Joe's Garage
By John Humes
Embedded Files
Frank Zappa Overview
Frank Zappa Overview
General Information
General Information
During his 29-year career, Frank Zappa and the musicians he worked with (including Ike Willis, Captain Beefheart, Little Feat founders Lowell George and Roy Estrada, Adrian Belew of King Crimson, and Steve Vai) became known worldwide as the most talented, most experienced and most virtuosic players in the music world. Zappa himself is recognized as influential in a multitude of musical genres and styles, including but not limited to classical music and orchestration, free jazz and jazz fusion, and of course, most styles of rock music. His music is also well known for its regular inclusion of lyrical and spoken-word humor, its unorthodox musical format and meter, and its incorporation of elements from nearly every musical style imaginable. With an enormous career filled with extreme exhibitions of musical talent, and a life that has personally influenced the development of countless notable musicians from the last 50 years, Frank Zappa remains a legend among music lovers.
Before "Joe's Garage"
Before "Joe's Garage"
Although Joe's Garage is widely regarded as one of Frank Zappa's most important works, it actually came to fruition more than halfway through his musical career. Zappa was born in 1940 and grew up learning to play a variety of instruments, specifically the guitar. He also listened to '50s rock and roll and popular R&B music, in addition to classical composers such as Stravinsky. It was clear from a young age that Zappa would become a musician who would incorporate elements from all styles of music like nobody had ever done before.
The start of Zappa's career in rock music began in 1964 when he joined the Soul Giants as lead guitarist. They would later be known as the Mothers, and the Mothers of Invention. Several of the Mothers' first albums were early examples of concept albums, most notably Freak Out!, which many have argued was influential on Paul McCartney's writing of the Beatles' seminal album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Between 1964 and 1979, Zappa released a collective total of 27 albums, including albums with the Mothers of Invention, live albums, and solo albums. Some of his most popular solo albums in the late '60s and early '70s included 1969's Hot Rats, 1974's Apostrophe ('), and 1978's Sheik Yerbouti.
Zappa and his band were known as being humorous in their music, and often satirical. Many criticized them for becoming a "scatalogical joke" (Rolling Stone). To his followers, however, Zappa was both an explosion of musical talent and a symbol of rebellion against a corrupt government. Throughout his career, Zappa maintained this persona alongside his persona of a respected composer and arranger, blurring the lines between musical genres even more so.
Album Info
Album Info
Act I
- The Central Scrutinizer (3:28)
- Joe's Garage (6:10)
- Catholic Girls (4:26)
- Crew Slut (6:31)
- Wet T-Shirt Nite (4:45)
- On The Bus (4:19)
- Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? (2:36)
- Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up (5:43)
- Scrutinizer Postlude (1:35)
Act II
- A Token of My Extreme (5:30)
- Stick It Out (4:34)
- Sy Borg (8:56)
- Dong Work for Yuda (5:03)
- Keep It Greasey (8:22)
- Outside Now (5:50)
Act III
- He Used To Cut The Grass (8:35)
- Packard Goose (11:34)
- Watermelon in Easter Hay (9:09)
- A Little Green Rosetta (8:15)
Produced by Frank Zappa
Recorded at Village Recorders "B," LA
April-June 1979
The Musicians
Frank Zappa—lead guitar, vocals
Warren Cuccurullo—rhythm guitar, vocals
Denny Walley—slide guitar, vocals
Ike Willis—lead vocals
Peter Wolf—keyboards
Tommy Mars—keyboards
Arthur Barrow—bass, guitar (on Joe's Garage), vocals
Patrick O'Hearn—bass on Outside Now and He Used To Cut The Grass
Ed Mann—percussion, vocals
Vinnie Colaiuta—drums, combustible vapors, optometric abandon
Jeff—tenor sax
Marginal Chagrin—baritone sax
Stumuk—bass sax
Dale Bozzio—vocals
Al Malkin—vocals
Craig Steward—harmonica
The Cast
Central Scrutinizer, Larry, L. Ron Hoover, Father Riley & Buddy Jones—Frank Zappa
Joe—Ike Willis
Mary—Dale Bozzio
Mrs. Borg—Denny Walley
Oficer Butzis—Al Malkin
Sy Borg—Warren Cuccurullo & Ed Mann
Bald-Headed John—Terry Bozzio
The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen Chorus—Al Malkin, Warren Cuccurullo, Dale Bozzio, Geordie Hormel, Barbara Issak & most of the people who work at Village Recorders
Background
Background
By the time Frank Zappa got around to planning what would become his 28th and 29th albums, his legacy was already established. After almost 15 years in the music business, he had gained quite a prominent following. His rising fame came with some difficulties, however; in 1974 Zappa got out of a long-standing deal with Warner Bros. Records and manager Herb Cohen, and subsequently filed lawsuits against both of them (after which he would self-record and release all of his music, free of record company interference). This event would become largely influential on the development of the anti-establishment themes prevalent throughout Joe's Garage.
