive rock by any other artist without first mastering an understanding of “Uncle Meat.”
That just sounds like an awful lot of misplaced hyperbole to me. True, “Uncle Meat” is a significant album in Zappa’s repertoire; there are amazing compositions in this recording, finely polished ones. However, the album could have been even better had Zappa shown more discretion over what was to be released. The lengthy dialogue from the ill-fated movie of the same name is a distraction and detracts from the overall piece. The conversations revealed in the dialogue are lame and repetitive, even more so than what Zappa admitted to in his autobiography. The conversations in “Lumpy Gravy” fit well into the overall composition of that album, but the dialogue from “Uncle Meat” sounds beyond trivial and mundane.
The real gem of “Uncle Meat” is “King Kong” and all its variations. The musical theme of this composition is one of Zappa’s most recognizable melodies. And it must have been one of his and the band’s favorites, as it is among the most ubiquitous songs in his live sets. That is probably attributed to what Francois Couture describes as the piece’s flexibility, allowing a wide range of interpretations in playing what was essentially a very simple musical theme. The band Babe Ruth did a very interesting interpretation of the song on its "First Base/Amarcabellero" LP in 1973. It's worth checking out.
Another song that got frequent live play was “Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague,” which was often credited with the shorter title of “Dog Breath,” such as on the live album “Just Another Band From L.A.” There’s a bit of personal and regional history in this song in its reference to the lyric, “Going to El Monte Legion Stadium.” The photograph of Legion Stadium I provide is of dubious origin. I initially found it with one individual taking credit for snapping the image. However, I found other strikingly similar images on other Web sites without any credit or attribution as to the photographer or date the photo was taken. Having said that, Legion Stadium was quite the famous venue, not only playing host to boxing events, but to such bands as the Grateful Dead, who played a three-night gig there from Dec. 26-28 in 1970, to The Penguins, and even Zappa, who allegedly announces “Welcome to El Monte Legion Stadium” on the bootleg “Safe Muffinz.” I can’t verify that because I have not listened to this bootleg.
The structure was originally built for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles as a wrestling venue, and later it played host to dances and shows by Art Laboe, who may be credited with creating the hackneyed phrase “Be there or be square,” whenever he did a radio spot to promote one of his dances. It was demolished in 1974 and a post office erected in its place. Everything from concerts to roller derby went on in Legion Stadium as it became a well-known local entertainment venue.
By and large, the majority of compositions on “Uncle Meat” defy categorization. Some sites have labeled it as fusion jazz, or avant-garde. Certainly, there are moments of avant-garde, such as the frenetic squeaking of Ian Underwood’s saxophone, but the majority of music seems to be in another realm; not quite jazz, not quite pop, not quite orchestral, and not quite ethnic. There are a few that musically are identifiable by genre, such as “Electric Aunt Jemima,” or “Nine Types of Industrial Pollution,” which represent Zappa’s interpretations of doo-wop and fusion respectively.
And then there is what I call the utter waste of time, the pathetically mundane conversations that were taken from the aborted movie project, including all the idiotic references to “measuring it with a chicken.” It is so out of place that it almost renders the recording unlistenable. At least with the vinyl release, you could skip over this garbage and get right to side four and “King Kong.” But with the CD release, additional effort is necessary to skip over this content. Eliminate this from the recording, and I say it is worthy of four or five stars, but with this tripe included, I can only give it three stars. Interestingly enough, Zappa told Chris Welch for an Oct. 5, 1968, article in Melody Maker that “Uncle Meat” and “Cruising With Ruben and the Jets” were two of his most satisfying albums.
I rate this recording three out of five stars. Add your own rating below.
New content and a new link were added June 10, 2009.
I am perplexed by some of the praise that is heaped upon this album, but I suspect that is the result of my limited background in some of the technically arcane aspects of music composition. For example, Nick Paluzzi writing for Ground and Sky calls “Uncle Meat” a “Rosetta Stone in experimental progressive rock.” Bob Eichler, also writing for Ground and Sky, calls the recording “a cornerstone of the Zappa catalog,” an interesting metaphor because it implies that without “Uncle Meat,” Zappa’s catalog would collapse without having the benefit of the musical techniques and thematic concepts that were developed during the album’s recording. The moniker “Rosetta Stone” is also interesting because it, too, heaps a ton of responsibility on “Uncle Meat,” suggesting that one cannot properly decipher, understand or interpret any other experimental progressive rock by any other artist without first mastering an understanding of “Uncle Meat.”
