THE MAN FROM UTOPIA

Zappa - 1983 - controversial at best. For a Prog-Lover as myself, I really enjoy this album. I find this genius continuing to push the boundaries of conventional pop/rock music to its outer limits. 'Cocaine Decisions' is a fun tune which speaks volumes more so in its lyric content than the music - 'Chop a line now' Zappa states instantly.......'I don't wanna know 'bout the things that you pull outta your nose, or where they goes, but if you are wasted from the stuff you're stickin' in it, I get madder every day, 'cause what you do 'n' what you say affects my life in such a way, I learn to hate it every minute'............. What more can you say ?.... Three pieces off this album are built around complex avant-garde music that backs spoken prose, showcased on the 'songs' 'The Dangerous Kitchen', 'The Radio Is Broken' and the somewhat smutty piece 'The Jazz Discharge Party Hats'. I'd say that PRIMUS' Les Claypool fell in love with much of this album. Three of the tunes here are instrumental pieces of which 'Tink Walks Amok' is a fantastic piece showing off the amazing Bass skills of Arthur Barrow. It features multi-tracked bass parts and weird time signatures (which prog-lover could resist ???). Often dismissed as a weaker album from Frank, this 'Man From Utopia' shows no desire to rest on his laurels and continues to challenge all and sundry, whether with a guitar in hand, or fly-swat, or both........