Joe's Garage did not start out as a concept album. At this point the band's most recent album was Sheik Yerbouti, released in March 1979, five months before Joe's Garage's own release. This album, while a large commercial success, was not a concept album, and Zappa was ready to follow suit on his next album. In fact, when the band entered the studio they were only intending to record separate, unconnected songs, beginning with "Joe's Garage" and "Catholic Girls". After recording about 16 songs, Zappa began to notice a distinct storyline throughout the songs. With this basic concept (in Zappa's own words, a "stupid little story about how the government is going to do away with music") he began to piece together the songs both musically and lyrically, generating a narrative and creating several characters to be voiced by the members of his band. Zappa himself voiced the Central Scrutinizer, the album's guide who tells Joe's story as a public service announcement intended to warn the public of the dangers of music.
The story's three acts are reflective of the original intention to release Joe's Garage as a "3-record set". This was changed to two records, with the first being called Act I and the second Acts II & III in order to retain the 3 distinct parts of the album. At the time of its release the album was given generally favorable reviews. Many praised its musical intricacy and virtuosity, while others criticized the album's generous use of profanity. In retrospect, most now consider Joe's Garage to be a landmark album for Zappa.
Story
Story
The liner notes of "Joe's Garage" provide a detailed account of the storyline, complete with lyrics. It is presented as if to be a cheap high school stage production, and the notes emphasize the importance of shoddy props and materials to be used in the show. The album is narrated by The Central Scrutinizer, a character voiced by Zappa.
The first track of Act I, "The Central Scrutinizer", consists of a grungy musical backing track and spoken-word vocals delivered by Zappa through a voice-altering megaphone. This is used to create the character for whom the song is named. The Central Scrutinizer is a law enforcement official in a dystopian America where music has been outlawed by the government. Physically, he is an aluminum flying robot with a raspy voice. He states that "[his] responsibility is to enforce all the laws that haven't been passed yet." He describes how youth in America have grown more rebellious over the years, and cites "studies" that supposedly prove the source of this defiance to be music. The album is revealed to be a public service announcement, using the story of a man who was "corrupted" by music to discourage youth from following the same path. To conclude the track, The Central Scrutinizer in no seemingly random order repeats the phrases, "The white zone is for loading and unloading only. If you have to load or unload, go to the white zone......you'll love it......it's a way of life..."
The music relaxes and gently carries into "Joe's Garage", revealing the story's protagonist to be a boy from Canoga Park named Joe. The lyrics describe Joe's garage in which his band would practice their song, much to the delight of the neighborhood girls and the chagrin of his mother ("Don't you boys know any nice songs?!"). After making a name in the neighborhood, the band gathers more fans and begins to sell merchandise with their band name. They eventually sign to a record company, but due to uncertainty on whether they would ever see the benefits of the deal the band breaks up. During a final jam, however, the band causes neighbor Mrs. Borg to call the police, and Officer Butzis apprehends Joe. The Central Scrutinizer describes how the police encouraged Joe to "stick closer to church-oriented activities."
The next song, "Catholic Girls", takes place in a church and is led by Father Riley with several churchgoers providing backing vocals. Father Riley slyly references the churchgoing girls' practice of giving oral sex to boys from the neighborhood. His verses are contrasted by slower verses sung by Joe, who further describes the practice. After the song concludes, The Central Scrutinizer introduces Joe's girlfriend from the CYO named Mary.
The Scrutinizer then speaks of a night when Mary did not show up to the CYO meeting with Joe, because she was giving oral sex to a roadie in exchange for a backstage pass to a rock show. This leads into "Crew Slut," led by Larry the road crew manager. The entire road crew sings about their fondness of this scenario happening when local girls want tickets to a show. After several minutes of spoken word dialogue from Mary and Larry interplayed with backing vocals, the song ends and The Central Scrutinizer sums up how Mary has been driven away from Joe onto the tour bus of a "famous rock group", again blaming music for the unrest.
