Customer Reviews

Apostrophe / Overnite Sensation

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

BUYER BEWARE....This cost $4.00 more from the seller at Amazon than
from a store in Toronto. All new Zappas are available for $10.17 tax-in!
Haven't heard this in eons! This is billed as the latest remaster.
That is what I'm waiting to hear. The best way to review this disc
is to wait until it is delivered and then offer a sonic review....
Till the UPDATE....

Zappa took a compositional turn with this album. It's in the genre of "Over-Nite Sensation", but further developed towards whatever it is musicians think of when they hear "Zappa", and there was more like this, and even further developed material to come. This album has a definitive main thread even though it features four different drummers, and four different bass players, because it's very bluesy. Even if the songs aren't played with typical blues progressions --with the exception of "Cosmik Debris"-- there's a bluesy feeling pretty much throughout, which mainly the guitar solos lend. But there's more than a feeling of blues to this album, the songs are complex to an unusual (yet not extremely high) degree, but make sense, and are very well performed. "Apostrophe (')" is, in a way, an album in a genre of it's own - mainly for the highly individual compositions "St. Alfonzo" and "Father O'Blivion", but also much because of "Uncle Remus" - with its feeling of soul and gospel that isn't much heard anywhere else in Zappa's discography. Many think that "Stink-Foot" is not a highlight, and I understand that point of view, since it fills a fifth of this 32-minute album, and doesn't have a compositional quality like the other songs. Still the song is, in my opinion, highly entertaining and needed because of its groove. Don't let the length of the album scare you - the material on it is worth the money.

Well this is without a doubt one of FZ's greatest studio accomplishments . The album really has no low points or filler songs (I could have done without all the percussion and insanity of "St. Alfonso's Pancake Breakfast" and "Father Oblivion" ...but thats just me) . Aside from that you get number of songs featuring Frank doing the virtuoso AND satire thing ,and of course the amazing instrumental title track (listen for former Cream bassist Jack Bruce playing the buzzing and distorted bass line) .

Now lyrics wise the first half of Apostrophe is about a eskimo named Nanook. Which yes does make this somewhat of a concept al bum ( Frank's answer to the "rock opera" ?). My advice here is keep yourself from looking at the "meaning of this " or the "deeper message". Too many people ruin Zappa's music when they do this, just sit back have a laugh, and enjoy.

If you dont own any Zappa or if you know someone who is curious about Zappas music then this is a good place to start . Because if you dont like this album or get bored with it then you're just never gonna like FZ. Not to mention that there is something to like on here, fan or not.

At 0 minutes and 17 seconds of 'Apostrophe', the title track, is pure bliss. This album is a must have, if only to hear that single, orgasmic guitar riff.

Zappa is the GREATEST!!! Apostrophe is musical genius. It is just one out of many Zappa masterpieces. BUY IT!!!

This is possibly one of the best "rock" albums Zappa ever recorded. Many suprises await you on repeated listens.

Every song on this CD shows the incredible genius of Frank Zappa, in my opinion one of the top 3 electric guitar players of all time. He was backed up by other rock greats such as Ansley Dunbar on drums, Jack Bruce on bass, and Sugar Cane Harris and Jean-Luc Ponty on violins, among others - as he should be, as not many artists of his time were capable of playing Zappa's music.
The only disappointing feature of this CD is that this version does not have one of the songs I bought the CD for - Dynamo Hum.

Some healthy advice Zappa gives - Never eat yellow snow. That should be a lesson to anyone unless they want to be the next in a new wave of Jackass stunt daredevils

Still as for the album itself it is one big story that doesn't make sense but that doesn't really matter. The music is good and that's that. Apostrophe ( the track ) is one of the best instrumentals ever recorded on tape and for that this album must be bought.

Enjoy

This cd is fun. Simple as that. Seems as though FZ wanted to broaden his fan base with this release and the follow up OVERNIGHT SENSATION. I think frank did broaden his fanbase, but FZ was too creative to keep his medium within those boundries and he went into overdrive in the late seventies 80's. Great songs, and great fusion of musisicains... like george duke, jean luc ponty, chester thompson and ruth underwood to name a FEW...even a guest appearance by the famed CREAM bass player Jack Bruce. Great stuff.

When I got into Zappa this was one of the first albums I heard. Now 24 years later when looking back on FZ's carrier I have to say that this is maybe his best album. No doubts that it was (still is?) so popular. The CD release in the 80's however made me a little disappointed but it's still great music. I prefer my almost mint condition US LP. The album provides great songs spanning from basic rock/blues groove to tricky zappa-ish interludes. Even if the music is really complex here and there it's never hard to listen to it. There is a wide line up of top musicians. And the sound...with the exception of the title track itself which is a bit rough, the sound sort of jumps out on you. Try listening to the Yellow Snow suite through a pair of decent ear phones.
The best songs on this album will probably always feel fresh:
* The Yellow Snow suite with all of those fantastic little musical details
* Excentrifugal Forz; The opening melody always gets me off, it's probably derived from an improvised guitar phrase that FZ had the violinist to double
* The gospel-ish Uncle Remus
* Stink-Foot; a simple and sort of laid back song, but still grooving!