Apostrophe (')
Encyclopedia
Apostrophe is an album
by Frank Zappa
, his eighteenth, released on March 22, 1974 in both stereo
and quadraphonic
formats. An edited version of its lead-off track, "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow", was Zappa's first chart single, reaching position 86. Apostrophe (') remains Zappa's biggest commercial success in the US. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 7, 1976 and reached number 10 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart.
Continuing from the commercial breakthrough of Over-Nite Sensation
(1973), this album is a similar mix of short songs showcasing Zappa's humor and musical arrangements. The record's lyrical themes are often bizarre or obscure, with the exception of "Uncle Remus" which is an extension of Zappa's feelings on racial disharmony featured on his earlier song "Trouble Every Day".
. A fur trapper comes up from behind Nanook's igloo and commences to "whip on" his favorite baby seal with a lead filled snow shoe. After the fur trapper goes right upside the head of Nanook's favorite baby seal, hitting him on the head and the fin, Nanook
responds by rubbing yellow snow (that is, snow which had been urinated upon by huskies) in his "beady little eyes", blinding him. The fur trapper remembers an ancient Eskimo legend ("Wherein it is written—on whatever it is that they write it on up there") and travels to "the parish of St. Alfonzo". At this point, the album takes an unexpected turn and instead tells of rambunctious antics ("wheedled
on the bingo
cards in lieu of the latrine") and follows with a scenario in which a leprechaun "stroked it
"; another line talks of "abused
the sausage patty" followed by a short musical interlude that includes high-pitched orgasm
ic screaming. However, the complete suite is not available, missing the final movement, "Rollo", which however wasn't probably lyrically written at the time (the music had been written earlier, as a version of it appears on the Imaginary Diseases
album).
As the album reaches "Cosmik Debris", there are several references to earlier albums and songs. The "dust of the Grand Wazoo
" is mentioned, as well as "the toads of the short forest" (featured previously on 1970's Weasels Ripped My Flesh
and on Over-Nite Sensation
, specifically "Camarillo Brillo").
As was the case with many of Zappa's albums, Apostrophe was a menage of archival and newer recordings (most of Apostrophe (') and Over-Nite Sensation were recorded simultaneously). The older recordings include the basic tracks for: "Excentrifugal Forz" (a Hot Rats
outtake) and "Uncle Remus" (from The Grand Wazoo
). While the title track also hails (with some possible 1973 overdubbage) from The Grand Wazoo
' sessions.
The title track is an instrumental jam featuring Cream
bassist Jack Bruce
and drummer Jim Gordon
. Jack Bruce is credited on the album cover with bass guitar
and co-writing the title song. However, in his interview for Polish rock magazine Tylko Rock he jokingly insisted to journalist Weiss Wiesław that he had not played any bass guitar parts on Apostrophe ('), only the cello
parts. Bruce learned cello as a child and plays it on some of his other recordings. However, his cello comments regarding Apostrophe (') can't be taken seriously because there is in fact no cello on the title song or on the album. His bass playing on Apostrophe (') does in fact sound at times very much like the bass lines that he played with Cream.
(Tylko Rock, Oct. 1992, pp. 17)
However, in an interview in Guitar Player Magazine from January 1977, Zappa talks about his experience with Jack Bruce's bass playing on the song:
in Pittsburgh edited the album versions of "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" and "Nanook Rubs It" to play on his radio show. While Zappa toured Europe, he learned of this version's success, and decided to create his own edited version once he returned to the United States, and released it as a single.
Apostrophe (') and the preceding release Over-Nite Sensation, recorded with the same group of musicians, are the subject of a Classic Albums
series documentary from Eagle Rock Entertainment
, released on DVD May 1, 2007.
(North America)
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, his eighteenth, released on March 22, 1974 in both stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
and quadraphonic
Quadraphonic
Quadraphonic sound – the most widely used early term for what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of one another...
formats. An edited version of its lead-off track, "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow", was Zappa's first chart single, reaching position 86. Apostrophe (') remains Zappa's biggest commercial success in the US. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 7, 1976 and reached number 10 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart.
