ZOOT ALLURES (LP)

Personnel: Frank Zappa (guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, vocals); Davey Moire (vocals); Napoleon Murphy Brown (vocals, saxophone); Lu Ann Neil (harp); Don "Captain Beefheart" Van Vliet (harmonica); Andre Lewis (organ, vocals); Roy Estrada (bass, vocals); Dave Parlato (bass); Ruth Underwood (marimba, synthesizers); Terry Bozzio (drums, vocals); Sharkie Barker, Ruben Ladron de Guevera (background vocals).Digitally remastered by Bob Stone (1989).Among Zappa's grittier works, ZOOT ALLURES is a strong piece of mid-'70s work that focuses more on the interaction of Zappa and a small group that includes Terry Bozzio, Ruth Underwood and Roy Estrada, temporarily abandoning the jazzy, large-scale efforts of previous albums like ONE SIZE FITS ALL. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but all the disparate ingredients for a satisfying whole. There are simple, catchy rock tunes like "Wind Up Workin' in a Gas Station," "Ms. Pinky," a synth-led ode to a sexual toy, and "Disco Boy," which foreshadowed Zappa's hit "Dancing Fool." The lovely instrumental "Black Napkins" is among the prettiest compositions in Zappa's canon, highlighting his guitar work in an uncharacteristically restrained mode. The arguable centerpiece of the album is the epic-length "The Torture Never Stops." Sung by Zappa in his deepest, dirtiest, most ominous voice, the song recounts the tale of an evil monarch who does unspeakable things in the depths of his castle. Full of Zappa's bluesy guitar interjections, its one of the most deliciously unsavory things FZ ever committed to tape.