GIFT GUIDE: New offerings from Frank Zappa’s catalog, plus The Cramps on vinyl
The holiday season has begun, and music lovers have some tasty choices to consider in the coming weeks. Thanks to UMe, appreciators of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention have cause for celebration. They recently released a five-disc set honoring the 50th anniversary of thd album One Size Fits All, and this is the release Zappa fans were hoping for.
Disc one of the release features the original album, which comes with iconic songs like “Inca Roads,” “Can’t Afford No Shoes,” “Andy” and “Evelyn, A Modified Dog.” For newcomers, Zappa and his band pushed the envelope on weird rock, composing tracks that ooze oddness and can’t quite fit into a neat category. They were wholly unique in their bizarrely entrancing creations.
Disc two features session outtakes and “vault oddities,” followed by two discs of live tunes from a concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands, circa 1974. On these live versions, listeners can enjoy “Tush Tush Tush (A Token of My Extreme),” “Stink-Foot,” “Approximate” and “Blind Mice Blues,” among others. A final disc features “Blu-ray Audio” of One Size Fits All.
Each of the tunes on this 50th anniversary collection was pulled from a 2002 remaster courtesy of Bob Ludwig. Plus, there are liner notes from Ruth Underwood and David Fricke.
For those looking for a harder sound, check out the new vinyl re-releases from the legendary rock bank the Cramps. UMe is offering up some classic albums from the gone-but-not-forgotten group. The vinyl choices include Bad music for bad people, which is a compilation; Songs the Lord Taught Us, the band’s first album; and Psychedelic Jungle, the band’s second album.
The Cramps continue to gain in popularity more than a decade after the death of Lux Interior. One only has to look at the resurgence of the song “Goo Goo Muck,” thanks to Wednesday on Netflix, to see their total dominance. That tune can be found on Bad music for bad people, plus Psychedelic Jungle. Little-known fact: The song is actually a cover tune. Other songs on these releases: “Garbageman,” “New Kind of Kick,” “I Can’t Hardly Stand It” and “She Said.”
It’s a lot of fun to compare and contrast the Cramps’ sonic output, and the best way to accomplish this task is to listen to Songs the Lord Taught Us, which features “TV Set” and “I Was a Teenage Werewolf.” In some ways, the band evolved and fine-tuned their sound over the years. In other ways, they stayed remarkably consistent and unique, without missing a beat.
The Cramps have always been embraced by the horror community because many of their songs feature lyrics and rhythms of the macabre, including “Goo Goo Muck,” “Teenage Werewolf” and “Zombie Dance.” They were one of the early combiners of rock and horror, and they continue to receive plaudits.
Now remember folks: “Don’t Eat Stuff Off the Sidewalk.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
UMe recently released The Cramps’ Songs the Lord Taught Us, Psychedelic Jungle and Bad music for bad people. Click here for more information. UMe also released One Size Fits All: 50th Anniversary by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Click here for more information.
