Lumpy Gravy
Encyclopedia
Lumpy Gravy is the first solo album
by Frank Zappa
, originally released in 1967, but not generally available until May 1968. Zappa was credited as conductor
on the album cover and he described the contents as "a curiously inconsistent piece, which started out to be a BALLET, but probably didn't make it." The album consists of pieces of Zappa's orchestral music interspersed with surreal spoken dialogues and linked with many odd sound effects and musical fragments. The title was inspired by an advertisement for a product called "Loma Linda Gravy Quik."
In later years Zappa claimed Lumpy Gravy and Joe's Garage among his proudest achievements.
Much of Zappa's orchestral music was strongly influenced by his love of Igor Stravinsky
ballets such as The Rite of Spring
. Earlier in his career Zappa wrote music for a few independently produced Hollywood films, such as The World's Greatest Sinner
(1962) and Run Home Slow (1965). Lumpy Gravy is closely related to these early soundtrack works. The juxtaposition of highbrow
and Pop art
cultural influences was a radical idea at the time.
In 2008, the Lagunitas Brewing Company
put out an American Strong Ale named after the album, featuring the cover art on the label.
producer Nick Venet
offered Zappa the chance to record an album of orchestral music. At this point in his career he was known to the public only as a rock musician. Zappa assembled approximately 40 of the very best session musicians -- including legendary guitarist Tommy Tedesco
, vibraharp player Victor Feldman
and drummer John Guerin
-- at the Capitol Records studio in Hollywood in February and March 1967 to record an album of his instrumental compositions. Though Zappa was credited as conductor the ensemble was actually led by veteran Hollywood concertmaster Sid Sharp under Zappa's supervision. Zappa gave the group an absurd name, the "Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus", to match the music.
There was a long delay between the initial orchestral recording sessions and final release in May 1968. This was caused by a dispute between MGM Records
and Capitol Records. As first prepared for Capitol, the album contained music from the studio orchestra only with a total playing time of about 22 minutes. However MGM had already signed Zappa to their Verve Records
division in early 1966 as a member of The Mothers of Invention
. Zappa believed his MGM/Verve contract allowed him to work on outside projects as long as he did not sing or play. MGM disagreed. It claimed ownership of the recordings and sued to stop all distribution of the Capitol album. Under terms of the settlement MGM/Verve agreed to purchase the recordings.
During the dispute Zappa seized the opportunity to radically re-edit his work. While living in New York City
during 1967 and early 1968 he worked at Apostolic Studios and Mayfair Studios, recording new music and spoken dialogue for the next Mothers of Invention album We're Only in It for the Money
. Dialogue was recorded between October and December 1967 at Apostolic and included members of The Mothers of Invention and other friends in conversation under Zappa's direct supervision. Voices of the "Chorus" were recorded inside a piano with a sandbag placed on the pedals. This allowed the piano strings to vibrate in response, giving the spoken voices a rich and resonant quality. Bits of talk were edited into conversations about cars, drums, pigs and ponies. One of the more interesting conversations contains Zappa's thoughts concerning his theory of "the big note" on Side Two, "Very Distraughtening."
Many unusual new sounds were also created for the Verve version of Lumpy Gravy through the manipulation of sounds on tape recordings, a process known as Musique concrète
. Using a then state of the art 12-track
tape recorder, Zappa invented a unique electronic set-up which he named "The Apostolic Blurch Injector". He also worked from his temporary Greenwich Village
home in his spare time, spending hundreds of hours manually editing recordings with a razor blade and splicing tape. Music from the original Capitol album was completely restructured and some sections were cut. Some material from the Capitol sessions, but cut from the Capitol album, were added back into the final product. Other important new musical segments were also added including a new introduction and ending. These new musical sections came from Zappa's own tape collection of studio and live performances, which was extensive even at this early stage of his career. The completely reworked Verve version of the album was extended to 31 minutes.
and atonal
classical music influences. On first listening, the album may appear to have no musical structure. But after repeated listening the album's unique flow begins to make more sense. Through careful attention to rhythm, dynamics, pacing, and technology, he was able to bring sound elements together in a way that was almost without precedent. The closest parallels would be cartoon music soundtrack recordings of the 1930s-1950's, such as the work of Carl Stalling
, and the music of Zappa's favorite classical composer, Edgard Varèse
. Zappa also acknowledged the influence of John Cage
in his use of random and chance processes. While editing the work Zappa randomly strung together some blocks of recorded material. Other Zappa albums such as Läther
use these types of musical elements in a similar way. But the radical nature of Zappa's musical structures are at their most extreme on this album because Lumpy Gravy is composed of many short segments.
