Frank Zappa - Man From Utopia
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CD Details
Artist: Frank ZappaBrand: ZAPPA,FRANK
Edition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1995-05-02
Music Label: Zappa Records
Soundtracks:
- Cocaine Decisions
- SEX
- Tink Walks Amok
- The Radio Is Broken
- We Are Not Alone
- The Dangerous Kitchen
- The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou (Medley)
- Stick Together
- The Jazz Discharge Party Hats
- Luigi And The Wise Guys
- Moggio
Music reviews of Man From Utopia
Music Review: Without a doubt Zappa's worst and least interesting album
Rating: 2 Stars
What a misfire: with few exceptions it's musically mediocre, stupid where it should be smart, has very little in the way of continuity and irritating when it's trying to be funny. Humor does belong in music, too bad there's very little humor in evidence on this album. On Utopia the much of the humor is silly at best and at worst annoying. The cd opener Cocaine Decisions is a mellow and not terribly interesting song about the bad decisions Hollywood and others make while on coke. Its OK, following that is the song SEX. While the rock groove is good if a little simple, the lyrics aren't. Don't expect any biting social criticism cause there ain't none to be found. The song is pointless and nothing Zappa hasn't done a thousand times before. The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou is an OK blues, nothing special but not bad either. Stick Together is yet another reggae song about the evils of labor unions. Whoopedeedoo! The very definition of mediocre. Frank's use of his grating sing-song "funny" voice ruins several songs starting with The Radio Is Broken. Which is a jokey song about old Sci Fi movies and their cheesiness. Sound familiar? Well it should, he'd done it MUCH better on the song Cheepnis from the essential Mothers album Roxy And Elsewhere. At least musically Radio is interesting, for the most part, and should have been an instrumental. Other "funny" speak-sing voice songs are The Dangerous Kitchen, an AWFUL pseudo jazz song on which Frank narrates a story about a dirty kitchen (so what?) while the band noodles behind him and the passable The Jazz Discharge Party Hats. Which follows the same formula as Dangerous Kitchen and concerns band members antics with groupies dirty underwear, ha ha I'm fifteen again! This is a throwback to the Flo and Eddie days, but it's somewhat amusing. In fact it might as well be called The Dangerous Kitchen Part 2 as the melody, what there is of it, and music are almost identical. To be fair both Kitchen and Jazz are (mostly) live and so were probably taken from the same source. Steve Vai overdubbed guitar parts in the studio to mimic Zappa's vocal lines which is interesting but only just. You know, If the music on these supposedly humorous songs was any good I could forgive the lyrics and failed humor, but the music (with the exception of parts of The Radio Is Broken) is as boring as the lyrics are puerile and uninteresting. Zappa obviously thinks he's being funny but I'm afraid he's the only one laughing. I saved the worst for last. Luigi & The Wise Guys is the worst song I've ever heard from Zappa. It's a doowop song, already a minus in my book, with lead falsetto vocals that are so out of tune and shrill, that it's more of an endurance test than entertainment. Definitely not for the weak! Or for those that can hear. Oh and did I mention there are no guitar solos on this recording? Not a one.
It's not all horrible. There are three worthwhile instrumentals that save this album from being a one star. We Are Not Alone, Tink Walks Amok and Moggio are interesting. But they only offer a glimpse of what Zappa is capable of, and their brevity is disappointing.
So let's recap. Bland songs, unfunny humorous songs, no continuity (the album sounds thrown together), 3 much too short instrumentals, Zappa's worst song, and no guitar. Man, two stars is being generous.
Description of Man From Utopia
Japanese exclusive reissue of 1983 album. Limited to 2,000 pieces, it's packaged in a miniature LP sleeve with original jacket and the disc is printed like vinyl.Classic Rock CDs
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