Cruising With Ruben & The Jets

For all of Frank Zappa\'s acclaimed weirdness and avant-classical pedigree, he was also a huge \'50s doo-wop fan. The fourth Mothers of Invention album turned away from the tape-edit madness and musique concrète of the first three groundbreaking Mothers albums for a sound that\'s so traditional and so fine ... at first listen. Repeated plays reveal a cynicism in deliberately banal lyrics and a few stylistic flourishes that break through the music\'s fourth wall. \"How Could I Be Such a Fool,\" \"Any Way the Wind Blows,\" and \"You Didn\'t Try to Call Me\"—songs that appeared on *Freak Out*—are transformed into relatively straightforward tunes. Singer Ray Collins takes the reins for vintage vocal performances, while the driving piano and wall-of-sound approximations for \"No. No. No.,\" \"Love of My Life,\" and the rockin\' \"Jelly Roll Gum Drop\" are among the most primal music Zappa ever recorded. Please note: this is the 1985 issue of the album, where Zappa had bassist Arthur Barrow and drummer Chad Wackerman re-record the rhythm tracks, except for \"Stuff Up the Cracks,\" which is the original recording.

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The Mothers of Invention - Cruising with Ruben & the Jets review: Is this The Mothers of Invention under a different name in a last ditch attempt to get their cruddy music on the radio?