You Are What You Is

The career of Frank Zappa is filled with projects that morphed into other projects. An overabundance of material made the cutting room floor an adventurous place to be and double albums closer to the norm than for any other major rock 'n' roll artist. Tracks initially conceived as part of the abandoned projects, Warts and All and Crush All Boxes, landed on the official releases, Tinseltown Rebellion, Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar, You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore and this album. The production is tight and the songs' compact structures make this play like a 'Greatest Hits" collection that could only be played on a demented, underground radio station. The mock AOR rock of "Doreen" is a masterstroke. "Goblin Girl" nails down a reggae-like island groove. "Society Pages," "I'm A Beautiful Guy," "Beauty Knows No Pain," "Charlie's Enormous Mouth," "Any Downers?" and "Conehead" play as an album side composed of individual tracks that were decidedly linked together. "Heavenly Bank Account," "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing" and "Jumbo Go Away" satirize and attack the worlds of religion, politics and rock 'n' roll.