And so we come to the final
of the four Lather albums. This one,
as the title indicates, includes the pieces Zappa wrote for a large ensemble –
in this case, the 37-piece Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra.
Separated from Lather and clumped
together, these pieces make up Zappa’s second all-instrumental album, and third
with an orchestra, after Lumpy Gravy
and 200 Motels. It also sports the
ugliest of Gary Panter’s unauthorized covers.
Orchestral Favorites contains three tracks intended for Lather,
and two constructed from the themes of 200
Motels. Both the brief-yet-lovely “Naval Aviation in Art?” and the dark and
dissonant “Pedro’s Dowry” are full-on orchestral scores. The other three
represent Zappa’s last attempt to combine his rock club and concert hall sides,
with Terry Bozzio on drums, Dave Parlato on bass, and a guitar solo in “Duke of
Prunes” by the man himself.
This is significant, since Orchestral Favorites is genuinely – if
unintentionally – the end of an era. Not only is it the last time that Zappa
would combine these two different sides of his musical personality, but Lather, in its intended form, represents
the last time Zappa’s low and high arts would share disc space. On Lather, the three orchestral pieces bump
up next to guitar solos, live jazz jams and horn-driven rock anthems, and share
the stage with the likes of “Titties and Beer” and “Punky’s Whips.” The
inference is that this is all music to Zappa, with no boundaries between them.
But the mandate that he cut
up this material into four themed releases seems to have had a ripple effect on
the remainder of Zappa’s career. From this point on, the orchestral works would
not incorporate any rock elements, and would appear on their own – the London
Symphony Orchestra albums, The Perfect
Stranger, The Yellow Shark. Zappa
would begin composing this same kind of music on the Synclavier in the early
‘80s, and those pieces would also appear separate from his work with rock and
jazz bands.
So as Zappa’s final statement
on the merging of guitars, drums and strings, Orchestral Favorites is a fine record. “Strictly Genteel” is
stately, stripped of its lyrics, while the first rendition of “Bogus Pomp”
unveils the sweeping melodies behind the surreal tuna sandwich imagery of 200 Motels. Similarly, this take of
“Duke of Prunes” captures the beauty of the tune, miles away from the insanity
of Absolutely Free. Bozzio’s drumming
sometimes plods, but he fits in well with the large ensemble, in a mix that
favors him.
Still, for an artist who
began his career bulldozing the barriers between musical forms, the themed
releases from this point forward are somewhat disheartening. Zappa would go on
to tremendous achievements as an orchestral composer, and fascinating explorations of the guitar in a rock setting. Enjoy this as a final,
successful argument for Zappa’s unified field theory that brought both of those sides together.
Rating:
Worthy.
Which version to buy: Doesn’t matter. Every CD edition, including the 2012 Zappa/Universal
release, is the same, and they all sound fine.
Next week: Joe’s
Garage Act I.
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