Frank Zappa

Studio Tan is one of four albums culled from the ill-fated 1976 box set Läther and released by Warner Bros. without Frank Zappa having a word to say about the final product (including the horrible artwork). The 21-minute opener, "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary," is the culmination of Zappa's art of storytelling. A complex piece painstakingly assembled in the studio over three years, it allies the comedy rock of the Flo & Eddie era with the jazzy feel of The Grand Wazoo and the twisted prog rock of the 1973-1974 band. Yet, it is greater than the sum of its parts, proposing an unmatched musical narrative that makes "Billy the Mountain" the work of a child and amounts to a stunning synthesis of the man's influences, stylistic range, and studio techniques. Side two features an intentionally stupid pop song, "Lemme Take You to the Beach," and two instrumental pieces written a few years earlier. The personnel is for the most part the same as on Roxy & Elsewhere. For the CD reissue, Zappa tweaked a few things, starting with the song titles, wrongly understood by Warner at the time (for instance "Redunzel" became "RDNZL"). He also edited a couple of short bits out of "Peccary," but replaced the original fade-out by a legitimate finale. Studio Tan (along with Sleep Dirt) brings a sense of closure to Zappa's mid-'70s. If you like cartoon music and silly stories, it is worth your money for "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" alone. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide