ZOOT ALLURES

One of Zappa's more commercially minded releases, Zoot Allures could at points be mistaken for a mainstream heavy guitar rock album if it weren't for the zany lyrics and the jazz-funk influences. The production on the album sounds a little off on many versions, though the 2012 remaster represents a significant improvement, Zappa puts more spotlight on his guitar playing, and the material is some of his most (comparatively) simplistic for years, largely due to working with a trimmed-down lineup this time around.

If you come to this direct from the heights of Apostrophe or One Size Fits All, it can be particularly deflating, which may be why it's taken so long for me to warm to it; certainly, it's showcasing an approach which Zappa would dip into from time to time over much of the coming decade, with pieces like Black Napkins being based largely on Zappa's notion that his guitar solos are interesting enough in their own right to carry a piece... except, goddamn it, he's right!

Lyrically, a lot of these songs are goofy or overly horny, but some of them are certainly catchy and the instrumental performances here are solid enough that I can more or less forgive the worse lyrics.