ZAPPA IN NEW YORK

With this album, Zappa and his band moved into difficult territory. The musicianship was better than ever, but the humour seemed juvenile ("Titties and Beer") or politically incorrect (although the term had not yet been coined): "Punky's Whips" is a satire on the ambiguous sexuality of some rock musicians; "The Illinois Enemy Bandit" cheerfully thrashes female university students (called coeds in the USA).

Well, if you really find it hard to swallow Zappa's humour, there's not much I can do, but it would be wrong to lambast the man for being a gay-bashing misogynist. This is a mistake often made by critics of a puritan bent, who tend to misunderstand the satirical nature of Zappa's work. Like William Hogarth or Jonathan Swift, Zappa was one of those artists who saw the ridiculous side of everything. And believe me, everything on earth, including the things you hold most dear, really has a ridiculous side! Moreover, Zappa didn't believe in "the redeeming power of love". At least, as far as I know he never celebrated that power in his music. When Zappa sings about romantic love, it's intended as parody. This may give the impression that he was a misanthropist - someone who dislikes humanity altogether. But let's not forget so many of his songs poke fun at human stupidity in the most exuberant way you can imagine. Pardon the cliche, but they do sound like "celebrations of life".

A true celebration, that's what ZAPPA IN NEW YORK really is. As on the superb GRAND WAZOO and ROXY AND ELSEWHERE, there are many first-rate jazz- rock moments, but these are incorporated into a larger whole that's bluesy, pseudo- orchestral and operatic in turns. As a consequence, I feel we should consider this album as another example of Zappa's all-encompassing SYMPHONIC PROG.

Certainly nothing could sound more symphonic than Eddie Jobson's lush moog on "I promise not to come in your mouth". This might just be Jobson's greatest ever moment on record. If it had appeared on an album by U.K. (the band!) and if it had only had a title such as "Winter in Wimbledon", symphonic prog freaks would sing its praises at every opportunity.

My other favourite pieces are CRUISIN FOR BURGERS, which allows the main soloists in the band to shine (once again it reveals that Ruth Underwood is one of prog's greatest vibraphonists), and THE ILLINOIS ENEMA BANDIT, the hilarious report of a controversial court case.

ENEMA BANDIT purely and simply elevates the ridiculous to the sublime, mainly thanks to the exuberant vocals of Don Pardo, of Zappa himself (especially during the extended outro) and, last but not least, of Ray White. Never before or since has a parody of the blues sounded as masterful or outrageous as this. Furthermore, ENEMA BANDIT confirms Zappa as the only major figure in prog rock whose oeuvre absorbed and reflected, in a totally natural way, the musical styles of white AND black Americans.

Misanthropist? Maybe. Visionary? No doubt about it.

Now sing this all together: "Wanna-wanna-wan-an-enema, oooooh, e-ne-maaaa"...