Duodenum
, also known as "Lumpy Gravy Main Theme" was probably recorded at Zappa's own Studio Z
, which he operated in Rancho Cucamonga, California
, circa 1963-1964. This tune was originally written as the theme for Zappa's unfinished 1964 film project Captain Beefheart vs. The Grunt People. The 'surf music' style ending of the album was also recorded at Zappa's Studio Z. The blues harmonica fragment, "Another Pickup", comes from a 1966 live recording of The Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore Auditorium
in San Francisco. Sounds of bells, coughing and "snorks", recorded in New York City
, were leftovers from an animated television commercial for Luden's
cough drops. This advertisement, called "The Big Squeeze", won Zappa a Clio Award for sound in 1968. Though Zappa was not credited as a performer on the disc, he probably did play guitar and percussion on some of these additional recordings.
There are several thematic and musical links between Lumpy Gravy and We're Only in It for the Money
. Both have extensive use of dialog, editing and musique concrète (much of it from the same recording sessions). On the back cover of Lumpy Gravy, Frank says in a speech bubble, "Is this phase 2 of We're Only in It for the Money?" while a speech bubble on We're Only in It for the Moneys sleeve asks, "Is this phase 1 of Lumpy Gravy?" The 'surf music
' instrumental finale appears in a vocal version on We're Only in It for the Money under the title "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance". One short orchestral section of Lumpy Gravy was also used in the song "Mother People" on We're Only in It for the Money.
tape format in 1967 before MGM threatened legal action. The 4-track cartridge system was an early competitor to the more successful 8-track
tape format. According to Zappa himself, the Capitol 4-track of Lumpy Gravy is one of the rarest official Zappa releases - if not the rarest. Capitol had also begun preparation of the vinyl LP record
as well as a 7" single
from the album ("Sink Trap" b/w "Gypsy Airs") but these did not get past the test pressing stage.. A recording of the all-orchestral version, sourced from a stereo acetate demonstration disc believed to have been stolen from Capitol's vaults, circulated amongst collectors for a number of years. In 2009, the Capitol version was finally released officially (sourced from a mono master tape) as part of the Lumpy Money
box set.
When released by Verve in May 1968, Lumpy Gravy was the second Zappa project to carry the logo for his Bizarre
production company. This version of the album was released on LP record and 4-track cartridge in 1968 and later in an 8-track cartridge version also. This was one of only 2 Zappa projects to appear on the black Verve label in the U.S. (Some U.S. copies of Mothermania
also appeared on the black Verve label.) At that time Verve's black label was used only for jazz and other "serious" works, while Verve's pop and rock releases used a blue label. There was a mono Verve LP version, though there is still some debate among collectors about whether this is a special mono mix, or simply a reduction of the stereo with equalization
and dynamic range compression applied during mastering.
An alternate stereo remix of the album was prepared in 1984, with drum overdubs by Chad Wackerman
, bass overdubs by Arthur Barrow
, and additional vocal tracks by Ike Willis
. An excerpt appeared on the sampler for the first Old Masters box set, but the complete remixed recording remained unreleased until 2009 when it was included in the Lumpy Money
box set. The original Verve stereo mix of the album was combined with We're Only in It for the Money for the first CD release on Ryko in 1988. This CD version most closely matches the original stereo vinyl, though the sound is of only average quality by CD standards.
The 1995 CD was reconstructed from various source tapes in an attempt to improve the sound. It was not until the 1995 CD version that "Part 1" and "Part 2" were subdivided into sections with titles. Some of these new titles come from the spoken dialog, while others are names of instrumental pieces. The 1995 version features a few differences in the mix and segment segues. One section of "Oh No" on the 1995 CD used the mono version instead of stereo. These changes were later revealed by remastering engineer Spencer Chrislu to have occurred by mistake. The engineer expressed his regret and had hoped to fix this. However a corrected version now appears to be highly unlikely since this remastered version was approved by Frank himself.
Early versions of the album were credited to "Francis Vincent Zappa" on the front cover. For much of his life Frank thought he shared the legal name "Francis" with his father. Re-issues of the album since 1985 were changed to "Frank Vincent Zappa" after he saw his birth certificate for the first time.
