''Chunga's Revenge'' is the third solo album, and eleventh album counting the work of his band
The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock music, rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an ...
, by
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
, released on October 23, 1970. Zappa's first effort of the 1970s marks the first appearance of former
Turtles members
Mark Volman
Mark Randall Volman (born April 19, 1947) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with his bandmate and friend Howard Kaylan, a member of the 1970s rock ...
and
Howard Kaylan - nicknamed
Flo & Eddie
Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie).
Kaylan and Volman were founding members of the mid-to late 1960s rock and pop band the Turtles. After the Turtles dis ...
- on a Zappa record, and signals the dawn of a controversial epoch in Zappa's history. ''Chunga's Revenge'' represents a shift from both the satirical political commentary of his 1960s work with The Mothers of Invention, and the
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...
of ''
Hot Rats''.
Songs
The material presented on ''Chunga's Revenge'' is eclectic: side one includes a guitar jam ("Transylvania Boogie"), a bluesy amble ("Road Ladies"), a jazz interlude ("Twenty Small Cigars") and an avant garde live improvisation ("The Nancy and Mary Music") drawn from "King Kong" from a July 1970 Mothers performance, released officially on
Road Tapes, Venue 3
''Road Tapes, Venue #3'' is a posthumous album of Frank Zappa, released in May 2016, consisting of the recording of the two (early & late) shows on July 5, 1970, at Tyrone Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota, MN. The album was recorded as o ...
. Several poppy numbers ("Tell Me You Love Me", "Would You Go All the Way?", "Rudy Wants to Buy Yez a Drink", "Sharleena") appear on the second side along with the improvisational title track and a percussion-only track ("The Clap").
"Twenty Small Cigars" was drawn from the ''
Hot Rats'' sessions from summer 1969. "Transylvania Boogie" and "Chunga's Revenge" come from the early 1970 period where Zappa performed with a band informally known as "Hot Rats," including
Ian Underwood,
Don "Sugarcane" Harris,
Max Bennett and
Aynsley Dunbar. Also from this period is "The Clap," a short multitracked percussion piece with Zappa as the only musician. The vocal tracks all deal with the subject of sex and/or groupie encounters and as Zappa notes on the sleeve of both the vinyl and CD, are a preview of the then forthcoming ''
200 Motels'' film/album, and date from the summer of 1970 after the formation of the new Mothers of Invention lineup.
The original early 1970 version of "Sharleena" later appeared on ''
The Lost Episodes''. In June 2023, Zappa Record/Ume released ''
Funky Nothingness,'' an archival release drawn almost entirely from the early 1970 sessions, which also included this version of "Sharleena" as well as the unreleased instrumental "Twinkle Tits" that had appeared in a live concert recording from this era, and unedited takes of "Chunga's Revenge," "Transylvania Boogie" and "The Clap."
Another "lost" track from this era, "Bognor Regis," was recorded in summer 1969 and intended to be released as a B-side of "Sharleena", but the single was never released, and the track was leaked to the public on an
acetate disc copy which made its way to the collector's market. "Bognor Regis" was later included along with "Twenty Small Cigars" in the archival release ''
The Hot Rats Sessions.''
The title track was later recorded by Argentinian/Parisian tango revival group
Gotan Project for their 2001 debut album ''
La Revancha del Tango''.
The guitar melody in "Tell Me You Love Me" is extremely similar to the one used in "Bwana Dik" and "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy", during the "if his dick is a monster" section, from ''
Fillmore East - June 1971'', and ''
200 Motels'', respectively. Zappa would include a 1980 live version of the song on ''
Tinsel Town Rebellion'', while a 1988 version with revised lyrics titled "Why Don't You Like Me" appeared on ''
Broadway the Hard Way''. (A similar version from 1984, known as "Don't Be a Lawyer," has never been officially released.) Zappa would also include an 80's recording of "Sharleena" on ''
Them or Us'', while a 1988 version of "Chunga's Revenge" where Zappa played alongside his son
Dweezil was the opening track of the album ''
Trance-Fusion
''Trance-Fusion'' is an album by Frank Zappa. Released posthumously in 2006, 13 years after the musician's death, the album forms the third in a trilogy of instrumental albums which focus on Zappa's improvised guitar solos, after '' Shut Up 'n Pl ...
'' which Zappa compiled in the 90's (although it would not be released until 2006).
