JOE'S GARAGE, ACT I

From the straight ahead rock of "Joe's Garage" to the soul balladry of "Lucille", Zappa's backing bands have never sounded better or more polished than this. Zappa's pen is spitting out some of his most accessible, pointed and, dare we say it, nostalgic lyrics. "Joe's Garage" paints a picture any amateur musician can put themselves in: the rehearsal in a buddies garage, a couple of quarts of beer and some local girls (if one was lucky). "Catholic Girls", "Crew Slut" and "Wet T-Shirt Night" revisit the familiar theme of groupies and their relationship with bands. "Toad-O Line" features some fantastic soloing by Zappa, and some "loose-but-tight" lounge atmospheres from the band. "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" shows Zappa and band tossing out some truly bombastic rock and roll behind Ike Willis, who shows yet again he is the best vocalist Zappa ever worked with. "Lucille", in another context and time, could have been a major hit and here shows a smoother, slower Zappa reggae like groove and is as close to a love song as Zappa ever wrote.

Zappa wrote the storyline of the "Joe's Garage" album to fit together some existing music, and it does show at times, but on the whole "Joe's Garage" is, for me, the strongest Zappa album.

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