JOE'S GARAGE, ACT I

This record sounds complex American rhythmic pop rock: it is among the most accessible records from the Zappa's discography. There are tons of excellent & catchy lead & backing vocals. Some bits are really complex and loaded; there are some harmonica parts, some saxes arrangements and the percussion passages (xylophone) by Ed Mann are excellent, as always. The keyboards does not take too much room in order to let the rhythmic rock character take all its meaning. The "Wet T-shirt" song is entertained by Zappa himself in front of a crowd: Dale Bozzio (The Missing Persons' singer) is the sexy contestant: she is absolutely delightful with her chick's voice & laugh; the last part of this song contains one of the best Zappa's guitar solos: the sound is CLEAN & rich, and each note is amazingly well played, forming a melodic and structured solo. "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" is the model track for the next record: "Joe's garage acts 2 & 3": this song is more mellow, a bit "floating reggae" and it contains subtle & delicate guitar sounds. Zappa uses a whispering voice without any music during some intros and outros (Central Scrutinizer): this idea will be repeated on the second "Joe's garage" album.

Rating: 4.5 stars