Frank Zappa & the Mothers: Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
After experimenting with a couple of big band jazz fusion albums in 1972 with Waka Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo, Zappa decided to record an album of more standard rock songs, but with Zappa’s usual eccentric lyrics. Zappa decided to resurrect the Mothers, but by this time, the Mothers only existed by name only (he continuted to use the Mothers name until 1976). The only constant musician in this version of the Mothers, besides Zappa himself, was keyboardist George Duke.
Some fans of the original 1966-1969 Mothers might resent Over-Nite Sensation as being rather dumbed-down, with Zappa pandering to adolescent kids who like to hear bathroom jokes (but then that same accusation can be leveled at the version of the Mothers that recorded the Fillmore East, June 1971 album). But regardless, I still find it a great album, and it definitely was one of Zappa’s most accessible albums up to that point. This album is stuffed with great songs like “I’m the Slime”, “Dirty Love”, the ever notorious “Dinah-Moe Humm”, and “Montana”. Many of these songs I’ve heard on numerous occasions on the Doctor Demento Show (it was the Doctor Demento Show that got me in to Zappa in the first place).
“Dirty Love” seems to be a song about a pervert making love with her dog. “I’m the Slime” is a song criticizing the television and how it seems to make people become couch potatoes. “Montana” is just plain silly about how a person plans on moving to Montana to become a dental floss tycoon by growing dental floss bushes.
Perhaps Zappa was poking fun of the city slickers with that “Where does milk come from? The grocery store!” mentality on that song. “Fifty-Fifty” is mostly interesting because of the violin solo from Jean Luc Ponty, who himself is one of the biggest names in fusion (like Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea/Return to Forever, etc.).
As far as I’m concerned, Over-Nite Sensation is another classic album from Zappa, and if you don’t mind some of the rather crude lyrics (like “Dinah-Moe Humm”), you’re sure to enjoy this album.