Continuing from the commercial breakthrough of Over-Nite Sensation
Over-Nite Sensation
Over-Nite Sensation is an album by Frank Zappa & The Mothers, released in 1973 . It was recorded in March – June 1973 at these studios: Bolic Sound in Inglewood, Whitney, in Glendale, and Paramount in Los Angeles...
(1973), this album is a similar mix of short songs showcasing Zappa's humor and musical arrangements. The record's lyrical themes are often bizarre or obscure, with the exception of "Uncle Remus" which is an extension of Zappa's feelings on racial disharmony featured on his earlier song "Trouble Every Day".
Music
The first half of the album loosely follows a continuing theme. "Nanook Rubs It" tells of a dream the singer had where he saw himself as an Eskimo named NanookNanook
In Inuit mythology, Nanook or Nanuq , which is from the Inuit language for polar bear, was the master of bears, meaning he decided if hunters had followed all applicable taboos and if they deserved success in hunting bears....
. A fur trapper comes up from behind Nanook's igloo and commences to "whip on" his favorite baby seal with a lead filled snow shoe. After the fur trapper goes right upside the head of Nanook's favorite baby seal, hitting him on the head and the fin, Nanook
Nanook
In Inuit mythology, Nanook or Nanuq , which is from the Inuit language for polar bear, was the master of bears, meaning he decided if hunters had followed all applicable taboos and if they deserved success in hunting bears....
responds by rubbing yellow snow (that is, snow which had been urinated upon by huskies) in his "beady little eyes", blinding him. The fur trapper remembers an ancient Eskimo legend ("Wherein it is written—on whatever it is that they write it on up there") and travels to "the parish of St. Alfonzo". At this point, the album takes an unexpected turn and instead tells of rambunctious antics ("wheedled
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...
on the bingo
Bingo (US)
Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5x5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as cards. Many versions conclude the game when the first...
cards in lieu of the latrine") and follows with a scenario in which a leprechaun "stroked it
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
"; another line talks of "abused
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
the sausage patty" followed by a short musical interlude that includes high-pitched orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
ic screaming. However, the complete suite is not available, missing the final movement, "Rollo", which however wasn't probably lyrically written at the time (the music had been written earlier, as a version of it appears on the Imaginary Diseases
Imaginary Diseases
Imaginary Diseases is an album of material by Frank Zappa from the Petite Wazoo tour of 1972. It is one of two finished CD projects from the tour containing material mastered by Zappa before his death.-Track listing:All tracks by Frank Zappa....
album).
As the album reaches "Cosmik Debris", there are several references to earlier albums and songs. The "dust of the Grand Wazoo
The Grand Wazoo
The Grand Wazoo is a 1972 jazz fusion album by Frank Zappa. Composed and recorded during Zappa's period of convalescence following his assault in London, the album, along with its "twin brother" Waka/Jawaka, represent Zappa's foray into big band fusion, the logical progression from Hot Rats, which...
" is mentioned, as well as "the toads of the short forest" (featured previously on 1970's Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Weasels Ripped My Flesh is an album by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, released in 1970.Given Zappa's already stated penchant for expressing his music in "phases"—We're Only in It for the Money was written up as "phase one of Lumpy Gravy"—conceptually, Zappa fans occasionally label this...
and on Over-Nite Sensation
Over-Nite Sensation
Over-Nite Sensation is an album by Frank Zappa & The Mothers, released in 1973 . It was recorded in March – June 1973 at these studios: Bolic Sound in Inglewood, Whitney, in Glendale, and Paramount in Los Angeles...
, specifically "Camarillo Brillo").
