THE GRAND WAZOO

My first real introduction to Zappa besides the crude but hilarious Joe's Garage and the relentless guitar jamming of Hot Rats, and it still remains one of my favorites by him. This album is similar to Waka/Jawaka with the big band sound that is very rich on the horns, though even more jazzy and weird at spots. Very good playing from the musicians on the album, notably from keyboardist George Duke and drummer Aynsley Dunbar. Clocking in at 37 minutes, there are no weak songs on this album, the whole thing feels concise without ever losing it's momentum. One of Jazz-Rock/Fusion landmarks! The title track is a fantastic 13-minute opener full of great solos and a very memorable main theme. The orchestra fits very well in that song too, making this album even more interesting. "For Calvin", a standout track here, is a slower and more Avant-garde tune and is the only track on this album with proper lyrics, albeit only a few words in the beginning, before drifting into more abstract and almost sinister territories later on. Unpredictable, very melancholic, but excellent nonetheless. In contrast, the humouristic "Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus" is the shortest and most entertaining track on the album; a playful tune with several wordless vocalizations and a catchy hook, followed by the brilliant "Eat That Question", which is easily one of my favorite Zappa tunes. It goes hard on the main riff and culminates into another brilliant guitar solo from FZ in the middle before it drops into a powerful brass rendition of the main riff. Another contrast is to be found in the last track "Blessed Relief", a beautiful laid-back conclusion to the album that I feel is one of Zappa's more underappreciated tracks. The Grand Wazoo displays great musicianship and variation throughout and is one of Zappa's most solid efforts from his earlier days with never a dull moment.

Highly recommended to any prog collection with a taste for jazz-fusion with proggy leanings. Zappa fan or not. A necessary album for Jazz-Rock fanatics especially, and as Cyggie said in his review here above me: Masterliness!