That just sounds like an awful lot of misplaced hyperbole to me. True, “Uncle Meat” is a significant album in Zappa’s repertoire; there are amazing compositions in this recording, finely polished ones. However, the album could have been even better had Zappa shown more discretion over what was to be released. The lengthy dialogue from the ill-fated movie of the same name is a distraction and detracts from the overall piece. The conversations revealed in the dialogue are lame and repetitive, even more so than what Zappa admitted to in his autobiography. The conversations in “Lumpy Gravy” fit well into the overall composition of that album, but the dialogue from “Uncle Meat” sounds beyond trivial and mundane.
The real gem of “Uncle Meat” is “King Kong” and all its variations. The musical theme of this composition is one of Zappa’s most recognizable melodies. And it must have been one of his and the band’s favorites, as it is among the most ubiquitous songs in his live sets. That is probably attributed to what Francois Couture describes as the piece’s flexibility, allowing a wide range of interpretations in playing what was essentially a very simple musical theme. The band Babe Ruth did a very interesting interpretation of the song on its "First Base/Amarcabellero" LP in 1973. It's worth checking out.
Another song that got frequent live play was “Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague,” which was often credited with the shorter title of “Dog Breath,” such as on the live album “Just Another Band From L.A.” There’s a bit of personal and regional history in this song in its reference to the lyric, “Going to El Monte Legion Stadium.” The photograph of Legion Stadium I provide is of dubious origin. I initially found it with one individual taking credit for snapping the image. However, I found other strikingly similar images on other Web sites without any credit or attribution as to the photographer or date the photo was taken. Having said that, Legion Stadium was quite the famous venue, not only playing host to boxing events, but to such bands as the Grateful Dead, who played a three-night gig there from Dec. 26-28 in 1970, to The Penguins, and even Zappa, who allegedly announces “Welcome to El Monte Legion Stadium” on the bootleg “Safe Muffinz.” I can’t verify that because I have not listened to this bootleg.
The structure was originally built for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles as a wrestling venue, and later it played host to dances and shows by Art Laboe, who may be credited with creating the hackneyed phrase “Be there or be square,” whenever he did a radio spot to promote one of his dances. It was demolished in 1974 and a post office erected in its place. Everything from concerts to roller derby went on in Legion Stadium as it became a well-known local entertainment venue.
By and large, the majority of compositions on “Uncle Meat” defy categorization. Some sites have labeled it as fusion jazz, or avant-garde. Certainly, there are moments of avant-garde, such as the frenetic squeaking of Ian Underwood’s saxophone, but the majority of music seems to be in another realm; not quite jazz, not quite pop, not quite orchestral, and not quite ethnic. There are a few that musically are identifiable by genre, such as “Electric Aunt Jemima,” or “Nine Types of Industrial Pollution,” which represent Zappa’s interpretations of doo-wop and fusion respectively.
And then there is what I call the utter waste of time, the pathetically mundane conversations that were taken from the aborted movie project, including all the idiotic references to “measuring it with a chicken.” It is so out of place that it almost renders the recording unlistenable. At least with the vinyl release, you could skip over this garbage and get right to side four and “King Kong.” But with the CD release, additional effort is necessary to skip over this content. Eliminate this from the recording, and I say it is worthy of four or five stars, but with this tripe included, I can only give it three stars. Interestingly enough, Zappa told Chris Welch for an Oct. 5, 1968, article in Melody Maker that “Uncle Meat” and “Cruising With Ruben and the Jets” were two of his most satisfying albums.
I rate this recording three out of five stars. Add your own rating below.New content and a new link were added June 10, 2009.
Released: April 1969, Warner Reprise/Bizarre.
