Released: 1970
Tracks: WPLJ; Igor’s Boogie, Phase One; Overture to a Holiday in Berlin; Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich; Igor’s Boogie, Phase Two; Holiday in Berlin, Full-Blown; Aybe Sea; The Little House I Used to Live in; Valarie
Best track: Little House I Used to Live In
Track to skip: none
Another good Zappa album. Nothing changes much, huh? This one is similar to Uncle Meat and especially Weasels in that it’s mostly instrumental. If Zappa had his way most of his music would be instrumental. The structure of this album lends itself perfectly to CD (as opposed to vinyl) since it resembles a real Burnt Weeny Sandwich (a wiener of some sort sandwiched in between 2 toasted pieces of bread). The first and last tracks are both things like toasted bread: not much substance and nothing compared to the ‘meat’ on the inside. WPLJ and Valarie are doo-wop songs, and covers at that. Actually, both songs are a lot of fun and I’m glad they’re here.
But the meat, oh the meat, is very good stuff. Modern classical music played by 10 or so talented rock musicians. Zappa unveils some true classics on this, especially Holiday in Berlin and Little House. Excellent pieces of music they are. I like Little House just a little bit better, but you can’t go wrong with either one. OK, you can’t go wrong with anything on this. Like a lot of Zappa’s albums, this one isn’t instantly accessible for newer listeners. And also like many of his releases, the more active ear time you give this one, the bigger it becomes. It’s simply a huge album and essential for all those who like actively listening to music. In other words, don’t try to use this as musical wallpaper.
Rating: 93
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