Music : Apostrophe (')

Rating: - four and a half!
its riddiculous to say that frank zappa is a bad musician!
you can say that you dont LIKE his music, but saying that he is an untalented musician is crazy! Hes an insane guitarist. he can drum really good, he can play the piano and tons of other stuff! and do not forget how fantastic a composer he is.

anyway. this album is really good. its fun, well played and very well composed.

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Rating: - A bad spot or two...
I love Frank beyond words, his music makes so much sense to me and we have amazingly similar senses of humor. I love the title track's bass solo by Jack bruce, and I think 'Uncle Remus' is one of the most beautiful track fank ever wrote, the harmonies are akin to 'Dynamo Hum' or 'Mary Lou;' it is also a powerful condemnation of Frank's view of racial "equality," in my eyes. The "Yellow Snow Suite is a bit too spoken word for my taste (im an 88 Zappa fan), but many friends love it. Also, a tremendous list of Musicians like Jack Bruce, George Duke and Ruth Underwood.

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Rating: - This is 1 of my faves
Funky n' hairy yo! Check out my funk also http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/taki76

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Rating: - Concise but comprehensive
Zappa took a compositional turn with this album. It's in the genre of "Over-Nite Sensation," but further developed towards whatever it is musicians think of when they hear "Zappa," and there was more like this and even further developed material to come. This album has a definitive main thread, even though it features four different drummers and four different bass players, because it's very bluesy. Even if the songs aren't played with typical blues progressions --with the exception of "Cosmik Debris"-- there's a bluesy feeling pretty much throughout, which mainly the guitar solos lend. But there's more than a feeling of blues to this album; the songs are complex to an unusual (yet not extreme) degree, but make sense, and are very well performed. "Apostrophe (')" is, in a way, an album in a genre of it's own - mainly for the highly individual compositions "St. Alfonzo" and "Father O'Blivion," but also much because of "Uncle Remus" with its feeling of soul and gospel that isn't much heard anywhere else in Zappa's discography. Many think that "Stink-Foot" is not a highlight, and while I understand that point of view (since it fills a fifth of this 32-minute album and doesn't have a compositional quality like the other songs) I still find it highly entertaining and needed because of its groove. Don't let the length of the album scare you, btw - the material on it is worth the money. 4 1/2 stars.

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Rating: - great album , one of his best studio albums
Well this is without a doubt one of FZ's greatest studio accomplishments . The album really has no low points or filler songs (I could have done without all the percussion and insanity of "St. Alfonso's Pancake Breakfast" and "Father Oblivion" ...but thats just me) . Aside from that you get number of songs featuring Frank doing the virtuoso AND satire thing ,and of course the amazing instrumental title track (listen for former Cream bassist Jack Bruce playing the buzzing and distorted bass line) .

Now lyrics wise the first half of Apostrophe is about a eskimo named Nanook. Which yes does make this somewhat of a concept al bum ( Frank's answer to the "rock opera" ?). My advice here is keep yourself from looking at the "meaning of this " or the "deeper message". Too many people ruin Zappa's music when they do this, just sit back have a laugh, and enjoy.

If you dont own any Zappa or if you know someone who is curious about Zappas music then this is a good place to start . Because if you dont like this album or get bored with it then you're just never gonna like FZ. Not to mention that there is something to like on here, fan or not.