Even from the grave, Frank Zappa continues to intimidate rock critics.
Facing the Zappa legacy is an enormous -- and, to some degree, thankless -- task. Not only does it involve days upon days of listening, it also requires far more thought and analysis than most rock music. Zappa wasn't like other rock stars, and his music has to be judged by a unique and idiosyncratic set of standards.
In the 27 years he spent making albums, the Baltimore-born Zappa indulged in everything from soundtracks and concept albums to orchestral works and concert recordings. There were nearly 60 titles overall -- an astonishing figure, given that the average rock star these days rarely produces more than an album every other year.
Amazingly, almost all of Zappa's work remains in print. Thanks to the consolidation that began with the sale of Zappa's catalog to Rykodisc, some 53 Zappa albums are currently in print (virtually all his albums except "200 Motels"). Moreover, plans are in the works for new albums to be compiled from unreleased material in the Zappa archives.
As a result, Zappa is ensured of taking up more shelf space than any other rocker of his generation.
To be honest, a fair amount of Zappa's reputation rests on the sheer bulk of his output, since most critics assume that only a genius could compose and record so much complicated music. But is quantity really an indicator of quality?
Not in this case. There has always been a lot to dislike about Zappa's writing, especially if you start with the words. Zappa's lyrics were often snidely sexist, reflecting an attitude that was misanthropic at best and misogynous at worst. It's not just that efforts like "Dinah-Moe Humm" from "Overnight Sensation" (Ryko or "Jewish Princess" from "Sheik Yerbouti" (Ryko 10528) seem politically incorrect by current standards; all too often, Zappa's songs presented women not as individual beings but as a semi-beguiling set of orifices. Even as a joke, that sort of thing isn't very funny.
Then there was his enduring interest in toilet humor, as typified by "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" from "Apostrophe (')" (Ryko 10519), and his tendency to treat average Joes as the punch line in some continuing moron jokes. Even his attacks on authority -- though often quite worthy, as with "Porn Wars" from "Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention" (Ryko 10547) -- often seemed embarrassingly mean-spirited.
Hold the humming
