Joe's Garage Acts 1-2-3 [Original recording remastered]

Amazon.com
The Central Scrutinizer is out to protect you from the harmful effects of that horrible force called music. Such is the premise of Joe's Garage, Frank Zappa's three-act concept album which explores the world of groupies, governments, sex toys, and Catholic school girls. As always, Zappa's aim is true and his scope wide, following Joe (voiced by his long-time co-conspirator, Ike Willis) as he starts a band, loses his girl, falls in love with a robot, and tries to find his true place in society. Filled with catchy classics ("Catholic Girls" "Crew Slut") and blazing guitar work ("Keep it Greasy," "Watermleon in Easter Hay"), this is the sort of schmorgasbord of imagination and artistry that only Zappa could produce. --Andrew Boscardin

From the Label
The Government censors rock music in its entirety in this sprawling musical saga. Eastern Europe took this lesson in censorship to heart when it was released. This is the complete set to scrutinize in the safety of your own home, made all the more timely with the rising of conservatism in the land of the free (still going strong as of this writing).

Among the targets of Zappa's satire are religious cults, conservative morality, sexual fetishists and the band Toto. The first disc includes such Zappa standards as the title track, "Catholic Girls" and "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?". The plot thickens in the second and third acts, which include the outrageous "Stick It Out," "A Token of My Extreme" and many awesome guitar solos including the classic "Watermelon In Easter Hay".

Originally released in 1979. 3 LPs on 2 CDs.

Joe's Garage Acts 1-2-3,Frank Zappa,Rykodisc,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Joe's Garage Acts 1-2-3 [Original recording remastered]

Average customer rating:

Quintessential Zappa
otra genialidad del maestro
Dumb...but good.
Frank, we miss you so
Musically, it's a monster

Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III
Frank Zappa
Manufacturer: Zappa Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Sheik Yerbouti
Apostrophe (')
Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar
Over-Nite Sensation
One Size Fits All

ASIN: B0000009SY
Release Date: 1995-05-02

Tracks:

The Central Scrutinizer
Joe's Garage
Catholic Girls
Crew Slut
Fembot In A Wet T-Shirt
On The Bus
Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?
Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up
Scrutinizer Of Postlude
A Token Of My Extreme
Stick It Out
Sy Borg

Tracks:

Dong Work For Yuda
Keep It Greasy
Outside Now
He Used To Cut The Grass
Packard Goose
Watermelon In East Hay
A Little Green Rosetta

Amazon.com

The Central Scrutinizer is out to protect you from the harmful effects of that horrible force called music. Such is the premise of Joe's Garage, Frank Zappa's three-act concept album which explores the world of groupies, governments, sex toys, and Catholic school girls. As always, Zappa's aim is true and his scope wide, following Joe (voiced by his long-time co-conspirator, Ike Willis) as he starts a band, loses his girl, falls in love with a robot, and tries to find his true place in society. Filled with catchy classics ("Catholic Girls" "Crew Slut") and blazing guitar work ("Keep it Greasy," "Watermleon in Easter Hay"), this is the sort of schmorgasbord of imagination and artistry that only Zappa could produce. --Andrew Boscardin

Customer Reviews:

Quintessential Zappa.......2006-12-06

I have been a Zappa fan since I snuck a listen to Apostrophe/Over-nite Sensation from my Dad's collection 20 years ago. Like much of Zappa's music, this album, perhaps his finest overall work, can be oversimplified and categorized ascetically (as a previous reviewer attempted to do).

This is not just "silly and crude humor music" and it does not fall into a "1,2,3,4 category" of Zappa listener. Joe's Garage, as a complete work, attacks and obliterates those individuals/organizations who, through various means of censorship, insidiously undermine the purpose of creating music.

