Lather

The full saga of Läther (pronounced leather) is tangled enough to give a migraine to all but committed Zappaphiles. Basically, what you need to know is that this project was originally conceived of as a four-record box set. When record company politics prevented its release in that format, much of the material was spread over the albums Live in New York, Sleep Dirt, Studio Tan, and Orchestral Favorites. This three-CD set presents the album as it was originally conceived, with the addition of four bonus tracks at the end. It mixes previously available material, alternate mixes, and edits, and previously unissued stuff, though only the most serious Zappa fans will have a good grip on exactly what has appeared where (the liner notes are surprisingly unexact in this regard). And the music? It's almost like a résumé of Zappa's bag of tricks: Uncle Meat-like experimentation, intricate jazz-rock, straight hard rock, orchestral composition, and comedy. Some of those comedy tracks became some of his most notorious routines, like "Punky's Whips" and "Titties 'n Beer," which amounted to avant- rock for drunk frat boys and pot smoking, underachieving junior high school students. The juvenile humor, hamfisted parody of hard rock clichés, and the shaggy-dog opera of the 20-minute "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" are outshone by the lengthy, more experimental instrumental passages. It's interesting, but exhausting to wade through all at once, and the avant-garde/composerly cuts are not as exceptional as his earlier work in this vein in the late '60s and early '70s. That means that this will appeal far more to the Zappa cultist than the general listener, though the Zappa cult -- which has been craving Läther in its original format for years -- is a pretty wide fan base in and of itself. (All Music Guide - Richie Unterberger)

1. Re Gyptian Strut
2. Naval Aviation In Art
3. Little Green Rosetta
4. Duck Duck Goose
5. Down In De Dew
6. For The Young Sophisticate
7. Tryin' To Grow A Chin
8. Broken Hearts Are For Assholes
9. Legend Of The Illinois Enema
10. Bandit
11. Lemme Take You To The Beach
12. Revised Music For Guitar And Low
13. Budget Orchestra
14. RDNZL
15. Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me
16. Black Page No 1
17. Big Leg Emma
18. Punky's Whips
19. Flambe
20. Purple Lagoon
21. Pedro's Dowry
22. Lather
23. Spider Of Destiny
24. Duke Of Orchestral Prunes
25. Filthy Habits
26. Titties 'n' Beer
27. Ocean Is The Ultimate Solution
28. Adventures Of Greggery Peccary
29. Re Gyptian Strut (2)
30. Lather Goods
31. Revenge Of The Knick Knack People
32. Time Is Money