Friday, August 31, 2007

Frank Zappa - Cruising With Ruben & The Jets



"Is this the Mothers of Invention recording under a different name in a last-ditch attempt to get their cruddy music on the radio?" It didn't work, but who cares: This now stands as a much-loved, oddball item in the Mothers catalogue. Zappa's love for the '50s doo-wop style of early rock'n'roll was never much of a secret, and this collection of (just barely) original tunes was both a tribute and an affectionate sendup. As Zappa explained at the time, "We made it because we really like this kind of music."

After placing doo-wop homages like 'Wowie Zowie" on earlier Mothers albums, Zappa went all the way with silly gems like "Cheap Thrills" and "Jelly Roll Gum Drop," with the original Mothers in all their greasy splendor; while "How Could I Be Such a Fool" and "Stuff Up the Cracks" lampooned the melodrama of early rock ballads.

This is the original vinyl rip from '68 (I believe) its been reissues and remixed on CD, you can get it here.

Download it.

2 comments:

Robbie said...

can you repost this? I've been looking for a vinyl rip forever!

Anonymous said...

YEAH! CAN A RE-POST BE IN ORDER? I HAVE THE OLD MASTERS VERSION, BUT IF THIS IS THE ORIGNAL MIX FROM 1968 OFF OF VINYL, I'D LOVE TO HEAR IT..REGARDS,JOHN.