The Capitol album had these titles which were originally written entirely in capital letters:
(North America)
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
by Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, originally released in 1967, but not generally available until May 1968. Zappa was credited as conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
on the album cover and he described the contents as "a curiously inconsistent piece, which started out to be a BALLET, but probably didn't make it." The album consists of pieces of Zappa's orchestral music interspersed with surreal spoken dialogues and linked with many odd sound effects and musical fragments. The title was inspired by an advertisement for a product called "Loma Linda Gravy Quik."
In later years Zappa claimed Lumpy Gravy and Joe's Garage among his proudest achievements.
Much of Zappa's orchestral music was strongly influenced by his love of Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
ballets such as The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
. Earlier in his career Zappa wrote music for a few independently produced Hollywood films, such as The World's Greatest Sinner
The World's Greatest Sinner
The World's Greatest Sinner is a 1962 underground film written, directed and starring the character actor Timothy Carey. The self-financed film tells the story of an average man, Clarence Hilliard , who quits his day job as an insurance salesman and forms a rock band...
(1962) and Run Home Slow (1965). Lumpy Gravy is closely related to these early soundtrack works. The juxtaposition of highbrow
Highbrow
Used colloquially as a noun or adjective, highbrow is synonymous with intellectual; as an adjective, it also means elite, and generally carries a connotation of high culture. The word draws its metonymy from the pseudoscience of phrenology, and was originally simply a physical descriptor...
and Pop art
Pop art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
cultural influences was a radical idea at the time.
In 2008, the Lagunitas Brewing Company
Lagunitas Brewing Company
The Lagunitas Brewing Company is a brewery founded in 1993 in Lagunitas, California, USA. They are known for iconoclastic interpretations of traditional beer styles, and irreverent descriptive text and stories on their packaging...
put out an American Strong Ale named after the album, featuring the cover art on the label.
Recording sessions
The album's conception came about in late 1966 when Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
producer Nick Venet
Nick Venet
Nick Venet was an American record producer who began his career at age 19 with World Pacific Jazz...
offered Zappa the chance to record an album of orchestral music. At this point in his career he was known to the public only as a rock musician. Zappa assembled approximately 40 of the very best session musicians -- including legendary guitarist Tommy Tedesco
Tommy Tedesco
Thomas J. Tedesco was an American master session musician and renowned jazz and bebop guitarist.Tedesco's credits include the iconic brand-burning accompaniment theme from television's Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Vic Mizzy's iconic theme from Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Batman, and Elvis Presley's '68...
, vibraharp player Victor Feldman
Victor Feldman
Victor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
and drummer John Guerin
John Guerin
John Payne Guerin worked as a drummer, percussionist, and recording artist worldwide.Guerin was born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego. As a young drummer he began performing with Buddy DeFranco in 1960...
-- at the Capitol Records studio in Hollywood in February and March 1967 to record an album of his instrumental compositions. Though Zappa was credited as conductor the ensemble was actually led by veteran Hollywood concertmaster Sid Sharp under Zappa's supervision. Zappa gave the group an absurd name, the "Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra
Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra
The Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra was a group of Hollywood session musicians organized by Frank Zappa in 1967 to record music for his first solo album Lumpy Gravy. Some of these musicians are thought to have worked together in various combinations under the leadership of Ken...
and Chorus", to match the music.
There was a long delay between the initial orchestral recording sessions and final release in May 1968. This was caused by a dispute between MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
and Capitol Records. As first prepared for Capitol, the album contained music from the studio orchestra only with a total playing time of about 22 minutes. However MGM had already signed Zappa to their Verve Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
division in early 1966 as a member of The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention were an American band active from 1964 to 1969, and again from 1970 to 1975.They mainly performed works by, and were the original recording group of, US composer and guitarist Frank Zappa , although other members have had the occasional writing credit...
. Zappa believed his MGM/Verve contract allowed him to work on outside projects as long as he did not sing or play. MGM disagreed. It claimed ownership of the recordings and sued to stop all distribution of the Capitol album. Under terms of the settlement MGM/Verve agreed to purchase the recordings.
During the dispute Zappa seized the opportunity to radically re-edit his work. While living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during 1967 and early 1968 he worked at Apostolic Studios and Mayfair Studios, recording new music and spoken dialogue for the next Mothers of Invention album We're Only in It for the Money
We're Only in It for the Money
We're Only in It For the Money is the third studio album by The Mothers of Invention, released in March 1968. The album peaked at number thirty on the Billboard 200...