The following song is known by three different titles, depending on the format of the release: "The Wet T-Shirt Contest", "Wet T-Shirt Nite", or "Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt". It is set in a bar called The Brasserie on the night of a wet t-shirt contest, in which girls are splashed with water and judged on their appearance. A bar-goer named Ike sings the first part of the song, in which he expresses excitement for the event. After this section the character Buddy Jones, who is in charge of the event, is introduced. Additionally, Mary reappears and enters the contest to win $50. She wins the money she needs to buy a bus ticket home.
"On The Bus", also known as "Toad-O Line", is an instrumental guitar solo and musical piece that could be interpreted as Mary's ride home. During the outro, The Central Scrutinizer indicates that Joe has heard about Mary's "naughty exploits", and has taken up with a waitress named Lucille. However, Lucille gives Joe a sexually transmitted disease.
The short rocker "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" consists of Joe's agonized bemoaning of the infection he received from Lucille. There is little story development in this track.
The loud and powerful dynamics from the previous song are replaced by clean guitars and a reggae-influenced beat in "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up". Joe professes his love for Lucille, while coping with the challenges of their relationship ("Whatcha tryna do to me Lucille?").
"Scrutinizer Postlude" only consists of the Central Scrutiziner's voice. He poses the question of whether music was the real cause of Joe's troubles, not Lucille. In his confused state, Joe decides to pay money to a man named L. Ron Hoover in order to join the First Church of Appliantology.
"A Token of My Extreme", the first song in Act II, is a duet between Joe and L. Ron Hoover. First the latter of the two introduces himself as an eccentric man with great knowledge. Joe then speaks to Hoover in a manner reminiscent of Christian confession. After hearing him out, Hoover informs Joe that he is a "latent appliance fetishist", and describes this as "a person who refuses to admit to his or herself that sexual gratification can only be achieved through the use of machines". Hoover then tells Joe to go into the church closet and pick an appliance to bring home with him, telling him he should learn a foreign language in order to use a more advanced robot. After the conclusion of the music, The Central Scrutinizer details how Joe proceeded to go to a club called The Closet after learning German. The club is full of anthropomorphic sex appliances.
In "Stick It Out", Joe speaks to several appliances in German to try and find one to bring home with him. Eventually, he is approached by a robot that can speak English, who introduces himself as Sy Borg. They dance and party in the club, courting each other. At the end they decide to go back to Sy's apartment.
"Sy Borg" goes into great detail regarding Joe and the title character's sexual exploits. They include some friends of Sy's, but Joe urinates on and accidentally short-circuits the robot. The Central Scrutinizer appears as his younger self and accosts Joe for breaking the machine, telling him he must pay for the damage. Joe is taken away, as he already "gave all [his] money to some kinda groovy religious guy two songs ago".
The next song, "Dong Work for Yuda", begins with The Central Scrutinizer revealing Joe's whereabouts: serving out his sentence in a special prison for music offenders. Joe meets a man named Bald-Headed John and hears about his life as a promoter for a major record label from Father Riley (also in prison) and other former music executives.
In "Keep It Greasey", the executives repeatedly rape Joe. No other significant events take place in the song.
"Outside Now" is a moment of reflection for Joe. He remembers all that has happened to him, and yearns to see the outside world and hear guitar music again. This song is reminiscent of "Stop" by Pink Floyd, in that it stops the story abruptly to hear the protagonist's thoughts before returning for the final set of songs.
"He Used To Cut The Grass" is the first song of Act III, the final act. Joe has now been released from prison into a world where music is now fully illegal. He bemoans the absence of musician and craves a musical outlet. Finally he resolves to "be sullen and withdrawn" and play guitar notes in his dreams. During his dream he hears the voice of Mrs. Borg, yelling for him to turn it down and play nicer songs. The Central Scrutinizer returns after a long absence over the final notes of the guitar solo to explain that Joe has begun to lose his mind to his musical dreams. Joe dreams that journalists are writing articles and reviews about his music.
"Packard Goose" is Joe's backlash at the imaginary bad reviews he received. He voices many grievances with music critics. After his ranting he suddenly wonders what happened to his old girlfriend, Mary. Mary's voice then rises from the music, and delivers one of the album's most memorable lines: "Information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, wisdom is not truth, truth is not beauty, beauty is not love, love is not music, music is THE BEST". After returning to the song's main tempo and further voicing hatred for music journalism, Joe calms down and starts over with his imaginary guitar, still mumbling incoherent phrases.
