Tinseltown Rebellion is a double-album released 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...

 in 1981. It was reissued on a single CD by Rykodisc

Rykodisc

Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...

 in 1990. (An unauthorized CD had been previously issued by EMI in England in 1987.) Complaints regarding the significantly inferior sound quality (mastered by Bob Stone) led to a remaster by Spencer Chrislu in 1998.

The opening track, "Fine Girl" is a studio recording dating from the same sessions that produced the double album You Are What You Is

You Are What You Is

You Are What You Is is a double album by Frank Zappa. It was originally released as a two-record set in 1981 and later by Rykodisc as a 20-song CD. The album relies on a heavy use of overdubbing. This album was the first one to feature material recorded using Zappa's home studio Utility Muffin...

. While the second track features some studio overdubs, the remainder of the album consists of overdub-free live recordings from the 1979 and late 1980 concert tours.

This album marks the first appearance by guitarist Steve Vai

Steve Vai

Steven 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....

. The album also introduces drummer David Logeman, who played drums from March through July on the 1980 tour, on the tracks "Fine Girl" and "Easy Meat". He would also play drums entirely on the album You Are What You Is

You Are What You Is

You Are What You Is is a double album by Frank Zappa. It was originally released as a two-record set in 1981 and later by Rykodisc as a 20-song CD. The album relies on a heavy use of overdubbing. This album was the first one to feature material recorded using Zappa's home studio Utility Muffin...

.

The Tinseltown album cover was originally designed for an unreleased album entitled "Crush All Boxes". On close inspection this phrase can be seen whited out under the black font title "Tinseltown Rebellion". Songs from Crush All Boxes were released on Tinseltown and You Are What You Is, though in completely different mixes and edits. "Crush All Boxes" was eventually bootleged with different artwork on the cover.

Track listing

1. "Fine Girl" – 3:31
2. "Easy Meat" – 9:19
3. "For the Young Sophisticate" – 2:48
4. "Love of My Life" – 2:15
5. "I Ain't Got No Heart" – 1:59
6. "Panty Rap" – 4:35
7. "Tell Me You Love Me" – 2:07
8. "Now You See It- Now You Don't" – 4:54
9. "Dance Contest" – 2:58
10. "The Blue Light" – 5:27
11. "Tinseltown Rebellion" – 4:35
12. "Pick Me, I'm Clean" – 5:07
13. "Bamboozled by Love" – 5:46
14. "Brown Shoes Don't Make It
    Brown Shoes Don't Make It
    Brown Shoes Don't Make It is a song from Frank Zappa's 1967 album Absolutely Free. It is one of his most widely renowned works, declared by the Allmusic as "Zappa's first real masterpiece"...
    
    " – 7:14
15. "Peaches III
    Peaches en Regalia
    "Peaches en Regalia" is an instrumental jazz fusion composition by Frank Zappa. It was released on Zappa's album Hot Rats in 1969 and has been recorded many times since. It was also released as a single in 1970, with "Little Umbrellas" as the B-side...
    
    " – 5:01

Musicians

• Frank Zappa – lead guitar, vocals
• Arthur Barrow
  Arthur Barrow
  Arthur 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 & vocals
• Vinnie Colaiuta
  Vinnie Colaiuta
  Vincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
  
   – drums
• Warren Cuccurullo
  Warren Cuccurullo
  Warren Bruce Cuccurullo in Brooklyn, New York is an American rock musician who worked with Frank Zappa, was a founding member of Missing Persons, and has been a long term member of Duran Duran. He also has some notoriety in the porn industry after making nude appearances in a magazine and...
  
   – rhythm guitar & vocals
• Bob Harris – keyboards, trumpet & high vocals
• David Logeman – drums on "Fine Girl" and first half of "Easy Meat"
• Ed Mann – percussion
• Tommy Mars
  Tommy Mars
  Tommy 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 & vocals
• Patrick O'Hearn
  Patrick O'Hearn
  Patrick 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 "Dance Contest"
• Steve Vai
  Steve Vai
  Steven 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....
  
   – rhythm guitar & vocals
• Denny Walley – slide guitar & vocals
• Ray White
  Ray White
  Ray 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
• Ike Willis
  Ike Willis
  Ike 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...
  
   – rhythm guitar & vocals
• Peter Wolf
  Peter Wolf (producer)
  Peter F. Wolf is a composer, producer, songwriter and arranger. He was awarded the highest honor for artists from his birth country of Austria, the Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst .- Early years :Wolf studied classical piano at Vienna’s Conservatory of Music...
  
   – keyboards

Production staff

• Frank Zappa – arranger, producer
• Joe Chiccarelli – engineer
• George Douglas – engineer
• Tommy Fly – engineer
• Jo Hansch – mastering
• Thomas Nordegg – everything remote
• Mark Pinske – engineer
• Cal Schenkel
  Cal Schenkel
  Cal 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...
  
   – cover art
• Allen Sides – engineer
• Bob Stone – remixing, remastering, digital remastering (1990 edition)
• Spencer Chrislu - digital remastering (1996 edition)
• John Williams – graphics

Charts

Album - Billboard

Billboard (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
1981	Pop Albums	66