Burnt Weeny Sandwich is the seventh album by the American rock band the Mothers of Invention, and the ninth overall by Frank Zappa, released in 1970. It consists of both studio and live recordings.[1][3][4][5] Following the Mothers' split in late 1969, Zappa assembled two albums of unreleased recordings by the band - this album and its follow-up Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Burnt Weeny Sandwich focuses mostly on studio recordings and tightly arranged compositions, while Weasels Ripped My Flesh focuses mostly on live recordings and loose/improvisational pieces. Both albums also include some outtakes/leftovers from the sessions for Zappa's 1969 solo album Hot Rats.
| Burnt Weeny Sandwich | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album with live elements by | ||||
| Released | February 9, 1970 | |||
| Recorded | August 1967 – July 1969 | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 41:27 | |||
| Label | Bizarre/Reprise | |||
| Producer | Frank Zappa | |||
| Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
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| The Mothers of Invention chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Burnt Weeny Sandwich | ||||
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| 2 Originals of the Mothers of Invention | ||||
 | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [2] |
The LP included a large triple-folded black and white poster ("The Mothers of Invention Sincerely Regret to Inform You") which has never been reproduced in any of the CD reissues (except the Japanese Ryko mini-lp sleeve editions).
Title
editThe album's unusual title, Zappa would later say in an interview, comes from an actual snack that he enjoyed eating, consisting of a burnt Hebrew National hot dog sandwiched between two pieces of bread with mustard.[6]
In 1975, Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh were reissued together as 2 Originals of the Mothers of Invention, with the original covers used as the left and right sides of the inner spread, and the outer gatefold cover depicting a revolver shooting toothpaste onto a toothbrush.
Album information
editThe album was essentially a 'posthumous' Mothers release having been released after Frank Zappa dissolved the band.[7]
Ian Underwood's contributions are significant on this album. Like its counterpart Weasels Ripped My Flesh, this comprises tracks from the Mothers vault that were not previously released. Whereas Weasels mostly showcases the Mothers in a live setting, much of Burnt Weeny Sandwich features studio work and structured Zappa compositions, like the centerpiece of the album, "Little House I Used to Live In", which consists of several movements and employs compound meters such as 11/8 with overlaid melodies in 6/8 and 4/4.[8] The ending section of "Little House" features an organ solo played by Zappa with the band at Whitney Studios in Glendale, California.[9]
The guitar solo portion of the "Theme from Burnt Weeny Sandwich" is an outtake from an unused extended version of "Lonely Little Girl" from the 1967 sessions for the We're Only in It for the Money LP. Zappa and Art Tripp later added multiple percussion overdubs for the released version (The source recordings for the percussion overdubs were issued in 2012 on the posthumous Zappa release Finer Moments under the title "Enigmas 1-5").
"Igor's Boogie" is a reference to a major Zappa influence, composer Igor Stravinsky.[10]
Cal Schenkel has noted that his unique cover art for Burnt Weeny Sandwich was originally commissioned for the cover of an Eric Dolphy release.[11]
The piano introduction of "Little House I Used to Live in" appears in Yvar Mikhashoff's four CD set "Yvar Mikhashoff's Panorama of American Piano Music".[12]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Frank Zappa except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "WPLJ" (Ray Dobard, Luther McDaniel) | 3:02 |
| 2. | "Igor's Boogie, Phase One" | 0:40 |
| 3. | "Overture to a Holiday in Berlin" | 1:29 |
| 4. | "Theme from Burnt Weeny Sandwich" | 4:35 |
| 5. | "Igor's Boogie, Phase Two" | 0:35 |
| 6. | "Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown" | 6:27 |
| 7. | "Aybe Sea" | 2:45 |
| Total length: | 19:54 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Little House I Used to Live in[13]" | 18:42 |
| 9. | "Valarie" (Jackie and the Starlites) | 3:14 |
| Total length: | 21:56 | |
Personnel
edit- Frank Zappa – guitar, organ, vocals
- Jimmy Carl Black – percussion, drums
- Roy Estrada – bass, backing vocals, Pachuco rap on "WPLJ"
- Janet Ferguson – backing vocals on "WPLJ"
- Bunk Gardner – wind
- Buzz Gardner – trumpet
- Billy Mundi – drums (uncredited, left group in December 1967, pictured on gatefold cover and possibly played on "Theme from Burnt Weeny Sandwich")
- Lowell George – guitar, vocals
- Don "Sugarcane" Harris – violin on "Little House I Used to Live In"
- Don Preston – piano, keyboards
- Jim Sherwood – wind
- Art Tripp – drums, percussion
- Ian Underwood – piano, keyboards, wind
- John Balkin – bass on "WPLJ", string bass on "Overture to a Holiday in Berlin"
Production
edit- Producer: Frank Zappa
- Engineer: Dick Kunc
- Arranger: Frank Zappa
- Design: John Williams
- Cover art: Cal Schenkel
- CD package design: Ferenc Dobronyl
- CD art adaptation: Cal Schenkel
Charts
editAlbum - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Billboard 200 | 94 |
References
edit- ^ a b AllMusic review
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 799, 800.
- ^ Lowe, Kelly Fisher (2007). The Words and Music of Frank Zappa. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803260054.
- ^ Ben Watson; Esther Leslie, eds. (2005). Academy Zappa: Proceedings of the First International Conference of Esemplastic Zappology (ICE-Z). SAF Publishing. ISBN 9780946719792.
- ^ James, Billy (2002-10-01). Necessity Is: The Early Years of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. ISBN 9780946719518.
- ^ "Playboy Interview: Frank Zappa By David Sheff".
- ^ James, Billy (2002). Necessity Is . . .: The Early Years of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (2nd ed.). SAF Publishing Ltd. p. 133. ISBN 0-946719-51-9. Extract of page 133
- ^ "Song Review by François Couture". All Music. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "CFNY, Toronto, October 2, 1978".
- ^ Watson, Ben (1994). Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play. Quartet Books Ltd. p. 9. ISBN 0-7043-7066-2.
- ^ "Burnt Weeny Sandwich".
- ^ "Yvar Mikhashoff's Panorama of American Piano Music". Mode Records. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ Length of "Little House I Used to Live in" is incorrectly listed as 21:52 on the sleeve of the original LP and the 2012 CD.