As was the case with many of Zappa's albums, Apostrophe was a menage of archival and newer recordings (most of Apostrophe (') and Over-Nite Sensation were recorded simultaneously). The older recordings include the basic tracks for: "Excentrifugal Forz" (a Hot Rats
Hot Rats
Hot Rats is the second solo album by Frank Zappa. It was released in October 1969. Five of the six songs are instrumental . It was Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original Mothers of Invention...
outtake) and "Uncle Remus" (from The Grand Wazoo
The Grand Wazoo
The Grand Wazoo is a 1972 jazz fusion album by Frank Zappa. Composed and recorded during Zappa's period of convalescence following his assault in London, the album, along with its "twin brother" Waka/Jawaka, represent Zappa's foray into big band fusion, the logical progression from Hot Rats, which...
). While the title track also hails (with some possible 1973 overdubbage) from The Grand Wazoo
The Grand Wazoo
The Grand Wazoo is a 1972 jazz fusion album by Frank Zappa. Composed and recorded during Zappa's period of convalescence following his assault in London, the album, along with its "twin brother" Waka/Jawaka, represent Zappa's foray into big band fusion, the logical progression from Hot Rats, which...
' sessions.
The title track is an instrumental jam featuring Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
bassist Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
and drummer Jim Gordon
Jim Gordon (musician)
James Beck "Jim" Gordon is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek...
. Jack Bruce is credited on the album cover with bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and co-writing the title song. However, in his interview for Polish rock magazine Tylko Rock he jokingly insisted to journalist Weiss Wiesław that he had not played any bass guitar parts on Apostrophe ('), only the cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
parts. Bruce learned cello as a child and plays it on some of his other recordings. However, his cello comments regarding Apostrophe (') can't be taken seriously because there is in fact no cello on the title song or on the album. His bass playing on Apostrophe (') does in fact sound at times very much like the bass lines that he played with Cream.
(Tylko Rock, Oct. 1992, pp. 17)
- "WW: Can you tell me something about your cooperation with Frank Zappa?
- JB: Sure, what do you happen to know? (laughs)
- WW: You appeared on his Apostrophe album...
- JB: Yes, as you know, at the time I was recording an album with Carla BleyCarla BleyCarla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
, far more interesting one... you heard that? - WW: Yes, Escalator over the HillEscalator over the HillEscalator over the Hill is mostly referred to as a jazz opera, but it was released as a "chronotransduction" with "words by Paul Haines, adaptation and music by Carla Bley, production and coordination by Michael Mantler", performed by the Jazz Composer's Orchestra.-History:Escalator over the Hill...
... - JB: Right. So Frank, whom I met earlier, appeared one day in the studio and asked me: "Can you take your cello and go to my session?" So I turned up in a NY studio with my cello, I'm listening to his music, pretty awful, and just don't know what to do with myself, and Frank says to me: "Listen, I would like you to play a sound, like this... whaaaaaang!!!" So I did what he asked me to do. Whaaaaaang!!! That was all. That was my input to Frank Zappa's most popular record! (laughs) "
However, in an interview in Guitar Player Magazine from January 1977, Zappa talks about his experience with Jack Bruce's bass playing on the song:
Q: What about playing with (bass guitarist) Jack Bruce on Apostrophe?
FZ: Well, that was just a jam thing that happened because he was a friend of (drummer) Jim Gordon. I found it very difficult to play with him; he's too busy. He doesn't really want to play the bass in terms of root functions; I think he has other things on his mind. But that's the way jam sessions go.
Release and reception
A disc jockeyDisc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
in Pittsburgh edited the album versions of "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" and "Nanook Rubs It" to play on his radio show. While Zappa toured Europe, he learned of this version's success, and decided to create his own edited version once he returned to the United States, and released it as a single.
Apostrophe (') and the preceding release Over-Nite Sensation, recorded with the same group of musicians, are the subject of a Classic Albums
Classic Albums
Classic Albums is a documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.-Format:...
series documentary from Eagle Rock Entertainment
Eagle Rock Entertainment
Eagle Rock Entertainment is the largest producer and distributor of music programming for DVD, Blu-Ray, TV and Digital Media in the world. Eagle works directly alongside talent to produce top quality, high-definition and 3D programs, both concerts and documentaries, including The Rolling Stones,...
