Sheik Yerbouti

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Sheik Yerbouti
Live album by Frank Zappa
Released	March 3, 1979
Recorded	Hammersmith Odeon London, January 24 – 28 & February 24 – 28 1978, The Palladium, New York City, October 28 – October 31, 1977
Genre	Comedy rock, progressive rock
Length	70:22
Label	Zappa Records
Producer	Frank Zappa
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone (favorable) link
Frank Zappa chronology
Sleep Dirt (1979) Sheik Yerbouti (1979) Orchestral Favorites (1979)

Sheik Yerbouti is a double vinyl album by Frank Zappa featuring material recorded in 1977 and 1978. It was first released on March 3, 1979 (see 1979 in music) as the first release on Zappa Records. It was re-issued on compact disc by Rykodisc on May 9, 1995 (see 1995 in music). The title is a play on words; Zappa appears on the cover in character in Arab headdress, and the name, meant to resemble an Arabic transcription, is pronounced like the title of KC and the Sunshine Band's 1976 disco hit "Shake Your Booty".

Sheik Yerbouti represented a major turning point in Zappa's career. The first album to be released on his own eponymous label after his departure from Warner Bros. Records, it emphasized the comedic aspect of his lyrics more than ever before, beginning a period of increased record sales and mainstream media attention.

The album featured more of Zappa's satirical and otherwise humorous or offensive material. "I Have Been in You" pokes fun at Peter Frampton's 1977 hit "I'm in You" while maintaining a sexually driven structure. "Dancin' Fool", a Grammy nominee, became a popular disco hit despite its obvious parodical reflection of disco music. "Flakes" includes a parody of Bob Dylan. "Jewish Princess", a humorous look at Jewish stereotyping, attracted attention from the Anti-Defamation League, to which Zappa denied an apology, arguing: "Well, I didn't make up the idea of a Jewish Princess. They exist, so I wrote a song about them".

Some of Zappa's solos from the album began life as improvisations from Zappa's earlier work. "Rat Tomago" was edited from a performance of "The Torture Never Stops", which originally appeared on Zoot Allures; "The Sheik Yerbouti Tango" likewise from a live "Little House I Used to Live In", originally a Burnt Weeny Sandwich track. The song "City of Tiny Lites" featured an animation video made by Bruce Bickford which featured on the Old Grey Whistle Test.

Almost entirely live, the album features two short studio recordings, both falling under a minute, which open and close "Rat Tomago". "Rubber Shirt" was heavily doctored by Zappa in the studio using unrelated bits and pieces of Terry Bozzio and Patrick O'Hearn's drum and bass playing, respectively. Zappa referred to this technique as xenochrony. Aside from some overdubs, these are the only exceptions.

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Side one 1.2 Side two 1.3 Side three 1.4 Side four 2 Personnel 3 Cover Band

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Frank Zappa except "Rubber Shirt" by Bozzio/O'Hearn/Zappa.

[edit] Side one

1. "I Have Been in You" – 3:33
2. "Flakes" – 6:41
3. "Broken Hearts Are for Assholes" – 3:42
4. "I'm So Cute" – 3:09 (1995 CD) 4:20 (Vinyl and EMI CD)

[edit] Side two

1. "Jones Crusher" – 2:49
2. "What Ever Happened to All the Fun in the World" – 0:33
3. "Rat Tomago" – 5:15
4. "Wait a Minute" – 0:33
   • Originally titled "We've Got to Get into Something Real" on vinyl releases of Sheik Yerbouti.
5. "Bobby Brown (Goes Down)" – 2:49 (song sample, 600Kb)
   • Originally titled "Bobby Brown" on vinyl releases of Sheik Yerbouti.
6. "Rubber Shirt" – 2:45
7. "The Sheik Yerbouti Tango" – 3:56

[edit] Side three

1. "Baby Snakes" – 1:50
2. "Tryin' to Grow a Chin" – 3:31
3. "City of Tiny Lites" – 5:32
4. "Dancin' Fool" – 3:43
5. "Jewish Princess" – 3:16

[edit] Side four

1. "Wild Love" – 4:09
2. "Yo' Mama" – 12:36

[edit] Personnel

• Adrian Belew – Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
• Ed Mann – Percussion, Vocals
• Bob Stone – Digital Remastering
• Terry Bozzio – Drums, Vocals
• Napoleon Murphy Brock – Vocals (bckgr)
• Joe Chiccarelli – Remixing, Overdub Engineer
• Frank Zappa – Guitar, Arranger, Composer, Vocals, Producer, Remixing
• Lynn Goldsmith – Photography, Cover Photo
• Peter Henderson – Engineer
• Andre Lewis – Keyboards, Vocals (bckgr)
• Bob Ludwig – Mastering Engineer
• Tommy Mars – Keyboards, Vocals
• Kerry McNabb – Engineer
• Davey Moire – Vocals, Engineer
• Patrick O'Hearn – Bass, Vocals
• David Ocker – Clarinet
• Randy Thornton [1] – Vocals (bckgr)
• John Williams – Art Direction
• Gail Zappa – Photography
• Amy Bernstein – Artwork, Layout Design
• Peter Wolf – Keyboards
• Barbara Isaak – Assistant
• Randy Thornton – Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)

[edit] Cover Band

A Frank Zappa tribute band called Sheik Yerbouti performed on the final weekend of July, at ORWOhaus in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district of Berlin, to celebrate the renaming of Street 13 to "Frank-Zappa-Straße" in honor of Frank Zappa.

v • d • e Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention Main albums Freak Out! • Absolutely Free • We're Only in It for the Money • Lumpy Gravy • Cruising with Ruben & the Jets • Uncle Meat • Hot Rats • Burnt Weeny Sandwich • Weasels Ripped My Flesh • Chunga's Revenge • Fillmore East - June 1971 • 200 Motels • Just Another Band from L.A. • Waka/Jawaka • The Grand Wazoo • Over-Nite Sensation • Apostrophe (') • Roxy & Elsewhere • One Size Fits All • Bongo Fury • Zoot Allures • Zappa in New York • Studio Tan • Sleep Dirt • Sheik Yerbouti • Orchestral Favorites • Joe's Garage • Tinseltown Rebellion • Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar • You Are What You Is • Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch • The Man from Utopia • Baby Snakes • London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 • Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger • Them or Us • Thing-Fish • Francesco Zappa • Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention • Does Humor Belong in Music? • Jazz from Hell • London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 2 • Guitar • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 • Broadway the Hard Way • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 • The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 • Make a Jazz Noise Here • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 • Playground Psychotics • Ahead of Their Time • The Yellow Shark Posthumous albums Civilization Phaze III • The Lost Episodes • Läther • Mystery Disc • Everything Is Healing Nicely • FZ:OZ • Halloween • Joe's Corsage • Joe's Domage • Joe's XMASage • Imaginary Diseases • Trance-Fusion • Buffalo • The Dub Room Special • Wazoo Compilations Mothermania • The Guitar World According to Frank Zappa • Strictly Commercial • Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute • Have I Offended Someone? • Strictly Genteel • QuAUDIOPHILIAc • The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAA Birthday Bundle Box sets The Old Masters Box One • The Old Masters Box Two • The Old Masters Box Three • Beat the Boots • Beat the Boots II • The MOFO Project/Object Films and videos 200 Motels • Baby Snakes • The Dub Room Special • Video from Hell • Does Humor Belong in Music? • The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels • The Amazing Mr. Bickford • Uncle Meat Related articles Cultural references to Frank Zappa • Frank Zappa discography • The Real Frank Zappa Book • The Rage and the Fury • Dance Me This • Zappa Plays Zappa