THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: BURNT WEENY SANDWICH

Overall an excellent, highly instrumental showcase of the creative jazz/rock/satirical music that Zappa (and the Mothers of Invention) are known for. You'll hear a little bit of everything on this album, with the exception of vocals. This makes Burnt Weeny Sandwich a fun album to play in the background for most any task around the house, but also interesting enough to explore critically and discover new sounds each time you play it. This a Zappa definitely wearing his hat as a composer more than a guitar or comedic dynamo.

The showcase piece, "Little House I Used to Live In" is wonderful; probably one of the all time great Zappa tunes. Running at 18 minutes it'll give you plenty to enjoy as it jaunts its way through myriad styles, tempos, instrument sections, and straight up jamming. Other songs aren't as strikingly good, instead being like quirky little melodies or interludes from TV or movies of the era. That may not sound appealing when compared to the sweeping or epic music of other prog groups, but Zappa's style as a composer, and the group of outstanding musician that he constantly surrounds himself with, creates a personality and charm that is irresistible.

Burnt Weeny Sandwich is very accessible and a lot of fun. Despite being a little weird, it isn't so experimental that newcomers will be turned off by the Zappa sound. Highly recommended.

Songwriting: 4 - Instrumental Performances: 4 - Lyrics/Vocals: NA - Style/Emotion/Replay: 4