Frank Zappa - Understanding America (2012)
BAND/ARTIST: Frank Zappa
- Title: Understanding America
- Year Of Release: 2012
- Label: Universal / Zappa Records
- Genre: Rock
- Quality: FLAC (*tracks + .cue, log, scans)
- Total Time: 02:22:17
- Total Size: 991 mb (+3%rec.)
- WebSite: Album Preview
UNDERSTANDING AMERICA is one of only three compilation albums produced and titled by FZ himself. The project comprises by less than a quarter titles available in current release, other prior versions and many items including the title, "Porn Wars Deluxe," a 25-minute work, unique to this release.
The Lost Interview possibly? Although the price suggests a 2CD set. Music plus interview? "The total interview runs about an hour and covers music politics and popular culture from 1950s through 1990. This interview was never released. It was recorded in 3 segments 1990 in LA, but never completed as a final project. Intended to be kind of retrospect of what happened to the personal growth and idealism of 60′s as it whitewashed into the self indulgence of the 70s and 80s and the corporatism of America."
Official Release #93. Conceived, Composed & Produced by Frank Zappa. The two-disc compilation of alternative takes titled Understanding America is intended for devoted fans only. It's scattershot material, tied together loosely by one theme: Zappa's acerbic mistrust of American culture. Throughout the '60s, '70s, and '80s, social satire made up a huge amount of his catalog, so Big Brother, media outlets, organized religion, and recreational drugs are all subject to attack here. The gold nugget is the unreleased 25-minute "Porn Wars Deluxe," a Negativland-esque collage that pairs together samples of music with clips from the 1985 PMRC Senate hearings, for which Zappa played an integral role defending against censorship.
Purportedly, this release from the Zappa estate vaults is only one of a few compilations produced and sequenced by Frank himself, and his goal seems to have been to pool all of his high-shock-value outtakes and otherwise controversial material as a big middle finger to the Parental Guidance sticker. Thus, listeners are treated to early mixes of fan faves like "Dinah-Moe Humm," but also have to suffer some of the more indulgent experiments that fit the theme, like the lame rap attempt "Promiscuous." Similarly, the sentiments of "Thing-Fish" and "The Central Scrutinizer" may be good fodder for the war against Tipper Gore, but since they were originally narrative interludes on concept albums, they do not play well individually. While many of these tracks are far from career highlights, the recording quality is top-notch, and if nothing else, Understanding America gives aficionados an opportunity to compare the subtle differences between these versions and the ones they know and love.
Tracks:
Disc 1
01. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
02. Plastic People
03. Mom & Dad
04. It Can't Happen Here
05. Who Are The Brain Police?
06. Who Needs The Peace Corps?
07. Brown Shoes Don't Make It
08. Concentration Moon
09. Trouble Every Day
10. You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here
11. We're Turning Again
12. Road Ladies
13. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?
14. Camarillo Brillo
15. Find Her Finer
16. Dinah-Moe Humm
17. Disco Boy
18. 200 Years Old
Disc 2
01. I'm The Slim
02. Be In My Video
03. I Don't Even Care
04. Can't Afford No Shoes
05. Heavenly Bank Account
06. Cocaine Decisions
07. Dumb All Over
08. Promiscuous
09. Thing-Fish Intro
10. The Central Scrutinizer
11. Porn Wars Deluxe (*)
12. Tinseltown Rebellion
13. Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk
The Lost Interview possibly? Although the price suggests a 2CD set. Music plus interview? "The total interview runs about an hour and covers music politics and popular culture from 1950s through 1990. This interview was never released. It was recorded in 3 segments 1990 in LA, but never completed as a final project. Intended to be kind of retrospect of what happened to the personal growth and idealism of 60′s as it whitewashed into the self indulgence of the 70s and 80s and the corporatism of America."
Official Release #93. Conceived, Composed & Produced by Frank Zappa. The two-disc compilation of alternative takes titled Understanding America is intended for devoted fans only. It's scattershot material, tied together loosely by one theme: Zappa's acerbic mistrust of American culture. Throughout the '60s, '70s, and '80s, social satire made up a huge amount of his catalog, so Big Brother, media outlets, organized religion, and recreational drugs are all subject to attack here. The gold nugget is the unreleased 25-minute "Porn Wars Deluxe," a Negativland-esque collage that pairs together samples of music with clips from the 1985 PMRC Senate hearings, for which Zappa played an integral role defending against censorship.
Purportedly, this release from the Zappa estate vaults is only one of a few compilations produced and sequenced by Frank himself, and his goal seems to have been to pool all of his high-shock-value outtakes and otherwise controversial material as a big middle finger to the Parental Guidance sticker. Thus, listeners are treated to early mixes of fan faves like "Dinah-Moe Humm," but also have to suffer some of the more indulgent experiments that fit the theme, like the lame rap attempt "Promiscuous." Similarly, the sentiments of "Thing-Fish" and "The Central Scrutinizer" may be good fodder for the war against Tipper Gore, but since they were originally narrative interludes on concept albums, they do not play well individually. While many of these tracks are far from career highlights, the recording quality is top-notch, and if nothing else, Understanding America gives aficionados an opportunity to compare the subtle differences between these versions and the ones they know and love.
Tracks:
Disc 1
01. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
02. Plastic People
03. Mom & Dad
04. It Can't Happen Here
05. Who Are The Brain Police?
06. Who Needs The Peace Corps?
07. Brown Shoes Don't Make It
08. Concentration Moon
09. Trouble Every Day
10. You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here
11. We're Turning Again
12. Road Ladies
13. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?
14. Camarillo Brillo
15. Find Her Finer
16. Dinah-Moe Humm
17. Disco Boy
18. 200 Years Old
Disc 2
01. I'm The Slim
02. Be In My Video
03. I Don't Even Care
04. Can't Afford No Shoes
05. Heavenly Bank Account
06. Cocaine Decisions
07. Dumb All Over
08. Promiscuous
09. Thing-Fish Intro
10. The Central Scrutinizer
11. Porn Wars Deluxe (*)
12. Tinseltown Rebellion
13. Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk
Rock | FLAC / APE | CD-Rip
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