Cruising with Ruben & the Jets

by Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention

Overview

Frank Zappa loved '50s doo wop music. He grew up with it, collected it, and it was the first kind of pop music he wrote ("Memories of El Monte," recorded by the Penguins in 1962). Cruising with Ruben & the Jets, the Mothers of Invention's fourth LP, is a collection of such music, all Zappa originals (some co-written with MOI singer Ray Collins). To the unexperienced, songs like "Cheap Thrills," "Deseri," and "Jelly Roll Gum Drop" may sound like an average doo wop song. A closer look reveals unusual chord sequences, Stravinsky quotes, and hilariously moronic lyrics -- all wrapped in four-way harmony vocals and linear piano triplets. A handful of songs from the group's 1966 debut, Freak Out, were rearranged ("How Could I Be Such a Fool" and "Anyway the Wind Blows" give the weirdest results), and old material predating the Mothers was recycled ("Fountain of Love"). "Love of My Life" and "You Didn't Try to Call Me" became live staples. ~ Francois Couture

Product Details

Release Date:	12/09/2016
Label:	Zappa Records
UPC:	0824302383810
Rank:	34211

Tracks

1. Cheap Thrills
2. Love of My Life
3. How Could I Be Such a Fool
4. Deseri
5. I'm Not Satisfied
6. Jelly Roll Gum Drop
7. Anything
8. Later That Night
9. You Did'nt Try to Call Me
10. Fountain of Love
11. No. No. No.
12. Anyway the Wind Blows
13. Stuff Up the Cracks

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Mothers of Invention   Primary Artist
Frank Zappa   Primary Artist,Guitar
Ian Underwood   Piano,Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor)
Ray Collins   Vocals
Roy Estrada   Bass (Electric)
Bunk Gardner   Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor)
Don Preston   Piano
Jimmy Carl Black   Rhythm
Arthur Dyer Tripp III   Rhythm
Motorhead Sherwood   Tambourine,Sax (Baritone)

Technical Credits

Paul Buff   Composer
Frank Zappa   Composer,Producer,Liner Notes,Art Direction
Dick Kunc   Engineer
Ray Collins   Composer
Cal Schenkel   Cover Art,Photography
Dick Barber   Photography