. Dialogue was recorded between October and December 1967 at Apostolic and included members of The Mothers of Invention and other friends in conversation under Zappa's direct supervision. Voices of the "Chorus" were recorded inside a piano with a sandbag placed on the pedals. This allowed the piano strings to vibrate in response, giving the spoken voices a rich and resonant quality. Bits of talk were edited into conversations about cars, drums, pigs and ponies. One of the more interesting conversations contains Zappa's thoughts concerning his theory of "the big note" on Side Two, "Very Distraughtening."
Many unusual new sounds were also created for the Verve version of Lumpy Gravy through the manipulation of sounds on tape recordings, a process known as Musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
. Using a then state of the art 12-track
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
tape recorder, Zappa invented a unique electronic set-up which he named "The Apostolic Blurch Injector". He also worked from his temporary Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
home in his spare time, spending hundreds of hours manually editing recordings with a razor blade and splicing tape. Music from the original Capitol album was completely restructured and some sections were cut. Some material from the Capitol sessions, but cut from the Capitol album, were added back into the final product. Other important new musical segments were also added including a new introduction and ending. These new musical sections came from Zappa's own tape collection of studio and live performances, which was extensive even at this early stage of his career. The completely reworked Verve version of the album was extended to 31 minutes.
Structure and content
Lumpy Gravy uses sound effects and dialogue to link highly dissimilar musical themes. Some orchestral parts have a jazz-like feel while other sections show tonalTonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
and atonal
Atonality
Atonality in its broadest sense describes music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Atonality in this sense usually describes compositions written from about 1908 to the present day where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used, and the notes of the chromatic scale...
classical music influences. On first listening, the album may appear to have no musical structure. But after repeated listening the album's unique flow begins to make more sense. Through careful attention to rhythm, dynamics, pacing, and technology, he was able to bring sound elements together in a way that was almost without precedent. The closest parallels would be cartoon music soundtrack recordings of the 1930s-1950's, such as the work of Carl Stalling
Carl Stalling
Carl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...
, and the music of Zappa's favorite classical composer, Edgard Varèse
Edgard Varèse
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse, , whose name was also spelled Edgar Varèse , was an innovative French-born composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States....
. Zappa also acknowledged the influence of John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
in his use of random and chance processes. While editing the work Zappa randomly strung together some blocks of recorded material. Other Zappa albums such as Läther
Läther
Läther is an album by Frank Zappa which was released on CD posthumously in 1996. Produced by Zappa in 1977, the recordings contained in Läther were made between 1972 and 1977 . A collection of these tapes was delivered to Warner Bros...
use these types of musical elements in a similar way. But the radical nature of Zappa's musical structures are at their most extreme on this album because Lumpy Gravy is composed of many short segments.
Duodenum
Duodenum (song)
"Duodenum" is a song by Frank Zappa that first appeared as part of "Lumpy Gravy Part One" on 1968's Lumpy Gravy. It is an instrumental that runs for approximately 1:32 and is the second identifiable track on the album, preceded by "The Way I See It, Barry" and followed by "Oh No".The duodenum, in...
, also known as "Lumpy Gravy Main Theme" was probably recorded at Zappa's own Studio Z
Pal Recording Studio
Pal Recording Studio was an independent recording studio that operated in Cucamonga, California The studio was started by engineer/innovator Paul Buff. The studio is known for its instrumental Surf music recordings like Wipeout and the original demo recording of Pipeline. The original location...
, which he operated in Rancho Cucamonga, California
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Rancho Cucamonga is a suburban city in San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,269, up from 127,743 at the 2000 census. L. Dennis Michael was elected as Mayor on November 2, 2010. Jack Lam is the City Manager...
, circa 1963-1964. This tune was originally written as the theme for Zappa's unfinished 1964 film project Captain Beefheart vs. The Grunt People. The 'surf music' style ending of the album was also recorded at Zappa's Studio Z. The blues harmonica fragment, "Another Pickup", comes from a 1966 live recording of The Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore Auditorium
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
in San Francisco. Sounds of bells, coughing and "snorks", recorded in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, were leftovers from an animated television commercial for Luden's
Luden's
-History:The Luden's brand was originally created by William H. Luden in 1879, and included several products such as candy and throat drops.Luden's was acquired in 1928 by Food Industries of Philadelphia, a holding company owned by the Dietrich family. In 1980 the company acquired Queen Anne Candy...
cough drops. This advertisement, called "The Big Squeeze", won Zappa a Clio Award for sound in 1968. Though Zappa was not credited as a performer on the disc, he probably did play guitar and percussion on some of these additional recordings.
