CIVILIZATION PHAZE III

This is Zappa's most serious work, basically his own requiem completed during his last days on earth -- the climax of the second disc being nothing less than Zappa's musical commentary on mortality (his own & everyone else's.) Which is not to say there isn't also humour, politics and everything else he was known for. Musically this is DEFINITELY NOT ROCK, so therefore not "PROG ROCK" either. Most of it is performed (programmed rather) on the Synclavier (the best Synclavier work Zappa, or anybody else, had ever done imho), with the remainder performed by the Ensemble Modern. This is Zappa the composer's imagination brought to life in sound, it's like everything he did before was leading up to an epic like this. No guitar solos, no penis jokes, just music. Even the dialogue is music (even heard Stockhausen's "choral" works?) I agree with a previous reviewer, this is a piece whose importance won't be fully recognized and appreciated for decades to come. Essential listening for anyone who wants to understand the full scope of Zappamuzik.