He accomplishes this with direct attacks on the political right (e.g. the Central Scrutinizer), conservative religious parties (e.g. Catholic Girls), the media and all other pseudo-intellectuals (e.g. packed goose), and, really, anyone whose sensibilities would lead them to censorship of creativity. Consider the historical context here: the attack on music throughout the 1980's/Tipper Gore's The Parents Music Resource Center was founded in 1985. The content of Joe's Garage is intended to offend all these people.

Like all art, one can make a judgment of whether the overall piece appeals to their ascetics, which Joe's Garage does for me - definitely five stars, and leave it at that. However, true analysis of real art should leave one with questions on intent, message, and composition which Joe's Garage also does very effectively.

Through this analysis, one can realize one object of Frank Zappa's argument: freedom of expression (in this case music) is important and socially relevant; hence the aforementioned party's desire for censorship. Beautiful use of irony through music Frank!

"Eventually it was discovered that God did not want us to be all the same. This was bad news for the Governments of the World... Mankind must be made more uniformly if THE FUTURE was going to work out... It was about this time that someone came up with the idea of TOTAL CRIMINALIZATION, based on the principle that if we were ALL crooks we could at least be uniform to some degree in the eyes of the law. Shrewdly our legislators calculated that most people were too lazy to perform a REAL CRIME. So new laws were manufactured making it possible for anyone to violate them at any time of the day or night... which is one of the reasons why music was eventually made ILLEGAL."
--Frank Zappa, liner notes from Joe's Garage, Acts 2

otra genialidad del maestro .......2006-09-16

es entendible que a mucha gente zappa les resulte demasiado...como tal vez el capitan beefheart..pero creanme que esta placa es una joya..... una obra que no decae en ningun momento... tenes jazz, rock y cuanto te puedas imaginar...BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dumb...but good........2006-08-27

4 and a half stars. Really dumb....but good.
okay, so if you don't know what the hell this thing is it's like a stupid high school play, but they would never allow this. this story is about music being illegal, and this guy named Joe is having sex with robots and appliances and trying to get music legal again.

great songs
are
''wet tshirt night''
''joe's garage''
'token of my extreme''
''why does it hurt when i pee?''
''lucille has messed up my mind''
''catholic girls''
''a little green rosetta''
''on the bus''
and
''watermelon in easter hay''

Frank, we miss you so.......2006-07-29

Everyone should hear this album. It is pure quality, period. Why try and break it down, when this is musical genius as Frank Loyd Wright is great at dancing about his architecture.

Musically, it's a monster.......2006-03-21

Zappa was known for writing perhaps some of the most intricate, complex, and frustrating pieces of music ever. Joe's Garage is no exception. As a whole, the album makes any musician salivate and shake his/her head, feeling humbled. A few tracks really stand out.
"Catholic Girls" has a crazy odd meter intro, that leads into a very suggestive tune. The odd meter intro, which I believe is in 9/8 or 9/16, is revisited after the second chorus, but this time with more tenacity, and it goes longer.
"Fembot in a Wet T-shirt" is once again, an overly suggestive song. The highlight, for me, is after the second chorus, when there is a breakdown between drums and xylophone. Each is whizzing all over the place, confusing anyone listening. It was amazing.
Musically speaking, the biggest challenge was "Keep it Greasey". What starts off as a quick 4/4 groove segweys into a something almost never heard of: 21/16, one 1/16 note beyond 5/4. Who the hell has the gall to put that on an album? Zappa, and Zappa could do something so bold and get away with it. 21/16 goes back into 4/4, and the second verse is in 19/16, or so I was lead to believe. Vinnie Colaiuta is throwing in all sorts of little fills here and there, so the best thing to do hear is just let go and wait until the chorus kicks back in. The song ends with a five minute jam on that crazy 21/16 riff.
The only thing wrong with this album is that it is indeed Slow. "Keep it Greasey" feels like 15 minutes, seriously. Time itself seems to slow down when this album is on. Whereas it is indeed amazing, it is so in an excruciatlingly slow way.
Regardless, any student of music must listen to this album.