Frank Zappa SHEIK YERBOUTI (2LP)

Personnel: Frank Zappa, Adrian Belew (voclas, guitar); Tommy Mars (vocals, keyboards); Patrick O'Hearn (vocals, bass); Terry Bozzio (vocals, drums); Ed Mann (vocals, percussion); David Ocker (clarinet); Peter Wolf (keyboards); Napoleon Murphy Brock, Andre Lewis, Randy Thornton, Davey Moire (background vocals).
The folly of others was always Zappa's bread and butter, and living in LA, there was plenty of folly from which to choose. On SHEIK YERBOUTI he was at the top of his game, with relentless and biting sarcasm, and the chutzpah to not care who he insulted. Blessed with the ability to expose nincompoopery with just one cleverly turned phrase, Zappa was the great leveler, insulting everyone equally. Peter Frampton ("I Have Been In You") and Jewish American Princesses ("Jewish Princess") are just two of Zappa's targets on SHEIK. Zappa reserved most of his barbs for Los Angeles scenesters, dedicating six tunes, including the hilarious "I'm So Cute" and "Dancin' Fool" to the "beautiful people" of his hometown. Conspicuously absent from the list of victims is the religious right, who would be his favorite target in the '80s.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop