Joe's Garage
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Joe's Garage is a 1979 triple LP rock opera by Frank Zappa, featuring such memorable tunes as "Catholic Girls," a sequel to "Jewish Princess." The major themes of the album (which Frank's libretto says "should be performed as a bad school play") include groupie migration, mockery of Scientology (referred to here as the First Church of Appliantology, founded by L. Ron Hoover), robot appliance sex (machine fetishism), garage bands, and above all censorship of music as an artform (eerily predicting the PMRC).
The album heavily featured Ike Willis as the voice of "Joe", a stereotypical garage band youth who unwittingly journeys through the miasma of the music business. Zappa provides the voice of the "Central Scrutinizer" character —a mechanical voice which narrates the story and haunts Joe's psyche with McCarthyistic 50s-era discouragement and "scrutiny."
The album was originally issued in two parts, the first part being a single LP of Act I, and the second part being a double-LP set of Acts II & III. All three acts were later issued together as a box set. The double-CD issue from Rykodisc features all three acts.
A film adaptation was planned during the 1980s (in reaction to the popularity of the film adaptations of the rock operas Tommy and The Wall), but it never came to pass.
Story
Joe used to be a nice boy who would cut his neighbors' grass until he discovered rock music, then he would spend all his time playing loud music in his garage, where the neighbors would often call the cops on him. He loses his girlfriend, Mary, a Catholic girl, to a band called "Toad-O" (mocking the band Toto) with whom she goes on the road, sleeping with the bandmembers. Eventually, they abandon her in Miami when she is too tired to do anything.
She enters a wet t-shirt contest to try and make enough money to get back home. Joe hears of her exploits, and in retaliation, screws a girl who works at the Jack-In-The-Box named Lucille who gives him an unpronouncable disease though he claims it came from a toilet seat. He turns to religion for help, and, through L. Ron Hoover and the Church of Appliantology (see L. Ron Hubbard of the Church of Scientology), is directed to a lifestyle of having sex with robotic lovers.
When he destroys an expensive model with a golden shower, he is thrown in prison where he is repeatedly gang raped by former music executives. When he gets out, music has become illegal. He loses his sanity, and begins imagining all the guitar notes he cannot play. Eventually, he comes to terms with the fact that music is gone, and gets a job at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, frosting muffins.
Cast
- Central Scrutinizer, Larry, L. Ron Hoover, Father Riley & Buddy Jones – Frank Zappa
- Joe – Ike Willis
- Mary – Dale Bozzio
- Mrs. Borg – Denny Walley
- Officer Butzis – Al Malkin
- Sy Borg – Warren Cuccurullo & Ed Mann
- Bald-Headed John – Terry Bozzio
- The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen Chorus – AL MALKIN, WARREN CUCURULLO, DALE BOZZIO, GEORDIE HORMEL, BARBARA ISSAK & most of the people who work at Village Recorders (circa 1979).
Track listing
All songs written, arranged, and conducted by Frank Zappa.
Act I
- "Central Scrutinizer" – 3:28
- "Joe's Garage" – 6:10
- "Catholic Girls" – 4:26
- "Crew Slut" – 6:31
- "Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt" – 4:45
- "On the Bus" – 4:19
- "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" – 2:36
- "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" – 5:43
- "Scrutinizer Postlude" – 1:35
Act II
- "A Token of My Extreme" – 5:30
- "Stick It Out" – 4:34
- "Sy Borg" – 8:56
- "Dong Work for Yuda" – 5:03
- "Keep It Greasey" – 8:22
- "Outside Now" – 5:50
Act III
- "He Used to Cut the Grass" – 8:35
- "Packard Goose" – 11:34
- "Watermelon in Easter Hay" – 9:09
- "A Little Green Rosetta" – 8:15
Personnel
- Al Malkin – Vocals
- Arthur Barrow – Vocals, Bass
- Barbara Isaak – Choir, Chorus, Assistant
- Craig Twister Steward – Harmonica
- Dale Bozzio – Vocals
- Denny Walley – Vocals, Slide Guitar, Guitar
- Ed Mann – Vocals, Percussion
- Ferenc Dobronyi – Cover Design
- Frank Zappa – Arranger, Conductor, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer, Main Performer, Guitar
- Geordie Hormel – Choir, Chorus
- Ike Willis – Vocals
- Jack Hunt – Mastering
- Jeff – Sax (Tenor)
- Jimmy Carl Black – Drums, Percussion
- Joe Chiccarelli – Engineer, Mixing, Recording
- John Williams – Artwork
- Marginal Chagrin – Sax (Baritone)
- Mick Glossop – Remixing
- Norman Seeff – Photography, Cover Photo
- Patrick O'Hearn – Wind, Bass
- Peter Wolf – Keyboards
- Stan Ricker – Mastering
- Steve Alsberg – Project Coordinator
- Steve Nye – Remixing
- Stumuk – Sax (Baritone), Sax (Bass)
- Terry Bozzio – Guest Vocals
- Thomas Nordegg – Assistant
- Tom Cummings – Assistant
- Tommy Mars – Keyboards
- Vinnie Colaiuta – Drums, Percussion
- Warren Cuccurullo – Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals, Choir, Chorus, Organ, Guitar
Notes
Watermelon in Easter Hay is Gail Zappa's favourite song of Franks.
See also
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