LUMPY GRAVY

This is another one of those albums that are so good, but at the same time so bizarre that you can't quite call it a masterpiece. There seem to be flaws in it, but even those flaws could have musical value, and some of them could very well be intentional. This is the type of album that confuses the listener in such a beautiful way.

To someone with conditioned ears, this would be a bad album, plain and simple. Some wouldn't even consider this music. But I think this is the greatest musique concrète piece after Edgard Varèse's works, from whom Zappa was greatly influenced. It's quite reminiscent of Poème électronique, to me, but the difference between that piece and Lumpy Gravy is how the latter is more of a comedic composition, in contrast to the dark, edgy soundscape of Poème électronique.

Frank Zappa's Hot Rats was marketed as a "movie for your ears", but I think this record fits that bill better. If Hot Rats is a relatively conventional film, like, say, a Martin Scorsese picture, Lumpy Gravy is like a film by David Lynch; Inland Empire, for example. In any case, this is one of the most exciting records done by Zappa, and it's one of my most listened-to albums by him. I'm still new to his discography, even though I discovered him over a year ago. I tend to get stuck with individual albums for such a long time because you have to learn to enjoy them. They're complex and completely weird compared to what most listeners are used to.

Among all the weird, avant-garde records I've listened to, Lumpy Gravy takes a special spot, and, even though I cannot tell yet, this might end up being one of my favourite albums by Zappa. It's certainly the most fascinating one I've listened to yet.

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