LP Release
Side One
Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme (1:54) - related to Uncle Meat
The Voice Of Cheese (0:27)
Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution (5:56)
Zolar Czakl (0:57)
Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague (5:51) - related to Dog Breath
The Legend Of The Golden Arches (1:24) - related to A Pound For A Brown On The Bus
Louie Louie (At the Royal Albert Hall in London) (2:28)
The Dog Breath Variations (1:36) - related to Dog Breath
Side Two
Sleeping In A Jar (0:49)
Our Bizarre Relationship (1:05)
The Uncle Meat Variations (4:40) - related to Uncle Meat
Electric Aunt Jemina (1:53)
Prelude To King Kong (3:24) - related to King Kong
God Bless America (Live At the Whisky A Go Go) (1:22)
A Pound For A Brown On The Bus (1:29)
Ian Underwood Whips It Out (Live On Stage In Copenhagen) (5:08)
Side Three
Mr. Green Genes (3:10)
We Can Shoot You (1:48)
"If We'd All Been Living In California..." (1:29)
The Air (2:57)
Project X (4:49)
Cruising For Burgers (2:19)
Side Four
King Kong Itself (As Played By The Mothers In A Studio) (0:53)
King Kong (It's Magnificence As Interpreted By Don DeWild) (1:15)
King Kong (As Motorhead Explains It) (1:44)
King Kong (The Gardner Varieties) (6:17)
King Kong (As Played By 3 Deranged Good Humor Trucks) (0:29)
King Kong (Live On A Flat Bed Diesel In The Middle Of A Race Track At A Miami Pop Festival...The Underwood amifications) (7:22)
CD release
Disc One
Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme (1:55) - related to Uncle Meat
The Voice Of Cheese (0:26)
Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution (6:00)
Zolar Czakl (0:55)
Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague (3:59) - related to Dog Breath
The Legend Of The Golden Arches (3:27) - related to A Pound For A Brown On The Bus
Louie Louie (At the Royal Albert Hall in London) (2:19)
The Dog Breath Variations (1:48) - related to Dog Breath
Sleeping In A Jar (0:51)
Our Bizarre Relationship (1:05)
The Uncle Meat Variations (4:46) - related to Uncle Meat
Electric Aunt Jemima (1:46)
Prelude To King Kong (3:38)
God Bless America (Live At The Whisky A Go Go) (1:11)
A Pound For A Brown On The Bus (1:29)
Ian Underwood Whips It Out (Live On Stage In Copenhagen) (5:05)
Mr. Green Genes (3:14) - Remix
We Can Shoot You (2:03)
"If We'd All Been Living In California..." (1:14)
The Air (2:57)
Project X (4:49)
Cruising For Burgers (2:18)
Disc Two
Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part I (37:34) - Bonus Track
Tengo Na Minchia Tanta (3:46) - Bonus Track
Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part II (3:51) - Bonus Track
King Kong Itself (0:51)
King Kong II (1:19)
King Kong III (1:45)
King Kong IV (6:18)
King Kong V (0:34)
King Kong VI (7:25)
Personnel
The Mothers:
Frank Zappa (guitar, 'low grade' vocals, percussion)
Ray Collins ('swell' vocals)
Jimmy Carl Black (drums, 'droll humor', 'poverty')
Roy Estrada (electric bass, 'chesseburgers', 'Pachuco falsetto')
Don (Dom De Wild) Preston (electric piano, 'tarot cards', 'brown rice')
Billy (The Oozer) Mundi (drums 'on some pieces before he quit to join RHINOCEROS')
Bunk (Sweetpants) Gardner (piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bassoon '(all of these electric and/or non-electric depending)')
Ian Underwood (electric organ, piano, harpsichord, celeste, flute, clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax, 'special assistance', 'copyist', 'industrial relations' & 'teen appeal')
Artie (With the Green Mustache) Tripp (drums, timpani, vibes, marimba, xylophone, wood blocks, bells, small chimes, 'cheerful outlook' & 'specific enquiries')
Euclid James (Motorhead/Motorishi) Sherwood ('pop star', 'frenetic' tenor sax 'stylings', tambourine, choreography, 'obstinance' & 'equipment setter-upper when he's not hustling local groupies')
Also:
Pamela Zarubica as Suzy Creamcheese, uncredited (vocals)
Ruth Komanoff (marimba and vibes with Artie 'on many of the tracks')
Nelcy Walker (soprano voice with Ray & Roy on Dog Breath & The Uncle Meat Variations)
LP Release
Side One
Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme (1:54) - related to Uncle Meat
The Voice Of Cheese (0:27)
Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution (5:56)
Zolar Czakl (0:57)
Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague (5:51) - related to Dog Breath
The Legend Of The Golden Arches (1:24) - related to A Pound For A Brown On The Bus
Louie Louie (At the Royal Albert Hall in London) (2:28)
The Dog Breath Variations (1:36) - related to Dog Breath
Side Two
Sleeping In A Jar (0:49)
Our Bizarre Relationship (1:05)
The Uncle Meat Variations (4:40) - related to Uncle Meat
Electric Aunt Jemina (1:53)
Prelude To King Kong (3:24) - related to King Kong
God Bless America (Live At the Whisky A Go Go) (1:22)
A Pound For A Brown On The Bus (1:29)
Ian Underwood Whips It Out (Live On Stage In Copenhagen) (5:08)
Side Three
Mr. Green Genes (3:10)
We Can Shoot You (1:48)
"If We'd All Been Living In California..." (1:29)
The Air (2:57)
Project X (4:49)
Cruising For Burgers (2:19)
Side Four
