SHIP ARRIVING TOO LATE TO SAVE A DROWNING WITCH

You know, Frank Zappa is absolutely my favourite artist ever. No one could write stuff like he did, and he was a brilliant guitar player. But this record, I think, is his weakest effort. It's an album that could have been good if done by someone else, but not by Zappa. For example, I can hardly imagine Frank writing such a banal pop like No Not Now. That track really annoys me. And what about Zappa's biggest hit, Valley Girl? Sure, his biggest hit, but one of his weakest songs. It starts fairly promising, but keeps dragging and dragging. Also, I'm not a big fan of the closing number, Teenage Prostitute. It's surely weird and original, but Frank did better songs, and I don't like the vocal performance. Fortunately enough, the other three tracks save the record from utter disaster: I Come From Nowhere is greatly composed, performed in an exceptional way, and genially sung by Roy Estrada. And it has a great guitar solo. Envelopes is also excellent, and shows Frank's compositive skills. Though, the biggest masterpiece of the album is Drowning Witch, one of his better songs. The catchy beginning, the dissonant part, the orchestral-like movement, the great guitar solos, and the dramatic conclusion make this song one of the better tracks ever composed.

Note that this is actually three stars and half. Half because of Drowning Witch. A not-essential album, probably the worst Zappa album. Don't skip it, because you will need to hear the title song, but don't pay too much attention to it either.