THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: OVER-NITE SENSATION

After the jazzy works of Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo, Zappa released this album, which is nothing like it's predecessors. What you'll find here is a more commercial album, and it certainly is in the vein of Gentle Giant's music in that it has complicated and cohesive riffs and licks that are kept within the 6:30 time frame. Zappa's guitar and vocal work on this album is nothing short of awesome. As with the lyrics and concepts of the songs, I think it was a predecessor to the sexually induced works of his later years (I Have Been In You, etc.). His ensemble of musicians is nothing short of breathtaking, with the return of the masterful Jean-Luc Ponty and the sheer brilliance of George Duke.

The album begins with the fan favorite Camarillo Brillo, which is a tale of a sexual encounter with a poncho-wearing gypsy of sorts. The riffs are catchy and complex, the lyrics are punchy and are humorous, it all adds up to brilliance. I'm the Slime has Zappa at his "dirtiest" with suave spoken vocals in the beginning turning into a memorable chorus, again the riffs are catchy and the lyrics are sublime. Dirty Love is only one thing, filler. I feel it disrupts the flow of this album and it could have been done without the song. Fifty- Fifty has some interesting musical concepts, but I feel that the song goes nowhere around the 4th minute. It could have been cut down to about a 4:30 song easily. Zomby Woof is a bizarre tune that, again, could have been edited a bit. Other than that, the song is actually quite good and is very well-crafted. Dinah-Moe Humm could possibly be the best song on the album, with catchy and punchy keyboards, blatant and undeniably funny lyrics, and some of the best Zappa vocal/guitar works ever crafted. Montana closes the album, and other than some catchy riffs here and there, there isn't much to expect from this song, rather straightforward.

Overall, this album that was released between the superb Grand Wazoo and the commercially successful Apostrophe is hit and miss with me. I like about half of the album and feel that those songs are superb. Other than that, I can deal without. 3/5.