Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch
Encyclopedia
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch is an album
by Frank Zappa
, released in May 1982 and digitally remastered in 1991. It features five tracks composed by Zappa, and one song, "Valley Girl
", co-written with Moon Unit Zappa
, his daughter, who provided the spoken monologue mocking some of the Valley girl
s at her school including "Gag me with a spoon!". Most of Side 1 was recorded at Zappa's Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
studio at his home in Los Angeles
; while the majority of the material on Side 2 was extracted from live performances during tours in 1981 and 1982.
The cover art for the album shows the classic Droodle
(from which the album gets its name), whose shapes also suggest the letters 'ZA' (and 'P', sideways), as in 'Zappa'.
The song "Drowning Witch" is one of the most complex instrumentals that Zappa ever wrote, featuring musical quotation
s from The Rite of Spring
by Stravinsky
and the Dragnet
TV theme.
The original LP
release contained a note that reads "This album has been engineered to sound correct on JBL
4311 speakers or an equivalent. Best results will be achieved if you set your pre-amp tone controls to the flat position with the loudness control in the off position. Before adding any treble or bass to the sound of the album, it would be advisable to check it out this way first. F.Z."
The LP also featured a "letter from FZ" advertising the Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
box set, which had previously only been made available separately in the U.S. and, at the time Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch was released, was being made available for the first time in Europe
. To promote the release of the UK box set, the first pressing of the UK edition of this album contained a 4-song 7" EP with tracks from the box set.
(United States)
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...
, released in May 1982 and digitally remastered in 1991. It features five tracks composed by Zappa, and one song, "Valley Girl
Valley Girl (song)
"Valley Girl" is a song by the musician Frank Zappa and his 14 year-old daughter, Moon Unit Zappa. It was released on Zappa's 1982 album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. Moon supplied Frank with much of the content, speaking typical "Valley girl" or "Valspeak" phrases she heard at...
", co-written with Moon Unit Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa is an American actress, musician and author. She goes by the name Moon Zappa; "Unit" is her middle name.-Personal life:...
, his daughter, who provided the spoken monologue mocking some of the Valley girl
Valley girl
Valley Girl is a stereotype leveled at a socio-economic and ethnic class of American women who can be described as colloquial English-speaking and materialistic...
s at her school including "Gag me with a spoon!". Most of Side 1 was recorded at Zappa's Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen was the name of the recording studio that Frank Zappa had built and used extensively at his home for many of his musical recordings....
studio at his home in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; while the majority of the material on Side 2 was extracted from live performances during tours in 1981 and 1982.
The cover art for the album shows the classic Droodle
Droodle
Droodles was a syndicated cartoon feature created by Roger Price and collected in his 1953 book Droodles. The trademarked name "Droodle" is a nonsense word suggesting "doodle", "drawing" and "riddle." Their general form is minimal: a square box containing a few abstract pictorial elements with a...
(from which the album gets its name), whose shapes also suggest the letters 'ZA' (and 'P', sideways), as in 'Zappa'.
The song "Drowning Witch" is one of the most complex instrumentals that Zappa ever wrote, featuring musical quotation
Musical quotation
Musical quotation is the practice of directly quoting another work in a new composition. The quotation may be from the same composer's work , or from a different composer's work ....
s from The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
by Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
and the Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
TV theme.
The original LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
release contained a note that reads "This album has been engineered to sound correct on JBL
JBL
JBL is an American audio electronics company currently owned by Harman International. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing. Their primary products are loudspeakers and associated electronics. There are two independent divisions within the company — JBL Consumer and JBL Professional...
4311 speakers or an equivalent. Best results will be achieved if you set your pre-amp tone controls to the flat position with the loudness control in the off position. Before adding any treble or bass to the sound of the album, it would be advisable to check it out this way first. F.Z."
The LP also featured a "letter from FZ" advertising the Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar is a triple vinyl album, originally issued mail order-only as three separate volumes, featuring live material recorded by Frank Zappa between February 1977 and December 1980. The final track, "Canard du Jour", is a duet with Frank Zappa on electric bouzouki and Jean-Luc...
box set, which had previously only been made available separately in the U.S. and, at the time Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch was released, was being made available for the first time in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. To promote the release of the UK box set, the first pressing of the UK edition of this album contained a 4-song 7" EP with tracks from the box set.
Side one
- "No Not Now" - 5:50
- "Valley GirlValley Girl (song)"Valley Girl" is a song by the musician Frank Zappa and his 14 year-old daughter, Moon Unit Zappa. It was released on Zappa's 1982 album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. Moon supplied Frank with much of the content, speaking typical "Valley girl" or "Valspeak" phrases she heard at...
" - 4:49 - "I Come from Nowhere"- 6:13
Personnel
- 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...
– Lead Guitar, Vocals - Steve VaiSteve VaiSteven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
– Guitar (credited as "Impossible Guitar Parts") - Ray WhiteRay WhiteRay White is a soul vocalist and rock and blues guitarist, best known as a member of Frank Zappa's touring ensembles. He was drafted into Zappa's band in the fall of 1976, being featured on rhythm guitar and vocals, forming a memorable vocal harmony partnership with Ike Willis on later tours in...
– Rhythm Guitar, Vocals - Tommy MarsTommy MarsTommy Mars is a keyboard player, best known for his work with Frank Zappa.Born in Connecticut, U.S.A., 26 October 1951 Mars began piano lessons at age eight, and later his instrument range expanded to various keyboards and synthesizers. Mars graduated in 1972 from the Hartt College of Music in...
– Keyboards - Bobby Martin – Keyboards, Sax, Vocals
- Ed Mann – Percussion
- Scott ThunesScott ThunesScott Thunes is a former bass player with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys and others....
– Bass on "Drowning Witch", "Envelopes", "Teen-age Prostitute", and "Valley Girl" - Arthur BarrowArthur BarrowArthur Barrow is a multi-instrumental musician, best known for his stint as a bass guitar player for Frank Zappa in the late 1970s and early 1980s.-Early life:...
– Bass on "No Not Now" and the first part of "I Come From Nowhere" - Patrick O'HearnPatrick O'HearnPatrick O'Hearn is an American multi-instrumentalist musician, composer and recording artist. While his musical repertoire spans a diverse range of music, he is an acclaimed New Age artist in his solo career...
– Bass on the guitar solo in "I Come From Nowhere" - Chad WackermanChad WackermanChad Wackerman is a jazz, jazz fusion and rock drummer; arguably best known in the United States for his work as a drummer and percussionist in Frank Zappa's band...
– Drums - Roy EstradaRoy EstradaRoy Estrada is an American musician and backing vocalist, best known for his bass guitar work with Frank Zappa and for co-founding Little Feat.-Biography:With drummer Jimmy Carl Black and Ray Collins, Estrada was an original member of Frank Zappa's...
– Vocals - Ike WillisIke WillisIke Willis is a singer and guitarist who was a regular sideman for Frank Zappa, first joining Zappa's band for the fall 1978 tour and remaining in the band for several years. He did not tour with Zappa in 1981 and 1982 for personal reasons, but returned to touring with Zappa for his final two...
– Vocals - Bob Harris – Vocals
- Lisa PopeilLisa PopeilLisa Stephanie Popeil is an American voice coach, singer, musician, voice researcher and lecturer.The eldest daughter of S.J. Popeil and Eloise Popeil . S.J. was born in New York City and mother Eloise was born in Scottsboro, Alabama. S.J...
– Vocals on "Teen-Age Prostitute" - Moon Unit ZappaMoon Unit ZappaMoon Unit Zappa is an American actress, musician and author. She goes by the name Moon Zappa; "Unit" is her middle name.-Personal life:...
– Vocal on "Valley Girl"
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...
(United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Pop Albums | 23 |
Singles
| Song | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Valley Girl" | Mainstream Rock | 12 |
| Pop Singles | 32 |