JOE'S GARAGE, ACTS II & III

Joe's Garage was perhaps the FZ album that got me convinced that I had to be a Zappa follower! It's possibly the funniest album I have ever heard. Zappa as The Central Scrutinizer is simply genius. A lot of guitar soloing is on this album with Zappa depicting the main character Joe who is a guitarist. The album features the always amazing Vinnie Colaiuta who made on of his finest recordings here. Also Ike Willis is really on fire on this album. The album production is good, but also very produced. At this point (1979) is was with no doubt one of Zappa's studio albums which sounded most like a actual studio album.

Part II & III is more uneven than part I. Part II & III tends to drag at times. There is not a bad track, but some are mediocre. My favorites from Part II & III are A Token Of My Extreme, Stick It Out, Keep It Greasey and Packard Goose and they are all equally as great as the whole of Part I.

So all in all this is a very special album for me. It helped make me a zappaholic. It opened at whole new spectrum for me and the incorporation of humor in music. Great playing and great lyrics. This is really in my book a milestone in Zappa's career since no other album he had made so far sounded anything like this one.