40 Years Ago: Frank Zappa Releases ‘Over-nite Sensation’
Forty years ago, Frank Zappa reminded us once again of his status as rock's top arch-ironist by naming his 17th album 'Over-nite Sensation.' Of far greater significance, however, the record represents a comeback of sorts for Zappa, who struggled a bit in the early part of the '70s.
By the time of the album's release in September 1973, a decade had passed since Zappa and his self-described "repulsive teen combo" the Mothers of Invention started flipping the rock establishment on its head with their genre-defying music and caustic social commentary.
But after controversially disbanding the original Mothers in 1969, and then being attacked on a London stage two years later, a wheelchair-bound Zappa had spent the better part of 1972 composing instrumental, orchestral and big-band music for what became known as 'The Grand Wazoo.'
So it wasn't until the sessions for 'Over-nite Sensation' began, in March 1973, that an almost fully recovered Zappa started behaving like his old self again, revealing itself in the album's updated interpretation of the old Mothers aesthetic -- even though only multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood remained from the '60s lineup. Alongside his wife and percussionist Ruth, keyboardist-vocalist George Duke and a new generation of supporting musicians, Underwood was unknowingly serving Zappa's vision for defining the sound that would carry him through much of the '70s.
That sound pushed Zappa's formidable guitar playing to the fore, along with his increasingly graphic sexual comedy (in contrast to the politicized lyrics of the '60s), while his typically adventurous, genre-crossing creations were performed by professionally trained, sight-reading musicians capable of executing whatever Zappa threw at them with the utmost ensemble precision (something the original Mothers could never do to their leader's satisfaction).
All of these qualities permeate 'Over-nite Sensation' favorites like 'Camarillo Brillo,' 'Dirty Love' and 'Dina Moe Humm,' and struck a chord with younger, mostly male fans who could relate to songs so radically torn between the conservatory and the gutter. Meanwhile, other tunes like 'Zomby Woof,' 'Montana' and the especially memorable 'I Am the Slime' gleefully traffic in varying depths of absurdity, supported by uncredited background vocals from the spectacular Tina Turner and her Ikettes.
Of course not all fans were happy about these developments -- namely those partial to the Mothers of Invention and Zappa's more erudite output. But the typical rock-music consumer had spoken, or was about to, as the following year's 'Apostrophe' album (largely recorded during the same sessions, with the same musicians and same musical hallmarks) soon rode 'Over-nite Sensation's' momentum to the Top 10 and to Zappa's first gold sales certification.
Listen to Frank Zappa's 'Over-nite Sensation'