, released on DVD May 1, 2007.
Side one
- "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" – 2:07
- "Nanook Rubs It" – 4:38
- "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast" – 1:50
- "Father O'Blivion" – 2:18
- "Cosmik DebrisCosmik Debris"Cosmik Debris" is a song by American composer Frank Zappa, from his 1974 album Apostrophe .It concerns the Mystery Man, a typical guru or psychic, offering to help the narrator reach Nervanna [sic] for a "nominal service charge," and the narrator's refusal to buy into his act, "Look here, brother,...
" – 4:14
Side two
- "Excentrifugal Forz" – 1:33
- "Apostrophe'" – 5:50 (Zappa, Jim GordonJim Gordon (musician)James Beck "Jim" Gordon is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek...
, Jack BruceJack BruceJohn Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
) - "Uncle Remus" – 2:44 (Zappa, George DukeGeorge DukeGeorge Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
) - "Stink-Foot" - 6:33
Musicians
- Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but... - Lynn – vocals, backing vocals
- Kerry McNabb – backing vocals, engineer, remixing
- Ian UnderwoodIan UnderwoodIan Robertson Underwood is a woodwind and keyboards player. He began his career by playing San Francisco Bay Area coffeehouses and bars with his improvisational group the Jazz Mice in the mid 1960s before he became a member of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in 1967 for their third studio...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Ruth UnderwoodRuth UnderwoodRuth Underwood is a retired professional musician, best known for playing xylophone, marimba, vibraphone and other percussion instruments in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention from 1967 to 1977....
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Sal Marquez – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Sue Glover – backing vocals
- Jim GordonJim Gordon (musician)James Beck "Jim" Gordon is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on "Apostrophe'" - Aynsley DunbarAynsley DunbarAynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
– drums - Tom Fowler – bass guitar
- Napoleon Murphy BrockNapoleon Murphy BrockNapoleon Murphy Brock is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums One Size Fits All, Roxy and Elsewhere, and Bongo Fury...
– saxophone, backing vocals - Robert "Frog" Camarena – vocals, backing vocals
- Ruben Ladron de Guevara – vocals, backing vocals
- Debbie – vocals, backing vocals
- Tony Duran – rhythm guitar
- Erroneous (Alex Dmochowksi) – bass guitar
- Johnny GuerinJohn GuerinJohn Payne Guerin worked as a drummer, percussionist, and recording artist worldwide.Guerin was born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego. As a young drummer he began performing with Buddy DeFranco in 1960...
– drums - Don "Sugarcane" Harris – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Ralph Humphrey – drums
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
– Technician - Jack BruceJack BruceJohn Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on "Apostrophe'" (see controversy presented above) - George DukeGeorge DukeGeorge Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
– keyboards, backing vocals - Bruce FowlerBruce FowlerBruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent American trombone player and composer. He notably played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart, and in the Fowler Brothers Band...
– tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate... - Jean-Luc PontyJean-Luc PontyJean-Luc Ponty is a French virtuoso violinist and jazz composer.- Early years:Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano...
– violin
Production staff
- Cal SchenkelCal SchenkelCal Schenkel is an artist specialising in album cover design. He was the main visual collaborator for Frank Zappa and was responsible for the art and graphic design of many of Zappa's most well-known album covers. Schenkel's work is iconic and distinctive in style; a forerunner of punk art and...
– artwork, graphic design - Barry Keene – engineer
- Ferenc Dobronyl – cover design
- Paul Hof – technician
- Oscar Kergaives – technician
- Brian Krokus – technician
- Mark Aalyson – photography
- Bob Stone – transfers, digital remastering
- Steve Desper – engineer
- Terry Dunavan – engineer
- Zach Glickman – marketing
- Bob Hughes – engineer
Album
BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
(North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Pop Albums | 10 |
Singles
| Song | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" | Pop Singles | 86 |