Thing-Fish

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thing-Fish
Thing-Fish cover
Studio album by Frank Zappa
Released December 21, 1984
Recorded 1980 – 1984
Genre Progressive rock, art rock, experimental rock, hard rock
Length 90:58
Label Barking Pumpkin Records
Capitol Records
Producer Frank Zappa
Professional reviews
Frank Zappa chronology
Them or Us
(1984)		 Thing-Fish
(1984)		 Francesco Zappa
(1984)

Thing-Fish is a 1984 album by Frank Zappa. Released as an "original cast recording," it is a concept album loosely based on the Tuskegee Experiment, where the effect of syphilis was noted in a poor, black community. The album's story comprises the soundtrack to an unproduced Broadway musical and contains many references to famous plays. Originally released as a triple-vinyl box set, much of the album's material originates from heavily overdubbed versions of recordings originally released on albums like Tinsel Town Rebellion, Zoot Allures, You Are What You Is, and Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch.[1]

In promotion of the album and proposed musical, a layout was prepared for Hustler magazine in 1983. Larry Flynt paid a total of $55,000 for the spread and for the Thing-Fish mask and Ob'Dewlla 'X' doll.[2] Zappa also appeared on Late Night with David Letterman to promote the musical, showing photos of the unfinished mask and doll.[3][4] In 2001, a group of students performed a section of Thing-Fish as final year project at LIPA in Liverpool. This production took place with the express permission of Gail Zappa (Frank's widow). Three of these students formed the company Stagecraft Entertainment Ltd. and managed to get Zappa's permission to perform an adaptation of the Musical in London in 2003.[5][6]

Contents

[edit] Story

The government has experimented on inmates, turning them into hideous creatures known as "Mammy-Nuns," thanks to a substance known as "Galoot Cologne" (cf. Brut) which was invented by an Evil Prince (and part-time theater critic) to get rid of selected "highly-rhythmic individj'lls an' sissy-boys." Being unable to return to their original jobs, the Mutant Mammy-Nuns are forced to perform in a Broadway musical about their plight. During a stage show of the Mammy-Nuns, Harry and Rhonda (your average white, middle-class couple) are kidnapped by Mammy-Nuns and are forced to witness and perform many twisted things. In "flashback" segments, we learn that as a boy, Harry briefly became homosexual after he lost all desire for intercourse with females because of the women's liberation movement, before falling in love with a rubber sex doll called "Artificial Rhonda."

[edit] Track listing

On the original 1986 CD issues, the tracks "The Massive Improve'lence" and "Artificial Rhonda" were at the beginning of Disc 2, rather than the end of Disc 1. The 1995 track listing is closer to the way the songs would appear in a performance of the musical, Artificial Rhonda being the end of the first act. There were two versions of the 1986 Rykodisc CD release—later pressings fix some sound quality problems and add some additional comments by Brown Moses (Johnny "Guitar" Watson) to the song "He's So Gay." The same commentary also appears on a rare EP version of "Won Ton On." Earlier pressings feature the original vinyl mixes of three tracks ("Prologue," "Harry-As-A-Boy" and "He's So Gay"), but are otherwise identical to later pressings.

[edit] Original release (vinyl box set)

[edit] Side one

  1. "Prologue" – 2:56
  2. "Mammy Nuns" – 3:31
  3. "Harry and Rhonda" – 3:36
  4. "Galoot Up-Date" – 5:27

[edit] Side two

  1. "'Torchum' Never Stops" – 10:32
  2. "That Evil Prince" – 1:17
  3. "You Are What You Is"" – 4:31

[edit] Side three

  1. "Mudd Club" – 3:17
  2. "Meek Shall Inherit Nothing" – 3:14
  3. "Clowns on Velvet" – 1:51
  4. "Harry-as-a-Boy" – 2:34
  5. "He's So Gay" – 2:44

[edit] Side four

  1. "Massive Improve'lence" – 5:07
  2. "Artificial Rhonda" – 3:32
  3. "Crab-Grass Baby" – 3:48
  4. "White Boy Troubles" – 3:34

[edit] Side five

  1. "No Not Now" – 5:49
  2. "Briefcase Boogie" – 4:10
  3. "Brown Moses" – 3:01

[edit] Side six

  1. "Wistful Wit a Fist-Full" – 4:00
  2. "Drop Dead" – 7:56
  3. "Won Ton On" – 4:19

[edit] Re-release (1995 on CD)

[edit] Disc 1 (Part I)

  1. "Prologue" – 2:56
  2. "Mammy Nuns" – 3:31
  3. "Harry and Rhonda" – 3:36
  4. "Galoot Up-Date" – 5:27
  5. "'Torchum' Never Stops" – 10:32
  6. "That Evil Prince" – 1:17
  7. "You Are What You Is" – 4:31
  8. "Mudd Club" – 3:17
  9. "Meek Shall Inherit Nothing" – 3:14
  10. "Clowns on Velvet" – 1:51
  11. "Harry-as-a-Boy" – 2:34
  12. "He's So Gay" – 2:44
  13. "Massive Improve'lence" – 5:07
  14. "Artificial Rhonda" – 3:32

[edit] Disc 2 (Part II)

  1. "Crab-Grass Baby" – 3:48
  2. "White Boy Troubles" – 3:34
  3. "No Not Now" – 5:49
  4. "Briefcase Boogie" – 4:10
  5. "Brown Moses" – 3:01
  6. "Wistful Wit a Fist-Full" – 4:00
  7. "Drop Dead" – 7:56
  8. "Won Ton On" – 4:19

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Cast

[edit] Musicians

[edit] Production staff

  • Bob Fletcher – costume design
  • Ladi Von Jansky – photography, cover photo
  • Bob Stone – engineer

[edit] References

  1. ^ Thing-Fish lyrics.. Information Is Not Knowledge. Retrieved on 2007-11-02.
  2. ^ THING-FISH Online!. The First Church of APPLIANTOLOGY. Retrieved on 2007-11-02.
  3. ^ The David Letterman interview can be viewed on YouTube
  4. ^ Frank Zappa Videography
  5. ^ Thing-Fish. The Idiot Bastard Son of T’Mershi Duween. Retrieved on 2007-11-02.
  6. ^ An authorized production of Frank Zappa's Thing-Fish. Stagecraft Entertainment. Retrieved on 2007-11-02.

[edit] External links

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
Compilations
Box sets
Films
and videos
Related articles