There are several thematic and musical links between Lumpy Gravy and We're Only in It for the Money
We're Only in It for the Money
We're Only in It For the Money is the third studio album by The Mothers of Invention, released in March 1968. The album peaked at number thirty on the Billboard 200...
. Both have extensive use of dialog, editing and musique concrète (much of it from the same recording sessions). On the back cover of Lumpy Gravy, Frank says in a speech bubble, "Is this phase 2 of We're Only in It for the Money?" while a speech bubble on We're Only in It for the Moneys sleeve asks, "Is this phase 1 of Lumpy Gravy?" The 'surf music
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
' instrumental finale appears in a vocal version on We're Only in It for the Money under the title "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance". One short orchestral section of Lumpy Gravy was also used in the song "Mother People" on We're Only in It for the Money.
Release history
The Capitol version was released briefly in the stereo 4-track cartridge4-track cartridge
The Muntz Stereo-Pak, commonly known as the 4-track cartridge, is a magnetic tape sound recording cartridge technology. The in-car tape player that played the Stereo-Pak cartridges was called the Autostereo, but it was generally marketed under the common Stereo-Pak trade name.The Stereo-Pak...
tape format in 1967 before MGM threatened legal action. The 4-track cartridge system was an early competitor to the more successful 8-track
8-track cartridge
Stereo 8, commonly known as the eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, or simply eight-track, is a magnetic tape sound recording technology. It was popular in the United States from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s, but was relatively unknown in many European countries...
tape format. According to Zappa himself, the Capitol 4-track of Lumpy Gravy is one of the rarest official Zappa releases - if not the rarest. Capitol had also begun preparation of the vinyl LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
as well as a 7" single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the album ("Sink Trap" b/w "Gypsy Airs") but these did not get past the test pressing stage.. A recording of the all-orchestral version, sourced from a stereo acetate demonstration disc believed to have been stolen from Capitol's vaults, circulated amongst collectors for a number of years. In 2009, the Capitol version was finally released officially (sourced from a mono master tape) as part of the Lumpy Money
Lumpy Money
The Lumpy Money Project/Object is an album by Frank Zappa. The album commemorates the 40th anniversary of both Zappa's first solo album, Lumpy Gravy , and his 1968 record We're Only in It for the Money with The Mothers of Invention...
box set.
When released by Verve in May 1968, Lumpy Gravy was the second Zappa project to carry the logo for his Bizarre
Bizarre Records
Bizarre Records was a record label formed for artists discovered by rock musician Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen.Bizarre was originally formed as a production company...
production company. This version of the album was released on LP record and 4-track cartridge in 1968 and later in an 8-track cartridge version also. This was one of only 2 Zappa projects to appear on the black Verve label in the U.S. (Some U.S. copies of Mothermania
Mothermania
Mothermania , subtitled The Best of the Mothers, is a compilation album by The Mothers of Invention, led by Frank Zappa. It contains tracks personally chosen by Zappa that were previously released on Freak Out!, Absolutely Free and We're Only in It for the Money...
also appeared on the black Verve label.) At that time Verve's black label was used only for jazz and other "serious" works, while Verve's pop and rock releases used a blue label. There was a mono Verve LP version, though there is still some debate among collectors about whether this is a special mono mix, or simply a reduction of the stereo with equalization
Equalization
Equalization, is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. The most well known use of equalization is in sound recording and reproduction but there are many other applications in electronics and telecommunications. The circuit or equipment used...
and dynamic range compression applied during mastering.
An alternate stereo remix of the album was prepared in 1984, with drum overdubs by Chad Wackerman
Chad Wackerman
Chad Wackerman is a jazz, jazz fusion and rock drummer; arguably best known in the United States for his work as a drummer and percussionist in Frank Zappa's band...
, bass overdubs by Arthur Barrow
Arthur Barrow
Arthur Barrow is a multi-instrumental musician, best known for his stint as a bass guitar player for Frank Zappa in the late 1970s and early 1980s.-Early life:...
