Frank Zappa
Francesco Zappa (Rykodisc 10546)

One of Frank Zappa's drollest jokes ever turns out to be a surprisingly listenable album, in no small part because at no point does he end up saying "pussy" or "poop shoot." On Francesco Zappa, Frank performs the work of his namesake, an obscure Italian composer coeval with Mozart. Certainly this discovery of a Francesco Zappa must have presented Frank with an irresistible desire to record the man's music, and I would be willing to bet that he dashed off the album in a day or two at most. The music is performed on the Synclavier, giving it a decided Switched On Bach feel, but with none of the transgenderal panache that made Walter/Wendy Carlos so special. (Last sentence tagged on specifically for Wendy Carlos reference.)

Most of the tracks seem to have only two parts (possibly all that existed from the elder Zappa's printed music), so it ends up being essentially a whole lot of counterpoint, with nothing particularly memorable melodically. The music is very pretty, but what gets me is the unbounded sarcasm that underlies the whole recording. It is done utterly straight-faced – purely instrumental, and faithfully executed apart from its being done on a synthesizer – but somehow it is utterly evident that this is no serious homage. It is definitely a shaggy-dog joke (hence the shaggy dog in 18th century period dress on the cover – with sunglasses), with the additional benefit of Spinal Tap-esque liner notes that detail Francesco's setbacks in releasing "his first digital album in over 200 years."

Classical music fans will hate it because it's synthesized; Zappa fans will hate it because it's not really a Zappa album per se (no cock jokes or overblown fusion). Those approaching Zappa for the first time with Francesco Zappa are sorely mistaken if they believe they are getting a good introduction to Frank's classical side. I am hard pressed to name a more subtle "fuck-you" sort of album, actually. That's probably why I like it so much. I mean, you compare it to the oft-referenced Metal Machine Music and it seems at the same time funnier and yet more productive. The audience for this album literally does not exist. You have to admire that, for sure.

The greatest thing about it is that it is so thoroughly easy to listen to, but without being intentionally cheesy like Devo's E-Z Listening Disc or Todd Rundgren's With a Twist album. But then, it's not really a conventional electronic classical music disc either. It's a one-joke album that manages to sustain its appeal over time. Long after Apostrophe' stopped being funny or enjoyable to me, this album still manages to raise a smirk. The smirk lasts throughout the disc, and in the end, a smirk is a smile – perhaps against his will, Zappa created something that can be laughed with without being egregiously offensive or juvenile. And to top it all off, it's really pleasant music, as well. Too bad so many of his other albums are basically the Jerky Boys crossed with Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Jean Ocular-Migraine