Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention Burnt Weeny Sandwich CD

Full performer name: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention.
The Mothers Of Invention includes: Frank Zappa (vocals, guitar, organ); Sugar Cane Harris (violin); Ian Underwood, Don Preston (piano).
Composer: Frank Zappa.
Personnel: Frank Zappa (vocals, guitar, organ, keyboards); Jim Sherwood (vocals, guitar, wind); Don "Sugarcane" Harris (vocals, violin); Gabby Furggy, Roy Estrada (vocals); Ian Underwood (guitar, piano, keyboards, wind); Lowell George (guitar); Bunk Gardner (horns, wind); Don Preston (piano, keyboards); Jimmy Carl Black (drums, percussion); Art Tripp (drums).
Unknown Contributor Role: Frank Zappa.
Arranger: Frank Zappa.
Burnt Weeny Sandwich is the first of two albums by the Mothers of Invention that Frank Zappa released in 1970, after he had disbanded the original lineup. While Weasels Ripped My Flesh focuses on complex material and improvised stage madness, this collection of studio and live recordings summarizes the leader's various interests and influences at the time. It opens and closes on '50s pop covers, "WPLJ" and "Valarie." "Aybe Sea" is a Zappafied sea shanty, while "Igor's Boogie" is named after composer Igor Stravinsky, the closest thing to a hero Zappa ever worshipped. But the best material is represented by "Holiday in Berlin," a theme that would become central to the music of 200 Motels, and "The Little House I Used to Live In," including a virtuoso piano solo by Ian Underwood. Presented as an extended set of theme and variations, the latter does not reach the same heights as "King Kong." In many places, and with the two aforementioned exceptions in mind, Burnt Weeny Sandwich sounds like a set of outtakes from Uncle Meat, which already summarized to an extent the adventures of the early Mothers. It lacks some direction, but those allergic to the group's grunts and free-form playing will prefer it to the wacky Weasels Ripped My Flesh. ~ François Couture
BURNT WEENY SANDWICH would be Frank Zappa's last album released in the Sixties (December of 1969, to be exact). Having just split up the original Mothers of Invention line-up, Zappa decided to sift through tapes of unused tracks by the band, which ultimately comprised BURNT WEENY SANDWICH (another compilation of outtakes, WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH, would be issued one year later). The majority of the album is instrumental, and contains both live and studio material. Although the songs didn't surface the first time around, these aren't throwaways--many worthwhile Zappa cuts reside here.
The only compositions to contain vocals are the album's opener, "WPLJ," and closer, "Valarie." Both are essentially obscure doo-wop covers (Zappa covered doo-wop songs throughout his career), and are expertly performed. Symphonic music is touched upon with two brief tracks, "Igor's Boogie (Phase One)" and "Igor's Boogie (Phase Two)," as well as the lengthier "Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown." "Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich" is guitar-driven rock, "Aybe Sea" is beautiful chamber music, and "The Little House I Used To Live In" is a nearly twenty-minute track, beginning as a solo piano piece before turning into a typically twisted Zappa rocker.Q (8/95, pp.150-151) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "Between two slices of naive doo-wop exultation, the weeny in question was the usual blend of crazed elegance and limpet-like discipline, with no filler..."