THE MAN FROM UTOPIA

A collection of Zappa tunes recorded in the early 80's and featuring more of his trademark humor and upbeat compositions from this time, Man From Utopia tends to be overlooked even by some fans and didn't sell well upon release back in 1983. The instrumentals here are probably the strongest tracks, especially the bass driven 'Tink Walks Amok' which is a very intricate rhythmic showcase for bassist Arthur Barrow, and the playful yet frantic 'Moggio' who sounds like a sister piece to the 'Envelopes' track from the Ship Arriving to Late album. 'We Are Not Alone' on the other hand is a straighter, catchier piece with a good saxophone line and is probably one of the easier tunes to listen to here. The most unique tracks are the so called "meltdown" pieces in 'Dangerous Kitchen', 'Jazz Discharge Party Hats' and 'Radio is Broken', the two former are strange jazz numbers featuring Steve Vai overdubbing guitar lines onto Zappa's speak singing, note for note (sounds pretty sick) with some funny lyrics, while the latter is a demented Sci-Fi movie parody featuring some ridiculous vocal delivery from both Zappa and ex-Mothers member Roy Estrada. The rest of the songs are not that memorable, though still good, and very much in the style of the Ship Arriving and Them or Us albums. Keep in mind that the original vinyl mix is far different from the heavily remixed CD release later on, but the CD version admittedly have a stronger punch to it, but more overdubs, slightly different track order and a rather forgettable doo-wop bonus track 'Luigi and the Wise Guys'. Not necessarily an essential album but should do the trick for 80's Zappa heads.