The Frank Zappa Review Page

Apostrophe (1974)

 There were a lot of similarities betweenn Over-nite Sensation and Apostrophe. The musicians used were largely the same (Duke, Underwood, etc), but the theme was different. Apostrophe like, it's predecessor was a big seller. It was more of a concept album than Over-nite, and more complex. The lyrics on Apostrophe are my favourite bit about the album. The first part of the album evolves around the story of an eskimo. Each of the first four songs run into each other. It is like a little story and it works very well. 'Don't Eat the Yellow Snow' became a hit for Zappa and deservedly so. 'Father O'Blivion' is a whirlwind of a track as is 'St Alfonzo' before it. On side two 'Apostrophe' stands out as a good Zappa guitar solo and 'Uncle Remus' is a splendid blues/Rock tune that is surely inspired by George Duke. The album is very enjoyable but like Over-nite it is too short at about half an hour. It is all good quality and I found it slightly more entertaining than Over-nite. The lyrics are better,however the music is not as good as on 'Over-nite Sensation'. This was of course the time in his career when the first 'Mothers of Invention' had just split up so maybe this is why his music took a slight swing in style.

Rating 72%