APOSTROPHE (')

Really fun album to listen to... I think this is a great example of the versatility that Frank Zappa managed to achieve in some of his records. He excells in terms of musiciansip, composition, originality, and the overall value of entertainment achieved by his music.

APOSTROPHE features irreverent storytelling in the form of complexly musicalized songs that blend in elements of jazz, blues, and rock. The use of a wide variety of orchestra instruments to create diverse sound effects help create the atmosphere and portrait the events going on in the song's lyrics. Even though most of the album consists of riffs and backgrounds that "accompanies" a somewhat "flat" singing style that tries sometimes a bit too hard to be comical, there are also some small bits of excellent music scattered all around this record.

There surely is virtuosism in terms of performance and composition, but I think that all the talent perceived in this record could be put to a better use (Wether that happens or not in the rest of Zappa's dischography I'm still to find out :D). I personally enjoy very much tracks like Cosmik Debris and St. Alfonzo's Pancake breakfast that in my opinion prove to be more solid pieces of music than some of the other tracks in terms of composition.

This album needed quite some spins before I could really enjoy it (as I've heard happens with a lot of Zappa's albums) but once you get into it, it can be a very enjoyable experience. It's a very different (and weird) style that still manages to get my ear, entertain me, and challenge me into getting more of it. Not even close to a masterpiece though. I'm giving it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 (I was tempted into rounding it down to 3 but I think that'd be unfair because of the excellent stuff that's in here, not to mention the awesome recording quality that helped me get along with this album very well).

1. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow (2:07) 2. Nanook Rubs It (4:37) 3. St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast (1:50) 4. Father O'Blivion (2:18) 5. Cosmik Debris (4:14) 6. Excentrifugal Forz (1:33) 7. Apostrophe' (5:50) 8. Uncle Remus (2:44) 9. Stink-Foot (6:32)