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THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: ONE SIZE FITS ALLFrank ZappaRIO/Avant-Prog4.31 | 1164 ratings |
From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website
daveconn
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Prog Reviewer |
ZAPPA and THE MOTHERS continue to explore rhythmically intricate arrangements and
observational absurdities on One Size Fits All. Similar in scope and effect to "Roxy &
Elsewhere", there are complex songs that feature George Duke's dexterous vocals and
Ruth Underwood's dazzling percussion ("Inca Roads", "Florentine Pogen"), comparatively
conventional rock songs fettered by Frank's vocals and unleashed by his brilliant guitar
work ("Po-jama People"), and even a few throwbacks to the band's semi-classical posturing
("Sofa Nos. 1 & 2" and the epic "Andy"). The supporting cast ranks with the best Frank
ever had, allowing him to fade into the background on occasion and showcase the
estimable talents of Duke, Underwood, Tom Fowler and Chester Thompson. In fact, it's
perhaps in this incarnation that THE MOTHERS came closest to the egalitarian
accomplishments of an actual band. Compositionally, however, the album finds ZAPPA at a
crossroads; clearly wishing to show off the band's technical skill on the one hand, but at
the same time attracted to rock and its relatively limited structures. As a result, songs
like "San Ber'dino" are odd amalgams of the two styles that find ZAPPA cramming complex
arrangements into the crevices of a semi-conventional rock song, like a composer
determined to use the cannons at his disposal. One Size Fits All remains a challenging album -- the last to resurrect his jazz/rock/classical tendencies for some time (the Lather project notwithstanding) -- and despite the lack of a recognizable hit it's as essential as anything from this period.
daveconn |
3/5 |
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