Zappa and band 1974
This is an album of songs and stories set to music performed for your dining and dancing pleasure by FZ and some of the people he likes to record with.
Introduction
In 1974 Frank Zappa released his most successful album: Apostrophe (‘), it reached number 10 on the American charts. A look back at an accessible album, for Zappa standards that is.
N.B.:
The sub article Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘) commercial (follow the link) contains a 1974 television commercial for the Apostrophe (‘) album.
Frank Zappa and family, Honolulu 1972
Stage attack
Op December 10, 1971, The Mothers Of Invention performed in London, England, when Zappa was attacked by an audience member and got dragged off stage. Zappa fell down on the concrete floor of the orchestra pit and got badly injured. So much so, that his band members thought he had died. The idiot who attacked Zappa was jealous, because apparently his girlfriend had said “I love Frank”.
The consequences for Zappa were severe. Multiple fractures to back, neck and leg, serious concussion, crushed larynx and a paralyzed arm. Zappa did survive, but would sing in a lower register from then on and his leg didn’t heal the way it should, causing a limp and chronic backpain for the rest of his life. Zappa was bound to a wheelchair for over a year. The attacker was later sentenced to 12 months in prison.
December 1971 was a disastrous month anyway: a week prior to Zappa falling off stage, a fire broke out at a Zappa show at the Montreux casino. Several people ended up hurt, the building was demolished and Zappa lost all of his equipment and instruments.
Zappa and band 1974
En route to Apostrophe (‘)
In 1972 Frank Zappa released three albums. The live album Just Another Band From L.A. and two heavily jazz oriented albums: Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. Waka/Jawaka was a solo album, the other two were credited to The Mothers (abbreviation for The Mothers Of Invention). In September 1972 Zappa started touring again. On September 7, 1973, Zappa released the album Over-Nite Sensation. This album was credited to The Mothers, was lyrically sexually charged and was (partially due to the lyrical content?) badly received by the press. But the audience loved it. The album was certified gold on November 9, 1976, earning Zappa his second gold record.
The recording sessions for Over-Nite Sensation provided enough material for another album, which would be (partially) released under the name Apostrophe (‘).
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘)
Apostrophe (‘)
On March 22, 1974, Frank Zappa released Apostrophe (‘), using his own name, making it his sixth solo album. Just like its predecessor Over-Nite Sensation, the album was released in both stereo and quadraphonic mixes.
The single Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow was a compilation of the first 3 songs of the album, resulting in the very first top 100 chart entry for Zappa. The album would reach number 10 on the Billboard album charts. No other album would be as successful as Apostrophe (‘), which was certified gold in the US on April 7, 1976, Zappa’s first gold record.
Just like its predecessor, Apostrophe (‘) is a compilation of recordings stemming from several periods in Zappa’s career. The lyrics are less sexual, more bizarre, especially the first four songs, that became known as the Yellow Snow suite.
Yellow Snow suite
The Yellow Snow suite tells the tale of dream Zappa had about an Eskimo named Nanook (“Dreamed I was an Eskimo”), who is warned by his mother: “Watch out where the huskies go / And don’t you eat that yellow snow”. Nanook meets a fur trapper who kicks Nanook’s favorite seal with a lead filled shoe. Nanook gets his revenge by rubbing “yellow snow” into the trapper’s eyes, rendering the trapper blind. The remedy is to travel to St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast, where Father O’Blivion makes pancakes…
After the Yellow Snow suite another selection of songs follow, starting with the, amongst Zappa aficionados, well-known (and well-loved) Cosmik Debris, a song about fake-gurus, crystal balls and cheap self-help theories. A great blues, followed by the short Excentrifugal Forz.
Next up is the instrumental Apostrophe’, a jam between Zappa, Jim Gordon and Cream bass player Jack Bruce, who can’t remember he played bas on the song: “So I turned up in a NY studio with my cello, I’m listening to [Zappa’s] music, pretty awful, and just don’t know what to do with myself, and Frank says to me: ‘Listen, I would like you to play a sound, like this… whaaaaaang!!!’ So I did what he asked me to do. Whaaaaaang!!! That was all. That was my input to Frank Zappa’s most popular record!”. But Zappa stated: “Well, that was just a jam thing that happened because he was a friend of Jim Gordon. I found it very difficult to play with him; he’s too busy. He doesn’t really want to play the bass in terms of root functions; I think he has other things on his mind. But that’s the way jam sessions go.” The song itself is no highlight in Zappa’s body of work.
Uncle Remus, an anti-racism song is followed by Stink-Foot, yes a song about smelly feet, dating back to the 1970 Chunga’s Revenge sessions.
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘) – Ad
Review
An accessible album, the Zappa way. The rhythms are impressive and deviant and the musicality is dizzying at times. But songs like Nanook Rubs It and Uncle Remus sound like true pop songs.
At the time, the album wasn’t met with great enthusiasm. By now, both Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe (‘) are generally regarded as the perfect introduction to 1970s Frank Zappa. Anyway, I love listening to Apostrophe (‘).
Songs
All songs written by Frank Zappa, unless stated otherwise.
- Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
- Nanook Rubs It
- St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast
- Father O’Blivion
- Cosmik Debris
- Excentrifugal Forz
- Apostrophe’ (Frank Zappa, Jim Gordon, Jack Bruce)
- Uncle Remus (Frank Zappa, George Duke)
- Stink-Foot
The songs Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow and Cosmik Debris were released as singles.
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘) – Back cover photo
Musicians
- Frank Zappa – vocals, guitar, bass, bouzouki
- Sal Marquez – trumpet
- Ian Underwood, Napoleon Murphy Brock – saxophone
- Bruce Fowler – trombone
- Tom Fowler, Harper May, Erroneous (Alex Dmochowski) – bass
- Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Jean-Luc Ponty – violin
- Ruth Underwood – percussion, vibraphone
- George Duke – keyboards
- Ralph Humphrey – drums
- Johnny Guerin – drums on Excentrifugal Forz
- Tony Duran – guitar on Apostrophe’
- Jack Bruce – bass on Apostrophe’
- Jim Gordon – drums on Apostrophe’
- Aynsley Dunbar – drums on Uncle Remus and Stink-Foot
Background vocals
Lynn (Linda Sims), Robert “Frog” Camarena, Ruben Ladron de Guevara, Debbie (Debbie Wilson), Ray Collins, Sue Glover, Kerry McNabb, George Duke, Napoleon Murphy Brock and Tina Turner (uncredited)
Frank Zappa live 1974
After Apostrophe (‘)
That very same year (1974), in September, Zappa released the classic live album Roxy & Elsewhere, in 1975 followed by One Size Fits All and the Captain Beefhart collaboration on Bongo Fury. The following months Zappa had a lengthy dispute with his (former) manager and record company Warner Bros.. During that time Zoot Allures was released, which, after an album-less 1977, was followed by arguably one of the best live albums of all time: Zappa In New York.
In closing
What’s your opinion on Apostrophe (‘)? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Frank Zappa, Apostrophe (‘) and the Yellow Snow suite. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