, and additional vocal tracks by Ike Willis
Ike Willis
Ike Willis is a singer and guitarist who was a regular sideman for Frank Zappa, first joining Zappa's band for the fall 1978 tour and remaining in the band for several years. He did not tour with Zappa in 1981 and 1982 for personal reasons, but returned to touring with Zappa for his final two...
. An excerpt appeared on the sampler for the first Old Masters box set, but the complete remixed recording remained unreleased until 2009 when it was included in the Lumpy Money
Lumpy Money
The Lumpy Money Project/Object is an album by Frank Zappa. The album commemorates the 40th anniversary of both Zappa's first solo album, Lumpy Gravy , and his 1968 record We're Only in It for the Money with The Mothers of Invention...
box set. The original Verve stereo mix of the album was combined with We're Only in It for the Money for the first CD release on Ryko in 1988. This CD version most closely matches the original stereo vinyl, though the sound is of only average quality by CD standards.
The 1995 CD was reconstructed from various source tapes in an attempt to improve the sound. It was not until the 1995 CD version that "Part 1" and "Part 2" were subdivided into sections with titles. Some of these new titles come from the spoken dialog, while others are names of instrumental pieces. The 1995 version features a few differences in the mix and segment segues. One section of "Oh No" on the 1995 CD used the mono version instead of stereo. These changes were later revealed by remastering engineer Spencer Chrislu to have occurred by mistake. The engineer expressed his regret and had hoped to fix this. However a corrected version now appears to be highly unlikely since this remastered version was approved by Frank himself.
Early versions of the album were credited to "Francis Vincent Zappa" on the front cover. For much of his life Frank thought he shared the legal name "Francis" with his father. Re-issues of the album since 1985 were changed to "Frank Vincent Zappa" after he saw his birth certificate for the first time.
Side one
- "Lumpy Gravy, Part One" – 15:48
- "The Way I See It, Barry"
- "DuodenumDuodenum (song)"Duodenum" is a song by Frank Zappa that first appeared as part of "Lumpy Gravy Part One" on 1968's Lumpy Gravy. It is an instrumental that runs for approximately 1:32 and is the second identifiable track on the album, preceded by "The Way I See It, Barry" and followed by "Oh No".The duodenum, in...
" - "Oh No"
- "Bit Of Nostalgia"
- "It's From Kansas"
- "Bored Out 90 Over"
- "Almost Chinese"
- "Switching Girls"
- "Oh No Again"
- "At the Gas Station"
- "Another Pickup"
- "I Don't Know If I Can Go Through This Again"
Side two
- "Lumpy Gravy, Part Two" – 15:51
- "Very Distraughtening"
- "White Ugliness"
- "Amen"
- "Just One More Time"
- "A Vicious Circle"
- "King Kong"
- "Drums Are Too Noisy"
- "Kangaroos"
- "Envelops the Bath Tub"
- "Take Your Clothes Off"
The Capitol album had these titles which were originally written entirely in capital letters:
Program two
Tableaux - 10:27- V. Gypsy Airs
- VI. Hunchy Punchy
- VII. Foamy Soaky
- VIII. Let's Eat Out
- IX. Teenage Grand Finale
Personnel
- Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
- composer, conductor - Sid Sharp - conductor
- All Nite John – chorus (John Kilgore, Apolstolic night manager)
- John Balkin – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Foon The Younger (Dick Barber) – vocals
- James "Spider" Barbour – chorus
- Arnold Belnick – strings
- Harold Bemko – strings
- Chuck Berghofer – bass
- Jimmy Carl BlackJimmy Carl BlackJimmy Carl Black , born James Inkanish, Jr., was a drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention.-Career: 1960s-1990s:Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was of Cheyenne heritage...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, chorus - Jimmy Bond – bass
- Monica Boscia – chorus
- Dennis Budimir – guitar
- Frank Capp – drums
- Donald Christlieb – woodwind
- Gene Cipriano – woodwind
- Vincent DeRosaVincent DeRosaVincent DeRosa is a Los Angeles studio musician who played horn for Hollywood soundtracks and other recordings from 1935-2008.-Early Life and Training:...
– french horn - Joseph DiFiore – strings
- Jesse Ehrlich – strings
- Alan Estes – percussion, drums
- Gene Estes – percussion
- Louis "Louie The Turkey" Cuneo – chorus
- Roy EstradaRoy EstradaRoy Estrada is an American musician and backing vocalist, best known for his bass guitar work with Frank Zappa and for co-founding Little Feat.-Biography:With drummer Jimmy Carl Black and Ray Collins, Estrada was an original member of Frank Zappa's...
