Uncle Meat also marks, pretty much, the end of an era for the original Mothers of Invention. So while there are plenty of his trademark bizarre soundtrack-like sequences and plenty of percolating xylophones and vibraphones, they are complemented by gorgeous acoustic guitar work that at times is really quite haunting. One of the things I really love about Uncle Meat is how it features a lot of Acoustic guitar on it, something we really didn’t get to hear Frank Zappa play much of in years to come. Green Genes”) and a bevy of very cool and compelling instrumental pieces (“Project X,” “Dog Breath Variations,” “Uncle Meat Main Title Theme”).Ĭonsider that you get to hear Zappa and the original incarnation of The Mothers of Invention at an early creative peak.Ĭonsider also: where else will you hear “Louie Louie” played on the Royal Albert Hall pipe organ? In some ways it is like a Zappa “Greatest Hits” collection without containing a single hit on it.Ĭonsider that in one album you get ground breaking jazz fusion innovations (“King Kong”), avante-garde tape and studio experimentation (throughout the whole record, actually, 1950s Doo-Wop parodies (“The Air,” “Electric Aunt Jemima”) and little weird pop nuggets (“Cruising For Burgers,” “Sleeping in a Jar,” “Mr. Well, I’ve thought about this a bunch and I think it is, its own way, the best summation of what Zappa is all about. Why is Uncle Meat my favorite Zappa record, you ask?
#SHEIKS BEVY SERIES#
And now there is a three CD “audio documentary” - third in a series from the Zappa Family Trust - culled from deep in the Zappa archives called Meat Light which acts as a healthy supplement to your recommended daily requirement of Uncle Meat related music. No, that extra special Zappa record is called Uncle Meat and it was released in 1969 as a two LP set on Zappa’s then new Bizarre Records label (subsidiary of Warner Brothers / Reprise Records).
And no, the record is not We’re Only In It For The Money. That record is not Over-nite Sensation (actually, that one is very far from a favorite, fun though it may be)… That record is not Roxy & Elsewhere … Nor is that record Hot Rats or Sheik Yerbouti or even Freak Out. You know, that one Zappa record I return to most often… That one record I would take on a Desert Island if I could only have one Zappa record.
Many people who know that I am a huge Frank Zappa fan are often quite surprised at my reply when they ask me what my all time favorite Zappa record is…. I honestly believe Innes worked the herpetologist into the plot just so he could include 'Adders' in his title.Note to animal rights activists: no snakes were harmed in the construction of this plot, although the Druids do not share in the generally happy ending.Twitter Facebook Email Print LinkedIn Pinterest SMS WhatsApp Anthony's College (which was admittedly modeled after Oxford).
#SHEIKS BEVY SERIAL#
He didn't seem to know that snakes are deaf, and he referred to Appleby's adventures in "The Seven Suspects" (1936) as having occurred at Oxford, when in actuality our serial detective solved this particular mystery at St. The only two minor problems I had with the story concern the herpetologist. All of these seemingly unrelated incidents come together in a quick, glorious, tongue-firmly-in-cheek finale.Innes takes many delightful twists and turns in this farcical adventure. A hot air balloonist takes too many swigs out of his gin bottle and tumbles to the sward. A local troop of Boy Scouts reenacts the relief of Mafeking. A bevy of nefarious Druids attempts to purify Drool Court, using the ancient ceremony of Perlustration. Sir John's deduction concerning Colonel Pride's assignment is verified when one of the pseudo-sheiks is found on the archery range with an arrow through his back.A herpetologist laden with grass snakes and adders wanders onto the scene. Appleby soon discovers that there is a genuine sheik, Emir Hafrait at the party, and furthermore he has been the target of numerous assassination attempts. Colonel Pride has received a mysterious request from the Foreign Office that he and his men should keep an eye on the affair, but he was not informed as to what the local police were supposed to be keeping an eye on. Sir John and his friend, Chief Constable Tommy Pride both arrive dressed as Robin Hood. However, this time it is a charity masquerade at Drool Court, where an alarming proportion of the male guests are disguised as sheiks.
In both novels, Sir John Appleby, retired Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (New Scotland Yard) is invited to a new neighbor's outdoor fête and murder ensues. The plot of "Sheiks and Adders" (1982) might seem very similar to "Death by Water" (1968).
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