Review: Frank Zappa & the Mothers Still Fresh and Edgy 50 Years Later

Over-Nite Sensation—50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition
(Zappa Records/UMe)
5 out of 5 stars

By 1973, Frank Zappa was already an established and respected artist who had recorded 13 studio sets, both with and without his Mothers of Invention band. But despite a catalog that pushed the boundaries of rock by incorporating elements of jazz, blues, doo-wop, classical, and avant-garde experimentalism, he hadn’t broken through to anything larger than a cult audience. 

That changed with the sardonically titled Over-Nite Sensation. 

Although it took three years to go gold, Zappa and his newly rejiggered eight-piece Mothers crafted a slightly more marketable album. Its eight relatively compact selections maintained, and amplified, the quirky, socio-political, humor that was a big part of his unique style. The collection’s popularity positioned him to deliver the 1974 Top 10-charting Apostrophe (‘) and its unlikely left-field hit, “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow.”

Without the outlandish Over-Nite Sensation bringing new attention to his work, Zappa might have remained a hit-free curio. But the eccentric, horn-driven “Zombie Wolf” and the twisted swamp-blues of “Montana” (both featuring an uncredited Tina Turner and her Ikettes providing backing vocals); the funked-up, anti-television screed “I Am the Slime”; and the NSFW trashiness of “Dinah Moe Humm” and “Dirty Love” all made quite a statement. 

This monstrous 50th anniversary edition extends the original 34-minute program to four overstuffed CDs holding nearly five hours of music. Two previously unheard concerts from March and May of 1973 fill two and a half of those platters (although oddly only a few Over-Nite Sensationsongs are played). Then there’s the usual smattering of outtakes, demos, single edits, and rarities included, along with a DVD featuring three surround versions (Quadrosonic, 5.1, and Dolby Atmos). It’s everything anyone might need, and more, to appreciate one of the unquestionable highpoints of Zappa’s extensive legacy. A comprehensive 21-page book delivers additional history, as well. 

This music was so far ahead of its time that even five decades later it sounds fresher, more innovative, and more lyrically and musically edgy than what most contemporary musicians would dare release.  

Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images