– bass, chorus - Larry Fanoga – vocals, chorus
- Victor FeldmanVictor FeldmanVictor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
– percussion, drums - Bunk GardnerBunk GardnerJohn Leon "Bunk" Gardner born . Gardner is a American musician who most notably played for Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention until the group disbanded in 1969. He plays woodwinds and tenor sax....
– woodwind - James Getzoff – strings
- Philip Goldberg – strings
- John GuerinJohn GuerinJohn Payne Guerin worked as a drummer, percussionist, and recording artist worldwide.Guerin was born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego. As a young drummer he began performing with Buddy DeFranco in 1960...
– drums - Bruce HamptonBruce HamptonBruce Hampton is a surrealist American musician. In the late 1960s he was a founding member of Atlanta, Georgia's avant-garde Hampton Grease Band...
– chorus - Jimmy "Senyah" Haynes – guitar
- Harry Hyams – strings
- Jules Jacob – woodwind
- Pete JollyPete JollyPete Jolly was an American West Coast jazz pianist and accordionist....
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, celesteCelestaThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard... - Harold Kelling - vocals
- Ray Kelly – strings
- Jerome Kessler – strings
- Alexander Koltun – strings
- Bernard Kundell – strings
- William Kurasch – strings
- Michael Lang – piano, celeste, harpsichord
- Arthur Maebe – French horn
- Leonard Malarsky – strings
- Shelly ManneShelly ManneShelly Manne , born Sheldon Manne in New York City, was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde jazz and fusion, as well as contributing...
– drums - Lincoln MayorgaLincoln MayorgaLincoln Mayorga is an American pianist, arranger, conductor and composer who has worked in rock and roll, pop, jazz and classical music.-Pop music in the 1950s and 60s:...
– piano, celeste, harpsichord - Euclid James "Motorhead" SherwoodEuclid James SherwoodJim "Motorhead" Sherwood is an American rock musician notable for playing soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, tambourine, vocals and vocal sound effects in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention...
– chorus - Ted Nash – woodwind
- Richard Parissi – French horn
- Glenn PhillipsGlenn PhillipsGlenn Phillips is a guitarist and composer with a dozen albums released under his own name. He has also played on many other recordings, including those by his first group, the obscure Hampton Grease Band....
- vocals - Don PrestonDon PrestonDonald Ward Preston also known as Dom DeWilde or Biff Debrie born September 21, 1932 in Flint, Michigan. Preston is an American jazz and rock and roll musician.-Biography:Preston was born into a family of musicians and began studying music at an early age...
– bass, keyboards - Pumpkin (Gail Zappa) – chorus
- Jerome Reisler – strings
- Emil Richards – percussion
- Tony Rizzi – guitar
- Ronnie – chorus
- John Rotella – percussion, woodwind
- Joseph Saxon – strings
- Ralph Schaeffer – strings
- Leonard Selic – strings
- Kenny Shroyer – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Paul Smith – piano, celeste, harpsichord
- Tommy TedescoTommy TedescoThomas J. Tedesco was an American master session musician and renowned jazz and bebop guitarist.Tedesco's credits include the iconic brand-burning accompaniment theme from television's Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Vic Mizzy's iconic theme from Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Batman, and Elvis Presley's '68...
– guitar - Gilly (Ramirez) Townley – chorus
- Al Viola – guitar
- Becky Wentworth – chorus
- Bob WestBob WestBob West is an American television actor best known as the voice of Barney in the hit children's show Barney & Friends. He has also appeared in several Barney-related shows such as concert tours...
– bass - Sam Whiteside - vocals
- Ronny Williams
- Tibor Zelig – strings
- Jimmy Zito – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
Production
- Producer: Frank Zappa
- Engineers: Gary KellgrenGary KellgrenGary Kellgren was an American audio engineer and co-founder of The Record Plant recording studios, along with businessman Chris Stone.-Engineering:...
, Dick Kunc - 1984 Remix: Bob Stone (released 2009)
- 1993 CD remastering, Spencer Chrislu (uncredited), approved by Frank Zappa, (released 1995)
- Arranger: Frank Zappa
Charts
Album - BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
(North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Pop Albums | 159 |