FRANK ZAPPA - 200 Motels (1971-1997) 2xCD / RM / Deluxe Edition / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The soundtrack to Frank Zappa's strange early-'70s film 200 Motels was always doomed to be a peripheral entry in his discography. The movie's story was not easy to follow, and neither is the record (not that plot was ever a big focus of the production). It's typically wacky Zappa of the era, with unpredictable sharp turns between crunchy rock bombast, orchestration, and jazz/classical influences, as well as interjections of wacky spoken dialogue. Those who like his late-'60s/early-'70s work -- not as song-oriented as his first albums, in other words, but not as "serious" or as silly as his later records -- will probably like this fine, although it's not up to the level of Uncle Meat. It's funny in spots as well, especially the part where a disgruntled sideman gets tempted away from the band to do his own thing (a libretto that was, apparently, based on real-life incidents concerning Zappa sideman Jeff Simmons, who left during the project). On the other hand, there's a growing tendency to deploy the smutty, cheap humor that would soon dominate much of Zappa's work. by Richie Unterberger
Tracklist 1 :
1     Semi-Fraudulent/Direct-From-Hollywood Overture     1:59
2     Mystery Roach     2:32
3     Dance Of The Rock & Roll Interviewers     0:48
4     This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (Prologue)     0:55
5     Tuna Fish Promenade     2:29
6     Dance Of The Just Plain Folks     4:40
7     This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (Reprise)     0:58
8     The Sealed Tuna Bolero     1:40
9     Lonesome Cowboy Burt 3:59
    Vocals – Jimmy Carl Black
10     Touring Can Make You Crazy     2:52
11     Would You Like A Snack?     1:23
12     Redneck Eats     3:02
13     Centerville     2:31
14     She Painted Up Her Face     1:41
15     Janet's Big Dance Number     1:18
16     Half A Dozen Provocative Squats     1:57
17     Mysterioso     0:48
18     Shove It Right In     2:32
19     Lucy's Seduction Of A Bored Violinist & Postlude     4:01
Tracklist 2 :
1     I'm Stealing The Towels     2:14
2     Dental Hygiene Dilemma     5:11
3     Does This Kind Of Life Look Interesting To You?     2:59
4     Daddy, Daddy, Daddy     3:11
5     Penis Dimension     4:37
6     What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning     3:32
7     A Nun Suit Painted On Some Old Boxes     1:08
8     Magic Fingers     3:53
9     Motorhead's Midnight Ranch     1:28
10     Dew On The Newts We Got     1:09
11     The Lad Searches The Night For His Newts     0:41
12     The Girl Wants To Fix Him Some Broth     1:10
13     The Girl's Dream     0:54
14     Little Green Scratchy Sweaters & Courduroy Ponce     1:00
15     Strictly Genteel (The Finale)     11:10
- Bonus Tracks -
16     CUT1 "Coming Soon!..."     0:56
17     CUT2 "The Wide Screen Erupts..."     0:57
18     CUT3 "Coming Soon!..."     0:31
19     CUT4 "Frank Zappa's 200 Motels..."     0:11
20     Magic Fingers (Single Edit)     2:57
Credits:
Bass – Martin Lickert
Chorus – The Top Score Singers
Composed By, Orchestrated By – Frank Zappa
Conductor – Elgar Howarth
Conductor [Choir] – David Van Asch
Design [Booklet Design] – Cal Schenkel, Ph. D
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Ensemble – Classical Guitar Ensemble
Featuring – The Mothers Of Invention
Guitar, Bass – Frank Zappa
Keyboards, Trombone – George Duke
Keyboards, Wind – Ian Underwood
Narrator – Theodore Bikel
Orchestra – The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Percussion [Orchestra Drum Set] – Ruth Underwood
Producer – Frank Zappa
Supervised By [Classical Guitar Ensemble Supervised By] – John Williams
Vocals, Other [Special Material] – Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman
Voice [Of The "bad Conscience"] – Jim Pons