King Kong Itself (As Played By The Mothers In A Studio) (0:53)
King Kong (It's Magnificence As Interpreted By Don DeWild) (1:15)
King Kong (As Motorhead Explains It) (1:44)
King Kong (The Gardner Varieties) (6:17)
King Kong (As Played By 3 Deranged Good Humor Trucks) (0:29)
King Kong (Live On A Flat Bed Diesel In The Middle Of A Race Track At A Miami Pop Festival...The Underwood amifications) (7:22)
CD release
Disc One
Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme (1:55) - related to Uncle Meat
The Voice Of Cheese (0:26)
Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution (6:00)
Zolar Czakl (0:55)
Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague (3:59) - related to Dog Breath
The Legend Of The Golden Arches (3:27) - related to A Pound For A Brown On The Bus
Louie Louie (At the Royal Albert Hall in London) (2:19)
The Dog Breath Variations (1:48) - related to Dog Breath
Sleeping In A Jar (0:51)
Our Bizarre Relationship (1:05)
The Uncle Meat Variations (4:46) - related to Uncle Meat
Electric Aunt Jemima (1:46)
Prelude To King Kong (3:38)
God Bless America (Live At The Whisky A Go Go) (1:11)
A Pound For A Brown On The Bus (1:29)
Ian Underwood Whips It Out (Live On Stage In Copenhagen) (5:05)
Mr. Green Genes (3:14) - Remix
We Can Shoot You (2:03)
"If We'd All Been Living In California..." (1:14)
The Air (2:57)
Project X (4:49)
Cruising For Burgers (2:18)
Disc Two
Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part I (37:34) - Bonus Track
Tengo Na Minchia Tanta (3:46) - Bonus Track
Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part II (3:51) - Bonus Track
King Kong Itself (0:51)
King Kong II (1:19)
King Kong III (1:45)
King Kong IV (6:18)
King Kong V (0:34)
King Kong VI (7:25)
Personnel
The Mothers:
Frank Zappa (guitar, 'low grade' vocals, percussion)
Ray Collins ('swell' vocals)
Jimmy Carl Black (drums, 'droll humor', 'poverty')
Roy Estrada (electric bass, 'chesseburgers', 'Pachuco falsetto')
Don (Dom De Wild) Preston (electric piano, 'tarot cards', 'brown rice')
Billy (The Oozer) Mundi (drums 'on some pieces before he quit to join RHINOCEROS')
Bunk (Sweetpants) Gardner (piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bassoon '(all of these electric and/or non-electric depending)')
Ian Underwood (electric organ, piano, harpsichord, celeste, flute, clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax, 'special assistance', 'copyist', 'industrial relations' & 'teen appeal')
Artie (With the Green Mustache) Tripp (drums, timpani, vibes, marimba, xylophone, wood blocks, bells, small chimes, 'cheerful outlook' & 'specific enquiries')
Euclid James (Motorhead/Motorishi) Sherwood ('pop star', 'frenetic' tenor sax 'stylings', tambourine, choreography, 'obstinance' & 'equipment setter-upper when he's not hustling local groupies')
Also:
Pamela Zarubica as Suzy Creamcheese, uncredited (vocals)
Ruth Komanoff (marimba and vibes with Artie 'on many of the tracks')
Nelcy Walker (soprano voice with Ray & Roy on Dog Breath & The Uncle Meat Variations)
Posts
6 comments:
On the CD release, you can skip the dialogue with 3 button presses. Pretty simple, really. Marking down the music spread over the 2 disks is a little like marking down a recording of Bartok's `Bluebeard's Castle` because it includes the spoken Hungarian introduction - it just makes the review of the album less accurate and the score less relevant.
A valid point, "anonymous," but when I rate an album, I look at the entire release. My point is why should I have to skip over crap to enjoy the good stuff? There are so many better releases - even bootlegs - that I don't have to skip over anything. I cannot give this album a rating similar to, let's say, One Size Fits All. Just can't do it.
I can't either - Uncle Meat is loads better! My favorite CD; at least, it's that or Civilisation Phase 3! I just completely discount the dialogue tracks, just like I discount the other bad tracks which are sprinkled through the Zappa catalogue. In fact, the dialogue is easier to discount as it's so obviously i) not music, and therefore not to be treated as such, and ii) a 'bonus extra' which could never be sold seperately to more than about 50 deranged fanatics!!
All that spoken word boredom wasn't even on the original release was it? I don't think I've ever really listened to them. I see them as extraneous additions that don't really make a difference as I can ignore them.
In my mind it's the version that was initially released on vinyl (the CD tracks are easily skipped, I didn't even import them to iTunes) that I think of when I think of this album. In that mode, it's easily one of my favourites.
The monologue content was part of the original vinyl. I do like everything else on the album except for that, which I also skip over during every listen. Thanks for stopping by Sonney :)
A pleasure! Don't hold back from writing more posts about the albums, I like hearing people's take on each work (us Zappaphiles are a sadly disparate bunch).
I'm going to listen to Nine Types of Industrial Pollution now.
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