The catalog of Frank Zappa is vast and often
difficult to navigate. There's a
tremendous amount of brilliance but also some flat out crap. The majority of the catalog is getting
re-released starting with 12 titles covering the earliest, and many would say
best, period of Zappa's career. Much
has been written about all-time classics like Freak Out!, We're Only
In It For the Money, and Hot Rats, so I'd like to talk about a
personal favorite that doesn't usually get a lot of attention, 1970's Chunga's
Revenge. This is an album that,
among other things, introduced the world to Flo and Eddie. Of course, many were already familiar with
Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman through their work with The Turtles. But the former pop stars were looking to
move on to other realms and approached Zappa himself about working
together. The timing was right as Zappa
had recently broken up the original Mothers of Invention and was in the process
of forming a new group. Kaylan and
Volman were soon re-christened as The Phlorecent Leach (later shortened to Flo)
and Eddie. Their superb harmony vocals
turned out to be a perfect fit for the always doo-wop obsessed Zappa. The rest of the new band included jazz
keyboard player George Duke, who would be an important part of Zappa's bands
throughout the 70s, and big time rock drummer Aynsley Dunbar. This diverse combo produced appropriately
diverse music that happened to come together for a great album.
You can pretty much break down the ten tacks on Chunga's
Revenge into five vocals and five instrumentals. Flo and Eddie show off their peerless vocals in a variety of
ways. First off, they provide soulful
counterpoint to Zappa's growly lead vocals on the bluesy "Road
Ladies." They give a pop edge to
the proto-metallic stomp of "Tell Me You Love Me." Album closer "Sharleena" is a
gorgeous soul/doo-wop number that shows a sensitive side rarely seen in Zappa's
works. This became a frequent staple of
live shows throughout the years and there are many great versions available but
none that can match Flo and Eddie's vocal work. The remaining vocal tracks showcase the humor and satire that
have always been present in Zappa's works and would become a major feature of
the Flo and Eddie era. "Would You Go All the Way" lampoons small town
jingoism (with George Duke providing a patriotic trombone line) while
"Rudy Wants To Buy Yez a Drink" takes on sleazy music biz types. The humor would eventually dissolve into
juvenile smuttiness that would come to dominate albums like Fillmore East,
June, 1971 and other live recordings from the era, but here they keep
things relatively restrained and the songs are great to begin with.
The instrumental tracks are even more diverse. Opener "Transylvania Boogie" and
the title track are raw slices of guitar rock with Zappa ripping some pretty
impressive solos. The short jazz-styled
composition "Twenty Small Cigars" is reminiscent of Hot Rats
tracks like "Little Umbrellas" and "It Must Be a Camel."
"The Clap" is a minute and a half of innovative percussion. Zappa started out as a drummer and has
always come up with challenging works for his talented percussionists to
play. The longest track on the album is
"The Nancy and Mary Music," nearly ten minutes of live improvisation
that goes to a number of different places and even includes some wild scat
vocals from Duke.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Chunga's
Revenge is how all these different elements come together into a
whole. The album has a great flow to
it. It's a bit of a transitional album
but the fact that it stands so well on its own is a testament to the
overflowing creativity that Zappa was exhibiting at the time. It's always been a favorite of mine and
could well be a fine introduction if you've never listened to any Zappa
before. Just one question that's always
been on my mind about that iconic photo on the cover; is he screaming or
yawning?
- Adam Reshotko
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