[.ca] Lather

From Amazon.com:
Recorded in 1976, this mythic three-CD opus finally sees the light of day to the joy of Zappaphiles. It almost goes without saying that there's a wealth of silliness, grotesque humor, and freeform genius in these three hours of wacked-out tunes about muffins, prunes, geese, and the legendary Illinois Enema Bandit. Abandon all logic ye who enter here--an all-too-rare warning at a time when Zappa still rates as a lone wolf howling against conformity. --Jeff Bateman

Unsurpassed:
Zappa the composer! Zappa the improviser! Zappa the humorist! Zappa the experimentalist! Zappa the guitarist! Zappa the provoker! Zappa the bandleader! Zappa the inventor! Zappa the ironic! Zappa the arena rocker! Zappa the conseptualist! Zappa the parodic! Zappa the romatic! More than any of his albums, "Lather" reveals every aspect of Zappa's genius. The record company's veto of releasing it as it was back in 1977, and it's fate as a series of conceptually much less interesting "genre albums", is one of rock history's true tragedies. After such an illtreat, most artists would have given up even the thought of making more music. But not Zappa. The reason, I think, is that Zappa didn't just make music. He WAS music. Like Picasso, Fassbinder and Miles Davis, Zappa is one of the very few artists who's art is impossible to separate from the man and vice versa. Nothing in this world could ever stop this man from making music. If he had been blown out to outer space or separated from the world on a desolated island, he would still have been making music. Should you have any doubt about that, listen to the "Lather" album. It's creative waterfall of inventiveness, ecclectism and stunning performances stands unsurpassed in the history of rock music. You then may wonder why I don't rate "Lather" a five star album. Maybe I should, but in my opinion (don't shoot me!) Zappa never made a five star album. For that, his music is simply too diverse. I don't even think he ever sat out to make a masterpiece as such, his music is just one continuous, unstoppable flow of creativity. And even how much I will recommend this fabulous recording, I can't think there is anyone, no matter how ecclecting and accepting in musical taste, who can possibly like everything here. Still, this momentous masterpiece belongs in every representative rock album collection.

Do you know the way to heaven?:
Call your friends at saturday and tell them that your are very sick. Buy a good whisky, choose your best place in the house and listen all the album with a good sound level. You will see the light!

Yeah, whaddya want, it's great, okay?:
(...)Zappa neither walked on water nor was he the musical equivalent of a flasher. He was a serious composer who had some great moments, good moments, fair moments and downright godawful moments. And you can't get a better collection of all of the above than on this three-disc sprawling mass of....Zappa. My own preference goes for his purely instrumental moments, whether they be classical, jazz(ish), rock-heavy guitar moments or sploches of musique concrete. Where he loses me here is where he always has lost me, which is in his "social commentary/satire" phases. Be honest, how many times are you actually going to LISTEN to "Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit" or "Greggery Peccary?" They weren't that funny to start with and repeated listenings sure don't make them funnier! On the other hand, "Regyptian Strut," "The Ocean Is The Final Solution," "Pedro's Dowry" and the other instrumental/orchestral components of LÄTHER are truly subversive, clever and can hook ya good. But it's all here for whatever brought the listener to Zappa in the first place and whatever kept he or she there, and that's fine. Personally, I'm glad we had Zappa the composer/musician as well as Zappa the social satirist because it's nice to be able to choose the former over the latter. And BOTH are preferable to Zappa the diety.

ZAPPA BLOWS IT ALL OUT IN LATHER!:
Finally a legitimate release on one of uncle Frank's most adventurous projects. Lather (pronounced Leather) was the famous 4 LP set that Frank's former label at the time Warner Bros. refused to release in '77. Well as we all know the rest is history. Frank brought LP's to a Pasadena radio station and told the audience to get their tape recorders ready and tape the records! Well, lawsuits went back and forth and eventually snippets of the original 4 LP set turned up on later FZ records Zappa In New York, Sleep Dirt, Studio Tan & Orchestral Favorites from '78 & '79. now we have the entire 4 LP set on a snazzy little 3 CD set including 4 recently unearthed tracks from over the years related to the original LP project. These 4 oddities "Regyptian Strut ('93)," Leather Goods," Revenge Of The Knick Knack People" & Time Is Money" are the bonus cuts that close out the set bringing the total playing experience to 3 hours! Exceptional separate liner notes by both Gail Zappa and Simon Prentis document the history of this missing masterpiece with articulate insight. Digitally overhauled for another excellent sonic blowout!

BUY IT NOW DO NOT DEE-LAY, BUY THIS SUCKA TODAY!!:
I just listened to this in the vehicle for the last week and believe it is quintessential Zappa that fuses all of the Zappa elements from may eras, Stravinsky, Varese, Joe's Garage, You Are What You Is, (maybe missing Flo and Eddie...mercifully at times), Greggary Peccary is worth the price of admission alone!

• Re-Gyptian Strut
• Naval Aviation in Art?
• Little Green Rosetta
• Duck Duck Goose
• Down in de Dew
• For the Young Sophisticate
• Tryin' to Grow a Chin
• Broken Hearts Are for Assholes
• Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit
• Lemme Take You to the Beach
• Revised Music for Guitar and Low-Budget Orchestra
• RDNZL
• Pedro's Dowry
• Läther
• Spider of Destiny
• Duke of Orchestral Prunes
• Filthy Habits
• Titties & Beer
• The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution
• The Adventures of Greggery Peccary
• Regyptian Strut
• Leather Goods
• Revenge of the Knick Knack People
• Time Is Money
• Filthy Habits
• Titties 'N Beer
• Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution
• Adventures of Greggery Peccary
• Regyptian Strut (1993)
• Leather Goods
• Revenge of the Knick Knack People
• Time Is Money