Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Prologue
2. Mammy Nuns
3. Harry and Rhonda
4. Galoot Up-Date
5. 'Torchum' Never Stops
6. That Evil Prince
7. You Are What You Is
8. Mudd Club
9. Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
10. Clowns on Velvet
11. Harry-As-A-Boy
12. He's So Gay
13. Massive Improve'lence
14. Artificial Rhonda

Disc 2:

1. Crab-Grass Baby
2. White Boy Troubles
3. No, Not Now
4. Briefcase Boogie
5. Brown Moses
6. Wistful Wit a Fist-Full
7. Drop Dead
8. Won Ton On

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28119 in Music
• Brand: ZAPPA,FRANK
• Released on: 1995-05-02
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .50 pounds

Album Description
Japanese reissue of 1984 album, packaged in a deluxe cardboard box. Videoarts. 2002.

Amazon.com
Broadway the hard way, indeed. Frank Zappa's mock musical is also one of his most scathing satires, and sure to offend the sensibilities of many who hear it. Those who get past its prickly skin will be pleased to discover an ambitious, hilarious, and catchy look at life and love in the 1980's--with an outlook not so good. Government experimentation on prison inmates leads to the creation of a new race of super beings, The Mammy Nuns, who start their own Broadway musical. Yuppie couple Harry & Rhonda come to the show, unaware that they are more than just part of the audience in this production, and find their own lives under the scrutiny of the Mammy Nun's leader, Thing-Fish, voiced by long-time Zappa cohort Ike Willis. Organized religion, homosexuality, feminism, and racial identity are just some of the subjects Zappa throws onto a groove of tight rock and a sheet of vocal sound. Maybe not one of Zappa's best albums, but certainly one of his most daring. --Andrew Boscardin

From the Label
Originally released as 3 LPs (now on 2 CDs) in 1984, THING-FISH is an outrageous, hilarious savage parody of a Broadway show that was controversial enough to bring FZ more major label trouble (scheduled to be distributed by MCA, they objected to the content, so he contracted with Capitol for distribution). Ike Willis stars in the title role, Terry and Dale Bozzio fill the roles of Harry and Rhonda, the hapless audience members who are abused by the actors on stage, Johnny "Guitar" Watson as Brown Moses, Napoleon Murphy Brock as the Evil Prince.

Never actually staged (but hey, it's never too late), the play draws music from previous Zappa discs (mostly YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS), along with a stack of numbers that weren't heard elsewhere. And the plot? Well, the evil government's trying to weed out the population through the use of a doctored cologne, a race of mutant "Mammy Nuns" develops in response, Terry Bozzio enters as the ultimate whiny white guy; the whole crew pays a visit to the Mudd Club, and Dale Bozzio, in what may be the height of her career to date, does unspeakable things with her briefcase. Critics who objected to Zappa's sexual/scatological humor had a field day with this one. But the cultists rejoiced; and some even took to showing up at Zappa concerts in their own Thing-Fish outfits.

Customer Reviews

How about Harvey Fierstein in the lead role?
"Thing-Fish" is an American classic, right up there with the best of Mark Twain. It is a brilliantly hilarious send-up of Broadway, in all its pretense and creative sterility. Zappa takes the archetypes and stereotypes of American culture, strips them of all their BS, and exposes them for the stupid, silly posturings that they are. "Thing-Fish" is Zappa's acid test for people who claim they can't be offended. It's racist, sexist, homophobic, vulgar . . . to anyone but a true Zappa fan. "Thing-Fish" is a drama, not another collection of songs and guitar solos, so stop taking yourselves so seriously and enjoy it for what it is: fantastic!

Un-creedably Stim-ul-at-nin'
Whether you think the lyrics to this mock musical are far-fetched, extreme, or whatever, you and I would do well to have the kind of healthy mistrust of Washington as Mr. Zappa displayed here. Today's corporate fat-cats are "Number One" in our government, and you ain't even number two.

OK, so I agree with a lot of Zappa's "snide politics" as he once put it. That certainly hepls me enjoy Thing-Fish.

And now for the music...

The musical instrumentation is sparse. I think Thunes and Wackerman do lay down a nifty bass-drum rhythym, however. And the Synclavier does a good job at setting a dark, foreboding tone to the album overall. But far and away, the main musical thrust is in the VOCALS. The harmonized singing of "severely-tanned individuals" such as Ike Willis, Ray White, Napolean Murphy Brock and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson are the main weapon on this album...and how fantasic it sounds! I'd love to read the musical score that calls for backing vocal lines like "Oom mammy oom, ma-ooom mammy oom" and "Der-der-dup! Der-der-dup!". The double CD is worth the price for the vocals alone...Since I don't own "You Are What You Is" (from whence many of the old songs came), this doesn't bother me so much. And I would say that "The Torchum Never Stops" and "Artificial Rhonda" are both *better* than their "Zoot Allures" counterparts ("The Torture Never Stops" and "Ms. Pinky").

I agree that this is not the place to start listening to the music of Frank Zappa. However, I would say it's essential for the hard-core Zappa fan.

Essential, but not a first Zappa album
This is the funniest album I've ever heard. Ike Willis deserves a Grammy/Oscar/Thing they give to performers

Having been a FZ fan for a long time, I wholeheartedly recommend this album with the following disclaimers:

1. If you like Frank only for his amazing guitar playing, don't get this--you'll be disappointed

2. If you have strong religious beliefs (of any sort) pick up something else

This is one of FZ's best satire albums ; hearing Dale Bozzio violate her briefcase by itself makes this worth buying. If you're not familar w/ this aspect of FZ, my advice is to get "Joe's Garage." If you like that album, then imagine removing "Watermelon in Easter Hay" and crankin' up the sarcasm.

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