In the penultimate track, "Watermelon in Easter Hay", Joe "realizes the end is near", in the words of The Central Scrutinizer. He begins to dream a final guitar solo in his mind, completely instrumental.
"A Little Green Rosetta" is the last song on the album. The Central Scrutinizer sums up his story by once again identifying music as the culprit. He says that Joe now works in the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, putting icing on muffins. The Scrutinizer finally takes off his megaphone and sings the last song in his normal voice (Frank Zappa's voice), which is an ensemble finale to the album.
Album Cover
Album Cover
The album cover photos for both Act I and Acts II & III were taken by Norm Seeff. The art direction for the album was handled by John Williams. The first album's cover features a close-up of Zappa's head in blackface, holding a mop in view on the left side. The words "Joe's Garage" appear in big letters with "Act I" beneath them, and Zappa's name appears in the top left corner.
The second album's cover shows a similar image of Zappa having his blackface makeup put on, with a woman's hands and hair visible in the image.
It is not clear what the original meaning of these images was, or if their ever was one. It is possible that Zappa's image is meant to be the titular character Joe.
Musical Elements
Musical Elements
The Central Scrutinizer
Scoring: spoken-word vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, xylophone, various "wacky" percussion sounds
Dynamics: Loud and consistent
Meter:4/4
Tempo: Swift but not too quick
Harmony: Minor, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song does not have separate sections; it plays the same backing track with slight variations as The Central Scrutinizer speaks the vocals over it.
This song is the first instance of the "loading zone announcement", which reappears throughout the album.
Joe's Garage
Scoring: Lead vocals, backing vocals, drums, bass, saxophone, guitar, spoken-word vocals, percussion, keyboards
Dynamics: Starts calm and gentle before building to very loud dynamics
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Medium
Harmony: Major, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song includes verses and a long chorus with many changing sections.
This song includes short snippets of music dissimilar to the rest of the song, such as a 2-measure surf rock breakdown and a performance of the song mentioned within "Joe's Garage". It also features another loading zone announcement.
Catholic Girls
Scoring: Bass, drums, lead and backing vocals, keyboards, guitar, spoken word vocals
Dynamics: Loud
Meter: 4/4 (except for intro and some sections which are 9/16)
Tempo: Driving, between middle and fast
Harmony: Major, consonant
Melody: Mostly conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song features constant repetition of the song's title during the main sections. These sections contrast slower, more reggae-influenced verses.
Crew Slut
Scoring: Bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, vocals, spoken word vocals, harmonica, sitar (or sitar effects)
Dynamics: Loud but not bombastic
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Relaxed but driving
Harmony: Minor, consonant with some dissonance during the verses
Melody: Conjunct with some disjunct parts
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song's structure is based in traditional rock song format. There are multiple verses with a chorus, followed by a jam section.
Wet T-Shirt Nite
Scoring: Bass, guitar, xylophone, co-lead vocals, backing vocals, spoken word, keyboards, drums, cheering and crowd noises
Dynamics: Medium
Meter: 4/4 (with some measures of 5/4
Tempo: Fast
Harmony: Major, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: There is not a chorus in this song, but each verse ends with the repetition of the title.
On The Bus
Scoring: Guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, spoken word, sitar
Dynamics: Medium
Meter: 4/4 with some measures of 5/4
Tempo: Fast
Harmony: Minor, consonant
Melody: Conjunct and disjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song is nothing more than a guitar solo over a backing track. It does not have any lyrics save for The Central Scrutinizer's voice near the end.
This song's guitar solo is xenochronous; that is to say, it was originally recorded on a previous track, in this case "Inca Roads" by Frank Zappa, and lifted to be put over a new backing track to create a different song. This technique was used for every guitar solo on Joe's Garage except for "Watermelon in Easter Hay."
Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?
Scoring: Vocals, electric guitar, drums, bass, keyboards, percussion, choir vocals
Dynamics: Loud
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Slow
Harmony: Minor, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song does not have a chorus. Several, though not all, of the verses include repetition of the title phrase. There is a musical breakdown section in the middle.
Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up
Scoring: Bass, guitar, vocals, drums, keyboards,
Dynamics: Soft
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Slow
Harmony: Minor, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song again does not feature a chorus, but instead has a tag: the name "Lucille".
A Token of My Extreme
Scoring: Spoken word, bass, guitar, co-lead vocals, drums, keyboards, sitar,
Dynamics: Medium to loud
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Medium to fast
Harmony: Major, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song features multiple sections but does not include a chorus.
This song features the first loading zone announcement of Act II.
Stick It Out
Scoring: Bass, lead and backing vocals, guitar, drums, keyboards
Dynamics: Loud
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Fast
Harmony: Mostly major, consonant with some dissonance
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song returns to the traditional rock song format with multiple verses and a repeated chorus.
Sy Borg
Scoring: Guitar, lead vocals, drums, bass, Sy Borg's robotic voice, keyboards, police sirens
Dynamics: Soft
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Slow
Harmony: Minor, consonant
Melody: Disjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: Like "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up", this song features a tag instead of a chorus: "Sy Borg".
This song features a heavy reggae influence that is reminiscent of "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up." This style of music appears to represent Joe's love life.
It also repeats the phrase "you'll love it, it's a way of life", which was first heard from Buddy the road crew manager in "Crew Slut".
Dong Work for Yuda
Scoring: Drums, bass, guitar, lead and backing vocals, keyboards, xylophone
Dynamics: Medium to loud
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Medium
Harmony: Major, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song features several verses which sometimes but do not always include the repetition of the song's title.
Keep It Greasey
Scoring: Bass, guitar, lead and backing vocals, drums, keyboards, sitar
Dynamics: Loud
Meter: 4/4 with some measures of 5/4
Tempo: Fast
Harmony: Minor, consonant with some dissonance
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: The song features a chorus and several different verses.
Outside Now
Scoring: Drums, guitar, bass, vocals, sitar, keyboards, xylophone, backing vocals,
Dynamics: Medium
Meter: 3 measures of 3/4, one measure of 2/4
Tempo: Soft to medium
Harmony: Minor, dissonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song does not follow a set form. It repeats the words "outside now" throughout the outro but does not have any clear chorus.
He Used To Cut The Grass
Scoring: Drums, guitar, keyboards, bass, vocals, spoken word, police sirens
Dynamics: Soft to medium
Meter: 3/4
Tempo: Slow
Harmony: Minor, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song does not feature a chorus either. The title is spoken by Mrs. Borg during a spoken-word interlude.
This song contains more loading zone announcements from the Central Scrutinizer.
Packard Goose
Scoring: Drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, xylophone, lead vocals, backing vocals, spoken word, chimes,
Dynamics: Mostly medium to loud
Meter: 3 measures of 2/4, one measure of 5/8 in intro; song contains many changing meters. 4/4 is used in some parts as well as 6/4.
Tempo: Fast
Harmony: Major, consonant with some dissonance
Melody: Mostly disjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song features several different sections but does not include a chorus. The title of the song is never mentioned.
Watermelon in Easter Hay
Scoring: Drums, keyboards, guitar, bass, sitar, xylophone, chimes
Dynamics: Soft
Meter: 9/4
Tempo: Slow
Harmony: Major, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song is a 9 minute guitar solo by Frank Zappa. It features no representation save for the opening melody.
This track is considered by many to be Frank Zappa's greatest guitar solo. It is the only solo on the album to not be xenochronous.
A Little Green Rosetta
Scoring: Spoken word, lead and backing vocals
Dynamics: Starts soft, builds to loud
Meter: 4/4
Tempo: Medium to fast
Harmony: Major, consonant
Melody: Conjunct
Texture: Homophonic
Form: This song features the repetition of the title phrase throughout.
Works Cited
Works Cited
- Borders, James. "Form and the Concept Album: Aspects of Modernism in Frank Zappa's Early Releases." 2001-00 Form and the Concept Album: Aspects of Modernism in Frank Zappa's Early Releases. Perspectives of New Music, Winter 2001. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
- Davis, Michael. "Zappa Busy As Ever While Coming Out of Joe's Garage." 1980-02 Zappa Busy As Ever While Coming Out of Joe's Garage. N.p., Feb. 1980. Web. 01 May 2017.
- "Frank Zappa Biography." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
- Gallucci, Michael. "36 Years Ago: Frank Zappa Makes Another Pointed Political Statement on 'Joe's Garage Act I'." Ultimate Classic Rock. Diffuser Network, 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017.
- "Joe's Garage Liner Notes." Joe's Garage Acts I, II & III. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017.
- Sloots, Kasper. "Frank Zappa's Musical Language." Joe's Garage. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.
- Swenson, John. "Frank Zappa: The Myth Of 'Joe's Garage'." 1979-12 Frank Zappa: The Myth Of 'Joe's Garage'. Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 1979. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.
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