Critical reception
In a contemporary review in the leading French music magazine, ''
Rock & Folk'', Paul Alessandrini praises the album: "The richness, the musical intelligence of Zappa confirm once more his distinctive sound which is a 'chemical' synthesis of different styles. In the centre are the blues but also the rock'n roll of the fifties, always with satirical lyrics. This album is maybe less demanding that the last one, the utterly unique ''
Weasels Ripped My Flesh'', but Zappa confirms himself now as solid, mature and aware of his creative skills. Supported by the multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood, he shows himself an all-round guitarist, versatile at all kinds of tempos and inventive with the wah-wah pedal."
In his 1994 book on Zappa,
Ben Watson elaborates this point: " 'Transsylvanian Boogie' provides a vampire vamp for some of Zappa's most Eastern-sounding guitar. The title referred to the homeland of (...)
Bela Bartok. (...) Bartok provides a crucial model for composers seeking to break out of the limitations of the Western tradition. The complex time-signature and Dunbar's shimmering cymbals are exotically bohemian, though there is a distinctly sci-fi flavour to Zappa's wah-wah guitar sound. The mid-section has him plucking irrational runs with some of
Conlon Nancarrow's delirium: he builds to a peak note and then moves to an irresistible
boogie
Boogie is a repetition (music), repetitive, swung note, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . groove (music), "groove" or pattern used in blues which was origina ...
, Underwood's organ grooving behind him, Dunbar contributing a new fluency."
However, this development was not to the liking of more tradition-orientated commentators. Reviewing ''Chunga's Revenge'' in ''
Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981),
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
wrote: "Like
Bobby Sherman, Zappa is a selfish exploiter of popular taste. That Bobby Sherman wants to make money while Zappa wants to make money and emulate
Varese
Varese ( , ; or ; ; ; archaic ) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 was 80,559.
It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or exurban part ...
is beside the point—if anything, Zappa's
aestheticism intensifies his contempt for
rock and its audience. Even ''
Hot Rats'', his compositional peak, played as much with the moods and usages of
Muzak
Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments owned by Mood Media.
The name ''Muzak'', a blend of music and the popular camera brand name Kodak, has been in use since 1934 and has been ...
as with those of rock and roll. This is definitely not his peak. Zappa plays a lot of guitar, just as his admirers always hope he will, but the overall effect is more
Martin Denny
Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 – March 2, 2005) was an American pianist, composer, and arranger. Known as the "father of exotica," he was a multi-instrumentalist and could play a number of percussion instruments. In a long career that saw him per ...
than Varese. Also featured are a number of 'dirty' jokes."
[Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: Z". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X.]
Track listing
Personnel
*
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
–
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
(except 8),
vocals
Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
(2, 6, 9, 10),
harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...
(3), Condor (5),
drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
and
percussions
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
(8)
*
Ian Underwood –
organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
(1),
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...
(2, 5),
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
(3),
electric piano
An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...
(4, 6, 9),
alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...
(4),
pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...
(5), electric alto saxophone with
wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of effects pedal designed for electric guitar that alters the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The peda ...
(7),
tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...
and
grand piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
(10)
*
Aynsley Dunbar – drums (except 3, 8),
tambourine
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...
(9)
*
John Guerin – drums (3)
*
Max Bennett –
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
(1, 3, 7)
*
Jeff Simmons – bass (2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10), vocals (2, 4, 9, 10)
*
George Duke
George Martin Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as ...
– organ (2, 10), electric piano (4, 5), vocal sound effects (4),
trombone
The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
(6, 9)
*
Howard Kaylan – vocals (2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10)
*
Mark Volman
Mark Randall Volman (born April 19, 1947) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with his bandmate and friend Howard Kaylan, a member of the 1970s rock ...
– vocals (2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10), rhythm guitar (9)
*
Don "Sugarcane" Harris – organ (7)
Production
* Producer: Frank Zappa
* Engineers: Stan Agol, Roy Baker, Dick Kunc, Bruce Margolis
* Production assistant: Dick Barber
* Arranger: Frank Zappa
* Cover design:
Cal Schenkel
Calvin "Cal" Schenkel (born January 27, 1947, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania) is an American illustrator, graphic designer, animator and comics artist, specializing in album cover design.
He was the main graphic arts collaborator for rock musician F ...
* Illustrations: Cal Schenkel
* Photography: Phil Franks (front cover) and John Williams
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
Lyrics and information
{{Authority control
1970 albums
Albums produced by Frank Zappa
Bizarre Records albums
Frank Zappa albums
Reprise Records albums
Albums recorded at Trident Studios