Classic Day – Artisan Orchestra

The technicality that comes from the musical marvel that was Frank Zappa starts early in his career with the 1966 release Freak Out! that bust onto the scene spawning a career that would span over 111 total studio albums and records that would test the replayability of true 180-gram vinyl. The first to be worn out was Frank Zappa And The Mothers Over-Nite Sensation that sparked the initial love for Zappa and his twisted artisan orchestra of sound.

From the first ensemble that joins in harmony to form the immensely detailed and isolated performances from each instrument. “Camarillo Brillo” which not only managed to sneak Zappa’s intriguing and peculiar songwriting with a blend of catchy production that takes the listener by the hand, showing them the vivid walls of brightly lit colors that are disguised as drum fills and guitar wails. The tweaks of the strings as Zappa describes, “And so she wandered through the doorway, just like a shadow from the tomb. She said her stereo was four-way, and I’d just love it in her room” creates this peak of excellence. The obtuse writing is quotable and instantly recognizable over the frantic movements, but also display a side of Zappa that allows his fellow musicians to take the spotlight and become the stars.

Between Tom Fowler on the bass, Ian Underwood on flute, clarinet, and both saxophone pieces. That line-up alone is enough to strike some sense of musical ability that small armies would be jealous of. Then with Ralph Humphrey on the percussive set and Ruth Underwood on the marimba and vibraphone; Zappa recruits this passionate arsenal of past loves to come back and jam along to the wild progressive world that becomes Over-Nite Sensation.

Each track feels and acts much differently than the previous and is able to keep a constant flow of motion that not only captures the fanatic-potential that Frank Zappa And The Mothers had, but the chemistry is fascinating. Even as the record is 34-minutes long, Over-Nite Sensation packs some of the heaviest hits of Zappa’s discography with “Fifty-Fifty”, “I’m The Slime”, and even “Montana” which feel more as staples to the record and his style that capture the oddly strange, but engaging pieces through revitalization.

After an almost entirely uplifting and futuristically progressive stance on the 1973 release, Over-Nite Sensation creates more questions within Zappa than it answers. Not only is he able to curate this madness and make sense of the working parts, but Zappa manipulates the immaculately clean instrumentation with performance explosions that resonate even years after the initial release.

Listen To Over-Nite Sensation Here!!! – Youtube/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes