Wiki
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Release Date
21 February 1974
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Length
9 tracks
Apostrophe (') is an album by Frank Zappa, his eighteenth, released on April 22, 1974 in both stereo and quadraphonic formats. An edited version of its lead-off track, "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow", was Zappa's first chart single, reaching position 86. Apostrophe (') remains Zappa's biggest commercial success in the US. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 7, 1976 and reached number 10 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart.
Continuing from the commercial breakthrough of Over-Nite Sensation (1973), this album is a similar mix of short songs showcasing Zappa's humor and musical arrangements. The record's lyrical themes are often bizarre or obscure, with the exception of "Uncle Remus" which is an extension of Zappa's feelings on racial disharmony featured on his earlier song "Trouble Every Day".
The first half of the album loosely follows a continuing theme. "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" tells of a dream the singer had where he saw himself as an Eskimo named Nanook. A fur trapper comes up from behind Nanook's igloo and begins to assault a baby seal. Nanook responds by rubbing yellow snow (that is, snow which had been urinated on by huskies) in his eyes, blinding him. The fur trapper remembers an ancient Eskimo legend ("Wherein it is written—on whatever it is that they write it on up there") and travels to "the parish of St. Alfonzo". At this point, the album takes an unexpected turn and instead tells of rambunctious antics ("wheedled on the bingo cards in lieu of the latrine") and follows with a scenario in which a leprechaun "stroked it"; another line talks of "abused the sausage patty" followed by a short musical interlude that includes high-pitched orgasmic screaming. However, the complete suite is not available, missing the final movement, "Rollo", which however wasn't probably lyrically written at the time (the music had been written earlier, as a version of it appears on the Imaginary Diseases album).
As the album reaches "Cosmik Debris", there are several references to earlier albums and songs. The "dust of the Grand Wazoo" is mentioned, as well as "the toads of the short forest" (featured previously on 1970's Weasels Ripped My Flesh and on Over-Nite Sensation, specifically "Camarillo Brillo").
The title track is an instrumental jam featuring Cream bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Jim Gordon. Jack Bruce is credited on the album cover with bass guitar and co-writing the title song. However, in his interview for Polish rock magazine Tylko Rock he jokingly insisted to journalist Weiss Wiesław that he had not played any bass guitar parts on Apostrophe ('), only the cello parts. Bruce learned cello as a child and plays it on some of his other recordings. However, his cello comments regarding Apostrophe (') can't be taken seriously because there is in fact no cello on the title song or on the album. His bass playing on Apostrophe (') does in fact sound at times very much like the bass lines that he played with Cream.
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