MONTANA

Both the A-side and B-side song are taken from the album Overnight Sensation (1973). Montana is the last song on the album. It´s got some silly lyrics about raising dental floss on a farm. The music is well played and the song is well composed. In addition to the more regular vers/ chorus structure of the song and a Frank Zappa guitar solo, there´s a great middle section with some high pitched vocals and complex playing. It´s not my favorite song on Overnight Sensation but it´s still an excellent track. The B-side is I´m The Slime which is the second song on Overnight Sensation. Again a great track. But this time with some of Frank Zappa´s more serious lyrics about not trusting everything that comes out of your TV. Some great female vocal sections by the Ikettes on this one.

The material is killer IMO but the idea to release a single with two songs already present on the full album is not the best idea IMO. A 2.5 - 3 star rating is deserved.

One of Frank Zappa's best known songs, this song is a fine choice of single from his first truly 'accessible' album. Being able to merge his musical genius with some catchy melodies and a more constructed approach to music, 'Overnite Sensation' was a good, albeit flawed entrance for the man into the realm of mainstream. While many of the songs could have worked to introduce the listening crowd to Zappa's music just fine, 'Montana' is without a doubt, the highlight from that collection.

A song revolving around Zappa's apparent ambition to drop everything he's doing and start a dental floss industry in Montana, one can tell that this is not a 'serious' song by any stretch; the music is still fantastic however. If one can look past the lyrics (which are only amusing for the first handful of listens) one is gifted with a real gem. Big band instruments are coupled with traditional rock sounds to make a poppy, upbeat track that transcends genres.

As a second offering from this single, a less-memorable track from the same album is used. 'I'm The Slime' is one of the more sombre songs that I have heard Zappa play, although it's still certainly played much in jest. While the song is driven by spoken-word vocals from Zappa himself, the lyrics revolve around government and media control over the everyman. While the verses seem a bit uninteresting despite the interesting lyrical matter, a chorus fueled with strong female vocals kicks in which makes for a great climax to the song.

An interesting single; 'Montana' stands as being one of my preferred Zappa tracks.