FRANK ZAPPA
Zappa Picks - By Jon Fishman of Phish
Zappa Picks - By Larry LaLonde of Primus
(Rykodisc)
One thing you can always say about the folks that run Rykodisc: they've been tireless advocates of the Frank Zappa catalog. Either the Ryko marketing department or the Zappa estate has now come up with a new way to introduce first-timers to the work of rock's most notorious iconoclast: ask famous Zappa fans to compile their own mix CDs and release the results to the public in the hopes fans of the compiler will become fans of the subject. It remains to be seen if this ploy will work, but it's a neat idea.

What's interesting about the first two entries in the series is that two artists from such disparate backgrounds— Jon Fishman from jazzy Grateful Dead wannabe Phish and Larry LaLonde from noisefunk weirdo Primus—would have such similar tastes. While comprised of different tracks (except for the wacked-out Flo and Eddie showcase "Dog Breath," from Just Another Band From L.A., and the strangely pretty "Sofa No. 2," from One Size Fits All, which are favored by both), each disk follows similar selection patterns. Fishman and LaLonde both pick a couple of Zappa's patented guitar jams ("Apostrophe" and "Rat Tomago" for Fishman, "five-five-FIVE" for LaLonde), some general weirdness ("Magdelena" and "For Calvin [And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers]" for Fishman, "Evelyn, A Modified Dog" and "Wind Up Workin' in a Gas Station" for LaLonde) and sharp satire ("I'm the Slime" on Fishman's disk, the epic "Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt" and "Dumb All Over" on LaLonde's). Both musicians seem to have a fondness for the Roxy & Elsewhere album as well. In addition, neither musician seems overly fond of Zappa's late 60s work, even though it's probably his most famous. Fishman picks one song from Zappa's debut album Freak Out! ("It Can't Happen Here") and LaLonde selects a Hot Rats track ("Little Umbrellas"), but otherwise his original era is pretty much ignored. Neither picks anything from Zappa's more avant-garde works, either. [buy it]

There are a couple of fundamental differences. LaLonde seems to like Zappa's jazz experiments more than Fishman, including "G-Spot Tornado" (from Jazz From Hell) and "Alien Orifice" (from Make a Jazz Noise Here) on his comp. Fishman chooses several tracks from a few albums, Sheik Yerbouti in particular, while LaLonde goes for a broader selection of overall records. But both present a wide-ranging look at the eclectic music Zappa explored over the years. From the melodic to the fractured, from the sublimely silly to the chillingly barbed, from bluesy improved guitar solos to pristinely crafted pop songs, nearly every aspect of Zappa's career is touched on. Even for non-fans of the boys' parent groups, these records will make nice samplers for the curious. If you've always wanted to give Zappa's music a whirl, these disks are an enjoyable way to do so. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: King Crimson, Negativland, Mr. Bungle